Smuggler Bowrider 5900

I smell trouble at home... My two young daughters have discovered the joys of a bowrider.

All those years spent fishing out of a built-to-order tinnie means nought since having the wind in their hair at the sharp end of Smuggler's new Bow Rider 5900.

The trip from Smuggler's factory at Labrador was short, but plenty of lights, stops and turns indicated that this trailerboat is easily towed with the family six-cylinder vehicle.

The 5900 slid easily from the customised Redco trailer assisted by the extra-wide keel rollers running under the 230mm wide planing plank that makes up the keel line.

GIRLS' DAY OUT
My girls, aged nine and 11, easily climbed aboard over the gunwales into the bow pit without the usual knocks and bruises from hardware protruding from the hull shape. The four cleats on this boat are recessed neatly into the hull, making for sleek lines. The bow roller is tucked deeply into the nose of the boat and is partly superimposed by the hatch of the anchor compartment, which was also neatly trimmed with low profile, smooth hinges and catch. The sides of the triangular hatch are 500mm in length and would allow storage of a huge sand anchor.

The well itself is quite cavernous. If you had the kids regularly doing the anchoring you might find it necessary to have an extra coil of rope at the bottom of the well to keep the ground tackle within reach, but it doesn't pose any problems for adults. The anchor rope bollard is located inside the well, out of the way of passengers.

Four rodholders are standard in this hull and are installed in purpose-moulded sections of the gunwale. They look extremely smart, not to mention being low profile and unobtrusive.

While loading the passengers, it was noticeable how well-behaved the hull was with increased weight added to the bow pit. One of the prerequisites of a functional forward casting or work platform on a boat is that if you have the space to hold the weight, you must have the flotation under it to keep the boat stable when that weight is applied.

The 5900 Bow Rider has a beam of 2.23m and deadrise at the transom is 24°. A constant deadrise is carried well forward, which provides stability when people are moving around in the bow pit. This boat has a centre-line length of 5.9m and when measured with the motor and boarding platforms, comes in at 6.35m.

SHOWING STABILITY
The constant deadrise over this length, coupled with the aforementioned 230mm wide planing plank, provides good overall stability. This is essential on a family funboat, allowing it to more easily get onto the plane with heavier loads while utilising less power. It will also stay on the plane at a lower speed, which is important when having to cover ground in rough conditions.

The hull incorporates a fully-moulded glass stringer grid. It is total glass with no timber stringers, therefore overall weight is reduced dramatically. All of these factors result in fuel savings when on the trailer and on the water.

The testboat was fitted with a Johnson 135hp, and Smuggler proprietor Keith Smith informed Trailer Boat that 115hp also produces a lively performance.

Standard seating for this model is a pair of swivel pedestal seats located behind the windscreen for helmsman and one passenger. The option of back-to-back seating was fitted to the testboat and although I personally favour swivelling buckets, the back-to-back seating option is brilliant for family boating and effectively provides seating for six people aft of the windscreen.

The comfortable cushions can be removed to reveal large storage compartments below. The bases for the cushions are 10mm thick rigid vinyl sheeting as opposed to various grades of traditionally-used ply. The bases for the back-to-back seating are moulded fibreglass, which is fibreglassed to the deck for the best possible strength (with no screws or bolts to work loose over time).

Sitting in the back-to-back seats facing forward I had around a 15cm gap between my knees and the bulkhead. Being 175cm in height, I estimate that a person of 190-195cm would easily slide into this position without knocking their knees. And while sitting on the other side of the same chair, I noticed there is abundant deck space between oneself and any person sitting in the aft quarter seats.

Sidepockets run from the passenger and helm bulkhead to the start of the aft quarter seats. Comfortably out of the way of ankles and shins, they are situated high enough so as not to interfere with the feet if standing close to the gunwale.

A neat bimini shades the skipper and front passenger.

The passenger and helm consoles are solid affairs - with an insulated drink compartment for the passenger, and the helm console offers plenty of room for gauges and the like. The testboat comes standard with a Humminbird 150SX sounder which has the transducer moulded into the hull.

POSITIVE 'FEEDBACK'
The helm consisted of SeaStar NFB (Non-Feed-Back) mechanical steering, which is recommended for outboards to V-four. As the name suggests, it gives no feedback and very little vibration can be felt through the wheel. It was a little stiffer than I would have liked, but then again I've been spoilt with a hydraulic system on my boat for the past 18 months. (V-six motors are factory fitted with SeaStar hydraulic steering.)

The passage between the consoles is quite large due to a fold-out section of the windscreen rather than a bulkhead door. The cooling draught into the cockpit on a hot day is very welcoming. Flush-mounted on either side of the passage are stowage compartments, with the hatches opening and swinging out from astern providing easy access to those in the cockpit.

The deck in the bow pit has a shallow hatched compartment - ideal for fenders and ropes, etc.

Removing the cushions on the bow pit seating reveals extensive stowage around the entire perimeter of the pit. Four large adults could comfortably sit in this area. Four fittings to hold solid stainless steel tonneau cover support bars are fixed into the top of the gunwales. The neatly fitting canvas cover may be left installed to eliminate any draught or driving rain into the cockpit.

Aft quarter seats either side of the outboard place passengers in a snug and safe position, and a fold-down table incorporating beverage holders adds a touch of practicality.

Oil bottle, battery and isolating switch are tucked up high and out of sight under the aft quarter seats.

Idling out of Biggera Creek into Southport Broadwater we were met with an array of PWC, parasailing boats, family runabouts, tinnies, bay cruisers and every other watercraft imaginable. With boats racing back and forth there was not a flat piece of water to be found, and a southerly blowing at 10-15kt ensured the chop remained standing.

A run up the coast at varying speeds showed the 5900 had no vices. Tight cornering with two passengers forward was effortless, with no indication that the bow would drop from lack of buoyancy during the manoeuvre.

A DRY RUN
Running back and forth across varying sized boat wash produced a dry ride for all onboard. Hitting some of the bigger wash off larger boats at speeds just on the plane generated some fine spray, albeit surprisingly little. The bow flare held down most of the spray even with a breeze on the forward quarter, a situation which often lifts airborne spray and dumps it into the cockpit.

The 135hp provided more than enough power. Fitted with a 19-inch prop, it overrevved slightly to 6200rpm and hit a top speed of 70kmh.

Pulling into shallow sandy beaches, the 5900 displayed a draft of 360mm at the stern with the engine fully tilted up.

Fuel is housed in an underfloor 140lt tank, with outboard filler feeding the front of the tank. A dual-breather system makes for easy filling on or off the water. This centrally-located tank ensures the 5900 does not change its attitude as fuel is burnt.

The 5900 gives the impression of being a 'lot of boat'. It's sleek, has a great low-profile look, and it's fast. Its fine features both forward and aft aid that impression. This boat is all about leisure and having fun, and the Smuggler 5900 Bow Rider has plenty of room for a large family to do just that.