Spotlight: Polycraft 599 Frontier

Using a process called rotomoulding, where molten plastic is poured into a rotating heated mould, Polycraft is able to build a pretty wide and varied range of products from the 3.0-metre Tuffy tender right up to the flagship 599 Frontier.

The boats are made using the same process used to build plastic water tanks.

Long-lived, much tougher than fibreglass and easy to repair, a plastic boat can make a lot of sense.

Before you turn off at the idea of a plastic boat, have a look inside a modern car where much of what you see and touch is plastic. Even seats can be made from plastic-based leather-look “artico” – artificial cow – and look almost exactly like the real thing.

Sitting at the top of the Polycraft range is the Polycraft 599 Frontier. It’s a versatile design, available as either a family-friendly cuddy cab, or a fishing-friendly centre console.

On a trailer and with an outboard engine fitted, prices for the 599 Frontier start from around $54,000.

Measuring 6.1 metres in overall length, the Polycraft 599 Frontier is 2.5 metres wide, the maximum beam allowable if you want to tow a boat on Australian roads without having to first do paperwork.

Despite all that length and beam, the hull alone weighs in at around 1040kg, meaning once an outboard engine is fitted you can still tow the Polycraft 599 Frontier on a dual-axle trailer with an ordinary family car.

It also means that, unlike a heavier fibreglass boat, you do not need to dig deep for a big outboard engine to fit to the 6.1-metre 599 Frontier, which is rated to 175hp.

One of the benefits of a plastic boat is the diversity of hull colors it can come in, with its tint a simple process of mixing it in at the moulding stage. Colour choices out of the factory range from apple green to three shades of blue, traditional white, yellow, and two shades of grey.

Standard equipment on the Polycraft 599 Frontier is pretty good, with stainless steel fittings, a fold-out seat along the transom, four rod holders, plumbed rear storage boxes, a winch mount at the anchor well, windscreen with grab rail on the cuddy version, seat boxes, a carpeted floor, and a 200-litre underfloor fuel tank.

Other features include a deep, family-safe internal freeboard, the ability to comfortably venture offshore once your experience with the boat grows, and a four-year warranty on the hull.

Options for the boat include a boarding ladder, hydraulic steering replacing the mechanical unit, side pockets, a tow pole, navigation and anchor lights, and a glovebox.

Where the outboard engine mounts to the transom is reinforced using aluminium bracing.

The Polycraft 599 Frontier can even be built to Survey standard for commercial operators.

Polycraft boats need to use specialised trailers that help support cand cradle the hull for transport. Storing it on a roller trailer made for a fibreglass boat will potentially expose it to warping and buckling.