Stabicraft 1850 Fisher

A pioneer of this type of craft was New Zealand’s Stabicraft. Established in 1987, Stabicraft claims to be the first to weld inflatable-style pontoon tubes to an aluminium vee hull. The objective was to combine the safety and stability of an inflatable with the ride comfort of a vee bottom hull -- and they succeeded.

The first Stabicraft boats were a bit crude and rather unattractive -- but they performed exceptionally well.

Early examples were purchased mainly by commercial fishermen, divers and others who demanded a safe, solid and durable work boat. Today, Stabicraft boats are also popular with recreational fishermen.

In the current Stabicraft boat range there are fourteen production models. For this test report we secured one of the smaller trailerable boats, the 1850 Fisher.

The craft has a 17.5 degree deadrise vee hull surrounded by positive-buoyancy aluminium tubes which enable the boat to achieve Level Flotation standard.

The hull and aft deck is made from aluminium, while the cuddy or 'shelter' style cabin top is made from fibreglass.

In standard form, the 1850 Fisher is pretty basic. It comes unpainted with two pedestal mounted helm seats, a sealed checker-plate aluminium deck, and side storage pockets.

Keeping the standard inclusions to a minimum helps to contain the package price. For example, a start-up package with a 70hp two-stroke Yamaha and Dunbier braked trailer is priced from $35,293 at Brisbane’s Northside Marine.

The above price is perhaps a little unrealistic because most buyers will option the boat to a level similar to the test boat -- which had painted topsides and interior sides, cabin vee berth seats and framework, a box-mounted passenger chair with aft-facing seat, bimini, boarding ladder, and GME VHF radio.

The test boat was also powered by a four-stroke 70hp Yamaha outboard. Adding the engine upgrade brings the package price up to $46,069 -- which is still pretty reasonable for a craft of this size and capability.

The standard boat has no cabin seating; the aluminium checker-plate floor is extended right through to the forepeak.

The cabin has a full walk-through layout and is topped by a centre opening perspex windscreen. Access forward to the good-sized anchor well is very good -- though I was not happy with the rigidity of the centre pane of the windscreen. It did not have a proper frame around it so it flexed and felt a bit fragile.

In addition to the two shallow underberth/seat storage lockers, there is a narrow side cabin shelf on each side extending back alongside the helmsman and passenger chairs.

Larger, more useful side storage shelves extend the full cockpit length on each side.

The helm position in the test boat was comfortable while seated and standing as it was fitted with an optional sliding seat base.

The dash and windscreen height is spot on and the steering wheel and throttle were well placed. I also liked the skipper and passenger grab rails which are built into the windscreen frame.

There is not a lot of dash space for engine instruments and electronics -- but there is provision for flush-fitting a medium-sized sounder/GPS combination unit close to the steering wheel while a radio can be built into the dash over on the port side.

Also on the port side, the passenger chair was secured to a useful storage box. This optional feature also has a built-in, aft-facing seat.

Abaft the helm chairs there is 2.14m of space back to the transom. Overall, the cockpit is about 3.13m by 1.55m.

The width of the cockpit floor is limited by the intrusion of the boat’s side buoyancy tubes -- but this can’t really be helped as it is an integral feature of the hull.

The way the pontoon tubes extend into the cockpit at foot level also prohibits the fitting of any kind of toe-rail that you could use to hook your feet under when leaning against the topsides.

A commendable feature of the Stabicraft 1850 is the large battery box/locker that is suspended above the floor at the transom. The shelf has space for one large battery -- or possibly two small batteries.

The only negative I discovered with the battery shelf was some engine noise resonance and rattle that was evident on the test boat when running at speed.

There was also a fair bit of general engine noise noted at the helm when running the boat/engine at mid and high rpm.

Other cockpit features included wide side and rear decks, an excellent, but optional rear boarding ladder, two rod holders, stern cleats and a bilge pump tucked away in a recess under the transom.

The 1850 Fisher also has scuppers or drains in the transom corners to flush water overboard. I hesitate to call it a self-draining system because the scuppers are slightly below the water-line and the cockpit will only self-drain when the boat is running at speed -- or when sitting high and dry on the trailer.

Rubber valves or sleeves are used to keep the scuppers closed -- and I suspect you would only open them up to hose out the interior.

The Stabicraft was reasonably quick from a standing start, and the hull moved to a planing speed with virtually no planing hump. The Stabi’s side tubes and reverse chines provided plenty of stern lift for an easy and quick transition from displacement to planing speeds.

Through the Yamaha’s mid-range I could certainly have used a bit more grunt, but there was sufficient power and speed with two adults onboard.

That said, I would probably spend a little more and upgrade to a 90hp motor. The extra power would cater for heavy load situations and the engine would be able to cruise easier and at a lower rpm.

Top speed with the Yamaha 70hp four-stroke was 29.7 knots -- which I think is commendable. With a 90hp motor I would expect to achieve 34-36 knots.

Also notable is the hull’s excellent response to engine trim. With a flick of the power trim button you can lift the bow of the boat up and down to suit the conditions.

In chop I believe the hull will work best with a bit of negative trim as this drops the nose and you can actually feel and hear the hull 'sloshing' through the chop. Trim it up and the sloshing noise fades and the ride firms up.

With big buoyancy tubes on each side of the Stabicraft it should be no surprise that the test boat was also massively stable. It really is rock solid.

I was not able to test the Stabicraft’s following-sea performance due to the unusually calm conditions -- but my gut feeling is that it is unlikely to have any vices.

I also believe the boat would be quite dry underway as any water or spray coming off the hull should get trapped under the side buoyancy tubes and deflected back down.

Some people can’t get past the unusual, inflatable-like appearance of these boats. I, however, am not one of them. For coastal and offshore fishing I would be happy to own the 1850 Fisher. It’s a well-designed, sturdily-built craft with an efficient layout and a safe, seaworthy hull.

Special mention should be made of the safety features on the Stabicraft. The buoyancy flotation tubes encircling the hull, in combination with the sealed underfloor chamber make the 1850 Fisher virtually unsinkable – and that would give me great comfort when fishing offshore in rough water.