Stacer 509 Sea Runner

Name: Stacer 509 Sea Runner
Brand: Stacer

New entry-level Australian-built cabin boat

The 509 Sea Runner is an all-new cabin boat from Stacer that offers a complete boat, motor trailer package for a smidge over 30 grand. It’s robust, light and easy to launch and retrieve, but also big enough for a family or a bunch of mates to go fishing

OVERVIEW

- More for less

At the launch of the Stacer range for 2014 on Queensland’s Gold Coast, the Stacer bosses were citing the credo “more for less.” And that is what they say they are trying to give the Aussie boating public with the new 509 Sea Runner.

The Sea Runner replaces the old Ocean Runner series and offers an entry-level package for the family or weekend fisherman.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

- Plenty to get you out on the water affordably

While the boat is fairly basic in its drive-away form, it does have enough to let you simply drive away from the dealership, down to the ramp and onto the water.

Basic price is $33,900, however our test boat was fitted with a few extras including bimini (which we’d recommend) and two-tone paint, which brought the price up to $36,389 including registration and safety gear.

Standard is carpeted floor throughout, two solid helm seats, rear lounge, navigation lights, rod holders, transducer brackets, 115hp Evinrude E-TEC, bilge pump and side storage pockets.

Stacer’s Drew Jackson said at the launch that this boat would be marketed as a budget-friendly boat which the owners could option up for their own needs: "You can option the Sea Runner up with a bimini, cabin cushions, live bait tank, sounder, ski hooks, vinyl wraps, more rod holders -- it just depends on what you want to do with the boat," Jackson said.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMODATION

- Perhaps not an overnighter but plenty of room

The layout of the 509 Sea Runner is a fairly traditional cuddy cabin. The flat floor is carpeted, as are the cabin bunks which have storage under. There’s a small step down to the cabin which creates a foot well so you can comfortably sit down there to get out of the weather. With cushions, kids could have a kip down there while the dads are fishing or an adult could lie down for an afternoon read or a snooze but we couldn’t categorise this as boat as an overnighter.

There were no side pockets for storage in the cabin so you’d have to make do with storage under the seats and up forward if you wanted to keep things out of the weather.

There is a good-size hatch forward to access the anchor which sits in an open moulded anchor well, but there's no hatch to stop the anchor and/or its rode falling overboard in rough conditions. There is a bow roller as well as the option for a winch, though we certainly didn’t require one when we dropped the pick on the Broadwater. There is also an anchor and mooring cleat on the bow and a tidy split bow rail.

Back in the cockpit, the pockets are nice and long for storing all the necessities and we did note a couple of handy clips for rods and the like.

At the helm, the seats swivel and we found them to be comfortable and supportive. There are foot rails which loop up from the floor to provide a bit support or to brace against the chop while seated. The dash fascia has a bit of room to mount some electronics and radios and there’s more room on top for a bracket-mounted sounder.

The three piece wrap-around screen provided good protection from the breeze which puffed up a bit for our run home. Clears are available from the optional-extras list and may be an advantage in the southern climes.

Back down at the blunt end, the standard rear lounge is comfortable and behind that is the start battery and isolator and it’s from here you can access the bilge pump.

We also had the walk-through transom which leads to a little swim platform and stainless-steel telescopic ladder.

HULL AND MECHANICALS

- Proven hull mated to E-TEC power

The hull of the 509 is the tried and tested EVO Advance Hull which has 3.0mm bottom and transom and 2.50mm topsides. The hull features a reverse chine toward the rear and a relaxed stem line for a fine entry.

The EVO Advance hull is a smooth-riding hull and in this guise it has a LOA of 5.25 metres and a beam of 2.2 metres. On the trailer, the 509 Sea Runner has a height of 2.5 metres and an overall length of 6.85 metres so it should fit in most garages.

The 509 is rated from 60hp up to a maximum of 115hp which what we had on the test boat spinning a 17-inch Viper prop. The steering is mechanical non-return with a ratio of 4.1.

The boat’s weight is just 550kg. Add to that the weight of the 115hp E-TEC which is around 203kg and you have a boat and motor that’s only 750kg. Add a lightweight Stacer trailer and you can just about tow the whole rig with Nanna’s ageing Morris.

The E-TEC sits on a pod-style mounting with an extremely neat fitup that leaves the transom clean and uncluttered. The single battery is located under the rear lounge as is the oil reservoir and the bilge pump. Fuel is under the floor in a 77-litre alloy tank which is fed through a filler on the starboard coaming.

The fit and finish of the boat we found to be excellent on a boat that the manufacturer makes no bones about being entry-level.

ON THE WATER

- Smooth ride and a good turn of speed

Our day out on the boat was what we thought an average owner would do. Off from the ramp at Labrador on the Gold Coast, a bit of a tour around the Broadwater, lunch at Couran Cove which is really nice and friendly these days, and then a cruise back to the ramp.

A mentioned, we had the recommended maximum horsepower on the back and it really made the 509 Sea Runner get up and go. We had three bgigish guys on board, plus a bit of gear and a full load of fuel, so it would almost equate to a family of mum, dad and two kids with all their accoutrements.

We found there was plenty of room for the three of us and it didn’t really matter whether the third person was standing at rear of the bimini or sitting on the lounge down the back, the boat performed admirably.

It jumped up on to the plane easily and never felt like bogging down. I found a lovely cruise of around 3300rpm where we were doing 20 knots (23mph) and using 18 litres per hour. Crank it up to 4000rpm and we were at 27 knots (31mph) and using 24 litres per hour. We gave the boat the works for a while and at a wide open throttle we were showing 5700rpm doing 38 knots (44mph) and using a fairly hefty 42.5 litres per hour which would pretty soon suck dry the 77-litre tank.

What we did notice was that the boat was very responsive right up through the rev range to WOT meaning that the boat is correctly propped. However, if you were thinking about one of these boats and wanted to save a few quid, then I’m sure it would be quite happy with, say, a 90hp engine.

The hull handled very well through turns but we did find that the steering was a bit stiff and Stacer does offer a hydraulic setup as an option which might be worth investigating -- especially with the bigger engine.

Although we didn’t venture out through the Seaway on our voyage, we did encounter the usual powerboat wash that you get on average day on the Broadwater and we also had about a 15-knot sou’easter. During the day, I don’t think we saw a drop of water on the screen indicating that this is a very dry riding boat.

It’s also stable at rest. During our test we had to swap onto another boat to take some photos and found it was no trouble to decamp and board over the side without unduly upsetting the boat.

VERDICT

- A little winner

When I first clapped eyes on the 509 Sea Runner, I liked it. Generally, if a boat looks good, it probably is. And that’s the case with this one. It is a good-looking boat -- well proportioned and looks balanced on the water.

It’s well priced, light enough to tow behind the family car and big enough to take the family out for a day on the water and picnic, or couple of mates out fishing. Stacer says the 508 Sea Runner is capable of taking seven adults, and while that might be stretching the friendship a bit, it would certainly be comfortable with four or five.

The Stacer brass at the launch said that the boat got good support from the public at the Tinnie and Tackle Show in Queensland, and that the Stacer dealers were delighted when they saw the boat at their recent dealer conference, saying that it was bound to be good seller all over the country -- and we tend to agree.

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4.8/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.7/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 4.9/5.0
X-factor: 4.6/5.0

LIKES

>> Value for money
>> Practicality
>> Good hull design
>> longevity

NOT SO MUCH

>> No anchor locker hatch
>> No storage side pockets in cabin
>> Steering a bit stiff
>> Could do with a bit more room at the helm for electronics

Specifications:

Price as tested: $36,390 (Options: Cutting board, bimini, live bait tank, two tone paint)
Priced from: $33,907 (BMT package incl. rego and safety gear)
LOA: 5.25m
Beam: 2.2m
Draft: 1.17m
Weight: 550kg
Bottomsides: 3.0mm
Topsides: 2.5mm
Transom: 3.0mm
Max HP: 115hp
Engine: Evinrude E-Tec 115hp
People: Seven

Supplied by:

Whitewater Marine
10 Hinde Street,
Southport, Qld
Web: wwwwhitewatermarine.com.au

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Stacer 509 Sea Runner

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