Streaker 5.85 Sports Fisherman Tournament Series III

Whether you're talking about boats or bulldozers, little things make all the difference: attention to detail; finishing touches that complete the package. This fact springs to mind on inspection of the latest incarnation of Streaker's 5.85, the Sports Fisherman Tournament Series III.

Now the full name's a bit of a mouthful, but it certainly describes the boat to a tee. This is a boat that according to Streaker's Leon Savage has been designed by fishermen for fishermen.

Designed by fishermen for fishermen... Hmm, now there's an expression that has been downgraded to a cliche by some those happy to apply it to anything that floats and boasts a rodholder... Craft with few if any practical fisher-friendly characteristics.

Not so in the Streaker's case. Designed and built by Leon and Paul Savage in Bayswater, Victoria, the 5.85 has seen plenty of angling expertise applied. Its makers and their families are keen fishos, and this can be seen in the layout of the 5.85 and other Streakers.

And in the amount of repeat angling custom the marque generates. Streaker owners love their boats and keep returning to the Savage brothers for upgrades a fact that speaks volumes for the brand.

DISAPPOINTING TEST DAY
Our test day was disappointing. Not that there was any fault with the boat rather, for once Port Phillip Bay was a millpond.

The 5.85, in particular, is a very versatile boat, designed to be equally at home on a bay or on the 12-Mile Reef off Bermagui, therefore it would have been more satisfying to have put it through its paces in a 15-20kt breeze... To test its performance when the going gets tough...

As it was, all we could do was drive the boat as hard as possible straight line, hard figures-of-eight, hard, fast circles port and starboard, wake jumping the camera boat, etc.

From those exercises the Tournament left a very favourable impression. The fine-entry variable-vee fibreglass hull (20° deadrise at the stern), boasting three strakes, hung on like superglue, with no sign of sideslip at all. The ride over corrugations (we actually went chasing wind shifts, like a yacht, to find a bit of ruffled water) was smooth and bump free.

It backed down very well too, with no sign of the stern wanting to snorkel deep on the reef. Indeed, the design's cutaway stern quarters assist water flow around the boat, rather than over the transom into the engine well and the cockpit itself.

Rough water performance? We'll have to get back to you... However, the boat's owner, Trailer Boat advertising consultant Rowan Wyeth has nothing but praise. A keen game fisho, Rowan's already had his Streaker in all sorts of conditions during its first 50 hours of ownership. He's very happy indeed like a cat with all the cream.

In testing, the 5.85 ran straight and true with no sign of lean. Stability at rest was good, too.

Steering 'weight' is a personal choice, but for my liking the hydraulic steering was a little tight on the testboat. Adjusting trim made little difference, however, it did mean that 'look mum, no hands' driving still kept the boat in line.

As it was, the set up would be very handy in a two or one-handed situation where you're putting out lures or trying to gaff a recalcitrant fish and want to keep moving the boat forward Powered by a Saltwater Series Yamaha 175hp V-six, the 5.85 is no slouch Fully trimmed out, Streaker claims a top speed of 75kmh at around 5800rpm.

Of more relevance is the fact the 5.85 cruised very comfortably at 36kmh at just 3100rpm, with trim about midway. Top speed we measured with two onboard was 58kmh at 5300rpm.

FINISHING TOUCHES
In a nutshell, performance was impressive considering the benign conditions. But let's get back to the original point: the design and fit-out on the 5.85.

The bow is quite squarish in plan view, with spray-deadening flaring extending well forward. The bolt-on bowsprit saves the boat (visually) from having a 'blunt' nose.

Immediately behind the bowsprit is a flat section of the deck which houses the anchor well. The deck then rises rapidly but gracefully to the three-piece wraparound perspex windscreen which is reinforced with a powder-coated aluminium rail. A large hatch from the cabin gives good access to the anchor well and bowsprit.

If you don't like ducking up through the cabin, the 5.85 provides an option of walking around wide (for this size craft), clear sidedecks. Not that access through the cabin is tight. Quite the contrary the entry from the cockpit is wide and open, and there's plenty of headroom in the cabin for perhaps four adults to sit comfortably.

ROOM, WITH A VIEW
The cabin's vinyl-covered V-berth are on the short side for sleeping comfort (although infill cushions are available as an option and make a reasonable snooze possible) the real room has gone into the cockpit.

Indeed, the 5.85's 'action station' is probably one of the biggest in its class. Pushed-out sidedecks from amidships yield maximum useable space from the boat's already generous (2.49m) beam.

At the helm, bucket seats are mounted on storage boxes. Positioning is good, and you can drive seated or standing. On the passenger side, the storage box is extended rearwards and features a well-sized, fully-plumbed livebait tank.

The dash features Yamaha's two-dial digital instrument system showing all the vitals and a dash-mounted compass positioned in the right place on the drivers eyeline, in line with the helm.

The slim, unobtrusive throttle comes neatly to hand on its sidepanel mount, and EPIRB and fire extinguisher are fitted into moulded recessed spaces and are readily accessible.

A GME marine radio and Lowrance LMS 350A sounder/chartplotter combo are part of the Tournament's very complete package.

In addition to 27MHz, the testboat was fitted with a VHF set with the radios and the general switch panel fitted into the half bulkhead ahead of the driver.

The former comms gear was positioned adjacent to the helmsman's knees and though within easy reach, it was more than just a glance to check on the channel or other radio settings. Having said this, the radios' positioning leaves abundant dashboard room to mount additional electronics.

Standard equipment includes a stainless steel grabrail moulded into the dash in front of the passenger and between two cupholders.

Stainless steel footrests are bolted to the cuddy bunks, and an in-floor cooler box is positioned between the two seats. It's easily accessible, but this is a high traffic area and I think I'd worry a little about the plastic lid's durability in the long-term.

The boat has six gunwale-mounted rodholders standard one either side of the rocket launcher mounts forward and two mounted close together in each stern quarter. These are fine for snapper rods, but not so good for roller-tipped trolling outfits as they are incorrectly angled.

Standard outriggers are on the shortish side, but have unique easy-twist mounts for multi-angle positioning.

As noted above, the stern quarters of the 5.85's hull have, in fact, been chopped off at an angle to allow better water flow around the stern when backing down on a fish, says Streaker.

It works, but my experience in small boats is that if the fish is that big and moving that fast, the best method of attack is to turn the pointy bit towards the fish and chase. I'll leave the backing down exercise to the big boats, which simply don't have the manoeuvrability of the Streaker.

NO WASTE OF SPACE
While we're on the transom, the engine well is rounded into the cockpit for the wide V-six Yammie and doesn't waste any space. Removable stern quarter seats give an angler neat little corners to wedge into comfortably with thighs against padded backrests on thigh-height coamings.

Oil bottle and twin batteries sit on the carpeted floor, beneath the engine well behind a vinyl curtain and in front of the kill tank in the floor. A baitboard fitted above the engine well is a valuable addition. Sidepockets are spacious enough to store three rods each side, and the side panels are moulded plastic with aluminium foot steps built in. As well as a further four stainless steel vertical rodholders each side.

The side panels flex under load, which is a little disconcerting.

Recessed cleats, grabrails and Teflon stepping pads are built into the gunwales, and side lights recessed into the coamings.

Twin spots and a fluoro fitted to the six-rod rocket launcher/bimini support, light the cockpit for night fishing. Incidentally, the latter folds down to give the boat (on trailer) a storage height of just 2.3m. This means the Streaker should fit in most garages and carports.

Other goodies include deckwash, berley bucket, bilge pump, reef anchor holder on bowrail, front clears and side curtains, 20° and 8° transducer with dash-mounted changeover switch, 175lt underfloor fueltank, full safety gear, Dunbier dual-axle drive-on trailer, and rego... Pardon me while I take a breath.

I'm not the Demtel man so there must be some things I've missed, but you get the general idea. This is not just a boat, it's a complete package, and one that seems good value for money.

IN THE WASH
The Streaker 5.85 Sports Fisherman Series III comes in two versions the basic Longreach series, starting at $36,990, and the Tournament series, packaged at around $44,990 with the Yamaha 175.

Bursting with standard equipment the highway weight of the Tournament version comes in around 1800kg. This is noteworthy as it means it can be towed behind a Commodore or Falcon with the appropriate hitch.

Designed by fishermen for fishermen? Most definitely, and while no boat is perfect, there's little doubt that Streaker's 5.85 Sports Fisherman Tournament Series III has got a lot going for it.