Streaker 6100 Sirocco and Navigator

Besides the walk-through and bowrider, there’s a 6100 Bluewater cuddy cabin with one-piece foredeck, a Commander variant with a bit more fruit for fishing, a 6100 Cruiser with more cabin and amenities for family camper boating, and now a 6100 Hardtop will also debut at the 2014 Melbourne Boat Show in June.

None of these boats from the established Streaker yard in Melbourne have just happened along. Proprietors Leon and Paul Savage have been at it since 1973 — a 40th Anniversary sticker comes gratis — and it was with son Sean that we tested the Streaker 6100 Navigator and Sirocco once again on Port Phillip Bay.

The boats were built, set-up, retailed and serviced all from the same Bayswater premises. That’s the way Streaker does it with its one-stop shop. The rigs looked smart arriving on Vic-manufactured and matched Easytow trailers and we reckon any trailerboater would be proud to own one of these Streakers.

Tellingly, once the boats were in the water at Patterson Lakes, we slotted behind their wheels without much thought and intuitively headed out into Port Phillip Bay for our pleasure boating and testing. User-friendly may well be the Streaker mantra.

First the 6100 Navigator. A walk-through cuddy cabin popular with Victorian anglers, who rightly demand first-rate anchoring access, the Navigator was being offered as a $69,990 package at the 2014 Melbourne Boat Show with the latest Yamaha 150hp four-stroke outboard; custom tandem Easytow drive-on trailer with alloy wheels, brakes, LED lights, and gal fittings; with bimini on simple alloy frame including rocket launcher and LED spotlights.

Hydraulic steering was included with the Navigator; the helm buck seats were on storage boxes with tackle-trays; with a removable folding rear mid-seat and corner seats to improve fishability at the transom. A bait board, rod holders, and side pocket rod storage helped with fishing. The underfloor icebox will carry lunch, while the snapper and whiting (and bait) are destined for the rear subfloor removable plastic fishbox (see photo).

Unlike the Navigator show package, our test boat was set-up differently and, as the commission plate proudly declared, destined for a new customer. It had the new and excellent Mercury F150 outboard (a $2000 saving over the Yamaha) and a few other extras like rear snapper racks for spreading your baits, an upgraded Lowrance HDS sounder and plotter for a deeper level of fish finding, and some other kit.

Meanwhile, the 6100 Sirocco had a Mercury 200hp Optimax; Easytow trailer; marine stereo; Lowrance Mark 5 Pro Sounder; hydraulic steering; two-tone hull and deck for a sporty look; deluxe seating including buckets at the helm and a rear ‘cocktail’ lounge; cockpit table; carpeted floor; boarding platforms; combo ski pole/bait board; and more for a Melbourne boat show price of $65,990 drive away. Both rigs represent good value.

We started aboard the 6100 Navigator, the walk-through cuddy, leaving Patterson Lakes and fanging down to calms of Beaumaris during a great run and return. We’ll get to the performance later, but meantime, the cuddy deserves a thorough walkthrough, which is a highlight in itself given the unfettered access through the opening foredeck to the anchoring arrangement.

Standing in mock anchoring pose, the hull exhibits good lift and freeboard, with ample support for hauling on the rope when you trundle down the footwell and stand on the integrated moulded step. The footwell has a bung if you need to drain water back through to the bilge and sufficient width to carry an esky or tackle box or two while running to the grounds.

That said, we’d fit one of those Stressfree anchor winches to make fishing on and off the pick even easier. Foredeck hatch closed, there’s seated headroom in the cuddy, neat wiring thanks to a fibreglass cover behind the dash, upholstered side pockets for carrying safety items, and shallow sub-seat storage holds.

The cabin was flowcoated, but you can order frontrunner liner and infill if you want to create a quasi sleeping arrangement. While the open bulkhead and stainless support struts add to the sense of space, it’s just a cuddy after all.

Grabs rails are where you want them on this boat and the opening wraparound windscreen is well supported by stainless-steel struts. Lighting includes LED deck lights and overhead spots in the boat-show package above.

The contrasting dash modules add a smart look, with the co-pilot gaining a glove box and drinkholders. The helm has a neat spread of waterproof switches, flush-mounted Lowrance 9in sounder/chartplotter, VHF radio and twin engine gauges with digital windows for fuel use and so on.

We really like the cockpit of the 6100 Navigator, with its splayed beam and wonderful full-length side pockets that can take a pile of gear, with three rod/gaff racks per side, and toe kicks for gaining support when leaning outboard and landing fish. The five-rod launcher overhead will come in handy, too.

The narrow gunwales, however, make mid-cockpit rod holder mounting rather difficult, especially as you need to angle these holders at 45 degrees. When trolling a spread of lures you will just have to run all your outfits from the transom instead.

Integrated EPIRB and fire-extinguisher storage mounting spots, and seat boxes with tackle storage, are nice touches. Sub floor, there’s an icebox between the helm seats and a lift-up aft hatch to a plastic tub for fish and bait storage back aft. The simple flow-coated cockpit is practical albeit slippery when wet. We’d add some rubber-tube flooring.

Our test boat had snapper holders in the transom for maximising a spread of no less than 10 outfits if you want to play macramé. The central lift-out bait board is a beauty and with the quarter seats removed you can fish right back into the cockpit corners. Aft buoyancy for the outboard engine and anglers standing three abreast is excellent, with a deep engine well to keep water at bay.

Leave the aft seats in place, swivel the helm seats, flip-up the mid-transom panel that turns into a table or dicky seat, and you can do lunch. But if you prefer social boating and kicking back then the 6100 Sirocco bowrider is your boat…

But unlike so many imported bowriders, the Australian-made Sirocco includes a dedicated anchor locker, sturdy moulded bowsprit, plenty of freeboard in the bow for open-water boating and lugging a family, including a couple of adults seated up front. The plastic grab rails were the only thing we’d like to see upgraded (to stainless steel models).

The walkthrough to the cockpit didn’t have a wind dam or door (an option), although you can easily leave the bow cover in place in winter to create a more protected ‘runabout.’ The sporty helm and dash panels were similar to the cuddy cabin, though lower profile to tie-in with the windscreen line and seated position. Cockpit carpet and increased upholstery added a sense of luxury beyond that in the Navigator. Mums will like that.

For family boating, the cockpit was dominated by a modular L-shaped seating arrangement and moulded lunch table. Here you can have your watersports family boat and fishing rig, too. The cockpit seats and table lift out to create a clear cockpit. And the skipole can be replaced with a cutting board as illustrated.

So the depth of your fishing passion will determine which 6100 is best for you, but Streaker offers the options. The stepped transom, swim platforms, seating and storage on the Sirocco certainly creates a boat that leans towards in-water activities, with room for a family, their toys, skis and boards. But with a seven-seat capacity, 184 litre fuel tank and convertible layout you can bait and bikini.

The classic 6100 hull has a pretty fine entry, flared bow to shed water, pronounced three strakes per side, flat chines, and a broad beam aft — at least internally due to the splayed deck mouldings. But at 2.49m wide the boats don’t require towing permits. Tare weight will be up to 1800kg or so.

The bilge areas of both boats were easily accessible, the wiring installations and throttles/gearshifts were fitted as though they belonged, there was due consideration given to stowing safety gear, while the battery in each boat was accessible under the transom. Nothing untoward.

Spinning a 17in three-blade stainless-steel Enertia prop for hole-shot, the boat hit 40 knots at 5800rpm while still tight. Put 20 hours on the clock and we’d be pulling 5950rpm and 43-44 knots.

Meantime, the hull planes freely at 10-10.5 knots at 2500rpm with full leg-in or negative trim, holds a rough-weather cruise of 17 knots at 3000rpm at the 1.5  trim level, and cruises smoothly at the economical setting of 4000rpm for 27 knots covering 1.187nm per litre.

At 4500rpm fast cruise of about 30 knots, the rig travels 0.97nm per litre. Your efficiency drops a further 10 per cent at 5000rpm and 34 knots, but this is one slippery fishing boat, with a safe range of more than 200nm. That’s plenty long enough legs for the bay and, with trolling likely to take up most of the day, the tuna and marlin boys should be happy.

Subjectively, the ride was very good, with the Ultraflex hydraulic steering reducing fatigue, and just a bit of porpoising downsea as we raced to beautiful Beaumaris doing 20-30 knots. The Navigator is a good all-round performer, nice and buoyant, exceedingly stable, and well suited to fishing up to four anglers and their kit.

With a 17in three-blade Vengeance general-purpose stainless prop, the Sirocco wasn’t left behind. In fact, the bigger 200hp Optimax roared away in typical fashion and it was a much sportier rig befitting of the likely role that this bowrider will fulfil.

Plane was also held at 2500rpm, at 3000rpm we maintained heavy-weather cruise, but it was from 3800-4000rpm that we saw 27 knots. At fast cruise we left the Navigator behind and at 5800rpm WOT we were sports boating. 

The 3.0L 60-degree V6 gives plenty of low-down grunt for hauling skiers compared with the four-cylinder 150hp four-stroke. At faster speeds, the 6100 hull is enjoyable to drive, cranking through the turns and rewarding driver trim in the straights. There’s enough in it to answer the call of seasoned outboard sportsboaters.

The Streaker 6100 Navigator is a comfortable, frugal, functional fishing and cruising ‘six-metre’ rig, while Sirocco sister ship offered greater throttle response for tow sports. Both boats share the same tried-and-tested hull with 20 degrees of transom deadrise.

With more than four decades of Australian boatbuilding history, we expected the Streaker pair to please with their performance. That they did in a somewhat predictable way, without being at all streaky.

Specifications:
Streaker 6100 Navigator/Sirocco
Price as tested: Drive-away trailerboat rigs for $69,990 with Mercury 150hp four-stroke and options (see above); $65,990 with Mercury 200hp Optimax and options (see above)
Priced from: $63,770 with Mercury 150hp two-stroke EFI; $60,950 with Mercury 200hp two-stroke EFI
Length (overall): 6.10m
Beam: 2.49m
Deadrise: 20 degrees
Fuel: 184 litres
Capacity: Seven
Towing weights: Approx. 1600-1800kg for boat/motor/trailer