The best trailerable fishing boats of the 2023 Melbourne Boat Show

This year’s show is larger than before, featuring more space dedicated to showing the boats that we all aspire to buy. 

But what are the highlights? We took the time to look around the Docklands-based show to find the trailerable fishing boats we reckon anyone who likes to hit the water for a weekend and target snapper or even kingfish or tuna.

After five years of development, Whittley launched its largest trailerable outboard-engined cruiser at Sanctuary Cove earlier this year. This weekend, Victorians get their first chance to see it up close.

The boat on Whittley’s show stand, featuring 70th anniversary livery and Marlin Broadbill Edition features is fitted with a 300hp Mercury outboard engine and sits on a 4.4 tonne-rated tandem trailer. As displayed, this boat is priced at $361,444.

A long list of creature comforts maintains a family-friendly focus, while a 23-degree deadrise and comfy helm and passenger seats hint at a hull that will cut a comfortable ride. 

A one-piece curved glass panel windscreen ensures exceptional driving visibility, while the cabin features windows that are fully recessed and sealed – a rare feature in this segment. 

The Whittley SL 27 OB’s dash houses a 19-inch Simrad screen hooked up to a Simrad HALO radar, and features well-placed instrument controls. The console is enclosed in a solid moulded fibreglass hardtop with two ventilation hatches.

Below the passenger seats are generous dry storage sections and smart, easy access to all the hidden wiring panels. 

In terms of fishing, the Whittley SL 27 HT provides 500 litres of split-centred underfloor fish bins with separate compartments for storage, a deluxe bait board, a plumbed live well, a clever automatic handwash, a self-draining deck and a dive door for hauling in that trophy sports fish. 

A 380-litre fuel capacity ensures offshore range and plenty of time trolling. A dive door opens to haul your fish in. A deluxe baitboard, plumbed live well and a clever automatic hand wash feature with a self-draining deck help to round out the fishing touches.

The cockpit features a retractable electronic awning for when the fishing stops and the wine cork pops. If you want to extend the trip overnight, the boat also features a compact galley with an induction cooktop.

Of note, the Whittley easily slips in under the 3500kg towing limit of a standard trade ute, meaning you won’t need to buy a tough, expensive tow rig just to pull it around. Don’t be surprised, then, to see more of these rigs out wide.

Geelong-based Edencraft’s most exciting model is the fresh-look 565, a “go anywhere, do anything” inshore or offshore all-rounder. 

Edencraft re-engineered the hull and rolled out design improvements, launching the new-look 565 in 2021. 

The Edencraft 565 has been showcased on several national tours but forms one of a number of highlights at Edencraft’s first Melbourne boat show displays in about five years. 

The 565’s design tweaks comprised a new transom, removing the old hull’s planing plank to introduce a genuine deep vee hull, an increased flare profile, and a foam-filled matrix stringer system.

The result of these changes is a dryer, softer ride, a superior build, and simply a tougher boat.

Wide coamings and open deck space make the 565 feel larger than its length suggests. 

The aft corners have a live well on each side, a dive door is added, and a kill tank is fitted to the centreline of the cockpit floor. Storage is ample, and there will be no problem keeping items dry.

Because the focus is on the fishing room, the Edencraft 565’s cabin isn’t big but provides acceptable stowage. 

Powering the package is a 200hp Mercury outboard engine.

Stainless steel fittings, from the bimini, rocket launcher, cleats and grabrail, are all top quality. The Edencraft 565’s driving position and control ergonomics are spot on.

The boat on show in Melbourne is fitted with several options including a Minn Kota electric trolling motor, an electric winch, dual Simrad multifunction touchscreens, tuna tubes and trim tabs. 

The boat on display in Melbourne is finished in a gorgeous “Glenlee” hull colour with matching embroidered seats. 

The boat on display taps out at $200,000, but standard packages powered by a 150hp Mercury outboard engine start from $118,000.

Anglers wanting a boat with a serious offshore footprint without being forced to buy a dedicated tow vehicle would be hard-pressed to walk past the Bar Crusher 670 HT.

The 670HT is a lot of boat, featuring a wide, open and uncluttered deck built for fishing. 

The hardtop is characterised by its toughened safety glass windscreen that provides outstanding visibility and exceptional protection from the elements. 

The Bar Crusher 670 HT’s overall finish, precision welding and sealed deck featuring positive floatation and a 230-litre fully sealed tank is flawless.  

The helm is expansive, with the helm featuring plenty of room for fitting instruments, flush-mounting multifunction displays and switch panels and gauges. 

The Bar Crusher 670 HT’s cabin is open rather than enclosed – a curtain can screen it off – and includes storage under the vinyl bunks and safe access to the bow and the Stress Free anchor winch via a sizeable hatch. 

The boat’s bolster seats are comfortable and adjustable making driving while standing or accessing the overhead-mounted radio easy. Sliding side windows provide ventilation.

The Bar Crusher 670 HT’s deck is large with wide gunnels. Side pockets offer generous storage.

All up, the Bar Crusher 670 HT features 14 rod holders scattered across the gunnels and rocket launcher.

Twin batteries are mounted above floor level in the transom that features a large bait board and generous terminal tackle storage. There’s a large live well, and a step-through transom leading to a sizeable marlin board at the stern.       

Bar Crusher’s Melbourne show boat is fitted with a 200hp Suzuki outboard engine and sits on an Easytow trailer with an electronic braking system.

Packaged like this, the boat is priced at $125,000. 

The pick of the side consoles at the 2023 Melbourne Boat Show – and the only non-Victorian boat in this list – has to be the Stabicraft 1550 Frontier. 

This is an irresistibly versatile boat whether flicking plastics in a shallow estuary system for that elusive flathead, drifting over broken ground and bottom-bashing for snapper or jigging for squid, or even venturing offshore on the right day.

The open configuration exposes anglers to the elements, but the upside is unhindered 360-degree casting and fishing capability, and more room in a shorter length of boat. 

The alloy pontoons that run down the sides of these boats and a foam-filled underfloor make them very seaworthy. In capable hands and sensible conditions, they’re also an offshore option with plenty of room for three people to fish, or easily operated and launched by one person.

Key features of the Stabicraft 1550 Frontier are a 60-litre underfloor fuel tank, a removable hardened plastic casting deck, a skeleton-style side console fitted with a Garmin multifunction screen, ample rod storage, a live bait well, deck wash and a bait station. 

The helm seat features a 70-litre icebox beneath it with a split lid and cushion, and a bow mount for a tolling motor. The low handrail forward is great as an extra handhold, and the anchor well is large enough to take a small anchor winch.

Domana-based MY Marine has this boat show package priced at $77,892 fitted with a 75hp Mercury outboard engine and sitting on a Dunbier single-axle trailer.

The Haines Hunter 525 Prowler gets a big tick for its well-configured centre console layout and balanced appointments. 

The fishing-friendliness of this package and the hull’s seakeeping performance make the Haines Hunter 525 Prowler a popular choice for serious anglers. 

These boats rarely come up for sale and when they do they sell quickly. 

The position of the console on these boats is key. Standing at the helm of these rigs, slightly to the stern side amidships makes for a cushioning experience and a smooth ride. 

The 525 Prowler’s hull tracks true and can handle choppy conditions, making it a reasonably dry boat despite being open with no spray protection. 

Owners can use this boat to fish shallow water, and venture out to bays and inshore grounds with confidence. Two-up fishing is optimal, but three can fish comfortably as the boat is quite roomy and settled at rest.

The Haines Hunter 525 Prowler’s console can fit a mix of multifunction screens, radios, switches and gauges. In front of the console is a single padded passenger seat with a large secured dry storage locker below it. This space also houses the panel for the wiring, keeping it out of the elements but still within easy access.

The skipper and a passenger sit on a bench with built-in storage tub and a backrest that can reverse to face aft.

The Haines Hunter 525 Prowler on show in Melbourne comes with snapper racks, a bait board, two live bait wells, and dual batteries. 

The Prowler also has deep freeboard that gives everyone on board a sense of security when walking around the cockpit. 

While the boat can feel large, everything is within arm’s reach or a short step away.

The Haines Hunter 525 Prowler carries 120 litres of fuel, which on this boat feeds a 130hp Yamaha outboard engine. The entire package, sitting on a Mackay single-axle trailer, is available from Port Phillip Boating Centre priced at $98,950.