Whittley SL 22 SD petrol V diesel

The Sea Legend 22 from the venerable Whittley Marine stable has been a best seller. Thus far in 2014, the Melbourne boatbuilder has been trotting out one per week, we’re told. The smart cuddy cabin is based on the Sea Legend 650 we tested back in February 2002 and again in 2005. But since Whittley added a sterndrive variant — the SL 22 SD  — there hasn’t been an outboard-powered model sold, we’re told. So we thought we’d take this enthusiasm for the sterndrive SL 22 further and stage a shootout between the base 200hp V6 Volvo Penta petrol engine and the upgraded 170hp D3 Volvo Penta diesel in the SL 22 SD. Petrol or oil-burner? Read on.

OVERVIEW
- Best-selling Sea Legend with Kiwi legacy
It was back in 2002 that we first tested the Sea Legend 650, now the SL 22, following Whittley’s joint venture with NZ boatbuilder Rayglass, which goes back to a handshake in 1996. The Kiwi connection expanded Whittley’s reach into the fishing fraternity with boats that were built for rough-water work. With 23 degrees of deadrise, the 650 hull is certainly a deep-vee.

Back then, the Sea Legends were outboard-powered. Of course, Whittley has always been an advocate of sterndrives in its trailerable Cruisers. So one thing led to another and the yard released with SL 22 with a 200hp V6 Volvo Penta engine. This happened in 2012 with a minimum of fuss, without much by way of reconfiguring, just some weight redistribution and relocation of the fuel supply.

Backed by Whittley’s experience with sterndrive installations, the SL 22 makes a good case for inboard over outboard power. The extra weight of the inboard — about 150kg in a 225hp comparo — and the fact the engine is kept down low adds to the boat’s stability. Having spent the best part of a day standing in the cockpit of the SL 22 SD, it’s certainly surefooted.

Packaging is another strength of Whittley and the yard offers canny factory-rolled BMTs through its retail outlet and dealers. You get a lot of boat for your money and more standard inclusions that many big imported brands. The fit and finish are also worth noting, with fair mouldings, a thoughtful integrated deck/liner design, topped with heavy-duty stainless-steel deck gear, and a sleek one-piece moulded cabin with plush liners and upholstery.

Indeed, the Whittley trailerable cruiser heritage means the Sea Legend SL 22 SD is a lot more than just a fishboat. There are plenty of comforts, attention to detail and an upmarket feeling aboard. Delve into the options list and you will be tempted to turn your Sea Legend into a trailerable fishing camper, as these two SL 22 SD owners have done.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Exceptional packaging for two very complete rigs
The standard SL 22 OB with a Yamaha F200G four-stroke outboard with fly-by-wire controls retails for around $95,999 on a mechanically braked trailer. The standard SL 22 SD package costs from $78,599 with electric brake trailer. As Whittley says, you’re getting the 200hp V6 Volvo Penta engine for the cost of a 70hp outboard.

But the new factory-rolled Adventure model of Whittley’s SL 22 SD with the 200hp V6 Volvo Penta engine has a big standard inventory and is just a wonderful drive-away rig for $89,990 with safety gear and regos on road, ready to fish or cruise. And let’s face it, there’s so much choice today we can be baffled by it. Why not let Whittley work it out based on years of building and selling boats?

You get integrated trim tabs (which you want in a deep-vee hull), Volvo Penta’s QL Neutrasalt flush system, its Active Corrosion system on the EVC diesel engine, twin-battery upgrade, and twin bilge pumps (one with an auto float switch and the other dash operation). The two-tone hull adds to the good looks, while removable rear carpet lets you switch from fish to family roles without compromise.

The Adventure packages includes a Raymarine Dragonfly 7in Chirp sounder/chart plotter with Gold Charts, Fusion sound system with USB interface and Bluetooth, VHF radio, windscreen wiper, and LED spotlights on the stainless-steel (not cheap aluminium) rocket launcher. The Mackay dual-axle trailer has electric brakes, an auto boat-catch for short-handled retrieval, premium tie-down system and spare wheel.

The integrated fishing kit in the SL 22 SD Adventure is suited to southern snapper and bay fishing, but also sportsfishing applications off, say Portland or Bermagui. To this end, and that of the fish, the boat has a plumbed live-bait well, albeit shallow and limited in capacity for serious game fishing, four flush-mounted gunwale rod holders, two three-way angled snapper rod racks, two four-way aft rod racks, and six rod holders in the rocket launcher, giving 14 rod storage plus the side pockets!

In the Adventure package, your fishing kit also includes an aft bait-rigging station that might double for doing lunch, a decent underfloor fish tank for the snapper, a saltwater deck wash for the clean-up, and a stainless drum winch with rope, chain and Delta anchor perfect for snappering.

The fold-down heavy-duty stainless-steel rocket launcher includes a high-quality bimini and front and clear side curtains. A storm cover is bundled with the boat, but our petrol-powered SL 22 also had a full cruiser-style rear camper back to extend the overnighting appeal. With the integrated Porta-Potti, rear freshwater (cold standard) shower, plush cabin lining, bunk infill and cushions for sleeping two adults.

Certainly, test boat #1 with the 200hp V6 Volvo Penta had a trailerable camping bent in addition to even greater fishing fitout. The big options on this $99,755 drive-away package were Duoprop, hot-water system ($866 well spent), full camper covers, electric windlass, deluxe rear bait board with snapper racks, berley bucket, outriggers, Fusion 22in flat-screen display with DVD in the cabin, and upgraded Raymarine E97 sounder and GPS.

Test boat #2 cost a further premium with the cutting-edge 170hp D3 Volvo Penta diesel engine, Duoprop, hot-water system, 20-amp battery charger, deluxe rear cutting board, berley bucket, the latest Volvo-Garmin 8in MFD with integrated sounder and GPS, and upgraded Mackay aluminium trailer. The rig cost about $115,000 drive way.

Is the extra $15K premium for diesel worth it? If you want the ultimate, we think so.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- Sleek cuddy cabin with a surprising amount of room all round
The raked lines of the Sea Legend owe a lot to that previous Kiwi joint venture. But in the cockpit and the cabin there’s a surprising amount of room in what is a polished 6.50m hull (as measured on the centreline, without bow sprit and boarding platform).

Our tour starts at the blunt end, where a fold-down swim ladder assists boarding, though it could do with an intermediate rail or step for the kids. The integrated swim platform is big enough to sit on and dangle your feet in the water, while not being so deep as to impede fishing, line clearance and working the berley pot.

The engine box is a compact design and there’s less intrusion into the cockpit than an outboard with the necessary ‘tiltability’ leading to transoms positioned back into the cockpit. The engine-box lid incorporates a small live-bait tank, while the vertical rod holders nearby let you mount the cutting board.

Anchored, with the snapper racks in situ, you can spread a fistful of rods with baits. Flat floor and casting room is excellent, the rear-facing passenger seats let you look back at the rod tips in the shade and also when trolling, while the deep internal freeboard extending to the transom adds to the sense of safety.

The outriggers on the petrol boat were gunwale mounted but we’d much prefer them to off the bimini frame to reduce their impact on fishing space. As that frame is all stainless steel there’s plenty of support for mounting outriggers. In fact, you can swing off the framework, using it as handhold when inside the boat and clambering around the side decks to the foredeck instead of the cabin escape hatch. The drum-style windlass on both boats takes care of anchoring or use a side-anchoring and dan-buoy retrieval system if fishing in deep water.

The cockpit sides have toe-kicks and padded coamings to assist leaning outboard, while the furry lining on the side pockets can be used to hang and dry your lures and squid jigs. A really impressive sub-floor lined fish box let’s you stash the catch or lunch, while overhead LED spotlights cater for night fishing, bait catching and dinners on deck.

Whittley is an advocate of fixed moulded seating modules and they do have their advantages. Crew enjoy shaded and protected seating on modules that take-up less room than some other seating arrangements. The moulded seat bases include cavernous storage, while providing a clear thoroughfare through to the helm and cabin.

We also like the fact the seats are removed from the engine. But we do think the large moulded lids on these seat boxes need gas struts or some other device to assist one-handed operation when accessing gear inside. The water supply in a portable plastic tank can easily be boosted with the addition of another tank, while we commend the accessibility to safety hear stowed here instead of in the cabin. There is also scope to stash an 12V fridge or icebox inside.

The integrated helm seats don’t have quite the adjustment available with pedestal seats but they seemed comfortable enough and, let’s face it, we drive on our feet for the run to the grounds. The Aussie Alfab windscreen is an armour-plate glass number with a wiper and both SL 22s have zip-out clear panels to improve vision.

The dash was nicely laid out and simplified with the digital touch-panel switching on the diesel boat. This will become the future standard on the SL range. This diesel also had an integrated Garmin screen relaying engine data, and keyless fob-style ignition, giving a very clean and modern look. But we’d like the VHF radios mounted closer to the helms and perhaps a matt-grey dash to reduce glare.

Whittley works wonders with its cabins and the SL 22 is no exception. There’s room for two adults, say mum and dad, with the kids outside on airbeds, plus padded backrests and plush foam cushioning, a deep footwell for the esky/tub and seated headroom. With the vee berth made-up on the Test Boat #1 with petrol power and the LCD DVD player you had somewhere for the kids to pass the time before "lights out".

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- Deep-vee hull and excellent Volvo Penta installation
The deep-vee SL 22 hull is built using glass-encapsulated marine ply stringers in a matrix to support the hand-laid fibreglass hull. This is something the Melbourne yard has been doing for most of its 60 years of boat building. You don’t hear of any breaking.

The Volvo Penta engines with sterndrives (Aquamatics) are easily separable on these SL 22s: the fire-engine-red block is the 4.3L V6 (417kg) running on petrol, while the classic Volvo-green block is the auto-derived, fully-electronic, common-rail 2.4L D3 (363kg) five-cylinder sipping diesel and with full digital gauges and trip.

The engines are accessed under two hatches: an aft-facing transom hatch to the rear parts of the engine and bilge below, and the main internal moulded fold-back central engine hatch (slightly taller on the diesel model) granting bilge access from the cockpit as well. Servicing room is excellent and we noted twin batteries, prominent fuel filters, highlighted oil dipsticks, freshwater-cooling on the diesel and that the bilges and twin pumps were easy to reach.

The petrol engine has a decent 75A alternator, while the diesel has an extremely high-capacity 180A alternator for serious charging. Both boats had the optional hot water via a heat exchanger. The installations and wiring, concealed behind a cover behind the dash, was very neatly executed.

Of course, sterndrive (SD) boats have long been a big part of Whittley’s design ethos and you can’t argue with the engine integration, low centre of gravity, and overall cost effectiveness. There is a close working relationship between Whittley and Volvo Penta attempting to breathe new life into sterndrive trailerboats when the market says outboards are go.

Weighing around 2100kg on road on their Mackay trailers, the SL 22 SD requires a mid-range 4WD, SUV or wagon to tow. The 2.26m beam means you don’t need a permit. The water capacity of 20L can be easily boosted with extra spare water tanks, but it is enough for a rinse of body and tackle, while the underfloor 210-litre fuel capacity is sufficient for serious fishing. Off we go…

ON THE WATER
- Diesel shines with a smooth operation and great range
As much as we like the value quotient of the 200hp V6 petrol pairing and the ensuing performance from Volvo Penta’s entry-level petrol sterndrive, the latest and greatest 170hp D3 diesel offered a much greater level of sophistication. You pay a $15K premium but the performance is very sweet.

Our petrol V diesel double test took us from Patterson Lakes to Olivers Hill, Frankston, and back on a day when Port Phillip Bay was barely heaving. This wasn’t so good for assessing rough-water capability, but it did reveal telling performance figures. We also spent time flicking jigs for squid and bobbing about getting a feel for the fishability of the SL 22s.

The 4.3L V6-200 GI returned lively performance and we noted good hole-shot and toey throttle response through the rev range. Steerage at 7 knots trolling speed was direct thanks to the Duoprop and there was a nice clean wake with defined waves for setting a lure spread.

Low speed plane was recorded at 2500rpm and 12-13 knots, 2800rpm gave a rough-weather cruise of 15-16 knots, while 3000rpm returned 19-20 knots smooth cruising. The 200hp petrol engine remained happy at 3200rpm and 23-24 knots and was in the cruising groove at 3500rpm and 24-25 knots. At 4000rpm you get a fast cruise of 29-30 knots, while 5000rpm wide-open throttle saw us hit 36 knots.

According to previous Whittley tests and this one conducted with the experienced Simon Teitge from Aqua Power Marine, a Volvo Penta Service Center (yes, Yankee spelling), you will use around 30-35 litres at 3500rpm cruise. We’ll take a stab at this boat’s range with the V6-200 being around 150 nautical miles at 24 knots cruise.

Next, the 170hp D3. While there is some noticeable clatter at idle, much as you get with a luxury Audi or VW car, the engine morphs into something modern and magnificent when you plant the throttle. Acceleration is quite stunning, running noise is less than the petrol engine, which was a tad high at some revs, and the economy speaks volumes.

The new EVC throttle was a nice bit of gear, too, like the cherry on top. You can +/- speeds in 1km increments, preset your cruise speed and tow speed and, in the latter mode, the engine maintains the revs in the turns for an even tow. Trim Assist was provided to automatically take care of this ‘black art’ for newbies and it was set-up by Teitge just right, trimming the leg in for hole-shot and then running much freer at speed.

With the diesel, top speed was 35 knots at 4080rpm, 3120rpm gave 23-24 knots for 18 litres/hour and a range of about 250nm, which is more than 50 per cent greater than the petrol V6. At 2780rpm and about 20 knots you are using about 16 litres/hour. That’s eco cruising. With the tabs, the boat easily holds 16-17 knots low-speed plane and 15 knots at 2450rpm.

Clean running, the D3 diesel produces virtually no smoke or soot. Teitge, who runs a Whittley with a 140hp D3, says his boat has a 400km range and used 73 litres for a recent Whittley owners rally on the Murray covering 190km in four days. "This has to be one of the most economical boats on the market to run," he says.

VERDICT
- Civilised fishing boat with class-leading comforts
If there’s an argument to switch to sterndrive Whittley poses it convincingly with this pair of Volvo Penta-powered Sea Legend SL 22s SDs. The ride quality of both boats was really quite smooth and without much spray on a quiet test day. The weight down low and balanced hull offers plenty of trim range for buttoning the bow down and tackling a head sea or running free and easy down-sea.

The dash and helm set-up and vision add to the comfort, while the electronic data on the optional Garmin screen with the diesel engine provides a wide range of diagnostics from fuel usage to fault finding. Smoke-free, grunty, efficient and new, the Volvo Penta D3 was the clear winner and worth the extra $15K.

Either way, the SL 22 is a savvy trailerboat for the Melbourne set, with a big following from fishers and their families. Angelo San Giorgio from Whittley has spent four days aboard, sleeping in the cabin, his daughters taking brief hot showers, using the supplied loo and cooking on a butane stove in the cockpit. You could so easily sleep the night in the car park at Portland and beat the queues, too.

The SL 22 SD is a civil trailerable fishing boat with sterndrive power and especially so with the added sophistication of the diesel guise. We like the comforts and the comfortable motion at sea, the brand backing and resale value, and the terrific packaging to help you on your way.

LIKES
>> Fantastic build quality, fit finish and mouldings from a revered Australian yard.
>> Excellent packaging from the factory to Melbourne and independent interstate dealerships
>> Class-leading comforts in a crossover family and fishing boat
>> Sterndrives enjoy some benefits, with the D3 Volvo Penta diesel proving a very convincing match

NOT SO MUCH
>> Small live-bait tank by sportsfishing standards
>> Needs less gape between steps on swim ladder
>> Accessibility to VHF radios could be improved (new dash design coming)
>> Rear engine hatch isn’t that far from water level so keep vigilant with engine-corrosion protection.

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.79/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.75/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 4.8/5.0
X-factor: 4.8/5.0

Specifications: Whittley SL 22 SD with Volvo Penta V6-200/D3-170
Price as tested: $99,755 drive-away with Volvo Penta 4.3 Gi-200, optional hot water and options as listed above, Mackay dual-axle braked trailer with spare wheel, safety equipment, regos, basic accessory kit, and on-water handover. About $115,000 with Volvo Penta D3-170 diesel and options, alloy trailer and more as specified above.
Length Overall: 6.59m
Hull or Centreline Length: 6.50m
Beam: 2.26m
Deadrise: 23 degrees
Dry Weight BMT sterndrive: about 2100kg on road loaded
Fuel: 210 litres
Water: 20 litres
Passenger capacity: Seven
Sleeping: Two adults
Recommended/Max Horsepower: 200/225
Engine on test: Volvo Penta 4.3Gi-200/D3-170
Engine Type: 4.3L V6 with multiport fuel injection and electronic throttle/auto-derived, fully electronic, common-rail 2.4L D3 five-cylinder diesel with full digital gauges and trip.

Supplied by:
Whittley Victoria Sales
101 Freight Drive, Somerton, Victoria, 3062
Phone: (03) 8339 1810
Email: sales@whittleyvictoriasales.com.au
Web: www.whittleymarinegroup.com.au