How does it rate?
Average
1 SUITABILITY FOR PURPOSE
2 INNOVATION
3 DESIGN AND LAYOUT
4 QUALITY OF FINISH
5 HANDLING AND RIDE
6 STABILITY AT REST
7 ERGONOMICS
8 STANDARD EQUIPMENT
9 VALUE FOR MONEY
10 X-FACTORWhittley Clearwater 1650- like the integrated central livewell
and the redesigned dash that could
accommodate 7in screens with ease.
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Classic looks can mean difficulty
maintaining a modern feel but
Whittley’s use of colour in the hull
and modern lines in the standard
bimini lend the 1650 contemporary
and stylish looks. The layout is simple,
with a small step down into a compact
cuddy that hides enough storage for a
couple of people’s gear. The helm seat
is adjustable for height but tight to the
dash; as long as you’re not too broad,
you should find it comfortable.
At the back, two dickey seats flank
the central livewell that doubles as
the back of the engine well. It’s a
simple design that I really appreciate
on a boat the size of the 1650; there’s
enough room for two passengers to sit
comfortably but remove the seat bases
and there’s a significant amount of
extra space for the best fishing spots on
the boat. The fact that the Clearwater
range comes from the same factory as
Whittley should tell you enough about
their build quality but in case you
haven’t seen one in the gelcoat, theyare superb. The team at the factory is
still led on a day-to-day basis by Neville
Whittley, who takes great pride in the
team’s ability to deliver quality finishes.
Standouts to me were the use of plastic
as opposed to wood for the under-
coaming rod racks, the new rubber
flooring, and the quality of the stainless
and canvas work in the bimini.PERFORMANCE
Unfortunately we don’t have full data
on how the plucky little Yamaha F70
fared on the back of the 1650 as the
Raymarine electronics package had
not been NMEA2000 integrated with
the outboard. We recorded as much
as 51km/h through the GPS at around
5500rpm, and while the hull is rated
to as much as 90hp, I think the 70 will
be enough for most. Our engine was
a touch over-propped however; it felt
a little slow to build speed and didn’t
rev out to the suggested 6300rpm
maximum. On the flip side, it was
fantastically balanced for freshwater
trolling, the combination proving
easy to manage down to 2-4kt. At low
speeds, such as docking or working
lures around some of the notorious
underwater structure at the lake, thehull’s low on-water weight, estimated
at 700kg, was a noticeable benefit.
The throttle needed very little input to
induce changes of direction and wind
posed no real problem, even when
tied off to one of the many dead trees
on the windward side of the shore.
Underway and up on the plane, the hull
was a real pocket-rocket with its small
size enhancing the sense of speed. It’s
nimble and forgiving, a boat that any
new user will feel confident driving. Yet
another surprise in the 1650 package
was its stability at rest. Small boats
tend to suffer here due to light weight
and the need to build deeper deadrises
into the hulls to offset this lack of mass.
Somehow the 1650 pulls another trick
out of its sleeve by being genuinely
stable at rest. It’s no 3000kg sterndrive
behemoth so don’t expect to be able
to throw your weight around with no
concern for others but in the 5m range
only RIBs and pontoon hulls have
impressed me more, and they have
their own compromises.ERGONOMICS
Slightly tight confines at the helm
aside, the 1650 is an easy boat to
move around. The bimini is set low –64 trade aboat.com.au