particularly pleased with this after
clumsily losing my favourite pair of
sunglasses overboard.
The overall finish is very
impressive and I was particularly
taken by the hull-deck bonding
system with its overlapping flange
replacing a gunwale strip. You will
have to be careful mooring or rafting
up but it looks great. The hull and
deck are infused together creating a
very strong bond, further improving
inherent brawn. Steve chose
computer-cut SeaDek to all of the
coaming and platform surfaces. The
selected almost camouflage design
looks terrific and works even better.
There’s even a long ruler printed into
the SeaDek for instantly measuring
your fish for photographs as proof ofcatch and release.
The tiller-steer configuration has
provided plenty of room to move,
and casting alternatives. Steve had
a raised poling deck fitted to the
rear which allows him exceptional
vision and casting distance over
the target area. He never poles,
but instead chose the wonderfully
silent manoeuvrability of the remote
operated MotorGuide Xi5, 55lb-
thrust 12V electric outboard. I was
a little confused by the colour as
he chose the black freshwater
version over the white saltwater
alternative. I never took Steve for a
“dedicated follower of fashion” but
he wanted the black unit to match
the rest of the add-on accessories
and added saltwater anodes forcorrosion protection.
There’s a handy seat unit on the
tubular powder-coated alloy frame
where the centre console would
normally be positioned. It actually
comes in handy for hanging tackle
bags, cameras and other gear, plus
its backrest serves as a grab bar that
gives stability when steering from
the standing position. It certainly
provides added security when
moving around in the boat as does a
further removable U-shaped stability
bar fitted to the rear of the forward
casting.YAMAHA FAVOURITE
This is Steve’s second Yamaha F70
four-stroke and I was pleased to find
that he holds them in high opinion,126 tradeaboat.com.au