handyifyouneedtoyellatthedogor
simplygetmoreventilationthrough
thecab.Controlledbyasmallswitch
by the driver’s right knee, it was novel
and handy.
My ‘two-metre Peter’ test didn’t
gosowell,though.Idon’ttestmany
trailerboatsasImakethemlooka
touchsmall–beingtwometrestall
and weighing 100kg does that. Inside
theST-X,Ifoundtheseatssattoohigh
anddidn’thaveenoughdownwards
adjustment. Worse still, and a shock to
all who discovered it, there’s no reach
adjustment to the steering wheel.
If you’re a bit different to ‘normal’
dimensions, I recommend you take
theNavaraforadecenttestdriveto
check out the comfort angle before
committing to one.THE IMPORTANT BITS:
TOWING
We used the NP300 ST-X as a
workhorse for our feature trailerboat
event, Australia’s Greatest Boats 2016.
HeldinEden,itmeantadecenthaulof
gearandaboatfromourMelbourne
HQ.Loadedwitharound300kgof
cameragear,tablesandchairsplus
around 1500kg on the hitch by way of
a Brig Navigator 610 with supplies, we
covered the trip to Eden from Rowville
(494km) using 61L of diesel. That’s
12.35L/100km, giving a range of 640km
beforethe80Ltankrunsdry.I wouldn’t go so far as to say you
couldn’t tell the boat was there –
that’s a blatant lie heard far too often
about too many vehicles – but with
cruise control on or off, the ST-X
never flinched at its job. It made light
work of the hills coming in and out
of coastal NSW, including the Great
Dividing Range where the brakes never
complained or lost my confidence.
Onsite in Eden, the Navara was used
as a shop ute. The keys were left in it
and whoever needed it could use it.
We played around with some of the
bigger boats at the contest, picking up
the aforementioned Surtees 850 Game
Fisher from the far side of town and
towing her to camp, a drive of around“Cruising at highway speeds, she sat on 1500 to1600rpm
in seventh, sipping fuel slower than a wine taster with a
fancy bottle open”
The boat you want is now easier to find tradeboats.com.au^67
Navara NP-300 ST-X