Boating

On a little 2m rise nearby there was a school of fish sitting vertically about 4m high over the east side of a ridge. A floated bait on an 8 ball sinker nailed good midsized snapper and all within less than a kilometre. Another kilometre away we placed the boat to drift along a little valley between two pinnacles. It …

Again I was happily surprised by how level and true the boat remained, which gave a good indication of the performance of the hull. Having satisfied my curiosity about performance, I set about checking out the layout and how it worked. For a 5.8 model there is plenty of fishing room as well as a good amount of storage, with …

My initial thoughts were that it was going to be a 175hp (which I think might be just around the corner) however I was wrong and a brand new light-weight 200hp 4-stoke Yamaha was sitting on the back. Obviously I was keen for a ride, so along with a few other media people we went for a run in the …

Vindicator trailers come with a spare wheel and spare wheel carrier, Australian jockey wheel, Timken bearings and bearing buddies. The ladder-rack system down the centre of the boat trailers has stainless steel spindles and split pins as well as Australian rollers with a Teflon entry cradle, providing the ability to drive a boat onto the trailer. Adjustable wobble roller racks …

We have experienced varying success on spanish mackerel, and mackerel numbers seem to be down a little. However plenty of large fish in the 15-20kg range have been reported. Our best effort was a monster 35kg specimen that gave one lucky angler a real fight. We normally put a floater or live bait out while at anchor and troll lures …

In terms of storage, there is a shelf in the console and room underneath to stretch your legs or stow anything that you want kept within easy reach. Side pockets on either side of the boat also make sure additional items are kept secure and out of the way, leaving your boat clutter-free for fishing. There is bulk storage under …

I’m similar to Goldilocks I guess, I don’t like my boats too big or too small, so the 650 Trident HT felt just right. I spent most of my time in this boat and finished with a wealth of appreciation for the work that has gone into designing and making this range so impressive. Despite four blokes in the boat, …

Summary The Moda Marine Black Diamond BV7000 is a superbly designed fishing and family boat with carefully thought out inclusions and a high standard of construction. www.modamarine.com.au

Another thing worth mentioning is that Procraft fibreglass boats are backed by a five-year fibreglass warranty from The Haines Group, which should instil buyer confidence. As well as this you are getting an Australian manufactured boat designed for our conditions. Since my original test, there have been a few developments with the Procraft 6.2 Walkaround and it now also comes in …