Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
The Edencraft name is well known throughout Australia but more so in the southern states, with its cult-like following for being the pinnacle of offshore fibreglass trailer boats.
The owners of the company are a husband-and-wife team who employ a group of highly experienced staff.
They believe there should be absolutely no compromise in the build quality, performance and safety of their boats.
Their 6.0m Offshore is the perfect balance of all the things required in a fibreglass boat of that size and is perfectly suited for anyone – whether you’re a first-time boat owner or a serious hardcore angler or diver.
The exciting news is that we now have a dealer in southeast Queensland.
Australian Marine Centre at Springwood have these boats at their premises for anyone interested in a new fibreglass boat.
Overall length of the boat is 6.2m with a 2.4m beam and when on the trailer, it measures about 8.5m in length, depending on your motor options.
Your shed door will need to be about 3m high by 2.8m wide to sneak it in.
The deadrise at the rear of the hull is 22.5 degrees, which tapers up to a fine point of contact with the water at the bow to provide a soft ride.
The horsepower options on this rig are incredible, with a maximum rated 400hp.
The boat we tested had a counter-rotating pair of brand-new Suzuki 140hp four-stroke motors and after we ran them in, we were able to open them up to check the performance.
The three-blade Suzuki stainless-steel propellers running a 23” pitch topped out for a top speed of 80kph at 6000rpm with three people aboard and a belly full of fuel, which by the way has a capacity of 280 litres underfloor.
At 4500rpm, the boat was sitting at about 45-50km/h and cruising nicely – getting a fuel burn a little better than 1 litre per kilometre.
The hull rides extremely well as you would imagine, both into chop and over swell.
Coming back over a following sea, I wasn’t able to get it to do anything silly when under power.
At rest, as with all deep V-shaped hulls, there was that bit of roll, but you quickly get used to it because the hull locks out when it gets to the chine.
I guess the real stand out in performance – other than its speed – was the cornering.
With the twin motors trimmed in and passengers holding on, this boat hits the corners like nothing I’ve seen.
At full wheel lock and almost full throttle, it corners in under a 20m radius.
Probably not something you’d do every day, but great to know you have it.
It’s particularly good for getting yourself out of the brown stuff when you’ve been caught offshore, the weather changes and you need to get back over the bar, or even doing a beach launch and you need to get out through a gutter before the next set comes through.
A couple of other main features and considerations are that the 6.0m Offshore can be towed with a standard four-wheel-drive without having the need to go to a big American-style truck, and the trailer comes with an auto engage and disengage catch, which allows for solo launches.
Every detail on Edencraft boats is finished to the highest quality, with no rough fibreglass spikes to cut your hands on under the gunwales.
All the stainless-steel and welds are polished to a mirror finish, so no tea-staining and, best of all, it can be customised on the build with the options of your choice.
The fly-by-wire single throttle control of the Suzukis is a must and, with a massive amount of dash space, you’ll be able to mount almost any sounder on the market.
I could carry on all day about the Edencraft 6.0m Offshore’s non-sinkable foam-filled hull, the awesome side access dive door that makes going to the toilet easy and the amazing attention to detail in the wiring behind the helm, but the best thing to do is contact Rod at Australian Marine Centre and see these boats for yourself.
