Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
DOING things differently is certainly one way to get noticed.
There’s little point entering a market with a product or service that barely differs from your competition. In this day and age, if you want to get ahead you need a fresh new angle, a way to showcase what you know best and of course you need to stand firmly behind whatever it is you’re offering.
Well one up-and-coming brand has filled all these criteria and is looking to carve its own unique niche in the small-to-medium plate alloy boat market. Sea Adex Boats is the brainchild of Adam and Rex, two blokes from the Brisbane Bayside who are passionate about building better boats.
The Sea Adex mantra: ‘When strength matters and performance counts’ was evident from the moment I laid eyes on the tiller steer RMP 43 model at the Raby Bay boat ramp. I’ll be blunt. It’s not the most beautiful boat I’ve ever seen, but man, is it built like a tank.
For a 4.3m rig you’d be extremely hard pressed to find a tougher, more purpose-built boat. Sitting on the trailer at the ramp, the RMP quickly grabbed the attention of other boaties with its vibrant blue paintwork, tough design and interestingly shiny ‘swirl-finish’ hull.
But the RMP doesn’t just look tough, it is tough, with 4mm plate alloy construction for both the bottom and sides. That’s serious stuff for a 4.3m bay/creek tinnie. This solidity may have something to do with a substantial element of the boat’s design being taken care of by a renowned local naval architect.
If it’s good enough for the navy it’ll be good enough for Moreton Bay! In fact, all Sea Adex plate boats are built above and beyond the latest survey specs, meaning if you’re a commercial operator, a Sea Adex boat will certainly fit the bill. Adam and Rex explained the idea behind their plate boats is total buyer customisation.
The guys feel that rather than putting rod holders, storage lockers and kill tanks where they think best, it should be up to the customer to lay the boat out exactly how they want it. How many times have you been fishing and thought, hmm, that’s a crappy spot to put a rod holder/bait board/seat or whatever.
Well Sea Adex offers the solution to that problem, and in effect allows you to build your own boat. Would you like your RMP model in tiller steer, side console or centre console configuration? It’s your boat and your call. So, back to the ramp; jumping into the boat I was sceptical about controlling a 4.3m tinnie with a whopping 60hp Mercury FourStroke tiller steer on the back, but I needn’t have worried.
As we slowly motored into the bay it soon became apparent that manoeuvring the Sea Adex RMP was a cinch. I didn’t adjust the tensioner on the outboard’s steering controls but still found it very easy to handle. My only gripe was that sitting to the right of the tiller and pushing it all the way left to perform a tight right-hand turn resulted in a well-stretched arm.
With practice and some adjustments to my seating angle I’m sure this would become less of an issue. Upon reaching the channel, I gave it the berries and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly and smoothly the (hydrofoil-equipped) Merc pushed the RMP onto the plane.
With two blokes down the back, the RMP will climb onto the plane at a measly 20km/h, which is surely a good thing for fuel economy. Move one person up to the bow and planing speed drops even lower to a seriously impressive 15km/h.
On this picture-perfect day in Moreton Bay we managed 50km/h going flat out into the current and travelling at WOT with the current saw us clock 53km/h.
Though what a lighter boat couldn’t do is make a mockery of decent size waves created by passing boats. Even with its shallow 10-degree variable deadrise, the RMP managed to avoid the dreaded ‘tinnie slap’ over chopped-up water. Heading towards Peel Island into what I call the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ (though not on this super-still day) I felt comfortable cruising at a very economical 35km/h.
When I felt the need for speed, a slight turn of my left wrist was all the little rig needed to accelerate strongly towards its top speed. Backing off the throttle and flicking the motor into neutral to begin slowly drifting around in the bizarrely flat Bermuda Triangle, I moved around the deck to get a feel for the boat’s stability.
With both Rex and I on the same side of the boat, the RMP barely raised an eyebrow, remaining remarkably level in the water. If you plan on cast netting, this boat makes a very strong case with its extremely open and uncluttered deck layout, impressive stability and go-anywhere toughness.
This particular rig was a bare bones setup and wasn’t even fitted with rod holders because a customer had yet to place an order on it and therefore begin customising. However the easy to walk over and easy to access storage hatches in the floor give you some idea of where you can go with customisation.
Our test boat had half-length side pockets, but every new Sea Adex boat will be fitted with full-length side pockets that will extend right up to the casting deck or to the bow if you decide you don’t want the front deck. I had not spent much time in boats with casting decks and really enjoyed it in the RMP.
The extra visibility and height afforded by the casting deck would make spotting surface activity a pleasure and it’s a great place to have a seat. A basic RMP similar to the one tested with a 60hp four-stroke and of course your customised fit-out with everything where you want it will set you back $28,000.
In my eyes this represents excellent value for money as competitive true plate alloy boats with the same horsepower can easily run to more than $30,000 even before adding potentially expensive options such as GPS/sounder combos and electric motors.
So if strength matters and performance counts to you, the Sea Adex RMP range is well worth a look.
For more information and to get in touch with the guys, visit www.seaadex.com.au or drop in to the workshop located at Shed 2/82 Redland Bay Rd, Capalaba.
I challenge anyone to find a tougher built boat that handles as well as a sea adex. The finish on these boats is flawless.
Neatest plate boats I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Great boats built by great blokes.
Good on you boys.