CORALINE 670 SF CENTRE CONSOLE REVIEW & 700 FX OCEANRUNNER REVIEW

I could tell it was going to be good day. A brilliant sun beamed down from an impossibly blue Western Australian sky, doing its darndest to erase the memory of a long and oppressive Melbourne winter. Waiting dockside at Hillary’s Marina, like pair of happy dogs awaiting their owner at the front door, was a couple of pleasingly unpretentious plate boats from local stalwart builder, Coraline Boats. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be a “suit and tie” day.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t quite warm enough for boardies, but as I strode down to say g’day — “how do you do?” would have been completely inappropriate — I could feel the vitamin D surging up from my pasty feet, happily clad as they were in a pair of long-forgotten thongs. God I love testing trailerboats; they’re so fabulously down to earth…

It doesn’t stop there. With one notable exception, almost the entire Australian trailerboat industry is family based.
The CEO is often the marketing manager, bookkeeper, head of sales, designer, welder and even the receptionist. When you sit across the desk from one of these guys,
no one ever talks about “helicopter views” or “going forward”. And Graham Gow
is no exception.

Graham didn’t found Coraline, but his association with the brand via his Perth dealership, Boat City, is almost as long as the stable’s existence, so when recently when got financially involved he already had intimate knowledge of the product and its place in the market. With financial control came the opportunity to refine what was already a very solid product into a boat he knew would have very few weaknesses in the eyes of his West Oz audience.

Graham knew his boats had to do three things well to be successful: they had to catch fish, catch fish and catch fish. Spot the common theme?

Unfortunately, we would not get to go fishing — I said it was a good day, not a great day. Nevertheless, we had ideal conditions to give both the Coraline 700 FX Oceanrunner and 670 SF Centre Console a solid, if fish-free, workout.

At the waterline, both vessels are identical, aside from the fact the 700 is obviously 30cm longer than the 670. Beyond that, these boats fill somewhat different niches in the market. The 700 FX Oceanrunner as the classic family-capable fish wagon, while the 670 Centre Console shouts single-minded blokes’ boat, where the added comfort of a full cabin has been sacrificed to ensure no fishy opportunity is lost.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

On initial appearances alone the 700 FX Oceanrunner was my favourite. With her powder-blue paint job, strong sheerlines and robust cabin top she balances good looks with durability.

From the outside, several features, like the long bowsprit that prevents hull damage on automatic anchor retrieval, hint of the designer’s familiarity with the way fishing boats are actually used. Climb aboard and you are quickly immersed in a swathe of practicalities any fisherman would praise — kill tanks, live wells, long-range fuel tanks and more.

Perusing the builder’s website reveals both boats are presented with more or less the same hunter / gatherer-orientated accessories list, which I will cover in more detail later.

The deck area of the 700 FX Oceanrunner is certainly substantial enough. A billiard-table-sized working platform leads to a structurally impressive cabin area. Manly-looking custom helm seats are bolted firmly to oversized storage boxes. A white, uncluttered dash frames a stage of superb visibility. The helm seat is high enough to ensure even the most vertically-tested are afforded a clear (and more importantly, safe) vista.

An architect might suggest some of the lines on display to be hard and slightly agricultural, but that doesn’t take away from the fact they are very functional and easy to keep clean.

The forward cabin is exactly as you would expect in a vessel in this class. The seating arrangement, under which there is plenty of storage, converts to a (nearly) full-length berth with room for the optional head unit. Shelf space is available and a hatch facilitates anchor access in less agreeable weather.

In contrast to the 700 FX Oceanrunner, the 670 SF Centre Console’s dash is compact and superbly designed for purpose. A two-person bench seat faces a tidy console. I am often critical of centre-console dashes, finding their layouts, with particular reference to the wheel and throttle control angles, less than ergonomic. From that point of view, I found the 670 SF’s to be a step up.

I was also enthused by its full-height windscreen, with options for complete enclosure of the helm station via the roll-up rear and side clears. I am sure those who’ve huddled behind the glowing tip of a cigarette to stay warm while blasting to the grounds on crispy mornings will appreciate the effort to add comfort to what can be a rather exposed style of boating.

Given it’s a centre console, there is no forward cabin on the 670 SF, rather a single step leads up to the bow walk-around space. A large killtank / accessories storage compartment takes up virtually all of the sub-floor.

The carpeted surface, which continues throughout, ensures surefootedness for anglers trying their luck in the bow, and the gunwales are high enough to aid stability when needed. Personally, I would like to have seen a couple of extra rodholders in the bow for the sake of convenience.

THE WAY YOU LIKE IT

Clearly, the 700 FX Oceanrunner boasts a much larger cockpit space than the 670 SF Centre Console. Allowing for a usable fishing platform forward pushes the console on the smaller boat aft, constricting the space slightly. It’s a horses-for-courses approach — the Oceanrunner’s larger cockpit and added shelter favours family fishos and dedicated bluewater hunters, whereas the walk-around ticks ample boxes for the technical enthusiasts who like to keep as many options open as possible.

Regardless of your particular bent, both boats take their piscatorial brief seriously. The option list needed to augment each boat’s capability is long and covers most of the bases. According to the website specifications, both models can be supplied with freshwater tanks, shower, refrigeration, galley and a toilet. Where you would put the toilet on the 670 SF Centre Console I don’t know, but wherever it goes the view will be to die for.

Additional options well worth considering including extra kill boxes, live bait tanks, berley buckets, deck-wash pumps, dive-tank racks, long-range fuel tanks, tackle drawers and a bow ladder for disembarking at the beach. I suspect adding some — such as the long-range fuel tanks — will compromise others like the freshwater storage, so make sure you consult on the details with the builders before going crazy on the box ticking.

SPARE HORSES

Boats aren’t all that different to race cars: the smaller they are the more fun they are to drive. That’s why F1 drivers all rave about their days on the karting circuit. Take away all the technology and remove all the buffers between your senses and the road.

As editor of sister publication Trade-a-Boat, most my time is spent driving vessels up to 120ft. Handling at that level leaves little room for instincts; most owners take a dim view of insurance claims incurred from any “she’ll-be-right” decisions. I can’t deny the opportunity for a little by-the-seat-of-my-pants driving on this pair of Coralines was a mouth-watering prospect.

Both boats sported a pair of shiny new Yammie four-strokes — 225hp on the 700 FX Oceanrunner and 150hp the 670 SF Centre Console. Given the Oceanrunner is only 30cm longer than the Centre Console, it would be natural to expect it would have the superior performance, but that only turned out to be partially correct.

The Coraline 700 FX Oceanrunner definitely has longer legs than the smaller boat. Its longer waterline and slightly better power-to-weight ratio translate to more top end and speed in a straight line. We didn’t get the chance to collect any fuel data, but I suspect it could be slightly more economical at higher speeds, too.

If this proves correct it would add weight to my argument that the bigger boat is the better bluewater hunter of the two. However, my unfettered blast of the 670 SF Centre Console put the bigger smile on my dial. As is often the case, the Centre Console configuration proved to be the better balanced hull.

The re-distribution of weight lifts the nose slightly, providing a flatter, dryer ride in a boat that performs as nimbly as it looks promise. Yes, I admit we are seldom confronted with a slalom course at sea, but if you were the Coraline 670 SF Centre Console could twist through the gates in a hell of a hurry.

THE WRAP

WA is Australia’s ultimate boating destination in so many ways. The sheer scale of the place provides an endless variety of opportunities to please all who live for the water, and its remoteness — and mostly sensible fisheries management policies — should ensure bountiful catches for generations to come.

On the flip side, its weather-beaten coastline demands a pragmatic approach to boat design, and to that end Coraline delivers. Both the 700 FX Oceanrunner and the 670 SF Centre Console appear to be well built, with the added assurance of local servicing and a five-year limited structural hull warranty. Both boats ride fairly well and look good doing it, although the Centre Console slightly out-performed the bigger boat in my opinion.

The icing on the cake with Coraline would have to be the wide range of options on offer. Certainly, anglers of all persuasions can be catered for, which ticks plenty of boxes in my book.

ON THE PLANE...

› Good working space

› Fully enclosed helm on centre-console

› Excellent paint finish

› Wide range of accesories

› Comfortable seating

› Easy cleaned

DRAGGING THE CHAIN...

› More forward rodholders on centre-console

› Slightly basic internal lines

Specifications: Coraline 670 SF Centre Console

HOW MUCH?

Price as tested: $87,806

Options fitted: All safety gear including EPIRB; GPS / sounder

Priced from: $79,908

GENERAL

Type: Plate-alloy sports fisher

Material: Aluminium, 5mm bottoms, 4mm sides

Length: 6.7m

Beam: 2.5m

Weight: 1950kg (BMT)

Deadrise: 20°

CAPACITIES

People: 6

Min. HP: 130

Max. HP: 225

Fuel: 225lt

ENGINE

Make/model: Yamaha 150hp four-stroke F150A

Type: 16-valve, DOHC, fuel-injected in-line four-cylinder

Weight: 228kg

Displacement: 2670cc

Gear ratio: 2.00:1

Prop: 15in SS Yamaha

MANUFACTURED BY

Coraline Boats

Web: www.coralineboats.com.au

SUPPLIED BY

Boat City

430 Wanneroo Road

Balcatta, WA 6021

Tel: (08) 9345 4311

Web: www.boatcity.com.au

Specifications: Coraline 700 FX Oceanrunner

HOW MUCH?

Price as tested: $109,870

Options fitted: All safety gear including EPIRB; GPS / sounder

Priced from: $107,000

GENERAL

Type: Plate-alloy fishing / dive boat

Material: Aluminium, 5mm bottoms, 4mm sides

Length: 7m

Beam: 2.5m

Weight: 2200kg (BMT)

Deadrise: 20°

CAPACITIES

People: 7

Min. HP: 150

Max. HP: 250

Fuel: 300lt

Water: 80lt (option)

ENGINE

Make/model: Yamaha 225hp four-stroke F225F

Type: 24-valve, DOHC, 60° V6

Weight: 253kg

Displacement: 4169cc

Gear ratio: 1.75:1