Tournament 1600 Allrounder Review
Considering the relative dip of the marine industry in recent years, it’s great to see prestigious brands still pushing forward to produce new models. Tournament Pleasure Boats has just released its 1600 Allrounder which, although a tiller steer and something quite simple, is a boat designed to suit the lower to mid-range fibreglass market. And it’s definitely one of my favourites in the manufacturer’s range.
A 5.05m open runabout, the 1600 is an easy number to drag around with a medium-sized car. And not only is it a bit of a looker, but it’s practical for fishos, crabos, and even familyos.
Putting the 1600 Allrounder through its paces, this was another test where we managed to squeeze a few more hours out on the water, beating the performance out of the boat and, most importantly, wetting a line.
Just to make sure the fish would be biting on the day of the test I took my own boat for a quick pre-dawn session on Queensland’s Moreton Bay. A 7:30am meet at the ramp had us racing back after laying into a few small snapper, then there was time for a quick rigging of rods for the Tournament Pleasure Boats crew and it was straight back out to
Peel Island.
The main channels in the bay are always choppy regardless of wind, and since it’s a small tiller steer I expected the 1600 to take a bit of a pounding. But to my surprise it kept a very level attitude, looked comfortable, and had a dry ride with spray deflected nicely off the strakes and away from the stern. I was also surprised at just how well it ran with the 60hp E-TEC, but I’ll get into that a bit further along.
LESS IS MORE
At first glance, it would understandably appear to many that the open-styled 1600 would have a pretty basic layout with limited space, but that is happily not the case.
Open and spacious, there is more than enough room for anglers to go about their business without worrying about tangling rods or bumping into each other.
Observing from the camera boat, I could clearly see the two men on board had no problems with stability and space when casting lures, even in the absence of a dedicated cast deck up front — I am told this will be an option on future models.
In something refreshingly different from the norm, we actually managed to see a rod buckle properly on this boat test when the second cast produced a screaming reel — funnily enough, the name of the man holding on for dear life was Rod. Anyway, the fish of the day ended in a premature release, and was the first and last hook up from there on. Typical, I guess.
It was then my turn to have the Tournament experience and I must say that once on board I was impressed at just how neat the internal mouldings are. The layout includes a sizeable and open non-slip deck, two adjustable swivel seats, a few flush-mount hatches and killtank, side pockets, anchor hatch, coaming pockets, and separate battery and livewell compartments in the stern.
The 1600 has more than the average amount of built-in storage space for this kind of boat. If anything, I would have liked to see a small recess under the side-pockets for toes to slot under, along with dedicated rod racks with tubes running forward, and a grab-handle of sorts recessed into the coamings for the skipper and passenger.
ON THE GO
Since I am very used to tiller steers, driving the 1600 was simple. The new extended tiller handles make manoeuvrability easier, but seating position is critical. So along with mounting the seat in the correct position, the designers also fitted an adjustable seat, allowing you can get it into any position that suits you.
The 60hp Evinrude E-TEC is a pretty good match for the 1600, and although the recommended horsepower is 75 and the maximum is 90, I would be more than happy with the smaller engine. It’s admittedly not gutsy out of the hole, but once on the plane it’s got some serious legs from the mid-range upwards. A top end of 32kts (59kmh) is not bad going, in my opinion.
To top it off, the boat has a quality ride that comfortably keeps you in the seat rather than bouncing around on top of it. If you’re looking for a boat that can handle chop, this could be the answer.
After giving the 1600 full stick in all directions I came to the conclusion that Tournament has done a really good job with this hull design. Comfortable, good stability and a very dry ride when trimmed correctly, it was all very impressive for a small boat.
THE WRAP
The Tournament 1600 Allrounder has a lot to it in terms of layout and quite obviously excels on the performance side. Priced at $26,450, this is not budget blaster, but rather a quality boat that suits a number of applications and will last many years.
I especially like the fact the 1600 will also be available in a few other configurations, with side or centre console, higher horsepower ratings, and optional cast decks, rod-lockers and other fancy features.
ON THE PLANE...
- Great ride in the chop
- Professional finish
- Generous storage space as standard
DRAGGING THE CHAIN...
- No skipper or passenger grab handles
- Splash-well could be a bit higher to prevent water coming in when reversing into chop
- Toe-locks under side-pocket would be a plus
TOURNAMENT 1600 ALLROUNDER
HOW MUCH?
Price as tested: $27,500
Options fitted: Two pedestal seats; bilge pump; Dunbier braked trailer
Priced from: $26,450 (with 60hp Evinrude E-TEC; fuel tank; braked trailer)
GENERAL
Type: Open runabout
Material: GRP
Length: 5.05m
Beam: 2.13m
Weight: 450kg
Deadrise: 16°
CAPACITIES
People: 5
Rec. HP: 75
Max. HP: 90hp (115hp with consoles)
Fuel: 90L
ENGINE
Make/model: Evinrude E-TEC 60hp
Type: Direct-injection two-stroke
Weight: 109kg
Displacement: 863cc
Gear ratio: 2.67:1
MANUFACTURED BY
Tournament Pleasure Boats
3491 Pacific Highway
Springwood
Queensland 4127
Tel: (07) 3807 6999
Web: www.tournamentpleasureboats.com.au
SUPPLIED BY
Australian Marine Centre
3491 Pacific Highway
Springwood
Queensland 4127
Tel: (07) 3808 7333
Web: www.amcboats.com.au
Originally published in TrailerBoat #295, May/June 2013.