Anglapro Predator 16 review

Derek from Good Times Marine, the brand behind Anglapro Boats in Sydney’s south, introduced his own brand of compact aluminium fishing boats six years ago. Following great success with the estuary fishing boat range, he responded to calls for something bigger with the offshore Predator range of fishing boats. The Anglapro Predator 16 centre console is the latest from this range of offshore boats.

This boat was rated as one of the best of the year. It has been nominated to participate at Australia’s Greatest Boats 2016.

ANGLAPRO PREDATOR

The Anglapro Predator 16 is the smaller of two aluminium fishing boats on offer. It’s a hard-core fishing boat that makes the most of the available space without many concessions to cruising comfort.

Both bottom and sides are built from 4mm aluminium with reversed chines pressed into in the rear two-thirds of the hull, while the underfloor section is engineered for strength with welded stringers and gussets in what Derek calls his X-core construction.

Sides are plate aluminium without the need for internal supports, so the boat is a combination of pressed and plate construction, giving strength and shape where needed. The floor is fully welded but because it is set low in the hull for maximum stability, it’s not self-draining.

The sharply raked bow has moderate flare and runs to flatter sections amidships and a moderate 16-degree deadrise at the transom. An optional 50mm spray rail was fitted to the test boat and it did a good job of deflecting water down when underway, as can be seen in the accompanying photos.

LAYOUT

Because the Anglapro Predator 16 is ‘pure fishing’ it makes sense to sacrifice a helm seat for more room, especially considering that most skippers and passengers stand when travelling – but being a semi-custom boat, there’s an option to have a seat or leaning post fitted.

At the transom, upholstered quarter seats each side have two sturdy legs for crew who want a rest or when trolling and because they fold down they don’t get in the way. Twin bait tanks sit in each corner of the transom and over the back there’s a boarding platform with a ladder that will be handy for divers and swimmers.

Lest we offend plastic flickers let’s call the substantial table a work station rather than, (quietly), a bait table. It’s well positioned in the centre, strongly mounted and has enough area to clean big fish, but I would have liked to see some drain holes and tubes to clear any muck overboard. I did like the hinged cover below the table that hides the bilge pump and electrics. It keeps things tidy and stops fish flapping their way into the bilge while still allowing quick access for maintenance.

Storage is good for a boat of its size and I particularly liked the large killtank in the floor towards the back of the boat. An underfloor fuel tank of 100lt should give exceptional range for the frugal Suzuki four-stroke.

Despite its rough-and-tumble nature the cockpit is neatly fitted out. Storage pockets extend along the sidedecks and the control lines for the engine are concealed behind a neat cover as they exit the gunwale to the console.

The simple dash layout is angled appropriately to keep the instruments in line of sight when driving and there is ample room for a large screen or two smaller ones. The review boat came with an optional Lowrance HDS-9 –certainly big enough for most people.

OUTBOARD ENGINE

Suggested power for the Anglapro Predator 16 is between 90 and 115hp, so I anticipated the Suzuki 115 outboard motor fitted to the test boat should be a feisty performer matched to the relatively lightweight hull. When I clicked into gear and planted the throttle my first impression was that a seat to lean against would have been a good idea because the boat accelerates very quickly and there’s only the steering wheel for the driver to hang onto.

I found the dash-mounted throttle control a little awkward and it was easy to apply too much acceleration to the featherweight control when driving through rougher water – until I realised it made sense to rest my hand on the base for leverage. Doh!

The four-stroke Suzuki outboard motor is a torquey engine with plenty of grunt out of the hole and rapid acceleration right through the range to its maximum 6000rpm. Planing speed was around 13kts at a bit over 3000rpm and from there we quickly picked up momentum through to a slow cruise of 23kts where the boat felt very comfortable in the choppy conditions.

HANDLING AND RIDE

Wide-open throttle was 6000rpm with a top end of 37kts, which is getting along for a 5m boat. At speeds over 30kts the boat feels light and nimble and after getting used to its handling, confidence grew and I was able to throw it around in fast turns, trusting that it would go where I wanted without any worries.

It leans sharply into slower turns and as the chines dug in, I could find no slip or wallowing and no cavitation from the prop. There was enough swell to easily get the boat airborne with a blat of the throttle up the face of the waves and at no stage did we land with any undue jolts. Both in rougher water and back inside the bay the boat handled impeccably, with a soft ride over waves and a sporty but predictable feel at the wheel. It’s a sweet-handling boat with plenty of power on tap for a bit of fun on the way to the fishing grounds.

We pulled up in the backwash from the rocks to throw some lures around and three of us had no trouble moving around and were able to keep out of each other’s way. With the gunwale on the lower section of deck coming to halfway up my thigh, there was a feeling of being nicely secured on board and the hull was stable in the joggling slop.

THE VERDICT

Anglapro has hit a sweet spot with the Predator 16. It’s a boat capable of venturing offshore in the right conditions while still suitable for estuary and bay fishing. It will also make an ideal choice for those long runs on our bigger East Coast rivers and at 1200kg all-up on a trailer, it’s easy to haul on big road trips without having to go to the added expense of a large tow vehicle.

Prices start at $39,000 with a 90hp outboard engine – and there’s no reason why it wouldn’t perform admirably with that amount of power. Our review boat came in at $45,800 with the Suzuki 115 outboard motor, the Lowrance HDS-9, bait table and spray rail, which may be a bit more than some of the pressed production boats on the market but it’s built to last and handles better than a lot of boats in its size range.

ANGLAPRO PREDATOR 16 SEA TRIALS

Single 115hp Suzuki four-stroke outboard motor.

* Sea-trial data supplied by the author.

ANGLAPRO PREDATOR 16 SPECIFICATIONS

PRICE AS TESTED

Anglapro Predator 16 price: $45,800

OPTIONS FITTED

Lowrance HDS-9, baitboard, spray rail, and engine upgrade

PRICED FROM

$39,000 with 90hp outboard motor

GENERAL

MATERIAL Aluminium (4mm hull and sides)

TYPE Centre console monohull fishing boat

LENGTH 4.9m    

BEAM 2.35m

WEIGHT 1200kg (BMT)

DEADRISE 16°

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE 5

REC. HP range 90 to 115

FUEL 100lt

ENGINE

MAKE/MODEL Suzuki DF115A outboard motor

TYPE Inline four-cylinder four-stroke outboard motor

RATED HP 115

DISPLACEMENT 2044cc

WEIGHT 187kg

GEAR RATIO 2.59:1         

PROPELLER 21in               

SUPPLIED BY

Good Times Marine

2 Toorak Avenue,

Taren Point, NSW, 2229

Phone (02) 9524 6999; 0414 440 412

Fax (02) 9524 4211

Email info@goodtimesmarine.com.au

See the full version of this review in Trade-A-Boat #459, November / December 2014. Why not subscribe today?