2014 Review: Streaker 5700 Commander | Australias Greatest Fishing Boats
It was great to see so many iconic Australian boating brands represented at Australia’s Greatest Trailer Boats 2014, and Streaker is just one of the longstanding identities to have made its mark on the marine landscape.
STREAKER 5700 COMMANDER REVIEW
The multi-generational Savage family have been bustling away, building honest Australian boats for the last 40 years and brought the new Streaker 5700 Commander to the Gold Coast, its presentation rocking us all.
Streaker has turned its hand to presenting pure fishing boats and the 5700 ticks all the boxes. The hull is an update of the popular 545, however the new deck and associated accessories and fittings have lifted the package to another level, reflecting the top quality fitout demanded by today’s sportsfishers.
The 5700 Commander comes with an impressive selection of design features as standard, including a handy rear door, plumbed livebait tank, transom work station, padded coamings, raised footholds and an excellent baitboard, plus moulded rod, gaff and boat-hook storage.
You can see the years of boating experience reflected in little things like the small moulded internal step leading through the large front hatch, the latter revealing a well-designed bow and anchoring setup.
The Streaker 5700 Commander is exceptional value, not only a great fisher, it’s well-appointed, comfortable and an attractive family boat too. The 125hp Mercury OptiMax was a beautiful thing and thrilling to drive.
STREAKER 5700 COMMANDER RATING
Fishing suitability | 9 |
Innovation | 8 |
Design and layout | 8.2 |
Quality of finish | 8.3 |
Handling and ride | 8.6 |
Stability at rest | 8.2 |
Ergonomics | 8 |
Standard equipment | 8.4 |
Value for money | 8.9 |
X-Factor | 8.4 |
TOTAL SCORE | 84 |
UNDERSTANDING THE RATING SYSTEM
| Meet the judging panel | The rating criteria explained |
THE JUDGES’ NOTEPAD
Angelo Sangiorgio: “I tested this boat a couple months ago but Streaker has made some tweaks since then and now I really like it. With early Streakers we put up with the fact they were a little damp, but this was remarkably dry and the landing was really soft. It works as a family boat, too. It’s not just a boat for the dirty, stinky fisher — it’ll work for mum and the kids just as well. It’s an all-rounder.”
John Ford: “It’s the smallest boat here but it’s a great little package. They do make good boats sometimes, down there in Victoria, and I reckon this is one of them, I reckon. Even though it’s the littlest boat, it handles the rough stuff really well. I really like how they’ve gone about putting it together and how everything comes with it. Everything that might be an option on other boats is already included in this package.”
Kevin Smith: “You can see a lot of care is taken when it comes to producing this type of boat and it’s got everything on board. The hull has a unique design, with a wide stern area tapering into a deep cutting-vee, so the ride is really good. Price-wise, this boat is packaged up well. You’re getting a lot with this boat for the bucks. The two-stroke Optimax package keeps the price down, too. It’s probably a good $6000 to $7000 less than what you might pay for an average four-stroke outboard.”
Matt Jones: “I was really impressed with the ride. Going through the Seaway it was starting to kick up a bit on the way in and we gave it heaps, but it behaved beautifully. There’s a huge focus on quality with these guys in everything they do. Rather than trying to do a large quantity, they’re all about the finish. The finish of quality is so great even the cops came over and had a look — they were quite impressed with it, too.”
STREAKER 5700 COMMANDER SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 5.7m
BEAM: 2.49m
WEIGHT: 1400 to 1600kg (BMT)
MAX. HORSEPOWER: 150
BASE PRICE: N/A
PRICE AS TESTED: $67,850
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