A Guide to Buying Second Hand Allison Fisherman 5 Boats

Col Allison was a wonderful Australian character. He loved life, family and boats – especially fishing boats! His early years were devoted to heavy transport engineering, yet like many of us, our first love of boats brings us back to our roots.

Col used his race-bred and recreational marine experience along with manufacturing know-how to start Allison Boats in the mid-1980s, and took his whole family along for the ride. I was a proud dealer for Allison Boats for a number of years and still have a tender spot for old Col and his family who provided wonderful packages with a genuine attitude and home grown old fashioned service. Col was still working well into his late 70s and I remember the furore when his family made him give up riding his motorbike to work after a spill! Col promised me he would come snapper fishing with me in Port Phillip Bay one day, but unfortunately time and health beat him with his passing on December 14, 2010 at age 82.

Whilst Allison Boats produced a range of ski and cruising boats, it was fishing that was Col Allison’s great love and he was a forerunner in the design of dedicated fishing machines. He was also Australia’s first boat builder to introduce a fibreglass stringer (underfloor) system, eliminating rot and producing immensely strong yet relatively lightweight designs.

The Allison Fisherman 5 was my personal favourite. It is a crossover between a runabout and a cuddy with a raised forepeak, full walkthrough to the bow, high dashboard and storage underneath. Fishos just love deck room and the Allison Fisherman 5 provided a huge work platform with deep, safe sides and a very workable half pod transom. But, best of all is the ride! The Fisherman 5 bats well above its weight on the water and is a most enjoyable hull to drive with exceptional characteristics. In fact it’s like driving a go-cart on the water – great fun! She’s exceptionally capable as a fishing, diving, ski, or family fun boat that is light to tow, thrifty on  the wallet, and easy on the eye.

Allison Fisherman 5 specs

Allison Fisherman 5 price $30,000 (approx. current price, typical 2007 model)

Allison Fisherman 5 price $36,000 (original price, typical 2007 model)

GENERAL

MATERIAL GRP

TYPE Monohull cuddy

LENGTH 5m

BEAM 2.1m

WEIGHT BMT approx. 1000kg

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE 6 (Victoria)

FUEL Approx. 60L