Haines Hunter 565R with Yamaha 150hp 4-stroke

by Steve Morgan •

Port Phillip Boating Centre’s Phil Pieridas has been a Haines Hunter and Yamaha dealer for nearly 15 years. With that much experience putting together Yamaha/Haines Hunter packages, you’d be hard-pressed to find another person – nationwide – who can match Phil’s expertise in that arena.

It was hardly surprising when he arrived at the ramp on the test day with a pair of impressive Haines Hunters. One was the superlative 675 Enclosed, which we have published in a previous FM edition. The other was the 575R, the ‘R’ signifying the ‘Runabout’ iteration of the hull, spawned from a need to have a smaller brother in the Haines Runabout family, as all of its bigger siblings are 6m+.

“It’s good to have the 565 in the range, which is cheaper to buy, easier to tow and usually doesn’t require a tow vehicle upgrade to get you to the ramp,” Phil said, before we launched the test craft.

Sometimes, it’s the little added extras that make your time on the water easy. The LED deck lights illuminate the cockpit and make night time fishing easy.

The Launch and Retrieve system means that you can het the Haines Hunter off the twin axles Mackay trailer all by yourself.

We all know that the stainless steel cup holder will double as a convenient place to hold the keys, wallet and mobile phone!

Everything about the 565R is practical – a deck you can hose down, stainless steel fittings and spacious side pockets tick a lot of boxes.

The beauty of the rod holder system is it lifts straight out of the boat’s standard rod holders when it’s not needed.

The plumbed live bait tank on the starboard side is close to the array of rod holders that have been added to the test boat by Port Phillip Boating Centre.

Extra, vertical rod storage is added along the side pockets, which also hold the deck wash. You can never have too much rod storage – it’s the first rule of fishing boats

The test boat was fitted with rocket launchers and wrap around clears to keep you warm and dry when conditions get nasty. There are also plenty of places to hang on.

Haines Hunter plays down the size of the cabin on this boat, but it’s suitable for keeping people or gear out of the elements.

Yamaha’s F150 powers thousands of boats across Australia. Economy approaching 2km/L was achieved at revs in the high 3000s.

We say it all the time, bur we love flush mounted electronics at Fishing Monthly and the 565R has the room to flush mount all you’ll need.

Clever, underfloor storage keeps the decks clean and manageable.

The 565R’s maximum horsepower is 150hp, although you can order a Limited model, which can handle 200hp.

With a dry hull weight of 720kg and an on-water weight of over a tonne, the 565R rides as comfortably as a 5.5m boat gets to ride.

“And packaged with the Yamaha F150, you end up with platform that’s as reliable as anything in the country at the moment.”

Cradled on a twin-axled Mackay trailer with a Launch and Retrieve system, the boat is a size that’s not intimidating to get out and go fishing in one.

On closer inspection, the trailer is made of galvanised steel C-section, eliminating the cost of aluminium while retaining the easy-maintenance of a non-enclosed material.

“I probably cost myself some replacement trailer sales down the track, but the C-section trailers are definitely the best for longevity,” Phil continued.

After slipping the rig into the water at Williamstown, an overcast, inky calm bay proved perfect for flying drones and taking photos, but less perfect for testing out the rough water handling abilities of the craft.

With a hull-only weight of nearly three-quarters of a tonne, there was no surprise that the ride did feel soft.

The cockpit of this rig is eminently fishable, with a flow-coated back deck above to be washed down on-water with the saltwater wash. PPBC had also fitted the test boat with both vertical storage and horizontal fishing rod holders to make both travelling and fishing as efficient as possible.

Such are the joys of boat packages designed by anglers for anglers.

We harp on about this a lot at FM, but I did love the fact that all electronics are flush mounted. There’s no better way to protect your investments, which can be quite significant if you’re a serious snapper angler.

As tested, the supplied 565R came in at around $80,000, although base packages start from around $65,000. Check out www.portphillipboatingcentre.com.au for more details. Or drop into the yard and chat to Phil for yourself. The experience in that boating brain of his is priceless.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length overall         5.65m
Beam                     2.4m
Height                    2.3m
Weight (hull only)     720kg
Fuel                      200L
Max hp                  150

PERFORMANCE
RPM      Speed (km/h)      Economy (km/L)
Idle       5          3
1000     6          2.5
2000     12         1.7
3000     16         1.1
4000     42         1.7
5000     56         1.6
6000     71         1.1