Pioneer Cape Island 186 with Mercury 115hp

Andrew and the team at Melbourne Marine Centre have put a lot of effort into the fitout of the Cape Island 186. They have ensured the additional items complement the fishing nature of the boat.

by Peter Jung •

It’s always nice to go and test a boat brand that you’ve not seen or heard of before. Your sense of anticipation prior to doing the test in heightened and there is that little bit more effort put into the your research before seeing the boat in the flesh.

Pioneer is an American-built boat that is being sold through Melbourne Marine Centre in Hallam, Victoria. They produce a range of boats that are aimed firmly at the fishing market, and your first impression of the Cape Island 186 is exactly that. It has significant tackle and general storage and plenty of fishing space. The centre console configuration lends itself to fishing from any part of the boat and the addition of the MotorGuide electric motor and Talon anchoring system just broadens its horizons as far as fishing locations go. The Cape Island would be as happy sneaking around an estuary or dam as it would out in Port Phillip Bay.

Key features
A very important part of any fishing boat is the ability to keep your fishing areas clear. This means storage, and this is something the Pioneer has in spades. It has a rod locker in each gunnel that will hold up to six outfits, a large storage space under the front casting deck, even larger storage under the main seat and great access via the transom to store batteries and other items out of harm’s way. It would be remiss of me not to mention the livewell or fish swimming pool located at the rear of the boat. The few fish we put into it were very comfortable with their time in it and were seriously alive when we went to let them go.

As far as fishing space goes, there is not a level surface on this boat that cannot be fished from in comfort (depending on conditions of course). Two anglers can easily fish from the front casting deck or the rear deck and the freeboard in the cockpit is high enough so that if you were locked into something bigger, you could brace yourself against it. Andrew from Melbourne Marine spent much of his time walking around the gunnels casting with no problems at all. The stability at rest of the Cape Island is excellent.

It’s always nice when all spaces in a boat are used effectively. The seat in front of the console doubles up as an esky and the seating for the driver and passengers is comfortable and can be made more so if you keep the back rest in place.

Put simply, the Cape Island is great, whether you are driving it or fishing from it.

Ride and Performance
The Pioneer Cape Island 186 is not a light boat and in particular it has quite a bit of weight at the rear of it. Weight in itself has its benefits and its issues. Hull weight helps cut through chop and swell and provides a soft ride as well as increasing stability at rest. Too much weight or weight that is not even can affect motor performance and steering the craft.

The boat tested had trim tabs to assist with the additional weight at the rear of it. Small adjustments to them push the nose of the boat down and the performance improvement is plainly noticeable when you are in the boat. When you got the motor trim and the trim tabs settings correct, the Cape Island was an absolute rocket. It handled beautifully and was incredibly quiet on the water. At one point on the test day, when we were travelling between fishing spots, I was replacing my leader using a FG knot. A testament to how well the Pioneer rode, the knot was tied and new lure attached, all while we were on the plane. You have got to be happy with that!

Mercury 115hp Pro XS
The Cape Island is rated to a 150hp motor and I was certainly interested to see how the Mercury 115hp Pro XS would perform on it. In two words, “extremely well”.

In my mind the 115hp Pro XS was hardly a compromise. It provided a good hole shot (5.2 seconds) and got the boat to a very respectable 65km/h top speed. The key economy range was between 3500-4000 revs, where motor used a little over 15.5L of fuel per hour.

I expected the boat to feel underpowered, but that certainly wasn’t the case. If anything, the 115hp Mercury was the perfect balance for the boat.

Mackay multi-rollered Dual Axle trailer
The pioneer was matched with a Mackay duel axle multi-rollered trailer. The multi roller system allows the boat to be easily launched and retrieved. Ideally you would do this with two people (Andrew and Jamie made it look very easy), however, the drive on drive off nature of the roller system means that it can be done by a single person if need be. The duel axle system also spreads the load of the trailer, which makes for easier towing.

The Pioneer’s hull provided fantastic ride and handling.
Any keen bay, estuary or lake fisho would love to have the Pioneer Cape Island 186 parked in their driveway.
The main seat had a removable backrest. It provided that little bit more comfort for the driver and passenger on long trips or in rougher weather.
The main seat had a removable backrest. It provided that little bit more comfort for the driver and passenger on long trips or in rougher weather.
Trim tabs were fitted to the boat to maximise performance. They assisted with pushing the bow of the boat down, negating the weight at the rear of the vessel.
You can fish from all the flat surfaces on the Cape Island. Andrew spent most of his time standing on the gunwales and fishing. The stability at rest was excellent.
A seat in front of the console not only provided extra seating while under way, but doubled up as an esky.
The author was impressed by the console layout. There was plenty of room for the Garmin sounder and all the various switches and gauges.
There is a serious live well in the Cape Island. It’s more like a fish swimming pool.
Boats like this are all about fishing space. There is plenty of it in the Cape Island including the deck the cameraman is standing on to take this picture.
Boats like this are all about fishing space. There is plenty of it in the Cape Island including the deck the cameraman is standing on to take this picture.
The stealth the 80lb MotorGuide Xi5 provides makes it must have in the author’s mind.
Although not the maximum horsepower for the boat, the Mercury 115hp Pro XS outboard was a great match for it. It provided excellent performance (see fact box) and plenty of power.
Each gunnel had a rod locker in it that holds 4-6 outfits.
The forward casting deck had some serious storage under it. There is plenty of room for all that extra gear anglers need to take with them each trip.
The dual axle Mackay trailer made launching and retrieving a breeze.

Overall
My first experience of a Pioneer boat has been a positive one. There are a few standout things for me: Everything has a place or a place to go. There is plenty of storage, which means in my case I can take even more fishing gear. Fishing from it is an absolute pleasure. We had a full afternoon casting lures and no matter where you were in the boat you had the ability to cast where you wanted. The additional stealth that the MotorGuide electric motor provides makes it a must have on the Cape Island. I was impressed by how well it pushed quite a large boat around and how nimble it was around the structure where we did the test. Last but certainly not least, how well it performed with the Mercury 115hp Pro XS on the back of it. I am usually a supporter of running the maximum horsepower on any boat, but after being in the Pioneer, it was treat to find out how well it performed, which gives you the flexibility to add the electronics that Melbourne Marine had on the test boat.

As tested the Pioneer Cape Island 186 will set you back about $73,000, with a starting price in the low 60s with a smaller motor. To find out more about the Cape Island and the other boats in the Pioneer range, you can contact Melbourne Marine Centre on (03) 9703 2003 or go to their website www.melbournemarine.com.au

  • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

SPECIFICATIONS
Hull Length
5.64m
Beam 2.90m
Depth 2.29m
Hull Weight 726kg
Max hp 150
Number of People 6
Fuel Capacity 170L

PERFORMANCE
RPM……………….. Speed (km/h)         Economy (km/L)
Idle (700)
…………………………… 3…………………………….1.5
1000……………………………………5…………………………… 2.5
2000………………………………… 10…………………………….6.0
3000………………………………… 18…………………………… 12.3
4000………………………………… 40.7……………………….. 16.3
5000………………………………….51…………………………….26.7
WOT (6200)…………….…………65………………………..….44.0