Sportsman 19 Island Reef with 115hp Yamaha

by Steve Morgan •

Admit it – you’ve all dreamed about it – heading off into the sunrise in a slick, fibreglass American fishing boat. The boat’s landing softly into the small swell, your rod racks are loaded with premium gear and there’s a dozen live baits happily swimming around in the livewell, blissfully unaware of their impending fate. Then you wake up and the alarm is telling you it’s time to go to work instead of the ramp.

Brisbane’s Northside Marine is doing its very best to help you achieve this dream. Stalwart salesman Bill Hull recently talked to FM about how the Sportsman dealership came to be.

“Like everyone, I had the dream of selling this kind of boat, but it wasn’t until recently that things fell into place,” Bill said.

Sportsman is a brand that is only six years old in the USA, but is growing in leaps and bounds. It was a perfect match for Northside, who are meticulous in their preparation of boats to deliver to their customers.

At the time of the test, there were 16 Sportsman boats on order – plenty of which were pre-sold to keen anglers in the Brisbane area.

The Island Reef 19 is a great all-round boat to cross over between inshore and offshore waters. Taking it out on a nasty test day in Moreton Bay, it demonstrated an ability to drive soft and dry at the right combination of speed and trim. It’s simple and effective as a fishing platform and is guaranteed to turn heads both at the ramp and on the water.

Let’s look at a few of the features. Packages from Northside for this model start at $60k, which include a Yamaha 115, Twin Axle trailer and a 7” Simrad. We didn’t have the metering available to do the economy figures, but there is data available for a Yamaha 90hp, which will display very similar economy figures.

With the hammers down on the 115hp Yamaha, it’s definitely hold onto your hats time.

The variable deadrise and upswept bow mean that you have the best chance of a dry ride with the correct trim and attitude.

Under the front casting deck there are a couple of dry hatches - one for the anchor and the other for your bulky gear.

Under the front casting deck there are a couple of dry hatches - one for the anchor and the other for your bulky gear.

The Yamaha F115 fitted on Northside Marine’s Sportsmans are factory fitted but are still backed by Yamaha Australia for a full local warranty.

That 16º of transom deadrise takes the sting out of landing on windy days.

The seat back is removable and you can fit a cooler under the seat framing. Vertical rod storage is provided on each side of the console.

The stainless steel bar that wraps around the console is handy for the driver and passengers alike. There’s extra storage under the front seat.

A 7” Simrad comes standard with the boat and is covered by a full, local warranty.

You can sit a couple more people comfortably on each side of the outboard and the space underneath is also available. The battery is under the floor hatch.

The rear starboard seat hides a built-in livewell with horizontal divider.

Supplied on a hydraulic braked, twin axle I-beam trailer, the Sportsman rig is safe and 100% Australian compliant.

Delivering 2.6km/L at 4000rpm, the 90 would give a theoretical range of over 250km – ample for nearly every weekend trip you’ll ever do. With the rough conditions, we didn’t get a top speed reading on the 115, however it was spinning an identical alloy 19” propeller, so you can add a couple of km/h for the extra few revs.

From the upswept bow back, there’s a raised casting deck with dry, under-deck storage for anchors and other bulky items. It’s a one-person deal, so it’d be a great spot to throw casts at pelagic or reef edges while the other angler is at the helm.

The rest of the floor is low and eminently suitable for fishing offshore in less than perfect weather.

The console is easy to walk around and has all-round grab-rails for your mates. The helm is offset to the port side and there’s a flush mounted 7” Simrad as standard. All other switches are available and easy to reach. There’s also dry storage underneath the console for your valuables.

The helm seating is flexible, with a removable backrest and space for a cooler underneath – complete with straps to lock it in.

A couple of non-skid SeaDek pads are at the helm as well – good looking and practical. There’s a livewell in the starboard transom corner and the entire deck is self-draining. I imagine this would be an easy boat to keep clean, with not too many corners to get the blood and guts stuck in. The battery sits in an under-deck compartment.

Of course, you can go crazy on the options list on this boat and add anything from factory T-Tops to cushion packages for the bow, but just as it is, there’s so much scope for fun fishing all over Australia that your head will be swimming with options.

For more information, contact the guys at Northside Marine at www.northsidemarine.com.au or you can check out the Australian Sportsman website at www.sportsmanboats.com.au. Make sure you also watch the video test of this boat to see it in action – there’s a QR code to scan hereby or you can search for it on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length 5.8m
Beam 2.3m
Capacity Six persons
Fuel 113L
Max hp  115

PERFORMANCE
RPM                   Speed (km/h)           Economy (km/L)
1000…………………………………. 6………………………………… 4
2000………………………………. 10………………………………. 2.5
3000………………………………. 17………………………………. 1.6
4000………………………………. 39………………………………. 2.5
5000………………………………. 52………………………………. 2.3
6000………………………………. 67………………………………. 1.8
*Supplied figures are for 90hp Yamaha with 19” alloy prop.