by Peter Jung •
Anglapro has based their reputation around building fishing-friendly craft that are built tough with plenty of features. I hadn’t been in one for many years until the opportunity came up at Lake Eildon when the team from Boats and More in Shepparton and Echuca brought along the Outlaw 434 Pro to be tested. Matched with a 4-stroke 40hp Mercury, it was all about presenting a boat that would be ideal for the fishing on offer in Lake Eildon or the estuarine or river waters around the country.
First impressions
Before getting the Outlaw onto the water I went about taking the photos of the key components of the boat and quickly realised why Anglapro has a good reputation for producing fishing-orientated boats. The Outlaw 434 Pro is a side console configuration, with a large forward casting deck and small rear casting decks. It felt like there was a lot of room to move and the storage, including a rod locker, was large enough that all the decks could easily be kept clear and available to fish from.
I liked the addition of the MotorGuide electric motor. To me this is an essential part of this style of craft and almost a must if you’re looking to cast lures in places like Eildon.
In a nutshell the workspace of the boat was clear and well thought-out. The accessories added by Boats and More suited the style of boat. As a fan of painted boats, the Anglapro with its white colour scheme also looked pretty sharp to me.
Launch and retrieve
Housed on a Dunbier single axle trailer, the Outlaw was simple to launch and retrieve. You have the capacity to drive it on and off if you prefer and launching it by yourself would not be an issue, as you would hope with a boat of this size.
As far as towing is concerned, a medium-sized car is all that is required and the Dunbier trailer with the package on board was a pleasure to tow.
Features and accessories
The Outlaw 434 Pro has 3mm side and bottom sheets and a roomy 2m beam (hence the feeling of space). It comes standard painted inside and out and has a medium to large size console. The tested boat had a Garmin sounder mounted on the console and also had a switch panel and VesselView gauges flush mounted into it. All were easy to see and easy to get at.
The seating behind the console was comfortable and there was plenty of room for all 6’2 of me. There was also some additional storage in the console for smaller items and things that you need to get your hands on quickly.
As already mentioned there is good storage space under the forward and rear decks with the addition of a rod locker to store your fishing rods. The front deck also had an optional livewell fitted, which is handy for those who are tournament-inclined or like to upgrade their fish during a day’s fishing.
The electric motor and bracket was also an optional extra.
On the water
The ultimate test is always on the water and you couldn’t fault the Outlaw at rest or once you were up and running. It was an exceptional platform at rest and ideal for all the casting you would do in a day’s fishing. It also had great manoeuvrability when using the bow mounted electric motor.
Once on the plane and trimmed correctly the Outlaw was great to drive. It handled nicely and had a soft ride for an aluminium hull. We had beautiful conditions on the testing day at Eildon, so there were no waves or chop to deal with. It did handle the few boat wakes we encountered with ease.
The Anglapro Outlaw 434 Pro has a minimum 40hp and maximum 50hp rating. The test boat had a Mercury 40hp 4-stroke on it and it has to be said that it felt a little underpowered. We were able to make a prop change on the day, which helped to improve the hole shot. In future I think I would lean towards a 50hp motor if I was looking at this hull.
Please note that this was also the first time the boat had been on the water, so the team at Boats and More hadn’t had the opportunity to make any adjustments other than prop size to maximise the performance of the boat.
Final word
The Anglapro Outlaw 434 Pro is a beautifully presented boat and ideally set-up for casting lures in any lake, estuary or river situation.
The stability at rest and fantastic handling underway are the key positives of it, as well as the well thought-out internal layout.
The addition of a quality sounder and the MotorGuide electric motor further enhanced its fishability and the ease of towing and launching make this a great medium size package.
The price as tested was $32,990 with a base starting price of $23,990. If you want to know more about this boat and the rest of the boats in the Anglapro range, you can go to the Brisbane Marine website at www.brismarine.com.au or phone (07) 3889 3033. Alternatively, you can call in at 306 Duffield Road, Clontarf.
SPECIFICATIONS
Length 4.3m
Beam 2.0m
Hull weight 350kg
Min hp 40hp
Max hp 50hp
Bottom and sides 3mm
Max people 4
