Sea Jay 610 Preda-King with Yamaha F150hp

• by Steve Morgan

I love boat tests when the weather gets nasty. I especially love it when the weather gets nasty but there’s still somewhere to get some nice photos and a video to get the job done. That was our test day on the Elliott River in Bundaberg.

With a newly launched Sea Jay plate boat in tow – a Preda-King 6.1m from their Plate Xtreme range – we headed down to the ramp eager to get the new hull wet.

Sea Jay Sales Manager Garry Fitzgerald said that this model, which was launched at the 2017 Brisbane Boat Show, lasted only a day on the floor before being snapped up by an eager customer.

“There’s been a few changes to this model, including an upgrade of the hull plate size to 5mm, more deadrise and a massive 220L fuel tank, so it ticks a lot of boxes for anglers wanting an entirely seaworthy rig that you can travel a long way in to catch fish,” he said.

There’s no doubt that the design and build quality of this line of boats from Sea Jay is appealing to hardcore anglers, with wait times for a build at around a year. And you can’t buy them from your Sea Jay dealer – you need to buy them straight from the factory.

That’s a good thing. Sea Jay boats is a family business and the Glass family are happy to discuss customisation when it comes to putting together your dream plate aluminium boat.

The test boat was fitted with the maximum allowable horsepower in the form of Yamaha’s F150 4-stroke, the 2.7L workhorse that’s done millions of hours on boats worldwide. Quick out of the hole, the engine delivered 2.0km/L at the most economical cruising speed of 45km/h and 3800rpm. Drop the hammers to wide-open throttle and you’ll get 75km/h at 5900rpm but you’ll only get 1.1km/L.

A steep entry flattens to 16º at the transom and provides a good balance between ride and stability.

Sea Jay is proud of their complementary trailers. The aluminium, fully welded I-beam trailer under this rig looks great and gave the hull maximum protection while trailering.

Yamaha’s F150 is the maximum horsepower for this rig and delivered economy of up to 2km/L at 3800rpm. Combine that with a 220L underfloor fuel tank and there’s over 400km of range to get you to where the fish are.

The hull’s 2.45m beam allows Sea Jay to place this broad console and still have plenty of space for anglers to walk around.

The big T-Top folds away for storage in some garages.

The transom bait and rigging station combines extra rod holders with a cutting board and drink holders.

The starboard transom door and ladder allow for easy boarding from the water or the bank.

The starboard transom door and ladder allow for easy boarding from the water or the bank.

The new model of the Preda-King was released at the Brisbane Boat Show in 2017 with a 5mm hull sheet.

With a few anglers on board, access is important and the Preda-King offers 360º fishability.

There are welded-in battery trays at the bow to power the electric motor up front. The test rig didn’t have one fitted.

In Queensland, men are still men and pull up their anchors by hand.

Optional electric motor mounting plates are a near necessity on a modern boat and it’s a popular factory option.

The transom is as neat as it gets in an Australian-built plate boat.

You could mount a pair of 12” screens in this console. That’s some solid space available for keen anglers.

But the best bit of the test was heading out the mouth of the river and punching into a solid 20knot northerly that represented about the nastiest conditions that I’d be headed out fishing in. At a speed of around 25km/h, the upswept bow stayed high and dry – even when we tried to bury it – and the ride was dry both punching into and riding with the slop.

Quartering, of course, will get you wet, no matter what rig you’re in. I liked that when the boat landed, nothing really rattled and the hull felt rock solid.

What I also liked was that you can flush mount a couple of 12” sounders side to side in the console. I’m a great believer that keeping the connections out of the weather makes your gear last a little longer.

As for fishability, there’s plenty of room for you and your mates to fish all around this rig, no matter whether you’re dropping for reefies, casting at a tuna or pulling in crab pots.

And with a boat that looks as sharp as this Sea Jay, we’re sure that you’ll have plenty of mates lining up for the experience.

As tested, this customer’s rig priced out at $79,590, with the electronics, eskies and aluminium trailer, however packages start at $60,195. Visit www.seajayboats.com.au for more information or like Sea Jay Boats on Facebook for updates on the entire Sea Jay range.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length overall – 6.34m
Beam – 2.45m
Bottom sheet – 5mm
Side sheets – 4mm
Transom deadrise – 18º
Capacity – Six persons
BMT Weight – approx. 1.35km
Rec hp – 115
Max hp –  150
Fuel –  220L

PERFORMANCE
RPM         Speed (km/h)      Economy (km/L)
Idle…………..4……………………4.3
1000…………8……………………3.5
2000…………12………………….1.9
3000…………24………………….1.4
3800…………45………………….2.0
4000…………46………………….1.8
5000…………60………………….1.5
5900…………75………………….1.2