Revival 590 X-Rider with Mercury 150hp 4-stroke

There’s no denying that the Revival X-Rider is a good-looking rig. The Mercury and hull colours work well together.

by Steve Morgan •

This was only the second Revival boat that we’ve tested at Fishing Monthly. The first was a cruiser-style (trailerable and suitable for comfortable weekends away) and is about as far away as you can get from this – the Revival X-Rider.

Built in Melbourne by Sam Cantonese, the brand is sold and championed by Melbourne mega-dealer, JV Marine World.

“The Revivals are a great step up into fibreglass boating, as you get great value for money with a Revival package,” said JV chief Mark Stav after the team pulled up at Launching Way for the test.

In fact, it wasn’t a great day for a boat test – glassy, sunny conditions where every boat seems to run great – even though the weather was perfect. It did reflect, however, conditions that you may be out in enjoying what the X-Rider has to offer.

The package tested was actually a customer’s boat that had been designed for both fishing and tow sports. The bowrider configuration allowed the owners to comfortably take four people out on the water skiing and relaxing or you could add the rod holders, take out the tables and there’s a perfectly good craft for squidding and snapper fishing.

Right away, we were all impressed with the looks of the boat. The red and black colour scheme complemented the 150hp Mercury 3.0L 4-stroke perfectly, and it would definitely turn heads at the ramp. The question was, however, would it get up and go out on the water?

When you drop the throttle, there’s plenty to smile about. The 3.0L Mercury 4-stroke spun a 17” 3-blade Enertia propeller and stayed on 75km/h at WOT.90
The helm is comfortable with a built in footrest and plenty of visibility in all directions.
A unique combination of fishing and watersports, the X-Rider does both pretty well.
The wet storage boxes at the transom are a great idea. This one is where the squid go, helping to keep the cockpit clean (we saw the leftover ink).
The anchor and winch is all out of the way and doesn’t intrude into the bow entertainment area.
The foldable bimini and rocket launcher only provides shade for the helm seating.
With a transom deadrise of 21º, the X-Rider is capable of a soft ride when conditions get a little nasty.
Three people will comfortably fill the bench seat. Add two at the helm and there’s room for a fun day on the water for five.
At Fishing Monthly, we love flush-mount sounder space. This owner fitted Mercury Vessel View with the Simrad transducer.
The walk through is plenty wide enough and lined with the custom SeaDek, which looks a million bucks.
With the bunk infill added, there’s plenty of lounging area up front. Take it out and add a table and there’s room for four.
Mercury’s 3.0L 150hp 4-stroke platform has years under the belt now. It delivered 2.5km/L at 3,500rpm on this rig and had plenty of mid-range torque to get the X-Rider up and running.
Supplied on a twin axle Dunbier trailer, this rig weighs in at about 1,800kg and is most suitable to tow with a larger SUV or twin cab ute.

After an easy launch we transitioned from the calm waters of the Patterson River to the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay and dropped the throttle. The X-Rider jumped onto the plane and was very responsive to both throttle and trim. You could say that it was pretty fun to drive. We know that Mark drove it like he stole it, even though he only borrowed it.

We have noticed, subsequently, that Mark is a big fan of the wide-open throttle setting in any boat that he captains.

In a nutshell, this rig will comfortably entertain with four and seriously fish with two people on board.

The bowrider layout is fairly standard. The test rig had a spigot-mounted table that could bounce between the cockpit and the bow.

Alternatively, you can drop the anchor and add the rod holders, spin the helm seats around and you’re ready for a PPB snapper to jump on.

Powered by a Mercury 3.0L 150hp 4-stroke, the performance was impressive, even though the hull will handle engines up to 175hp and 250kg. At wide open throttle she hit 74km/h at 5,600rpm with an economical cruising speed of 43km/h at 3,500rpm that delivered 2.5km/L. That gets you nearly twice the range than driving around at full speed.

Noticable at higher speeds was the quietness of the hull. I’ve definitely been in noisier craft over the years, and the build of this rig felt solid at all speeds.

As tested, this rig rolls out the door at $77,000 from JV Marine, though packages with fewer inclusions begin at $69,999.

You can get more information at www.revivalboats.com.au or www.jvmarine.com.au.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length – 5.9m
Beam – 2.4m
HP Max – 175
Tow Weight – 1,800kg
Capacity – 7 persons
Fuel – 130L
Transom deadrise – 21º

PERFORMANCE
RPM.. Speed (km/h)……. Economy (km/L)

650…………………… 5……………………….. 2.6
1000…………………. 8……………………….. 2.4
2000………………… 13……………………….. 1.6
3000………………… 33……………………….. 2.3
4000………………… 50……………………….. 2.0
5000………………… 65……………………….. 1.5
5600………………… 75……………………….. 1.3
Best Economy – 3,500rpm, 43km/h at 2.5km/L