Revival 640 Offshore with Mercury 150hp 4-stroke

by Steve Morgan •

I’d met Warwick Rann a few times before I got to visit his dealership in Rockingham, just south of Perth. He’s a knockabout Aussie bloke that doesn’t mind a cleansing ale at the end of a hard day’s work and the dealership is spotless. He’s obviously proud of Midway Marine and the customers he services.

It’s a big boat dealership – which is understandable as offshore options trump the estuaries in this part of the world. Midway is a loyal Mercury dealer and they’ve embraced the new line-up of V6 and V8 outboards with gusto.

Their work boat, however, is powered by a 3.0L 150hp Mercury, which is a solid platform that’s been around for years and it’s pushing along a Revival 640 Offshore.

We’ve tested a few Revivals in the last year, ranging from their Cruiser to the crossover X-Rider. All are built in Australia in Sam Cantonese’s Melbourne factory and with retail partners like JV Marine, you can see why they are hitting the mark when it comes to value-for-money fibreglass boats.

Midway’s been selling Revivals for around a decade and was the first WA dealer to bring them across. It says plenty when the team choose the 640 Offshore as their ‘work/demo’ boat.

For those outside the industry, a ‘work/demo’ boat is the one that the guys put together so that they can go fishing and boating on their days off. And the business gets to own it. After all, there needs to be SOME advantages of owning a boat shop.

For a boat buyer, though, the best part of a Revival 640 Offshore demo is that you can take one for a ride with the Midway team. They are very happy to put it on the water for you, to give you a feel for the hull before you make a decision.

That’s often more difficult than it sounds to achieve.

We did just that on the test day – hooked it up behind the Midway ‘cruiser and propped it into a billiard table flat in Rockingham Bay.

On the open ocean side, we could really get a feel of how this hull handled the ocean swells. A bit more wind would have been nice to run it through some swell plus wind chop.

The Mercury 3.0L has proven itself to be a real workhorse since its launch. Optimum cruising speed delivered 1.9km/L economy at 32km/h and 3,500rpm – decent for a 6.4m boat.

When the Mercury dealer puts the 150 4-stroke on their own demo boat, you know that they are confident with it.

With carpet lining and padded pocket fronts, it’s a reasonably luxurious cabin up front.

The Midway Marine staff boat features a folding rear lounge and a removable bait station. It’s pretty easy to convert this from a serious fishing rig to a family day craft.

The passenger seating is mounted on a stainless base that holds a cooler box underneath.

You can mix and match seat base options.

With everything flush mounted, the helm is neat and tidy. It is one of the more tidy layouts we’ve seen.

Rounded seat bases aren’t as common as they once were, yet there’s still storage underneath for tackle you need close to hand. Folding seat fronts are becoming more and more common, offering support whether you are seated or standing.

There is a hard top in the Revival 640 range, however, the shop rig is a soft top. There’s still plenty of shade and shelter from the elements with the added clears.

The rig sits on a twin axle Dunbier Glider roller series trailer. Ready for fishing it weighs in at under 2,500kg.

The smooth water let us measure some figures like speed and economy. With the hammers down, the boat reached 66km/h at a reasonably thirsty 1.1km/L and 5,500rpm. Drop it down to cruising speed, though (32km/h at 3,500rpm) and all of a sudden you’re getting just under double that range.

Combine that with a 200L fuel tank and well over 300km is on the cards for an extended fishing trip.

Pushing out into the swell of the Indian Ocean, the ride was very pleasant and it definitely punched above its price point. You can see the fit out in the images, but the test craft’s equally rigged for a fishing mission or a family day on the water and there’s not a lot of time needed to switch between the two.

Is the Revival the top-of-the-line all-singing, all dancing fishing machine? Definitely not, but it does have all of the attributes of a highly capable offshore boat that keeps the less-keen anglers in a happy place when they’re on the water.

Weighing in at under 2,500kg, it’s eminently towable by a twin cab ute or 4WD. You’d probably need to leave the small family SUV at home on a trip with the 640.

You can see the video of the boat test on the Fishing Monthly Magazines YouTube channel – or you can scan the QR code on your smartphone. There’s plenty of commentary and running footage there if you’re not within striking distance of Western Australia’s southwest.

For more information or custom pricing, give the team at Midway a call (or visit www.midwaymarine.net.au. As tested, this Revival came in at $93,000, however, packages start from around $80,000.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length – 6.40m
Beam – 2.40m
Max HP – 225
Tow weight – 2000kg
Capacity – 8 persons
Fuel – 200L

PERFORMANCE
RPM.. Speed (km/h)…… Economy (km/L)
650…………………… 5………………………. 2.5
1000…………………. 8………………………. 2.3
2000………………… 13………………………. 1.7
3000………………… 28………………………. 1.8
3500………………… 32………………………. 1.9
4000………………… 45………………………. 1.8
5000………………… 60………………………. 1.3
5500………………… 66………………………. 1.1