Bassco Hurricane with Mercury 115hp Pro XS

September 25, 2019 Editor Bassco, Boat Tests 0
Although Peter Nord has a $100K imported bass boat, you’ll most likely see him fishing Gippsland waters in his Bassco Hurricane. It’s smaller, cheaper to run and does nearly everything his bigger boat does – except in shallower water.

    by Steve Morgan •

    Bassco is an Australian-built fibreglass fishing boat created by Gippsland veteran boat builder, Michael Boag. With a lifetime of building big boats under his belt, Michael decided that he wanted to diversify into smaller fishing craft, and we tested the Tornado (a hybrid centre console and lurecasting boat) earlier in the year.

    The Hurricane is the Tornado’s sister craft, and was developed in a partnership between Boag and avid tournament angler Peter Nord from Lakes Entrance. Peter wanted a boat that was smaller, more nimble and more economical than his big American bass boat, and the Hurricane was born.

    Incidentally, Hurricane is also Peter’s lure brand, and the boat is finished in Hurricane’s corporate colours. Well played, gents.

    With my history as co-founder of ABT Tournaments in Australia, I’ve seen plenty of local manufacturers have a crack at making a tournament boat that rivalled the American imports. Few have done a good job. Primarily, tackle storage was the Achilles heel of their designs. They just couldn’t fit the volume of tackle that a standard tournament angler takes. Or, if they did manage to provide enough storage, it was often not waterproof, resulting in lure boxes with thousands of dollars worth of baits being left in a soaking, rusting mess after a rough or rainy day.

    I’m pleased to report that the Hurricane has nailed this part of the design, with a centrepiece tackle locker that will take the kit of the greediest tackle rat and keep it in good nick. Held up with sturdy gas struts, the lid makes up a proportion of the front deck.

    The top deck layout is standard bass boat design with a front deck several times larger than the back deck.

    Interestingly, in the cockpit, the sliding seat bases can clear some room for a lower fishing position in the cockpit. This is handy when you’re fishing more open and rougher waters.

    Wide open, the Hurricane hit 76km/h powered by the Mercury 115hp Pro-XS 2.1L 4-stroke bolted on the back.
    There’s plenty of fishing room in this 5m rig, with anglers up front and down the back having their own casting decks to fish from.
    20º of transom deadrise gives you a soft landing when it gets a little rough.
    Cradled on a single-axle trailer and with nothing higher than a PowerPole, the Hurricane will be able to fit in most garages.
    The centrally-located rod and tackle locker chews up a pile of rods and lure boxes, and keeps them safe and dry. Plenty of boat manufacturers don’t understand that anglers don’t want their expensive gear soaking in saltwater.
    Twin consoles keep you and your passenger comfortable while underway, and the glovebox keeps your wallet and phone dry.
    The livewell lives under the rear deck and is secured with twin folding decks.
    The helm is minimalist with the sounder mounted on a Ram Mount.
    The helm seat is adjustable. Move it forwards and you open up some cockpit space for fishing rougher waters. Move it back and you can sit in it to travel and drive.
    Batteries and isolators are inside a rear hatch and protected from the elements.
    An automatic bow eye catch mechanism locks the boat in place while retrieving.
    The internal wiring is neat and hidden.
    There’s no doubt that the Hurricane will turn heads at the ramp and on the water. It’s a good looking, Aussie-built fishing boat.

    Supplied on a single axle trailer, this boat will fit in plenty of suburban garages. It’s powered by a 115hp Mercury ProXS 2.1L 4-stroke outboard, so performance was never going to be an issue.

    Hammers down, the Hurricane reached 76km/h at wide open throttle (6,200rpm) achieving 1.62km/L. At the most economical cruising speed (4,000rpm and 46km/h) it delivered much better range at 2.4km/L. With a 140L underfloor fuel tank, that equates to over 350km of theoretical range, which is much more than you’d use on nearly all tournaments or trips.

    This Bassco is pretty fun to drive. It takes trim well and handles nicely. Unfortunately the test day was breathless and we couldn’t find any rough water to test the bad-weather ability of this craft.

    “I just love this little rig,” Peter said, “which is why I use it more than my big rig.”

    It might have something to do with the ability to simply hose out the boat and not have to contend with wet carpets for days on end. The Hurricane ditched carpeted decks in favour of synthetic decking material. It dries and cleans up with ease, and is a real advantage in a saltwater boat.

    Want to see the Hurricane in action? Scan the QR code at the top of the page on your smartphone or search for the video test on the Fishing Monthly Magazine’s YouTube channel.

    For more information on Bassco boats, you’ll have to visit their Facebook Page (Bassco Boats) or just call Michael Boag directly on 0417 545 593, as they don’t yet have a website.

    SPECIFICATIONS
    Length………………………………… 5.0m
    Beam…………………………………… 2.07m
    Capacity………………………………. 4 persons
    Transom deadrise…………….. 20º
    Fuel………………………………… 140L

    PERFORMANCE
    RPM.. Speed (km/h)…….. Economy (km/L)
    650…………………… 4…………………………… –
    1000…………………. 8…………………………… –
    2000………………… 12…………………………… –
    3000………………… 29………………………… 1.8
    4000………………… 46………………………… 2.4
    5000………………… 61………………………… 1.7
    6000………………… 74………………………… 1.6
    6200………………… 76………………………… 1.6
    * fuel metering not accurate at low RPM with gauge available

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