Whittley FF 1650 powered by Mercury 75hp

We have tested plenty of iterations of Whittley’s 16 and a half foot runabout over the years, and with a variety of motors. In fact, this model represents the entry level model to the Whittley range. You don’t need a massive car to tow it, it runs on small horsepower engines and it has the shade and room a family needs to get out on the water in a level of comfort higher than most tinnies.

Mercury’s 75hp 2.1L four-stroke outboard is a great match for this boat, even though it is 25hp under the maximum limit.

As standard, the upper deck is not lined inside the cabin.

Carpeted side pockets have native storage for a couple of fishing rods. You can also keep your readily accessible gear here for ease of use.

You can store the balance of your fishing rods up here, above the canvas top.

There is a small cabin area at the front, but this is not a place that is designed for overnighters. It gives you shade but not the length to stretch right out.

The pedestal seat allows good access to the helm, even though the throttle seems to be a little high. Nearly everything there is upgradable. We are sure your sounder will be bigger than the Garmin Striker supplied.

By juggling the helm set up, sounders up to 9” can be flush mounted into the dash.

You can access the anchor through the front cabin.

There is a passenger seat on each side of the transom. In between, a removable bait station let you rig up and fish without the mess going everywhere.

Whittley’s custom rubber decks are a great addition to their entire range. Easy to clean and good looking, it saves you from the perennial problem of wet carpets.

Access to the anchor is not complicated. Open the cabin lid to be the sucker who pulls up the pick.

The 1650 hull is the smallest boat that Whittley make. It is popular with young families that need somewhere to get the kids out of the sun.

With a 70L fuel tank, theoretical range of up to 150km is possible.

Although not built for massive seas, this 16-footer eats anything up to half a metre, no problems.

You’ll see previous boat tests with this hull as a CW series boat. It’s been rebadged to a Fish Finder (FF) series. The test model was fitted with a 2.1L Mercury 75hp 4-stroke.

With the windscreen, bimini top and rocket launchers, performance statistics vary a lot when going with and against the wind. You get nearly 1km more per litre when travelling with the wind! We have averaged the figures for this test.

For this test, we caught up with Whittley Queensland Sales Manager Laurie Evans. We reckon that Laurie has the best job in the world because he gets to sell the boats that he loves so much.

“We had to change the series from CW to FF because there was a little bit of confusion between the small aluminium boats that we used to make and the smaller fibreglass boats. “FF stands for Fish Finder and that is the new model name for this hull,” he explained.

It’s a runabout style boat with a small cuddy cabin. And although the cabin isn’t big enough to sleep a couple of adults in overnight, it is certainly big enough to get the kids out of the sun and into a more comfortable setting for their day on the water.

The maximum horsepower on this hull is 100, although the 75 Mercury is the same size and weight engine as the 100. It’s just a governed back version of the same 2.1L powerhead.

“This is such a popular, small boat because of the entry price, the fact that it comes on a single axle trailer, that the bimini top can fold down to fit into most standard garages,” said Laurie.

“And if you want to upgrade any of the features, most can be tweaked. For instance you can add a live bait tank, deck wash or a 9” flush mounted sounder in the dash. These all add to the base price of under $60,000,” Laurie said.

Performance wise, we found that running with or against the wind made a massive difference to speed and economy figures. The combination of bimini top, clears and windscreen made up to 1km/L difference to economy figures. We have published an average of a with- and against-the-wind run.

Best economy was at 4000rpm, travelling 38km/h at 2.4km/L. Drop the hammer to 5000rpm and you get 53km an hour at 1.7km per litre. With a 70L fuel tank, theoretical range is around 150km.

Lots of the larger Whittley boats have clever storage solution under custom seat bases. The 1650 uses basic pedestal seats, which means that some of these storage options are limited. It also means that if you want to take a large esky out on the water, you need to store it up in the cabin, or in the back corner of the boat.

Also, we found that the driving position had the throttle maybe a little high for long runs. There is somewhere to rest your arm, though, and we are sure that this isn’t a deal breaker for anyone interested in this hull.

Packaged on an Australian made, single axle trailer, this rig will fit in most standard garages with the superstructure and clears folded down. It is also towable by most family cars.

One of the things we really like about modern Whittley boats is the fact that they have their own routed rubber deck. This is easy to wash down, and feels great underfoot. Gone are the days of waiting a week for the carpet to dry in your boat.

For more information on this rig, contact Laurie or the team at Whittley Queensland Boat Sales, or visit www.whittley.com.au for information on their entire range. There are an increasing number of Whittley factory dealerships popping up around the country, and these guys can do you the best deal.

Specifications:
Length 5.40m
Length on trailer 6.10m
Height on trailer 2.10m
Beam 2.14m
Deadrise 13 degrees
Fuel 70L
Max hp 100
Capacity 5 persons

Performance:
RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L)
1000 8 0.2
2000 12 0.6
3000 20 0.9
3500 27 1.9
4000 38 2.2
4500 42 1.7
5000 53 1.7