Whittley FF 1950 powered by Mercury 135hp

Those who are fans of Whittley boats will not be familiar with the new way that some of the hulls are named. If you have watched some of our previous boat tests you will notice that the CW range is now called the FF range. This was the very first question that I asked Whittley Queensland’s Laurie Jackson when we were presented with the FF1950 to test.

The test rig was fitted with a 3L Mercury 135hp outboard. This 4-stroke power plant has stood the test of time, and the large displacement means that there is plenty of power at hand.

Made in Melbourne, Australia, Whittley boats have had associations with Yamaha and Volvo Penta over the years that I have been testing boats. Their current association is with Mercury, and you’ll be seeing a few Whittley/Mercury tests over the next year or two.

“This boat is a tried and true offshore hull,” said Laurie Jackson from Whittley Queensland sales, “so there’s no problem taking it offshore on days you are comfortable and the ride if soft and dry.”

The FF1950 is right in the hitting zone for families that want to remain comfortable, but still give anglers plenty of fishing room and range.

The split windscreen gives easy access to the anchor well. The test boat however was fitted with a winch.

The bait board fitted into the test boat is aftermarket. It has plenty of room though and comes out very easily.

Serious anglers will love the size and location of the underfloor kill well.

Custom rubberised decks are virtually standard in most offshore boats nowadays. The Whittley ones look great.

You can fit a 12” multifunction display flush into the dash, as well as all of your necessary switches and gauges.

Theoretical range was just under 300km at the most economical cruising speed.

From the helm forwards, it’s all about shade and comfort.

Keep your rods out of the way while fishing with this rocket launcher mounted onto the bimini.

Like all modern big-bore 4-stroke outboards, the Mercury 135 was quiet and packed a punch.

There is a plumbed live bait well fitted into the port side of the transom.

This model Whittley has very clever use of space. There is ample shelf space and the battery area is accessible.

The transom door is standard and helps getting in to and out of the boat, especially while on the trailer.

This model Whittley has very clever use of space. There is ample shelf space and the battery area is accessible.

Like all modern big-bore 4-stroke outboards, the Mercury 135 was quiet and packed a punch.

Indeed, this boat is all about fishing from the helm back, but comfortable in the cabin area. If you are looking to move up into a family suitable boat from a tinny, this is well worth looking at.

Whittey’s custom foam decks mean that clean up is easy after a trip and there’s plenty of clever storage – under the cockpit floor with a kill tank, under the helm seating with esky space and double side-pockets eat up the regularly used gear.

There is also an aftermarket drop in, wide bait station on the transom, a transom door is standard and a live bait tank in the back can hold your lives. The test boat was also fitted with a raw water deck wash.

There is also plenty of rod storage in the rocket launcher that is built in to the canvas bimini top. And if you are a serious angler, rest assured you can flush mount a multifunction display up to 12” right into the helm.

It is fitted on a twin axle bunk trailer that is easy to drive on and off at the ramp. The whole rig will tow easily and safely with nearly all twin-cab utes.

This boat doesn’t come with a lockable cabin, so remember this if you’re looking for a rig that will get left unattended from time to time.

Performance wise, this rig hit 65km/h at 5800rpm, giving the economy of 1.2km/L burned. The most economical cruising range was at 3500rpm and 36km/h, which gave us 1.9km/L. Couple this with a 150L fuel tank and you get nearly 300km of theoretical range.

Personally, I’d opt for the 150hp outboard, which is the maximum for this craft. It’s the same weight and would give similar economy, just with the extra punch that you may need on a bar crossing.

As tested, this rig comes in at $93,990, although packages can start from under $80,000. Check out www.whittley.com.au or your local Whittley dealer for more details.

Specifications:
Length: 6.17m
Beam: 2.20m
Fuel: 150L
Max hp: 150
Capacity: 6 persons

Performance:
RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L)
800 5 0.9
1000 8 0.9
3000 27 1.2
3500 36 1.9
4000 47 1.7
4500 53 1.7
5000 60 1.5
5800 WOT 65 1.2