It was pretty cool getting to ride with Bob James in the camera boat while filming this Seahawk 666 for Stessl.
“It rides just as I imagined it,” he said.
Bob has been designing boats for 30 years, and still gets excited when he sees the final product performing as it was meant to. We enjoyed interviewing Bob for Horizon Boats’ 30th anniversary celebrations, and you can see this interview by searching the Fishing Monthly channel on YouTube.
Stessl has launched two new, larger sizes in its Platerix2 range: 6.6m and 7.3m. We have already published the test on the Mad Hueys’ 7.3m Coastmaster, and now we’ll be focussing on the other rig present on the test day – the 660 Seahawk.
Stessl’s Mark Johnson explained the two new hulls.
“These boats are the maximum beam allowable to be towed easily, and that beam runs right down to the waterline,” Mark said. “The wider reverse chines add stability at rest, and we think that they improve the ride over the previous Platerix hulls.”
The 660 Seahawk tested was rigged with the state-of-the-art Yamaha 250hp DES 4-stroke. This is the maximum horsepower allowed on this rig, and it plugs in seamlessly to Yamaha’s HelmMaster system.
It was pretty cool having this motor with all of the fruit. In fact, this was Bob’s first time using a joystick and he found it easy to get used to. He mastered it in about 30 seconds – significantly longer than most kids!
The test boat was destined to be a demo boat for a dealer in Rockhampton. We felt sure that its life would consist of long trips to the inner islands or outer reef, and it is in these situations where the large workspace and abundant power would shine.
Admittedly, this isn’t the prettiest herd top I’ve tested over the years, but it is one of the most practical. A huge expanse of checkerplate aluminium self-drains to provide an awesome area to get to work.
The helm seat bases are simple. The helm is broad and holds all of your electronics and gauges, and the cabin is simple and effective.
Don’t think that this is a walkaround style hull. It isn’t. You can shuffle around to the front outside the cabin, but that is definitely not an easy task. You can access the anchor through a hatch in the top of the cabin, but I assume most purchasers will install an electronic anchor winch.
Of course, as well as the HelmMaster joystick, the test boat was fitted with the standard bait tank, bait station and transom door. There’s room for eight outfits in the rocket launchers above the hard top.
Surprisingly, this won’t be a difficult boat to tow with a standard twin-cab ute. With the whole weight of just under 1000kg, the full rig would weigh in at just over 2t. It was supplied on a twin axle trailer.
The more I test these sort of boats, the more I realise that large cabin infrastructure affects fuel economy. The most economical speed was 3000rpm, where the rig achieved 35km/h and 1.5km/L burned. However, I have always known that if you run the rig at full throttle, you pay more at the bowser. 6000rpm yielded at 78km/h at 0.9km/L. Pretty standard for a rig of this size.
You can watch a video test of this boat on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel. You can access this by scanning the QR code on the main picture.
As tested, this rig was around $170,000 on water, while the package prices start from just over $140,000.
For more information go to www.stessl.com.au to find your nearest dealer and to see the full lists of inclusions and options.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Length (overall) 6.7m
Length (bow-transom) 6.6m
Beam 2.5m
Depth 1.5m
Bottom sheet 5mm
Side sheet 4mm
Transom XL (25”)
Hull weight 960kg
Rec hp 175
Max hp 250
Capacity 7 persons
PERFORMANCE:
RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (L/h)
1000 10 4.9
2000 15 13.7
3000 39 22.6
3500 45 28.4
4000 51 41.9
4500 57 52.6
5000 63 62.0
6000 81 95.0
