There’s plenty of fishing space in this big Yellowfin… and the ride’s not too bad either.
Those of you who have been trailerboat fishing for the last 35 years or more would likely remember when Yellowfin boats first burst onto the Australian Sportfishing scene. That was in the late 1970s when then sport and game fishing identity, Wayne Osborne, got fed up with trying to find a trailerboat that you could take to sea and fight and catch serious fish without being tested by internal (and external) design faults. Back then, there just weren’t any Australian-made large trailerboats that were designed specifically for the sportfishing fraternity; so Wayne decided to design and build his own.
He called them Yellowfin boats, all two of them in the range back then: a 5.8m and a 6.0m. Both were centre-console plate boats and they were well received by the angling fraternity.
The Yellowfin brand changed hands a couple of times, the latest being when giant aluminium boat manufacturer, Telwater, bought the name. For a few years, it did nothing with it, but a resurgence in big, trailerable plate boats about five years ago led to the construction of the first Telwater Yellowfins. There are various sizes now, in both cabin and centre-console configurations.
Recently, NAFA had the opportunity to go for a run in the latest addition to the Yellowfin centre-console range: the Yellowfin 6400 Synergy. All Yellowfins are built with 5.00mm plate bottomsides and 4.00mm plate topsides, held together by a longitudinal and latitudinal sub-frame rib structure. So they are strong, rock solid in fact.
The Synergy range offers two sizes – 6400 and 6900 – and the first point of difference you notice between the Synergy and the several other Yellowfin centre-consoles across the brand is the console position itself which is set noticeably closer to the stern.
All Yellowfin boats feature a sharp entry, gull wing design, downturned chimes and a 20 degree deadrise; so you’re immediately talking about a potentially softer ride than some other big aluminium plate boats, as well as a fairly dry boat.
On the water, that was pretty well the experience, but what you really noticed was the enormous amount of free fishing space. The chequer-plate forward casting deck is enormous, and raised high enough to facilitate a formidable amount of storage space underneath. There are also plenty of seating positions, including three in line at the stern.
According to Yellowfin Director of Sales, Damien Duncan: “We consulted with our dealers a lot with the design and production of this model to make sure it filled a gap in the market and was what our dealers and customers were looking for,” Damien said. In line with the Yellowfin range, the Synergy models are built for serious offshore fishing with standard features including rod holders, 65L plumbed live-bait tank, anchor-well, self-draining scupper tread-plate floor, outrigger mounting plates and transom door.
The new Yellowfin Synergy Range can be optioned up with a burley bucket, radio, deck wash and an anchor winch plate for the bow. These boats are available as a complete boating package, including Yellowfin Trailer, motor and a three year limited warranty for peace of mind.
For more information on the new Synergy models, or the entire Yellowfin Plate Boat Range, head to www.yellowfinboats.com.au.