In the NT the name GS Marine is synonymous with high-quality boats built tough for Territory conditions, and with a level of performance and customisation to match.

The fact that many of the top NT guides choose GS Marine boats says a hell of a lot. The overall build quality of these Darwin-designed-and-manufactured hulls are first class, and many have now found their way to homes right across Australia.

Adding to the existing range of vessels in the GS Marine stable is the XM550TC, which is code for an Xtreme 5.5 metre plate aluminium hull fitted with a TC or Tournament Classic layout — in other words, with all the bells and whistles supplied. Just a few of the standard features from the long list supplied with this range include: a large, raised casting deck with underneath storage, a big 135 litre fuel tank, a fully-carpeted rod locker, hydraulic steering, built-in tackle storage, lift-out kill tank, deck-wash system and the list goes on.  

One of the greatest attractions for the discerning boat purchaser is the fact that GS Marine is able to customise each and every craft to meet the requirements of its customers. The particular vessel which is the subject of this review is a good case in point. The proud owners are none other than Colin and Karen Burdon who have taken over local Darwin company Reidy’s Lures — hence the name and striking appearance of their eye-catching new boat. 

When speaking to Colin about his impressive new purchase, I asked him what he was looking for in a new boat and why he decided to choose an Xtreme.  He said he primarily wanted a high-performance boat to chase barra in the billabongs and big coastal rivers of the Top End, but with a custom layout to suit his own style of fishing. Having regularly fished aboard a number of other Xtremes, Colin said that he soon became very impressed with the performance of the hulls so, to him, buying one was an obvious choice. Once he’d decided on the hull, Colin then thought long and hard about how he wanted his new boat fitted out to meet his needs. GS Marine came to the party by delivering to him and Karen the dream boat that we were standing aboard on the day of the test. 

On the water

On the water the big XM550TC performed exactly as you’d expect an Xtreme hull would: it was very stable at rest, jumped out of the hole in an instant and was more than sure-footed when thrown into tight-turning manoeuvres. In fact, with that huge 175hp 4-stroke bolted on the transom, you’d think that we were actually in a high-performance ski boat rather than a full-on, dedicated fishing machine. With the big donk cranked up, the hull speed was easily heading north of 70km/h when a sound decision was made to throttle back and save WOT for another day when conditions were more conducive. Having personally owned a smaller XM480S for the past five years, and used it successfully from billabongs to the deep blue, I can certainly vouch for the performance, durability, seaworthiness and all-round fishing qualities of the Xtreme hulls. For those interested, a review of XM480S Barraddiction appeared back in edition 12 of BBB.

Anyway enough about the past…now let’s get back to the future. Mind you, Colin and Karen’s XM550TC is so eye-catching and futuristic that it wouldn’t look out of place next to the silver DeLorean that Marty McFly (aka Michael J Fox) made famous in that box office smash hit back in the 1980s.

In life, you usually end up getting what you pay for. In Colin and Karen’s case, they certainly haven’t been short-changed and are now the proud owners of one of the best barra boats going around. When you’re next on the water, look out for them aboard the new Reidy’s flagship…and have a neck-brace handy as many a head will be turned much too quickly as she glides effortlessly by.

HULL SPECIFICATIONS

Length:            5.5m

Width:                        2.3m

Depth:            1.3m

Bottom:            4mm

Sides:            3mm

Weight (approx):            540kg

Rec. horsepower:            140hp

Max. horsepower:            175hp

Max. transom weight:            225kg

Transom shaft length:            20 inches

Additional Options

The following additional options, over and above the standard inclusions on an XM550TC were added to the new Reidy’s vessel:

•  Lowered gunnel height (by 50mm) from a standard XM550TC to reduce windage when fishing the flats etc;

•  Forward casting deck lengthened by 300mm to accommodate additional lure storage, an Engel fridge/freezer, and to provide a large usable platform for lure casting;

•  On board charging system for the two batteries which power the 24 volt
Minn Kota electric motor.

•  Custom console adapted to flush mount two Lowrance units (HDS10 and HDS7 networked together so that they read from only one transducer) to allow the crew forward of the console to see where their trolled lures are running;

•  Lure storage for 25 Plano lure trays;

•  Recessed driving lights;

•  Aqualuma underwater lights mounted below the water line in the transom;

•  2 x fuel tanks with capacity of approx 200 litres;

•  Voyager heavy-duty tandem axle trailer; and

•  Full digitally-printed vinyl wrap of the hull (designed and printed by Signtech).

The full range of options available for the Tournament Classic range of Xtremes can be found on the GS Marine Website at: gsmarine.com.au.