At the 2009 Darwin Boat Show, the TABS 4800 Wildfisher won Best Boat Under 6m against some stiff competition from local and national boat builders.

There’s no such thing as the perfect boat. As any fisho will tell you, every choice you make has a trade-off. What you can aim for though is the perfect boat for you.

Most people end up going through a few different boats before they settle on something that is a perfect fit for them and their fishing style. This is either dictated by the species most commonly chased or their local fishing environment; and of course there’s always the problem of your fishing interests changing as you go along.

In the case of Grant Edwards from Darwin Carpets and Vinyls, for his latest acquisition, he chose to go down the path of the specialised barra boat. That’s hardly surprising given that the Darwin resident is a keen barra fisho, member of the Palmerston Game Fishing Club and part of the winning local team at the prestigious 2008 Barra Nationals.

In the market for a quality, medium-sized tinnie that would take a hefty donk on the back, he settled on a side-console TABS 4800 Wildfisher paired with a Mercury Verado 150 4-stroke. Having previously owned and liked a similar TABS hull which met an unfortunate end on a trip to the Daly, he was confident it would do what he wanted and that the layout could be improved from his previous boat to further suit his fishing style.

The hull has a solid 4mm bottom and 3mm sides, with a 15-degree dead-rise. It’s a simple and bulletproof design that works well. The flatter bottom towards the stern and the transom pod provide excellent stability while casting. Reverse chines aid in handling and keeping dry. Very well suited to all estuary and river work, it’s also capable enough for the occasional bluewater trip on calm days as long as you drive to the conditions. Being fairly small makes it easy to tow.

Handling was excellent in the glorious flat conditions on test day, and the boat felt most comfortable with a bit of weight up forward balancing out the large motor. Under normal fishing conditions, that is taken care of by a 70L icebox under the front deck.

Grant ordered his boat through Darwin’s ABC Marine as a bare hull with internal framework. Given his occupation, he was able to do a lot of the finishing interior work himself, and has done a nice job of it in grey marine carpet — as you would expect from someone working on his own pride-and-joy. The workmanship on the hull itself is top notch. Welds are neat and it’s built to last.

The metallic green paintjob (it’s actually a Holden colour) was put on by local Darwin firm AJ Bodyworks. It’s a good choice; stylish yet subtle.

Given his particular requirements for tournament fishing, Grant has made a couple of modifications to the standard Wildfisher layout, easily done at the factory before the hull was shipped. The first was to turf the live-well in favour of a bigger esky under the front casting deck. While live-wells are crucial for tournament bass and bream fishing, they have less use in the Top End unless you enjoy live-baiting. Try fitting a good barra in one and you’ll see what I mean.

The second was to move the rod locker from along the gunwale opposite the console to a position running across the boat and forming part of the rear casting deck. This shortens the length of the locker, but allows a row of three swivel seats on stalks all in a row directly in front of the casting deck. This is a versatile, balanced layout and good for travelling, while the seat backs can be folded down at rest to get them out of the way. There are also a couple of other seat mounts around the boat for different configurations if desired.

The shorter rod locker resulting from the move is not a problem for Grant as his rigged barra rods all fit in easily at around the 1.8m mark. The locker is carpeted internally and has mounts for 7 rigged rods.

The standard model comes with an underfloor fuel tank and Grant has chosen to add a second tank for extra range, giving the boat a total capacity of 140L. That’s more than enough for a couple of trips down to the mouth of the Daly, and he has recently taken it over to Melville Island from Darwin.

It’s an attractive fishing package, with a huge front casting deck and smaller rear one. Everything is stored away under the decks — with the exception of the twin battery setup against the rear bulkhead — so visually it’s very clean, and the neat interior also makes it easy to fish from. Despite its Top End home, it would look great in any estuary, river or creek anywhere around the country.

Grant has fitted the latest Lowrance HDS10 chartplotter/sounder. This is an excellent unit with a big clear screen and plenty of functionality, mounted on the console behind the windscreen for easy viewing by the skipper.

Other electronics are pretty standard and include deck lights, nav lights, rear LEDs for a following boat at night, a marine stereo, a deckwash and bilge pump.

He has put his new boat on a heavy duty Dunbier double axle trailer for durability and ease of towing over rough Territory roads, a common choice for Top End fishos even with relatively small boats like this one.

By the time Grant was finished, he thought he had put together his ideal boat. And it wasn’t just his opinion. On display at the 2009 Darwin Boat Show, it won Best Boat under 6m against some stiff competition from local and national boat builders.

NB. While Grant was able to save by doing a lot of the work himself, Darwin’s ABC Marine calculate that, at the time of publication, you could put a boat like this together for around $55,000 ready to go. Phone ABC Marine on 08 8947 0882 or go to www.abcmarine.com.au.

Mercury Verado 4-Stroke 150

The Mercury Verado 150 is a fair lump of motor for a boat this size and is the maximum the hull is rated for. As you would expect, the combination gets around a bit quicker than the average barra boat, with performance more in line with American bass imports. On test day, we were able to comfortably hit 85km/h with a bit in reserve, and top speed at WOT is about 93km/h.

After a bit of experimentation to find the right balance, Grant settled on a 4-bladed prop with a pitch of 24 degrees, which suits the rig well. Hole shots are quick and acceleration when the hammer is down is eye-watering; perfect for long runs down the Daly.

The big Mercury is a very quiet motor right across the rev range, and also surprisingly economical. Cruising at an easy 3500rpm and 42km/h, it was using 18L/hr.

The hydraulic steering system has a nice direct feel to it across a range of speeds.

The TABS 4800 Wildfisher can be powered by smaller outboards — anything down to a 75 will push it along. The manufacturers recommend 115hp as optimum.

Specifications

Length Overall:                 4.8m

Beam:                             2300mm

Freeboard:                       550mm

Deadrise(Deg):                 15

Material Bottom:               4mm

Material Sides:                  3mm

Transom:                          L/S

Max Transom Weight:        220kg

Min Horsepower:               75hp

Rec Horsepower:               115hp

Max Horsepower:              150hp

Hull Weight Side Console:  600kg (approx)

Number Of People:            5