Tested | Stabicraft 1850 with Yamaha 130HP 4-stroke

Over the years, we have tested many Stabicraft boats. In that time I have seen them develop from a basic, functional craft to an aluminium work of art. Made in New Zealand, the Brisbane dealer for these hulls is Northside Marine. They sell plenty of stay Stabicraft and brought the 1850 Super Cab powered by a Yamaha F1 30 outboard to Moreton Bay for us to test.

Mark Golden is the Stabicraft man to see at Northside Marine.

“We sell plenty of these hulls and Stabicraft owners seem to love their rigs,” Mark said, “you can fit them with a standard trailer or a top of the line rig like the GFab aluminium trailer under this boat, depending on your budget.”

Although the 1850 seems like the smaller brother to a lot of the bigger Super Cabs in the Stabicraft range, it’s a supremely cabable hull that you can tow with most family cars and is well within standard towing regulations.

Like all Stabicraft, it features the 360 degree, foam filled pontoons that aid safety and stability and over the years, the integration of these has become more and more streamlined.

Also, Stabicraft have been able to refine their use of internal space. The current models seem to have storage everywhere.

From the ground up, the twin-axle GFab trailer definitely impresses. Built out of aluminium in Australia by the NZ company, they offer an option for boaties who like the very best in their gear. The aluminium trailer also offers a lighter BMT package, so you may be able to tow with a vehicle that may be overweight with a standard steel trailer.

Full rubber decking on the floors, gunwales and and steps seems to be standard nowadays, too, with the coverings being easy on the feet and super easy to maintain.

“You can get them with bare aluminium, but nearly nobody orders them like that,” Mark continued.

Seventeen degrees of transom deadrise helps keep the ride soft, yet the pontoons make the roll while cornering much less that in a standard tinnie with the same angles, and with the sponsons now foam-filled, the ride is noticeably more quiet.

With a 150L fuel tank underfloor, you need an economical outboard to keep good range and the Yamaha F130 fitted to this hull delivered good economy over quite a wide range of speeds. Anywhere between 3500 and 4500rpm saw economy between 2.1 to 2.2km/L. Even at wide open throttle at 5800rpm, you still get 1.4km. per litre of fuel burned.

The helm is comfortable and able to hold all of your electronics choices flush mounted and the helm seats have cooler box storage underneath in this iteration.

The cabin is comfortable but it’s definitely not a full-length design for stretched out sleeping.

At the end of the day, this rig offers miles of cockpit space and a stable platform from which you can make your dream fishing trips come to life.

And you’ll be confident that the rig will get you back in one piece.

Northside Marine supplied a Stabicraft 1850 SuperCab for testing at Clontarf on Moreton Bay, fitted with a 130HP Yamaha 4-stroke and on a fancy G-Fab trailer.

As tested, the package came in at $138,888 with package prices starting from $111,500.



PERFORMANCE
RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L)
600 3 3.5
1000 6 4.1
2000 14 2.6
3000 21 1.6
3500 29 2.1
4000 39 2.2
4500 45 2.2
5000 53 1.7
5800 62 1.4


SPECIFICATIONS

Length 5.69m
Beam 2.29m
Transom deadrise 16°
Hull 4mmSides 3mm
Hull weight 1,362kg
Capacity 6 persons
Fuel 150L
Max hp 140hp