Stessco Aluminium Boats have taken their popular premium cuddy cabin Sunseeker series of boats to a whole new level. With the release of the new Stessco Sunseeker 620.
Featuring a strong, pressed aluminium hull, new look fibreglass cuddy cabin and optional fibreglass hardtop. The Sunseeker 620 offers hard core fishers and families alike a little bit of luxury. Loads of storage and absolutely miles of room to move around in. While enjoying a full day or even a couple of nights away in a boat which is extremely well priced.
When I arrived at the Gympie Terrace boat ramp on the Noosa River, Stessco’s brand new Sunseeker 620 was already in the water. Nestled bow up on the sand with a brand-new Yamaha F150 16-Valve In-Line 4 fitted. The dark coloured hull, smooth white fibreglass cuddy cabin with optional hardtop fitted looked luxurious resting on the sand.
A Closer Inspection
One of the first things I look for when testing any boat is the quality of workmanship. For this reason, with aluminium boats, I always go straight to the hull to look over the welds, ribs and anything else I can cast my eye over. For myself, I want to sense strength, in a boats hull. Ultimately, I want to have confidence that I can take my young family out in this boat. Safe in the knowledge that the hull of the boat can handle accidently hitting a small submerged object or being battered by unplanned forces of nature.
What I discovered with Stessco’s brand new Sunseeker 620, is a little bit of luxury built upon a solid foundation. With a 4mm bottom and 3mm top sides, you can be confident that the Sunseeker 620 is capable of heading offshore to enjoy some bottom bashing on your favourite reef with mates. Or, zipping around between islands or in the estuary to visit your family’s secret, isolated beach.
Booking.comMoving Around
Next, as I have mentioned in plenty of reviews before. I am not the smallest bloke and my sense of balance is questionable. I want to be able to move around the boat safely and freely, without fear of an unplanned swimming session. So, with the Sunseeker 620 being a cuddy cabin boat the first challenge was reaching the anchor well. Either by climbing around the outside of the cabin or by moving forward through the cabin itself and up through the anchor access hatch.
Luckily, the folks at Stessco Aluminium Boats have made the choice easy. The cuddy cabin anchor access hatch is quite large. Meaning that coupled with the strong bow rails you have more than ample access to the anchor well and added stability in a rolling swell by holding the bow rails to deploy or retrieve the boats anchor.
The Cabin
Making your way back through the access hatch you enter the comfort of the Sunseeker’s cuddy cabin which is simple in design and very comfortable. The fully carpeted v-berth includes an infill board and cushions. Remove the cushions and you have access to three storage lockers. Each with a carpeted false floor to ensure your items remain dry.
There is also a narrow space between the top of the aluminium hull and fibreglass cabin to store those quick to grab items like torches, sunscreen and the like. The rear of the helm has a nice removable cover in place hiding all the helm wiring. So, you will be comfortable in the knowledge that the kids can not cause too much trouble while resting in the cabin while you are fish from the huge back deck.
The Work Area
Emerging from the cabin you are greeted with two seat boxes fitted with commodore seats. Each seat box is identical and offers storage through a large hatch. The commodore seat can be adjusted forward or back using a lever at the base of the seat. There is a large in floor fish box located between the seat boxes.
The Driver’s Seat
Visibility for the driver is not an issue with a very neat wrap around four-piece acrylic windscreen. The helm itself offers ample room for your electronics. A moulded storage area also sits in front of the passenger’s seat for placing items which might otherwise roll around while the boat is moving.
Stepping back from the helm and you enter the huge rear deck which has side pockets leading to the transom. The rear deck is large enough to fit a centre workbench or extra-large esky. For the more family focussed boaties there is ample room for a table and chairs. I could see my wife and I sitting back and relaxing with a glass of our favourite beverage as the world floats by.
The Transom
The transom is neat and functional with access hatches built in hiding the batteries. A small transom door, optional massive bait board, rear lounge box with backrest and the list goes on and on. I have rushed over quite a few features of the Sunseeker 620. So, for a complete list of standard and optional features you should visit the Stessco website at – http://www.stessco.com.au
Performance
After taking in everything that the Stessco Sunseeker 620 has to offer, it was time to push off from the sand and to see how the boat handled. Unfortunately, due to weather and tides we could not head across the Noosa Bar, so we had to make do with finding whatever rough water we could inside the Noosa River.
Rated for 6 persons and on this occasion with six fully grown men and enough camera gear to sink a small ship on board. We pushed off just as the heavens opened and precipitation started to fall.
The Yamaha F150 16-Valve In-Line 4 was more than capable of pushing the Stessco Sunseeker 620 along. The sweet spot for the fitted Yamaha F150 was at 3500 rpm which saw us travelling at comfortable 37 km/h and burning 1 litre for every 2 kilometres covered. The Sunseeker 620 is rated to a maximum of 175hp or 245kg transom weight and has a standard 145 litre underfloor fuel tank providing some decent range for this boat.
Shelter From The Elements
I am happy to say, that despite the persistent showers the fibreglass cuddy cabin with windscreen and optional fibreglass hardtop. Ensured that my camera gear survived the trip and remained dry. Throughout a series of turns, figure eights and high speed runs the aluminium hull impressed. And, provided as smooth a ride as you will find in an aluminium hull of this size. I was particularly impressed with how stable the boat was at rest. Especially, as we were also filming another boat on the day. Each time it came past six blokes would rush to one side of the Sunseeker 620 to capture photographs.
Launch and Retrieve
Let’s face it, some of us feel a little pressure at the boat ramp while launching and retrieving. Rest assured that after finishing our session on the water. Driving the Sunseeker 620 onto one of Stessco’s sturdy tandem-axle alloy trailers was simple. However, for those of us who are yet to master this art. The strong aluminium hull of the Sunseeker 620 and quality trailer winch on the Stessco trailer. Mean you can gently push up on the ramp or nearby landing area and winch your boat onto your trailer without any hassle.
My Final Thoughts
My final thoughts on the new Stessco Sunseeker 620. A little bit of luxury built upon a solid foundation which priced from $55,000 for a 6m plus boat. Including a Yamaha 130hp four-stroke outboard, and a Stessco tandem axle braked aluminium trailer is superb value for your money. This is without doubt a great family fishing boat. If you are thinking of upgrading your existing boat and don’t want to ‘break the bank’. Then I encourage you to look at the Stessco Sunseeker range of boats.