Tested | Haines Hunter 595 Offshore with Yamaha 200HP

Some boat dealers do demo boats well and others don’t put that much energy into it. Phil and the team at Port Phillip Boating Centre at Point Cook in Melbourne definitely don’t fall into the latter category. We caught up with them earlier in the year to check out their Haines Hunter 595 Offshore demo boat - powered by a Yamaha 200HP 4-stroke outboard and loaded with essential options.
“I set up the demonstrator boats as if they were my own,” Phil said, “this one has all of the kit to go marlin fishing offshore, with tubes and riggers, but you just need to put in the snapper racks and she is ready to go and catch a feed in the bay.”
The dealership uses them for formal demo days, social fishing and trial trips with interested customers. Exactly how they should be used.
Broadly, Haines Hunter hulls are built with enough mass and vee in the hull to offer a smooth ride in most conditions and Phil’s been their advocate for over two decades. The whole time he has been in business, he’s sold the one major boat and outboard brand.
This was the case on the test day. It was by no means rough, but rough enough to be a little careful when recording the performance data. The boat lands softly and seems very capable of handling the upgraded horsepower bolted on the back.
And like most planing outboard powered rigs, economy was best in the mid-rev range, with 3500rpm yielding 36km/h at 1.8km/L. Coupled with a 200L tank, this gives a theoretical range or around 350km in ideal conditions.
And as is always the case, the economy halves when the throttle is pushed all the way down - 6000rpm gives 74km/h and a thirsty 0.9km/L.
The Yamaha F200XSA features integrated electro-hydraulic steering that integrates with Yamaha’s digital helm offerings. It’s a 2.8L inline four cylinder.
The demo boat is rigged with Helm Master and the electric/hydraulic steering and it was smooth and effortless throughout the steering range. The helm is great - plenty of room for flush mounted electronics - and all of them that we’d want in a boat of that size. There’s a footrest, too, which is essential for a boat that you’ll be doing some miles in out in the ocean.
The cabin is definitely big enough to stretch out for. Sleep, but there’s no lockable door to secure your gear on longer trips.
We loved the underfloor wet storage area - this can act as a kill-box or for wetsuts etc when doing other water based activities.
The cockpit has high gunwales and the proportion of cockpit space to cabin space is pretty standard. The stainless steel framework has plenty of places to hang on as well as the mandatory overhead rod storage and lighting.
I personally loved the trailer design - maybe because it shares a lot of characteristics with a bass boat trailer. A C-section frame allows you to easily wash all of the salt out and with carpeted bunks taking most of the hull weight with the assistance of keel-only rollers, you get a rig that’s low maintenance and easy to drive on and off the trailer.
Fewer moving parts means fewer problems.
Boat/motor/trailer packages for the 595 Offshore start at $110,990, although the demo boat had lots of options and at the time of testing, comes in at $168,000. Contact the team at Port Phillip Boating Centre for more information, a quote, or to take a demo ride for yourself.
PERFORMANCE
RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L)
600 5 3
1000 7 2.5
2000 12 1.5
3000 26 1.6
3500 36 1.8
4000 47 1.7
4500 53 1.5
5000 60 1.3
6000 74 0.9
SPECIFICATIONS
Length 5.95m
Beam 2.4m
Height 2.2m
Hull weight 870kg
Fuel 200L

[@tuhc]

That’s a great boat! But geez $168k that’s a lot of money

[@anthony-1357]

Nice boat, great review.

[@simonstone3336]

Great work again mate 👍

[@FishingMonthly]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@matta9432]

$168k no thanks

[@Justsomerandom325]

The most overrated boat

[@brucehornet1454]

what's your pick random325