Ali-It Marine Sports Charter Mono Hull

I spent five happy years working in Western Australia way back in the late 70's, and during that time fished aboard several different types of aluminium constructed boats. "Tinnies" as they're called in Aussie, are extremely popular over there for their strength to weight and weight to power ratio and it's always troubled me why they've been slow to catch on here, though in reality few true alloy fishing hull designs have ever made it over here to really attack the market.

One man aiming to change that is Martin Hackett of Ali-It Marine based in Pembroke Dock, West Wales. Martin comes from Broome in West Aussie and has fished some of the waters I did myself all those years back. He's a keen angler and got to know the types of craft that suited WA waters, and easy waters they ain't!

Off the west coast around Perth you get what's called the Freemantle Doctor, a wind that comes in off the sea around 3pm every day as consistent as clock work. Given the relatively close continental shelf there and the deep water, the wind combined with the open ocean swells, can be big. I mention this just so you don't get the impression that Aussie weather is all hot sun and flat seas. The swells and wave height can be awesome...I've seen 'em!

Martin wanted me to take a look at the Sports Charter, a 9-metre alloy mono hull that was voted Boat of the Year in Australia in 2000

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Walking on to the pontoon and looking across at the Sports Charter she looks a little like a big game boat in profile. High bow with a sleek taper to the cabin, and an angled stern.

Her livery is all white with a blue flash across the gunnel top and along the base of the cabin and tinted windows. Kitted out with all the usual boating bits she does look a real eye pleaser.

The demo boat is fitted with a Yanmar 240hp 4-Cylinder Turbo Diesel stern drive unit. She is rated Survey Class - USL 2C/1D for 8 Passengers and 2 Crew.

DESIGN FEATURES
The hull is constructed from 5mm aluminium plate with 4mm side plates. Main deck plates are 4mm thick and the foredeck plate 3mms. I got a look at a couple of alloy hulls in the process of being built in the Ali-It factory, and the strength in the build process is immediately obvious.

The alloy is acid etched with a total of five coats of paint used to give a top quality finish.

I made a start inside the cabin first. The layout is excellent with bags of room. Up front is a small inner cabin area with padded seating that can take two people. Is it big enough to sleep two of you? That would depend how friendly you are. Maybe, but the hull is designed as a fishing boat first and foremost and I'd classify this inner cabin as useful additional space myself.

The helm seat is on the starboard side. The seat is heavily upholstered and comfy, even when bouncing along at speed, and has a storage area underneath. The position sits you up slightly so that you're looking down at a shallow angle on the console, but the wheel is at a very comfortable reach. The wheel is a round car type with a good grainy grip to it.

The console carries all the instruments, plus your GPS and Sounder, these being easy to see from the seat, and the switches too are within an arms length. The compass was still to be fitted to the test boat, but there are several optional areas for this to be fixed.

On the right side of the cabin by the seat there are no less than four separate storage compartments, two near deck and two above. Rear of the seat is a rod holder taking two standard boat rods, though I reckon there is room for a four rod holder here.

Moving across to the port side, by the cabin door is a large padded seat with a huge storage locker underneath. This also carries on the door facing side two spacings that take the EPIRB and the fire extinguisher, this to give instant access to them if you are on deck and need either in a hurry.

The port side of the cabin houses two additional locker areas on top, and a locker with a clip hatch cover below. This leads to a really well thought out chart table that has an adjustable angle lamp for illumination. Built in to the chart table console is a small locker with a wooden hatch cover that can hold pens, navigation instruments etc. The fuse panel is also positioned on the bulkhead at the rear of the chart table for immediate access should a fuse ever blow.

Running across the base of the windscreen is a sloping console area. This is fitted with a clock and barometer as standard in the middle, and also houses air venting grids. It's finished in black upholstery.

The radio is housed in a central console built in to the cabin roof. You can see this from the helm seat easily enough and again it's within easy reach. You also have a strip light over the top of the cabin door for full cabin illumination.

The cabin door is a slide across type with windows either side of the rear cabin bulkhead. The windows give full visibility from the cabin out on deck, and when seated at the helm.

You have large windows on each cabin side, the rear of which slide forward to open, and the front screen is divided in to three. The starboard side front screen in line with the helm has a wiper blade fitted.

Moving out on deck, the starboard side of the cabin bulkhead houses a huge storage locker with a padded seat cushion for addition seating. Stacks of room in here for fenders, spare rope and the like.

The starboard gunnel carries a full length stainless steel safety rail, a large stainless pedestal cleat and single push-in rod holder at the stern corner. The inside of the gunnel houses two lockers accessed through closed hatches.

The port side gunnel is identical with two lockers with enough room to store tools, spare oil, and all the usual bits and pieces we boaters tend to carry. A third hatch cover by the cabin bulkhead hides the bilge pump.

Both gunnels at the cabin edge where they flare upwards carry tough plastic T cleats for amidships mooring.

The transom has swing doors at each stern corner. These give access on to a wide flat marlin board, though some people call them dive boards or walk-ons. You have bags of working space here for surface access when handling larger fish like tope and sharks. There is also a storage cradle built on to the rear transom for fenders, and a safety rail across the middle section of the transom top. This rail also houses two additional rod holders ideal for holding tope rods, or when trolling for bass.

The deck as you come out of the cabin hides a large storage locker and future boats will have a fish hold just rear of this. Both accessed through metal hatches. The fish hold will be self draining for easy cleaning.

The engine is positioned central at the rear hidden by a metal engine box and hinge up lid. The lid has a rail welded to the outside edge and takes a padded cushion for more seating area. Looking in to the engine bay you have plenty of room to get in there and work on the engine, and the layout is neat, tidy and simplified, plus has an air breathing system to make sure the engine gets enough air.

The bow safety rail if full length from the cabin forward. Up on the bow you have a large stainless pedestal cleat, stainless bow roller and a large anchor locker. The uncluttered space here gives plenty of room to work and the rail gives a high degree of safety should you slip.

The cabin roof is also spacious with a gantry at the back to carry radio aerials, radar and GPS. In front of the gantry you have also have more than enough space to position a life raft. Safety grab rails are positioned along each upper side of the cabin roof, and the rear of the cabin roof extends over the cabin door and deck area a couple of feet to give weather protection.

Something else to note is that this boat has metal grab rails welded in to the structure liberally at strategic points just about everywhere, including inside the cabin. If you're working on boats in rough weather, and especially when travelling, then you'll appreciate having something solid to hold on to.

Some of you will, like I did, want to know about alloy to stainless fittings and the potential for electrolysis, or reaction when two different metals touch. All the stainless fittings such as pedestal cleats and the like have a special Teflon washer fitted between the hull and fitting to safeguard against this and to minimise vibration.

Martin also showed me that other fittings likely to cause electrolysis have been treated with Duralac grease, which again inhibits the chances of electrolysis.

The boat also comes as standard with a grey fleck marine grade carpet that's washable and fitted to the outer deck area, and to the cabin floor.

Regards additional buoyancy, there are polystyrene blocks wrapped in heavy duty plastic situated throughout the hull so designed that they can be removed easily for inspection. These blocks also add additional noise dampening and limit vibration too.

PERFORMANCE
As Martin fired up the Yanmar I made sure I was on deck feeling for vibration coming back in to my feet through the metal. No vibration, just the gentle throb of the Yanmar beating away out of sight!

I also watched carefully, in between taking photos, as he manoeuvred the boat out of a very tight pontoon berth, and she initially looked easy to handle responding instantly to the throttle and wheel.

Heading out in to Milford Haven, there was a stiff easterly biased wind blowing putting up a short chop. She skipped over the chop with little noise. I was also conscious to check how harsh the hull was on your legs as we increased speed, but the ride is comfy and surprisingly quiet. Water hitting a fibreglass hull at speed tends to "smack" loudly against the hull, but with an alloy hull its better described as a "clack" type noise that does not transmit as far through the hull.

I took the helm as we approached open water. I'm usually careful to get the full feel of a boat I've never worked before, but I felt instantly comfortable with the Sports Charter, so much so I pushed the throttle way forward straight off. The benefit of lightweight alloy and a powerful engine throws the boat forward in an immediate surge of power and she'll be up to full speed almost instantly.

Not being daft enough to be over confident I shut the power off quickly to see if she stopped in a straight line and hopefully quickly without undue forward continuation. What's obvious is that if you shut the power off fully the boat comes off the plane killing her speed almost immediately with no real progressive slowing of momentum. I remembered some bigger alloy boats, due to their lightweight, can sometimes skid on the surface some distance after you kill the throttle until it settles back in the water. Not this hull!

Keeping a good amount of throttle on I banked the boat over in to a very tight lean looking for the stern to skid out being as she is a no keel design. At high but not excessive throttle the stern sticks like glue to the sea, digging in and holding steady.

You can though, by increasing the throttle, deliberately get the stern to slide sideways a little and then hold it with a little kick of opposite lock from the wheel. It's much like you'd drive a rally car on loose Forestry rods. I'm not suggesting you do this in the course of normal boating, but it's nice to know what the boat can do if put it in that situation.

The weather was fairly good with just that short chop on the water, so I couldn't attack her bow in to big natural waves. I did stir up the sea by taking her around in very tight circles, then whipped the wheel hard over to straighten her up before charging over my DIY waves. The hull slices through lifting just a tad at the bow and sliding over the crests. Hull chatter is minimal, and again I was expecting much more noise from the alloy hull.

I also asked Martin to back the boat down in to the waves to check how the stern reacted in to a following sea due to the flat marlin board. Some fibreglass designs can see the marlin board dig the stern deeper in to the water and that would worry me, but this alloy design, maybe due to the lighter overall weight, took little on to the board itself, and what did swill over runs to the sides and out again quickly. Very little came in to the transom scuppers.

Watching me do this, Martin then told me that he'd taken this boat around Lands End in some wild weather, even taking a couple of good green ones right over the cabin, but he says the boat proved stable and predictable into seas whipped up by a force 8 gale and minimal water washed back on deck. In bad conditions as described you will find that you may need to reset the boats course by the wheel a little more than you would a heavier glass boat, but this is typical of a "tinnie" and no disadvantage.

I also needed to check how this lightweight alloy hull with no real keel would be affecting by wind when set up to drift. Setting the boat up to drift against the stiff breeze saw her take a position with the bow just off the wind, that is the bow facing a few degrees away from the direction of the wind with the boat sideways on. You can't ask for better than that and if you drift fish you'll appreciate her predictability.

Also while on the drift I checked her for sideways role. The hull shifts fractionally to one side and returns almost immediately with minimal movement. She is therefore, a very stable platform to work from, ideal for fishing, and with a safe gunnel height but with easy access to sea level if need be.

The Sports Charter can cruise at 24-knots, but achieves a hair straightening 35-knots flat out. The Yanmar's fuel consumption figures equate to about 31/2-gallons per hour at cruising speed, and the fuel tanks each hold 200-litres, which gives you a range of around 300 nautical miles.

MINUS POINTS
I did notice that the walkway along the edge of the cabin for access to the bow is quite narrow and you need to lean out a little when holding the grab rail on the roof, but that can be said about many boats.

You might also want to consider applying some sticky matting or slick mats to the slight sloping edge between the anchor locker and the windscreen. If you're working at the bow in wet conditions this bow area might be a little slippy afoot, especially when the boat is pitching in a decent sea swell in wet weather.

PLUS POINTS TO CONSIDER
Alloy is tougher than fibreglass and is relatively easy to repair, but the biggest advantage is that the power to weight ratio if far more advantageous with the lighter alloy. Your acceleration speed, ease of cruising and flat out speed are all much greater for the same given amount of horsepower. With overall boating costs always there to be considered alloy holds many advantages for long term running and for holding a higher percentage of the original value when properly maintained.

Being lightweight means she also has a very shallow draft, ideal for cruising in to inner estuary channels, over shallow sandbanks and reefs, and getting back in to shallow moorings with the last of the tide. If, like me, you fish bass over shallow ground as well as working way out for the big stuff, or need access to minimal depth areas, then the shallow draft for her overall size is a big advantage.

She can fish 6 to 8, making her a viable choice as a smaller charter boat, though the ever growing band of four or six man teams chipping in a percentage each and buying the boat as group will also find her appealing. She'd make a fine club boat too, perfect for long range wrecking trips and offshore shark trips.

She can be trailer towed with a Range Rover or Land Rover type vehicle helping to minimize maintenance coasts when you need to take her out of the water. Given the cost of cranes nowadays, that offers quite an annual saving.

CONCLUSION
The design features are exceptionally well thought out to give excellent on board comfort and functionality. This is a cracking looking boat with a quality pedigree offering outstanding performance, excellent fuel economy and stability that deserves to, and should do well here in the UK. She'll fish inshore and offshore with ease, and is an excellent sea boat.

STATISTICS
LENGTH: 30'
BEAM: 9'
DRAFT: 1' 2"
WORKING DISPLACEMENT: 8000lbs

PRICE
Total guide price for the boat and engine, subject to final specification is £70,000 plus VAT. There is also a trailer available to suit this vessel.

CONTACT
Martin Hackett, ALI-IT Marine Ltd, Unit 6, London Road Industrial estate, Pembroke Dock, Pembs SA72 6DU. Tel: 01646 622 888 Fax: 01646 686 999 Website: www.ali-itmarine.com E-mail: martinhackett@hotmail.com