I’ve mentioned before that there are many anglers out there that, when buying a boat, need to consider a craft that can combine pure family fun days with their own fishing requirements. Stripped out no frills fishing hulls may be ideal for the specialist angler, but if the family wants their monies worth as well, then you need to consider a different type of boat altogether.
I nipped down to Imperial Leisure in Haverfordwest to take a look at the Azura 600, a boat that by the sounds of it has the versatility to switch between keeping the missus and kids happy with a cruise round the bay, but duty done you can then whisk yourself off for a fishing session.
The Azura range is built in Vannes, France by Kelt to a very high standard, and have gathered a reputation as being versatile sea boats with a good turn of speed.
BUILD FEATURES
She’s a stunning looking dart shape, a deep modified V hull with a wide stern designed to give both sea keeping and stability. Her length is 5.93 metres with a beam of 2.48 metres and capable of taking power units up to 150hp. My test boat was fitted with a Yamaha 115HP F115 Fuel Injection 4-Stroke Unit. The 600 is listed as EC Category C and can take 7 persons.
Bobbing on the pontoon the boat is quite stunning in all white livery with a thin black fender line. If your missus is yet to be convinced about boat ownership, then one glance at the 600 will likely turn her head in your favour.
Getting practical, the bow is armed with a stainless steel bow roller and a stainless T cleat at each side. Up front you also have a large anchor locker with a left side opening hatch. This is capacious with stacks of room for working from and ease of relaying the rope on the retrieve.
The stainless bow safety rail runs from just forward of the rear edge of the screen, all the way to the bow. This is high enough to give good security when hauling anchor providing you haul from the kneeling position if it’s a bumpy sea.
You have massive amounts of room up on the bow with nothing to get in your way at deck level, plus the walkway from the deck to the bow by the cabin is wide and easy to access.
The tinted screen slopes backwards at an angle is bolted in position with top quality fixings and with a stainless grab rail running around the outer edge. The grab rail is within easy reach of the helm and passenger seat for extra personal stability when moving at top speed. The screen also carries the duo navigation light.
Stepping down to deck level, the gunnels are good and high giving the occupants a secure feeling when stood on deck. You also have stainless grab rails at each stern corner.
Running fully across the transom is a fully cushioned bench seat in blue. This lifts in the middle and hides the hatch access to a huge storage locker that houses the internal 130-litre fuel tank and battery. You also have open storage areas beneath each stern quarter seat ideal for taking tackle boxes and the like. The seat is hinged at the back and can also be flattened to form a lounger seat if you want to lay out in the sun.
The splash well area is large and deep, giving easy access to the motor. You also have stainless T cleats either side for tying up.
Looking at the helm, you have two cushioned swivel chairs that give good visibility looking forward when seated. The helm position is on the starboard side.
You steer via a comfortable large diameter stainless steel car type wheel that gives easy and positive steerage. The console has the switch panel mounted to the left, with a kill cord and master cut off switch on the right. Above these on the flat area approaching the windscreen is a lift up tinted see through hatch that is designed to take folded charts etc, for viewing when underway. The compass and instruments are positioned for easy reading directly behind the chart cover. The throttle is on the right hand side and at a comfortable height for both seated steering and when stood up.
You access the cabin through a tinted slide across screen with a step down in to the cabin. On the port side you have a small galley area with a one burner gas cooker and sink. You have room to seat at least four people in the cabin, but there is a wooden section that fits across the seating to make the seats in to a double bed if overnight stays are on your criteria.
There is also additional storage room at the rear of the cabin under the forward deck area. You also have an access hatch to the rear console steerage and electrics positioned in the rear bulkhead, and a ceiling mounted cabin light.
For a relatively small boat, the cabin area is surprisingly spacious, well designed and thought out. You’ve stacks of room to make drinks and basic meals in, and eat in comfort if you don’t want to be up on deck. The upholstery is a brush white nylon type with blue upholstered seating making for stylish surroundings.
I was conscious of checking this boat out regards keeping it clean inside as fishing can be messy as we all well know, but the stipple finished decks are easily washed off through the self draining deck tunnels, as is the outside upholstery on the stern seat, so you’ve no major worries there.
The Azura 600 is also supplied with a push in steaming light mast and a deck canopy.
HEADING OFFSHORE
The 4-stroke unit was fired up while I was untying the forward ropes and I couldn’t hear the unit running until I walked towards the stern. You’ll also find on many hulls, the Azura included, that the resination of the engine is minimal and you can hardly feel any motor vibration through the hull or grab rails when these 4-strokes are ticking over.
Under minimal throttle the 600 glides along almost in what the military call “silent” or “sweep” mode. You just get the slight noise of water slapping the hull as you move along. We left Neyland Marina and headed for the more open waters between the little village of Dale and Thorn Island. It was not a rough sea, but it had a deep swell coming in through the outer Haven and stiff force 4 blowing which whipped off the top of the waves and was a decent enough sea to be out in.
Whipping the wheel over and straightening her up I added throttle. The acceleration is instant, but with the 115HP on the back is nicely steady and progressive. Don’t misinterpret this, she’s fast, very fast, but is easy to handle off the throttle and does not suddenly leap forward as soon as extra power is applied. Nevertheless, looking at the instruments told me I was quickly approaching 50kms per hour and there was stacks of throttle left.
Keeping the power on, I headed straight for the oncoming swells. Barely backing off the power the hull slices through the top of the wave with ease and creates little if any airborne spray. Certainly I saw none get back on the screen while I was at the helm. Adding more power and making the boat lift over the tops of the waves she stays on course and gives a surprisingly comfy ride, even when hopping off the waves for a second to get her airborne and re entering the sea at speed.
Switching tack I put the boat through the waves at an angle. I was looking for hull lean away from the wave and for the bow coming round with the wave making for hard work for the helmsman. She quarters the sea extremely well, with minimal lean evident as you climb the face of the wave and no real tendency for the bow to sheer off as the force of the upper wave pushes hard on the boat.
Picking a wide swell I shut the power off and left the boat at the mercy of the waves. She settled and leans only slightly as each wave passes by and you drop back in to the trough. The 600 has a very forgiving nature to say the least.
Putting her bow away from the wave direction and in minimal power I found she handles easily in a following sea and holds a steady course with little if any tendency to sheer off at the stern. I went in to reverse and climbed the swells looking for water climbing up the stern and finding its way on deck. I did manage to get a little bit of water up over the transom and splashing on deck, but then the waves were pretty big and I was making a manoeuvre that was way beyond normal boat usage.
Getting out of the deep swells and on to calmer water I opened the boat fully out. She is quiet but deceivingly fast. I clocked a top speed of about 37mph an hour at 5300 revs. I found she was happy cruising at about 27mph.
I asked the lads from Imperial Leisure about fuel economy. They hadn’t got true figures when I tested the boat, but they reckon a maximum of 28-litres per hour, but I think that sounds overly heavy and I’m sure the final figures would be less than that.
ANYTHING I DIDN’T LIKE
You need to take care when accessing the cabin as the console edge is quite low, which means you need to guard against banging your head when accessing the cabin. Maybe some sort of rubber strip or something similar might be useful to avoid potential bumps.
Some sort of a mesh grill that could be slotted in place around the edge of the single burner on the stove might be a good idea if you’re boiling a kettle at sea. I’m nit picking though, and I can’t really see anything else that I’d change.
CONCLUSION
I think she’s ideal for a husband and wife team, especially if you want to overnight in a marina, and you’ve always got the option of increasing your living space by using the supplied canopy. When the kids want to come along, the boat is safe, spacious enough and has the facilities to keep them happy.
I found she was very easy to handle, responsive but not overly dramatic on the throttle, has a good sea capability, and is stable in varied sea conditions. She’s easy to fish from, and with the 4-stroke unit makes a good trolling boat if you’re after bass.
If you are looking for a boat that can give the family a great days cruising with comfort and basic cooking facilities, but also doubly up equally as well as a fishing platform, then you need to consider the Azura 600 as a top candidate.
CONTACTS
Andy Townsend, Imperial Leisure, Portfield, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA61 1DY. Tel: 01437 761810 Fax: 01437 761820.
