Linder 355 Boat Review

One of the expanding areas in boat angling is the smaller sub 12ft sizes. These are bought by anglers looking to fish shallow estuary marks for bass and flatfish, also for fly fishing along the inshore features, or for a couple of hours mackerel bashing on a summer evening.

Such craft offer major advantages too, such as taking up minimal storage area in the drive or garage, are easily manoeuvrable by two people meaning you can jump the queue at the slipway, plus they can be towed behind the smallest of family cars which is now becoming a big issue with the current and future governments looking to curb the use of 4 x 4 vehicles. These smaller craft also take the minimal amount of time to launch and retrieve, plus are easy to handle if you’re fishing on your own.

With this estuary and protected waters market in mind we’re taking a look at the Linder 355 from BHG Marine based in Lymington, Hants.

It’s built from high-quality, corrosion resistant aluminium similar to that used in the construction of aircraft with a hull thickness of 1.7mm. Alloy has a lot going for it being light but ultimately strong. If you dint an alloy craft it can easily be pulled out, and even if fully holed it can be easily repaired to full strength.

The hull is a planing hull for speed and can take engines between 6 and 8hp producing 15.5-knots top speed with two people aboard. Fuel consumption is around 3-litres per hour.

The 355 is fitted out with an open well at the front for the anchor rope, with a full width box section seat across the forward bow. A full width box section seat is built across the middle beam of the boat, with another full width seat across the stern. All the seats are topped with a light weight shock absorbing foam like material for comfort when sat, that being in blue, contrasts well with the alloy to give a neat looking interior appearance.

Most small open boats have minimal hand grips meaning in rougher seas when underway you get thrown around all over the place. This boat has solid hand grips positioned at either end of all the seats so you can comfortably hold yourself in position.

The test boat sported wooden decking front and aft. Again this adds to the looks of the boat, but obviously instantly drains water off keeping your feet and equipment drier, but also giving excellent grip when you need to move about.

The splash well is surprisingly wide and deep for a craft of this size, but the helm position using the tiller steering is comfortable and you don’t find yourself having to over reach to control the tiller.

What sets this craft above many others is the attention to build detail. The stern carries a riveted plate for the outboard to sit on, plus has alloy hand grips bolted to the stern at mid height which can be used for manhandling the boat. All the stern corners where the gunnel meets the stern and the point of the bow are protected with triangular alloy facing plates adding both strength and rounding the boat off for good looks.

Taking a close look around the craft there are no sharp edges to cut you, something the lads at BHG also commented on when they are fitting out these boats.

All the rivets and bolts are rounded off, again leaving no sharp edges to catch clothing, landing nets or lines.

In use the boat is very quick, yet easy to steer on the tiller and very responsive. Punching in to a decent sea the boat is smooth over the water with minimal spray coming back in to the boat, plus you have full forward vision when under way. The hull is also very quiet in the water, even at anchor.

For its size, the boat is exceptionally stable allowing occupants to sensibly stand up and move about easily without the boat rocking side to side, say when casting to surface working bass with fly or lure gear.

From the passengers viewpoint the gunnels are good and high, and seated you feel totally safe. The seating is functional but still very comfy, plus there are optional upholstered cushions available. You also have loads of deck area to fish from and in no way do you feel cramped when seated and fishing as is the case in some boats in this size range.

Also remember that the boat can easily be rowed, which is a major advantage when stalking the bass and mullet shoals where engine noise could spook the fish, and its overall light weight allows the boat to be dragged on to a sandbank, then shoved off as the tide floods to maximise your fishing time giving you shore access to out of the way places.

In conclusion the Linder 355 is ideal for anglers wanting a craft for estuary fishing, or for fishing inside harbours and along the shoreline on calm summer evenings, plus it doubles up as a family runabout with the kids aboard. We rate it a top buy!

DIMENSIONS
Length: 355cms (11’6”)
Beam: 146cms
Weight: 79kgs
Category: D (Protected waters)
Max Load: 320kgs
Max Persons: 3
Rec Outboard Size: 6-8hp

CONTACTS
Paul Martin, BHG Marine Ltd, Ampress Park, Southampton Road, Lymington, Hants, SO41 8LW. Tel: 0845 644 6645/01590 613600. Fax: 0845 644 6635. E-mail: paulmartin@bhg-marine.co.uk or sales@bhg-marine.co.uk Website: www.bhg-marine.co.uk