Given the right design feature fast cabin boats in the 18-foot category can combine decent sleeping accommodation and still leave plenty of space for fishing. These boats are finding a ready market now for two man teams who want to either tow a boat to different marina's and venues, to sample a variety of seasonal fishing, or to have their boat in a marina and take advantage of having your own house boat to come, go and fish as you please.

The market has also expanded to the increasing numbers of married couples, where just getting away from it all for the weekend, chilling out with a decent Chardonnay and getting a little fishing in has high appeal. It's the marine version of a weekend's caravanning, but with the bonus of catching some fish. 

ABC Powermarine at Beaumaris, Anglesey called me up to tell me they'd just taken delivery of the Quicksilver Pilothouse 540, which is just such a craft, the ideal easy to tow weekender.

DESIGN FEATURES
First thing I noticed about the 540 was that the port and starboard navigation lights are inset in to recesses towards the bow of the boat. Different!

Up on the bow you have a safety rail going the full length off the cabin and up to the bow, split in the middle to give access to haul the anchor and work.

There is a stainless bow roller, plus a stainless T cleat for tying off. The anchor locker is a circular type with lift up hatch cover. Inside the locker there is heaps of room to hold masses of rope and anchor, and with stacks of arm room to work with when you need to lay rope out neatly for correct stowage.

Walking back for the deck there is surprisingly wide stippled finish walkway running dowm either side of the cabin, and you can reach the grab handles on the cabin roof from this without having to lean seawards at a ridiculous angle to get your arm to extend as many walkway designs force you to do. The main navigation light mast also sits proudly on the cabin top, with acres of space for GPS antennae, VHF aerials and the like. You could, if you wanted to increase aerial height for increased range, also fit a stainless steel gantry up here.

The cabin windscreen is split in two at the front and is tinted. You have a wiper on the right side screen for the helmsman.

There is a built-in-to-the-moulding step to get down back to deck level, with grab rails mounted down either side of the cabin sides to hold on to. The cabin roof has an extension that partially comes back over the deck area for added protection and is a useful weather and sun block when you're fishing.

The deck area is small, but has plenty of room for two anglers to fish from.   There is a stern seat locker in the middle which houses the battery. The transom is rounded in shape with the space either side of the battery locker designed to take a Velcro drop in cushioned seat for increased seating.

The deck has a half circular hatch for access to the fuel tank storage area, and for added storage space for compatible equipment. This is a large area, again with ease of movement for working inside. The deck is obviously self-draining.

The gunnels each carry a neat and very smart flat hard wood strip with a hand grip carved in to it, this also accommodating a single slide in rod holder. The stern quarters are fitted with a T cleat for mooring and an additional rod holder

Also fitted inside the gunnels on each side is a rod carrier, but you push the butt through a hole in the cabin front and then drop the rod in the carrier for storage.

The boat is accessed through the port side of the transom through an open hatch. This opening is secured with a drop in section when going to sea. There is also a boarding ladder fitted, and this slides up to a position in front of the transom access door. The fuel filler is situated on this port side upper edge of the transom also, and gives easy access.

Moving on to the cabin, this has a louver type roller door that slides up and over in to the cabin roof, much like some garage doors. Again different! As you enter there is a deep edge that fully protects the cabin from water ingress if the deck gets a little awash.

The helm seat is mounted on a console on the starboard side as you enter the cabin. The seat position is comfy for reading the instruments and steering, plus there's plenty of height in the cabin roof if you're the size of a sky scraper. The seat actually flips upwards to reveal what looks like a large finger bowl, and I suppose you could use it for washing hands, but whatever, it's another useful accessory. There is also a large storage area built through the middle of this console.

Sat in the helm seat, at your right shoulder you have two small shelves built in to the cabin side for storing bits and pieces. Looking forward the wheel is a stainless steel framed car type with the instruments behind housed on a neat wood panel with room for more. The switches are arranged neatly down to the right, and the compass on top of the panel. The shelf running along the base of the windscreen is wide and extends full length to the port side for added fixing space.

On the port side as you enter there is a small galley area, with a small cooker and storage locker underneath. Also a fold down, fold away seat with a retractable leg.

The cabin floor is at the same height as the deck, but the seating area is set down below this height to maximise room. The bunk type seats run fully around the shape of the bow making two large sleeping bunks, or seating for four people. These bunks also have storage lockers underneath. There is also open shelving running the same length of the bunks at face height for added storage of smaller items.

Other little touches are the side vent window in the starboard side cabin window, and the cabin light on the cabin roof. The inside of the cabin is finished in a mottled grey and white. As a collective it is an excellent, well thought out and comfortably finished product. It's like the Tardis, looking compact on the outside, but with deceiving amounts of space inside.

TEST TIME
I watched the lads from ABC prepare to launch the boat so I could get an outside perspective and to get some photos. I jumped aboard just prior to her being slid off the trailer. Easy to launch was my verdict, with nothing more than a good shove needed to slide her in to the water.

Firing up the Merc we eased her nose out towards the deep water channel that lies about 300-yards off. There was a decent wind blowing straight down the Menai Straits creating some fair waves that were pretty tight together and hinting it would be uncomfortable out there.

I took the wheel in mid channel, and it was a fairly rough sea too, so good test conditions. I eased her away under minimal power broadside on to the waves. She holds her course well, aided by what's called a "no feed back" steering. Basically this means that the steering is stiff and does not allow the wheel to swing back to the whim of the boat as she moves if you briefly take your hands off the wheel.

I also judged her stability with short sharp waves pounding sideways along her length. She suffered limited lean and surprised me how stable she was in the conditions. Much like the smaller Pilothouse 500 we recently tested the water seems to pass shyly underneath the hull with minimal hull shift.

Bringing the wheel around I put her stern on to the sea and out of gear. She tends to go with the sea, but with just a slight shift outward of the bow. Back in to gear now and just adding a hint of power brings her back on line. Again the stiff steering was more likely responsible for pulling her nose out. Backing in to the waves nothing but drops of water came back in to the splash well and on to deck. She stayed dry!

Bringing her round again I put her nose straight at the waves and increased speed. At just below cruising speed she rose through the waves parting them to the side with only minimal spray getting back to the screen, and bear in mind we were facing head on in to the stiff wind. Given the sea I was taking, and at a fair speed I did notice some hull pressure slamming noise, but this was not excessive by any means, and to be fair I was going hard in to a very short wave pattern.

Bringing the bow off the wind at an angle to quarter the waves I found she lifts and leans just a fraction before rising over the crest and settling back. Very predictable, and with no tendency for the hull to travel to the side as the waves pushes her, which usually needs a touch of wheel by the helmsman to return to course.

While working the boat I found my field of vision through the screen excellent, as the helm seat is comfy but high enough to see easily past the bow. Essential if your waters are like my home marks and adjacent to estuaries that carry logs, railway sleepers and even severed telegraph poles down in to inshore waters after storms.

CONCLUSION
You get what you see with the 540. A small boat with a big heart, seaworthy, extremely well designed internally to give acres of space for sleeping and living, with ample room for two to fish from. She is not just a boat, but has the design features to be a mobile home too, if you like to tow to different areas of the country.

If she was your first boat, she handles exceptionally well, is not prone to sudden mood shifts when seas climb up the stern or you hit a big wave at speed. She is forgiving, in fact very forgiving, and with common sense will nurse you through the early days while you get used to handling boats.

I have to admit, I can see the advantage of the "no-feed back" steerage at times, and you'd probably get used to it, but it is stiff and this does mean you need to work the wheel hard when you're manoeuvring the boat in tight areas, such as when accessing marina pontoons or positioning for a tight mooring buoy.

DIMENSIONS
LENGTH: 5.45m                   
BEAM:  2.47m
DRAFT: .42m