Back in May of 2002 I got a glimpse of the initial straight out of the mould bare bones Scapa Sport cathedral hull in the factory at Orkney Glass Fibre in Kirkwall, Orkney. Chatting to the gaffer Brian Kynoch at the time, he told me he wanted to produce a fast manoeuvrable 17ft boat capable of taking on the unpredictable and often fast rising seas around the Orkney Islands, but also one that could work happily as a pleasure fishing boat, dive platform, and as a small workboat to carry a few lobster creels and the like. I also figured he was thinking about an affordable craft that could be used to island hop if you’re a local. Island people all around the world always need their boats to be multi functional.
So, pretty much twelve months to the day I found myself cruising up the A9 heading for the Scrabster ferry to Orkney to test the boat I’d witnessed being born.
BUILD FEATURES
She was tied up at the slipway inside Kirkwall Harbour. My first impression was that she was sleek with neat lines. The cabin top falls slightly forwards towards the bow creating a real sporty look to her. You also get the impression that there is no waste of space, it’s all there to be used.
Giving her the once over on the outside you have tough commercial grade fendering running the full length of boat. There’s a T cleat at the bow for anchoring, and obviously cleats at each stern quarter.
The cuddy is fully detachable in just a few minutes giving you the option of having an open craft to maximise fishing room, plus converts the boat in to a people carrier or dive platform if your interests are diversified. The cuddy roof carries grab rails either side, with the windscreens being tough 4mm grade polycarbonate securely fixed with Alan Key screws that fit flush with the outside of the screen making a very neat and tidy finish.
There’s stacks of room for fitting VHF aerials and GPS unit on the roof, or you might be tempted to fit a stainless steel gantry here to get extra aerial height and fix deck lamps to.
I noticed that the test boat was not fitted with a Houdini Hatch in the front screen to give easy access to the anchor rope from within the cabin. This would mean you’d need to walk alongside the hull outside the cabin to the front and risk slipping, so I made a mental note to check the point with Brian.
I checked out the splash well, which was good and deep with the inner transom reaching to full gunnel height. If you’re always conscious of having to work in following seas, as I often have to, then this is a main safety feature with many other designs having an inner transom height a few inches lower than the rear gunnel height.
Jumping on board there is next to no clutter at all. The transom is cut back underneath with ample room to take two 25-litre fuel tanks lengthways on and far enough back to keep them away from your toes when you’re stood fishing at the stern. The inner transom also carries a hinge down bench seat capable of taking two people in comfort.
Checking the height of the gunnels, these are good and high reaching to lower hip height. There were no safety rails fitted to the test boat, and given the gunnel height I didn’t feel they were needed, but you could have short 4-inch high rails easily fitted if you prefer.
The helm console is mounted on the starboard side with a locker built in that takes the batteries. Under the round sports type wheel there are two master cut out switches to kill the batteries. An excellent feature! The gauges are housed on the right side of the console, and there is enough room for a compass and sounder etc, on top of the console. I’d probably choose to mount my sounder and GPS on this craft on the cuddy roof just inside, which would be directly in your line of sight while travelling. The helmsman also has the luxury of a padded swivel chair to sit in.
A cushioned helm seat was fitted, and both standing and seated the throttles are at the perfect height for comfortable control.
The cuddy is high enough to walk straight in with just a dip of the head, and I’m average height at around 5’ 10”. The test boat was not fitted with bunk seats in the cabin, though these are available as optional build features if desired and are shaped horseshoe fashion to run around the full length and inner cuddy area. I quite liked the openness easy access approach to the test boat. You can chuck all your fishing gear upfront in the dry, but anything you need is instantly accessible.
The bow bulkhead houses a roomy anchor locker for rope and anchor storage. This is secured with a hinged hatch door.
The deck is self draining and the test boat finished in a dull grey/blue colour for non reflection of light.
The overall build quality was exceptional. No scarring in the final gel coat finish, or any proud blemishes that can occur on to many hulls these days. The materials used are also only those approved by Lloyds.
Brian is very aware that potential buyers will have their own preferences on what they want in the design layout of their boat, and is happy to customise the layout where possible to suit the owner.
POWER UP
I started to salivate when I saw she was armed with twin 40hp Yamaha’s. There’s still a lot of kid in me when it comes to speed.
I was accompanied by Sid, one of the company lads, and we eased the Sport out through Kirkwall Harbour towards open water. The throttles, as anticipated, are very responsive. Push them forward a tad and the boats like a dog pulling on a lead, raring to go.
Piling on the power the boat typically lifts a little at the front, surges forward and levels off reaching planing speed almost straight away. The sea was fairly flat close to the harbour and we were skipping across the surface with little or no hull noise, just the hiss of the hull as it skimmed the surface. I reckon we were shifting at well over 30-knots, probably 35-knots would be more like it, and there was still plenty of forward movement left on the throttles.
Knocking off a little power, but still travelling quickly, I tipped the wheel to starboard and forced the boat in to a tight turning circle. I was looking to see if the stern would loose grip and slide. I guess I was moving at about 20-knots plus but the hull gripped the water well. Except when testing or taking evasive action I wouldn’t normally put a boat in to a turn as tight as that even at 10-knots.
Finding a little rougher water and helping it along by cutting it up with the boat, I backed off the power, slipped in to reverse and backed the boat at the waves. My initial observations in the harbour that the high deep splash well would keep the water out proved right. No sign of water climbing up the inner transom at all. That’s nice to know if you’re working your way home in rough weather with a bad following sea.
When I jumped ashore to get pictures of Sid putting the boat through her paces, he’d got a couple of the factory lads along with him. They deliberately sat on the hinge down bench seat at the stern. With no other weight up front she did lift her nose a bit, but even pretty much flat out retained her course with no bow oscillation. This manoeuvre can sometimes see cathedral type planing hulls bounce up and down at the front a little and even sheer off course a little, but the Sport handled this test well.
Stability wise, she’s all you expect from a flat planing hull. Two of you standing on the one side barely moves her. No trouble hanging over to grab big fish, or to haul lobster and crab pot ropes. With Sid at the wheel and me wandering about all over the deck just drifting and at speed the boat proved a very stable platform. She’ll carry four crew and 300kgs of tackle and kit too.
I chose to stand while at the helm and I found you have excellent vision looking just over the top of the cuddy roof. You also have good field of vision if you’re sat in the chair, though I prefer the direct line of sight through standing so I can see any objects in the water.
THINGS I’D ADD
I did ask Brian when I got back ashore about adding a Houdini hatch, and he will have a cuddy option with Houdini hatch available. If I bought this boat, then a hatch to keep you in the boat when hauling anchor would be my priority.
With hindsight, even though the boat doesn’t necessarily need them, if you’re buying the Sport just for angling, then I think I would opt for short 3-inch safety rails on the gunnels. This gives you something to screw rod holders too, or Breakaway V rests, as well as just give you that bit more security when the deck is slippy with fish slime. That said there is plenty of gunnel room to fit flush fitting rod pods in too.
CONCLUSION
I see the Scapa Sport as a possible future angling thoroughbred. She’s exactly what small boat crews want, a fast, highly manoeuvrable, stable vessel that gets you out and fishing in the minimum of time. Couple that with good fuel economy, excellent stability, an uncluttered deck design for easy working off, ease of launching and towing, and a factory that will be happy to customise the boat to your own preference including additional seating and bulkheads.
Brian wanted a versatile boat, and that’s exactly what he’s built. Certainly the 16 to 17ft boat market is highly competitive, but if you get it right you’ll do well, and this boat is capable of taking more than her fair share of sales from her competitors.
STATISTICS
LENGTH: 17FT
BEAM: 6FT 2INS
WEIGHT: 490KG
DESIGN CATEGORY: C
RECOMMENDED ENGINE SIZE: 25-90HP
