I don’t care who you are, where you live, the destinations you fish or how much money you have/haven’t got; if this brave little Ozsea 4.5 metre sports fishing weapon doesn’t get you fired up, then there’s not an ounce of saltwater flowing through your veins.

For the rest of us who see real beauty in this tough armour-coated nugget, the imagination awakens to its endless piscatorial possibilities. Not only is she tough – she’s flexible. You’ll be equally at home fending off crocs and rockbars in extended northern sojourns as you will chasing a wily trout in some high mountain lake. Maybe it's ambushing an estuary bandit in an oyster-encrusted backwater that rocks your boat, or a bluewater bash to frothy coastal bommies. This little ripper will do it all!

Experienced Boat Building Services

Melbourne’s Ozsea boats have been pumping out some little Aussie heroes for around three years, but they are built with the experience of a few lifetimes spent in commercial alloy boatbuilding. They recently built a custom 4.2m tiller steer sportsfishing weapon for an intrepid traveller doing the hard yards in some rugged off-road adventure. They matched it well with one of Savage Trailers' heavy-duty tourers, and for those of us who have seen the shortcomings of many production boat trailers, this was perhaps more important than the boat itself!

The rig was spotted off the beaten track by yet another adventurer who saw the obvious benefits of the custom plate alloy warrior and its heavy-duty transporter, who approached Ozsea to build a 4.5 metre side console upgrade, and the result speaks for itself – weapon!

I love the attitude and flexibility of modern plate alloy craft. They combine superb fishing layouts and designs with terrific seafaring credentials and excellent stability to suit our modern fishing styles. This is a tough little nugget that will deliver a lifetime of satisfaction. It’s built for the abuse we often experience in our often challenging Aussie sportsfishing environments. In short, while it is an ideal package for so many applications, to me, it is the perfect package for extended travel.

The Build

The actual hull length from pointy bit to blunt bit is 4.5 metres, but add on the handy rear platforms and bow roller, and she comes up to 5 metres overall. She has a wide beam of 2.07 metres and is made top and bottom from 4mm 5083 marine grade high tensile aluminium. One of the essential criteria was its overall storage length, which at 5.9 metres on the trailer allows storage in most standard garages.

She has a deep freeboard of 770mm, which translates to a secure gunwale height of 620mm, even with the self-draining checker plate floor. It is a rather intricate hull with a variable deadrise rear quarter leading to an almost snubby bow with big shoulders to carry the weight of anglers on the 1.5 metre casting platform up in front. You may think such a combination would enter hard into the slop – but it doesn’t! Plus, it is very dry, the strakes and chines help with that! It has a very satisfying and confident ride that I would be happy to put into some challenging swell, combining with the all-around stability to cater easily to several lure casters.

Safety is at a premium with the security of a fully sealed self-draining deck, and the buoyancy cavities are foam-filled to survey standard for added confidence. This also keeps hull noise to an absolute minimum. If you do happen to run her aground, there’s a strong full-length keel guard for added protection.

Speed and Power Data

Our package was fitted with a 75HP Yamaha 4-stroke, and whilst I like that engine, I found it a bit under-cooked for my liking. It also meant that the hull had to be made with a 20” transom. I would personally upgrade to a 90 or even 115HP engine and then have a 25” transom (re-engineered); however, it still performed quite well with two passengers up to a Wide Open Throttle of 6000 rpm where she was scooting along at 57 kph. She loves to travel at a fast planing speed of 42 kph (22.7 knots) where she tracks beautifully at an efficient 5000 RPM.

The internal layout is terrific, with a deep anchor well up front. This one has a Lone Star anchor winch. There’s an electric outboard bracket welded to the port side, and I must comment that the welding quality around the entire hull is superb.

The roomy deck is surrounded by nice, wide combings where fishing accessories and rod holders can be custom-fitted. There is a deep anchor well, no bow rail and elongated low side rails to the rear – just as a serious sportsfisher would want.

As I said, the forward casting platform is a ripper and very stable for shifting weight. The checker plate flooring throughout is non-skid and easily cleaned—especially with the self-draining construction, which means you can wash out all the nasties even while you are still on the water. The lip of the gunwale at the casting platform forms a really good toehold. There are two large hatches in the deck where we find twin batteries in protective boxes for the electric outboard and house power, plus a heap of room for storage.

While I love the idea of side consoles, I’m not a great lover of them in many V-bottom hulls as I’m a big bloke who often fishes alone, sometimes in rough conditions. It’s a balance thing. However, I found the weighting of the side console in this boat terrific, with excellent steering and tracking ability. Centre console options are available if preferred, but the flow and fishability of the side console is excellent.

The helm is simple, efficient, and comfortable. Under the structure, there’s plenty of leg room, more storage potential, and a ton of dashboard space for a large multi-function unit, in this case, a Simrad NSS9 Evo 3. There are binnacle engine controls, a strong sports steering wheel, VHF radio, dual Yamaha engine gauges, switch panel and winch controls, plus a convenient top dash for phones and knick-knacks.

Ozsea has fitted two pedestal seats with four mounting slots around the boat for total seating versatility. However, I’d probably put a slide under the helm for easy adjustment. Underfloor is a large 95-litre fuel tank allowing terrific range for prolonged adventures.

The transom layout is terrific. It features a huge 60-litre live bait tank in each corner, ideal for livies in one and perhaps an upgrade container for competition in the other. The tanks are fully plumbed and have clear views in the front, with polyethylene cutting board hatches on top. In and under the engine well is a battery enclosure for the main start unit, where we also find battery isolators, a pressure pump, and a fuel filter in the long side pocket storage.

I'm Excited!

To be 100% honest, this package really excites me. There are a few things that I would change, as discussed, and a few added accessories to suit my style—as would any keen fisho. However, as a base boat, I find the Ozsea 4.5-metre side console an excellent option compared to its high-production competitors. It’s tough as nails for the rough stuff, particularly when teamed with the construction strength and smarts of the Savage heavy-duty trailer.

Additional Information

Highs

  • Tough, Tough,Tough

  • Fishable layout

  • Survey quality hull

  • Soft, Stable and Dry

  • Rugged boat/trailer combination

Lows

  • I’d like to see 90HP 25”

  • Opt for a separate freshwater tank and pump

 

Specifications

General: Variable deadrise plate alloy side console

Material: top and bottom from 4mm 5083 marine grade high tensile aluminium           

Type: Side console plate survey quality side console

Length: 5 metres (LOA) Hull only – 4.5 metres

Beam: 2.07 metres

Weight: 450 kg dry hull only   

People: 4 passengers

Fuel Capacity: 95 litres

Water Capacity: N/A

 

Engine

Make/Model: Yamaha F75 4-stroke

Type: four cylinder, 16-valve, four-valve-per cylinder, Single Overhead Camshaft (SOHC) 4-stroke

Rated:  75HP

Displacement: 1.8 litres

Weight: 162 kg net dry 

 

Supplied By: Ozsea Plate Boats, Seaford, Vic, 3198

 

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