stessco rv catcher

[mike_mad_fisho]

hey guys
i am looking to buy my first boat in july the one i am looking at buying the stessco rv catcher. it has got a 30 hp fully platforms, platform at the front. rails on the side 3mm bottom 2mm sides wides platform sides. heaps of extras .
what do u guys think
thanks michael

[Craig_S]

Mike, they look pretty good the RV range.

I was checking some earlier this week & I kind of leant towards the V nose punt range, say the 385 Bass Tracker or 410 Bass Hunter. They have a shallower draught than the open boat series but are only 1.6mm all round. Prices were pretty good too, I got $9300 on the 410, although that was only with a 25hp.

The RV fitout is nice, probably the only think I didnt like was the chair placement - the boater only gets to sit on the rear platform while the passengers get a real seat !

A comparison to these would probably be the Quintrex 385 Explorer Trophy. Again only 1.6mm but has no side pockets or extended rear platform like the RV. Beamier at 1.8m than the Bass series (about 1.6) but not as beamy as the Catcher I think. The Quintrex has nicer folding seats (with 1 for the boater) and rod holders which the RV dont have. I think the Explorer T would set you back about $8300.

Any of them would no dont do the business but.

[Simmo]

Hiya Mike,

My Dad has just bought a boat and the stesco squire was one of the main contenders..made the final 2 actually.

The stesco fit out is nice..one of the best finished boats we looked at, But its very narrow.
In the end my dad bought the Quintrex 385 Explorer, hes a bit on in years now and he has some problems with balance and the squire rocked around too much..and for the sake of $100 we can fit the Quiny out the way he wants it...for $1300 less that the 375 Squire..& its a bigger boat...its a lot wider than the stesco, you need to buy a 4.20m stesco to get any extra width...and at the end of the day..unless you buy a bass tracker they are rounded bottoms.

Hope this helps

Simmo

[Big Muddie]

Hi Michael.

A mate of mine bought a Stessco RV Catcher 4.2 in June last year. He's very happy with it. I've been a passenger in it and have driven it and find it good in both respects. The nose rides a little high but some proper weight distribution mostly fixes that.

He chose to go with a 40HP motor rather than the 30HP usually offered with this hull. He did that for a couple of reasons. The boat is relatively heavy for a 4.2M hull and 30HP would be found wanting with any sort of load in the boat. The other main reason was that he saw the performance of a 30HP motor on a boat the same length but significantly lighter - it was my boat. Not the same hull design as the Stessco (it's a Quintrex Explorer 4.2M).

With one or 2 people aboard and just normal fishing gear, the performance was just OK. Add more load and things got a bit tougher. I upgraded to a 40HP and all is well - very well. He learnt from that and went to the 40HP without question and is glad he did.

So, a very nice boat that looks good and performs well. If you can afford to go to 40HP instead of 30 then you won't be sorry. If you can't, then you will still have a great rig with the 30HP motor.

[mike_mad_fisho]

thanks guys for the replies now i just have to convince dad that i need one to cathch fish lol

[jimi]

G'day Micheal, I have a stessco RV Catcher, and can agree with most of the posts above. I bought mine 2 years ago when they were slightly smaller 4.1m.

They are quite a versatile boat, being a proper v hull and quite a heavy one at that, they allow you to venture into slightly rougher water than a punt will. They handle chop quite well. They are very solidly built with 3mm bottoms, which makes you feel a bit more comfortable in the rough stuff. They are also wide enough to make them stable when bream fishing as well.

Mine came with a 25hp outboard which was the standard package, but way too small for the boat. It's ok with 2 people and not much gear on board (I top out at 20 knots), but after that, it just dies. Definately go for the 40hp outboard for trouble free boating.

The bow rails up the front gave me some concerns when it came to mounting an electric. In the end I found that my minn kota just fitted in the split between the rails. It means you have to mount it straight back though, which covers the front casting platform a bit.

Another thing to check is the under floor floatation. There doesn't seem to be any under the central deck which seems a bit odd. Still, you can add it yourself.

All in all they are a well put together boat for a good price.

Cheers

James

[Craig_S]

Gentlemen, I have been lucky enough to fish out of James' boat in both of the last 2 BREAM rounds over here and I can confirm that it is quite nice indeed.

Travelled nicely, quite roomy and a good stable platform to fish from .:)

[mike_mad_fisho]

thanks again guys u have been a real help
thanks michael

[kevinnugent59]

Originally posted by Craig_S
Gentlemen, I have been lucky enough to fish out of James' boat in both of the last 2 BREAM rounds over here and I can confirm that it is quite nice indeed.

Travelled nicely, quite roomy and a good stable platform to fish from .:)

Yeah, but how'd you both DO???? :D

Kevin

[Craig_S]

Kevin, I was able to take a fair bit of time in making those observations because of the amount of time that was available to do so.

As a tag team, James & I weren't in danger of overfishing the local bream population.

[Ozzy1]

I had a look today at the 4.2 catcher with a 30 suzi on it full flat floor extruded side decks 2 pedestal seats and 4 seat positions not the painted hull sadly all up $8999 thought that was a not so bad price for Sth Aust

More shopping around though before I buy

Cheers
Ozzy