About to take the plunge on my first boat!

[dhess]

Hey guys,

About to buy a boat with a friend from another friend.

Its a 2005 stessl 550 bluewater 5.6m long plate alloy hull with a 90hp 2 stroke roughly 100 hours use. Have checked out the boat and it is immaculate and has full service hitory + a garmin 178c combo gps/sounder and a bimini top. As soon as there is a break in the weather will be taking it out on a test drive out to tempest.:woohoo:

Is there anything we should keep an eye out for or check out before buying it?

Dom

PS Possibly thinking about upgrading to a 4 stroke in the long run.

[rayke1938]

Copy of test from trailerboat fisherman. Has different motor but sounds a good hull.

Ray.

Boating

Stessl 550 Bluewater ( 11 / 2002 )

Big, bold and ready to fish offshore, the Stessl Blue Water 550 truly lives up to its name as a serious coastal fisher.

Because of their weight and cost tinnies have made an impact on the offshore trailer boat scene - no doubt about it. And I'm not talking here just about plate alloy boats, but the popular sheet-alloy boats Joe public associates with the term tinnie.

Major tinnie manufacturers have been quite successful in expanding into this offshore end of the market and now offer lots of models in the 5.5m - 6m range. However, the approach to building an offshore tinnie is not universal. Stessl Boats has taken a different approach by mixing plate alloy and press-sheet alloy together.

The Stessl Blue Water series cleverly uses plate alloy in the topsides, but affordable press-sheet alloy in the bottom. The result is a boat that has added strength in the topsides for big, hard-fighting fish and yet is not too expensive.

Using plate alloy has also enabled Stessl to achieve a different look compared to most tinnies. The topsides are smooth and nicely match the fibreglass foredeck that's another novel approach of the design.

Actually there's not a lot that's conventional about the Blue Water series. The bottom features small sponsons under the rear chines. Called Trak rails they fill with water at low speed and help the boat's stability.

For the more adventurous there's a Tri bottom version that gives you even better at-rest stability and rough water ride. The Tri bottom costs an extra $1700, but delivers a better ride through an 18-degree Vee and the buoyancy of sealed sponsons.

Apart from the tricky bottom technology it is the big, high and roomy hull that wins you over. It provides a boat in which you can stand at the helm and go to sea in confidence. A deep 77cm internal freeboard means you're not likely to fall overboard when you are fighting a yellowfin, or marlin.

The raised fibreglass foredeck lifts the internal depth even higher around the helm and gives you a reassuring feel when you are in open water.

A few months back I caught up with the Blue Water 5500 at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast. The boat was supplied by Currumbin Tinnies which is headed up by Dennis Walden, a mad keen Stessl man.

Dennis had matched the boat up with a 90hp Honda and red bimini top that beautifully matched the red, silver and white colour scheme of the boat. Considering the usual colours they serve up in tinnies it was a welcome change.

The folding bimini not only gave us plenty of headroom and clear vision, but enough cover to give some protection if we had been fishing. It's a great feature for hot summer weather.

Design:

Measuring 5.6m overall from bowsprit tip to transom the Blue Water 550 falls is certainly big enough for offshore work.

The hull is quite beamy at 2.35m and though some of this is taken up in topside flare it still means plenty of width at water level. In fact, the cockpit floor is nearly 2m wide from side to side.

The beauty of this hull type is that it retains a lot of reserve buoyancy that really helps when conditions are rough. It allows the hull to lift up as it punches into waves and not wallow in the hollows.

Extra wide spray chines at the bow are another feature of this tinnie. They extend a short way back, but are wide enough to make a big difference to the spray output from the bows.

Stessl calls this the soft tail because it has a fastback stern which incorporates a wide landing platform. Alternatively you can have a flat transom with longer cockpit, however most buyers go for the soft tail because it is great for boarding and swimming. Another benefit is it can take an optional, full-width rear lounge at the back of the cockpit.

The soft tail has yet another benefit in allowing you to fish three guys across the stern. On top of that the factory can add a stern door that would make boarding really easy.

With its 3mm plate topsides and 3mm pressed-alloy bottom the Stessl Blue Water 550 is quite a strong boat. This is backed up with additional framing and strong sub-floor.

At around 1050kg loaded trail weight our test boat fell within the towing capacity of a Camry 2.2-litre car, and lots of medium sized cars and four-wheel drives besides.

About the only drawback of the Blue Water 550 is being a touch too long for most garages. If you'd like a lock-up boat you might need to look at its smaller sister, the Blue Water 520.

Deck Layout:

While the cockpit is not self-draining, the Blue Water 550 is a dry boat and won't get too much water aboard. However, for those times when water does splash aboard there's a rear floor sump and electric bilge pump.

Interior fishing space is really impressive with a clear fishing space of 1.9m x 2.2m behind the pedestal seats. The latter are very comfortable seats and sit atop stowage boxes that could be converted to lure lockers quite easily.

The fibreglass deck is another attractive feature, incorporating as it does the dash area. The extra height of the foredeck means you can use the forepeak as a cuddy cab. There are no seats, but you simply sit on the floor and lean against the hull sides. It's more comfy than you think!

The same forepeak area would provide loads of space for stowing personal and fishing gear. Adding mesh cargo nets here could also keep all the stuff ending up in a jumbled mess.

The centre-opening windscreen means you can handle the anchor from the safety of the cockpit. This is another good safety feature of the Blue Water 550 and makes it such a sensible boat for coastal offshore work.

The foredeck features a self-draining anchor well, short anchor sprit with roller and a bollard. There's also a low handrail around the sides, split at the bows so the anchor line will automatically falls into the bow roller.

Keen offshore fishos are sure to appreciate the simple, yet practical deck layout of this boat. They'll also like the deep cockpit and the wide, flat side decks that give you lots of sitting room and space for fitting extra rod holders.

There's four rod-holders as standard, but other fishing items like a live-bait tank, auxiliary motor bracket or transom berley bucket are optional extras.

There's just enough space to flush-mount a small LCD unit within the helm dash, however I suspect most owners will fit a 27MHz two-way radio instead as the space behind is very tight. A good place for the sounder would be over on the passenger side of the dash, where it can be easily viewed from the cockpit.

Performance:

It was pretty tame conditions for our test, but none the less we could see the benefits of the big, powerful hull even on calm waters. The Blue Water 550 really does feel like a much bigger boat, particularly when you are moving about inside the roomy cockpit.

The hull still feels the bumps like most tinnies, yet those Trak rails do seem to improve the way the hull stays on track and powers through a turn. It banks easily in a turn and is pretty nice to drive at speed for this reason.

The high bows and windscreen also ensure this is a very dry boat and you'd have to push it hard to get spray over the rails. In offshore conditions the hull would actually performer even better because of the extra topside buoyancy.

The high, well protected steering position also suits standing at the helm. That's the way most fishos like to travel offshore and is very practical.

While the Blue Water is rated to take motors up to 120hp, the performance with the Honda 90hp was quite reasonable in my book. The hull seems to support the 163kg motor quite well and allow the owner to enjoy extensive range out of the 120-litre fuel tank. The performance figures with the Honda 90hp were as follows:

3500rpm 14 knots

4500rpm 21 knots

5500rpm 27 knots

Obviously if you want quicker speeds you'll need to go for the 115hp or 120hp size of motors. However, that might blow the price out beyond your present budget.

Summary:

Whether you're into bottom bouncing for snapper, or trolling wide offshore for billfish you'll see good value in this roomy, capable tinnie. The capacity to add a rear lounge, and give the kids some shelter is also good news for family holiday time.

The plate topsides certainly have helped to give this boat a big-craft feel that you don't get in your average tinnie. It also gives you confidence to go offshore because the topsides can take a bit of punishment. Pricing is also competitive, staying under $30,000 fully equipped. That alone is going to win over a lot of buyers.

[Brian D]

Mate there is a long list on site somewhere but here's a few things to start the ball rolling.

Fuel Tanks (any sign of water, what size)

Motor does it start easy and idle smooth

Trailer - Brakes, skids/rollers, winch, tyres, bearings

Radio, seats, live tanks, Batteries, bilge pump (I don't think it's self draining, safety gear

But after the small stuff

Hull capacity to motor? Is in under powered?

Floatation and bouyancy - not much I don't think

Ride and bang factor

But all that aside - plates are pretty good and depending on price it a reasonable boat - mid range and fairly solid. I would not be in a hurry to upgrade motor if it doesn't need it.

Post edited by: Brian D, at: 2007/06/19 04:39

[Feral]

I'd add

how much fuel it uses on a trip.

Safety gear

Radios

Epirb (new type or need replacing)

flares

fire extinguisher etc etc

Probably add up to bugger all in the overall price for a boat like that.

[mackmauler]

reading the test i got to the part about

\"added strength in the topsides for big hard fighting fish\"

I was waiting for the story of the last tinnie that got demolished by a large mactuna where is this guys imagination LMFAO.

as it is im not sure what to look for dom but before heading offshore checking batterys maybe fitting a duel system and knowing how the fuel tanks breathers water catches operate and check would be handy, its usually little things that break the strongest links.

Post edited by: mackmauler, at: 2007/06/18 23:21

Post edited by: mackmauler, at: 2007/06/18 23:22

[dhess]

Haha nice one Rob. Just wait till your boat gets demolished by the next blue marlin you catch.:laugh:

Thanks for the input.

I read that review Ray, thanks. The hull is slightly different on this one. Its plate all round. 4mm bottom and 3mm topsides.

Its not self draining but has bilge pumps. It has a dual battery system. It does have positive bouyancy not sure if level floatation or not. Probably not. Has all safety gear but only an analogue EPIRB.

[ellicat]

Just in case you're unaware - Don't forget to book yourself on a marine radio course too. You need a licence for a VHF radio. (Assuming you will have one)

Cheers

[dhess]

Finally taking the boat for a test drive on friday first thing in the morning.

Planning to launch at either Pinkenba or Scarborough.

I know the weather forecast is pretty shocking for the friday but where should we go?

Hoping to put the boat through some fairly nasty chop and have a half arsed fish with a half decent chance of catching something decent.

Was thinking about heading over to four beacons or curtin or mud island or somewhere like that depending on conditions.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[Cowfish13]

I'd probably go Pinkenba then to Mud, because if it is blowing pretty strong winds, you can hide on the lee ward side of Mud, and if it is terrible, you can hide some where in the river.

[Brian D]

dhess wrote:

Finally taking the boat for a test drive on friday first thing in the morning.

Planning to launch at either Pinkenba or Scarborough.

I know the weather forecast is pretty shocking for the friday but where should we go?

Hoping to put the boat through some fairly nasty chop and have a half arsed fish with a half decent chance of catching something decent.

Was thinking about heading over to four beacons or curtin or mud island or somewhere like that depending on conditions.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I understand it's 20-25knotts tomorrow so it will certianly test out the hull. If you want to knock off some $$ and the owner is on the test ride, go into the tide and wind. Thta will test the bang factor.