GOLDEN CHILD
Not only is it a brand new release for the show, but it’s also this year’s gate prize. While the boat show organisers weren’t looking, Freddy Foote took it for a spin.
Jumping aboard this new golden Stabicraft 2100 Supercab, I thought to myself, wow, this boat has got some serious gear in it! That’s the thing about prize boats, they’re usually loaded with the best of everything, and the 2013 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show gate prize is no different. And after the show, some lucky show visitor will walk away with it.
Stabicraft managing director Paul Adams says that their new model carries on from the successful 1850 Supercab – a boat they released at the same show in 2012 where it scooped the ‘All Purpose’ Under 6m’ award.
I tested the same boat a number of years ago. Back then it was badged the 659 Supercab and again, it was the boat show prize as well. So I was quite intrigued to see what refinements Stabicraft had made over the years to this new model.
Like the 1850, the 2100 shares the new technologies of the Game Chaser Transom and Arrow Pontoons. “The Arrow Pontoons are a big step forward in removing the compromise between ride and stability. If you look at the shoulder sections, you will see the pontoon welds are raked back. This has reduced the surface area where the shoulders connect with short seas. By doing this we have softened the ride dramatically, all while maintaining the stability and safety inherent in our pontoon design,” says Tim van Duyl, Stabicraft Marine’s marketing co-ordinator.
“The Game Chaser Transom is a profiled transom to deflect water around the transom, reducing drag, enhancing reversing speed and all-important manoeuvrability when trying to land that prized fish at the next tournament.” The Game Chaser Transom also increases the hull’s buoyancy aft, giving better stability with heavy outboards, something that maybe isn’t quite so necessary on this particular boat – more on that later.
Not only will game fishermen appreciate how cleanly it backs down and how controllable it is backing down, but also how particularly useful it is at the marina, too, where the extreme ease with which the boat can be turned will be appreciated.
Fisherman Friendly
Immediately as you step aboard the 2100SC, you quickly gather a sense that it is targeted at fishermen. Cantilever swivel seats at the helm and for the front passenger not only provide dry storage underneath, but given that it’s up off the floor, it allows for easy wash down and clean up after a day on the water.
A step-over bulkhead dividing the helm and cabin area from the forward cabin is a great feature. On past Stabicrafts, I had always found that gear would slide out of the cabin and into the cockpit/helm area when underway. Now the cabin is a great place to drop gear and have it out of the way for the whole trip.
The cabin is configured in a traditional V-berth (1.8m long), with an infill to make it a full double berth and being very wide it will easily accommodate three across. Extra storage Space is available under all three squabs and via side shelves in the cabin itself.
The cockpit is large and spacious, with plenty of storage throughout. Large side pockets run each side of the cockpit and provide storage for extra rods and gaffs, etc., and also house the wash-down hose system on the starboard side. Four rod-holders are fixed into the coamings, two each side, and further rod storage is available above, in the rocket launcher.
Under the floor you’ll find a 200L fuel tank, and an underfloor fish bin can be fitted as an option. The large live bait tank, complete with viewing window, in the centre of the transom is standard as are the alloy rod holders and bait station above the tank itself. In the aft corners, the rear seats fold up for fantastic access to the rear of the boat. Stabicraft researched how people interact and fish off boats and learnt that anglers tend to migrate to the coaming corners so the designers have worked to offer the most useable space in these areas.
At the helm and flush mounted into the powder coated dash was a Furuno GP1870F fishfinder/chartplotter, and should you wish, the dash will accommodate up to 14in monitors. Standard from the factory comes a Maxwell RC6 capstan anchor winch, all operated from the helm. And as always, visibility is great, with the curved, toughened glass windscreen.
A Uniden VHF and Fusion stereo system were mounted over to the left, within easy reach of the skipper and the front passenger. The forward section of the dash was carpeted and provided a nice place to keep sunglasses. The roof height at the helm is over 1.90m, so it will accommodate almost all skippers.
Lightweight Yamaha
One of the key features of this boat test was not only the new Stabicraft 2100 Supercab, but also the new Yamaha F200 FETX four-stroke, four-cylinder outboard bolted onto the transom.
Ok, another Yamaha four-stroke, you say. What’s so special about this one? For starters, it weighs in at just 227kg. Positioned between Yamaha’s popular F150A and the company’s innovative 4.2 litre V6 engines, the new F200 weighs an astonishing 56 kg less than the V6 F200 and is just a mere 6 kg more than Yamaha’s super-powerful two-stroke 200hp HPDI. Even more impressively, the new F200 actually weighs 1kg less than the F150A!
This new 4-cylinder F200 features a 2.8L double overhead camshaft engine, variable camshaft timing and Yamaha’s patented Shift Dampener System (SDS), previously found only on Yamaha’s 4.2L V6 range. Essentially, SDS reduces that noisy clunk you get through aluminium hulls, by using a splined rubber hub to deaden the noise when you shift from neutral into gear.
Yamaha Motor New Zealand’s Greg Fenwick, who was with us on our test aboard the 2100 Supercab, says the new motor will suit a variety of users. “This new four-cylinder F200 means Kiwi boat owners can now literally have it all: significantly more horsepower and virtually no extra weight.”
Giving the boat one of its first runs with the new Yamaha 2.8L showed that it has quick, responsive acceleration and a super-strong mid-range punch. It wasn’t overly noisy, and two of us were able to converse easily while we cruised on Auckland Harbour.
This particular boat was fitted with a traditional cable throttle, though an electronic version will be available shortly. The F200 has a powerful 50-amp alternator (delivering 13% more charging power than even Yamaha’s V6 F200) and Yamaha’s Variable Trolling RPM Switch (VTS) the new 4-cylinder F200 is going to be a great engine match for a variety of boats and a variety of applications.
The economy figures are really interesting for this new F200. At 6.9 knots @ 1500rpm, the F200 instruments show that it is consuming only 4.9L/h, which is just 0.71L/NM.
Push the throttle down to a cruise speed of 18 knots @ 3000rpm, and you’re using only 0.84L/NM. As the table below shows, this is the cruise speed for optimum fuel economy when planing. A faster cruise speed of 27.8 knots @ 4000rpm and uses 27L/h, giving a fuel economy only 18% worse, at 0.99L/NM. So not only is this engine 56kg lighter than its 200hp V6 counterpart, but it’s actually more economical than the F150hp four-stroke! Another Winner?
Will this boat scoop an award at the upcoming Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show? Well, that all depends on how the judges feel on the day I guess, but if they were to take the boat out on the water, as I have… (hint hint) I’m sure they would give it a winning tick.
The only two things missing which I felt would make this boat the complete on-water experience would be the addition of trim tabs, something every hard top model needs, and some sliding side windows at the helm would have been nice, too. However, I was very pleased to find out, that both of these items are available as an option. Be sure you tick those boxes! And if you’re reading this, and you have just won this boat, enjoy your prize!
TECHNICAL Specifications
- Model: Stabicraft 2100 Supercab
- Builder: Stabicraft Marine
- Priced from: $89,000
- Price as tested: $110,000
- Type: Alloy hardtop pontoon
- Construction: Aluminium
- LOA: 6.4m
- Beam: 2.3m
- Deadrise: 20 degrees
- Height on trailer: 2.80m
- Trailerable weight: 1900kg
- Power: Yamaha F200 FETX
- Propeller: Reliance Series 18″
- Power Options: 130-200hp Single/Twin OB
- Fuel Capacity: 200L
- Trailer: Mudgway
PERFORMANCE DATA -Yamaha F200
| rpm | knots | L/h | L/NM |
| 650 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.61 |
| 1000 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 0.71 |
| 1500 | 6.9 | 4.9 | 0.71 |
| 2000 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 0.99 |
| 2500 | 13.9 | 12 | 0.86 |
| 3000 | 18.2 | 15 | 0.84 |
| 3500 | 23.4 | 20 | 0.87 |
| 4000 | 27.8 | 27 | 0.99 |
| 4500 | 32.1 | 35 | 1.1 |
| 5000 | 37.3 | 51 | 1.35 |
| 5500 | 41.7 | 64 | 1.52 |
| 5800 | 45.2 | 75 | 1.67 |
