NORTHBANK 600C REVIEWS

Northbank boats consistently receive rave reviews from the boating experts who test drive and write about them in various boating journals and newspapers.

Read what some of the boating experts have to say about Northbank's 6.0 Metre Cuddy Cabin.

South Australian Waters

The 600C is a hard charging, flat cornering sports fishing boat with few peers. Designed with commercial fishing in mind its versatility in terms of performance and fit-out make it perfect for the professional angler or the family that wants to spend a day on the water.

The Thoroughbred

Mark Robinson - Fishing World

Being the owner of a particular brand of boat gives you an insight that a quick blast on the water won’t provide. Mark Robinson puts a very familiar craft to the test.

This 600C is the fifth Northbank I have tested and I think that qualifies me to speak with some authority on this range of boats. Rather like the famous ad, I liked them so much I bought one, and I’ve spent literally hundreds of hours aboard a 650C in all kinds of weather, including gale force conditions.

Some time back I wrote this about the Northbank marque: “One word sums up these craft – superb. And that adjective applies across the range whether it be regarding the finish of the hull with its mirror-smooth gel coat, or attention to detail, or the general aesthetics”.

Since then I’ve had no reason to change my mind about these trailer boats and I looked forward to going out in this 600C from the first moment the test was arranged. However, the weather gods that day were smiling on those who wanted an almost glassy sea and it was as flat as a billiard table all the way to the horizon.

However, as I’ve logged considerable sea time in virtually identical hulls, I can report that these Northbank hulls perform beautifully in all conditions and it was the impressive rides I experienced over the range of Northbank models that were a key factor in my own purchase decision.

Let’s take another look at how I described one such craft on a day that was right on the edge of being classed as extreme conditions: “This is a craft that is best driven hard and fast as, in this manner, it will skim over the lumps and bumps with aplomb and instill huge confidence in the helmsman. There’s no need to back off, whether facing a breaking head sea or running down the face in a following one, and in fact the only time we took some water over the screen was when I backed off inappropriately when coming down the face of a big one and managed to bury the bow a bit deeper than usual. But all times, and at all running angles, the Northbank behaved like the thoroughbred it is, inspiring confidence in those aboard.”

The 600C has a hull length of six metres (or 6.3m including bowsprit) and a beam of 2.42 metres with a dead-rise of 21 degrees, a draft of 0.5 metres and a displacement of 1,125 kilograms. Along with “glass work that’s as good as it gets, the boats are not just a pretty face but are built solid and strong with Hyplank bearers and solidly glassed-in marine ply sole and transom.

On the water

With three planing strakes and wide chines, the Northbank smoothly rises on plane and then scythes through the water with apparent ease, maintaining a balanced running angle with mid-range trim. The transition from displacement to planing speed occurs at around 10 knots and by 12 knots the craft was properly planing with 3,000 rpm on the tacho. A quick push of the throttle and the 600C leapt forward, gathering speed until it topped out at 35 knots and 5,500 rpm.

At 135hp V6 Mercury OptiMax with direct injection delivered brisk acceleration when the throttle was opened and was a good match for the boat, although the hull itself is rated all the way up to 200 ponies. On this day we were running a 17 inch three-bladed stainless propeller and, while this came in pretty close to optimal, a bit of experimenting with different sizes could result in some variation from the figures we obtained. A 160 litre underfloor fuel tank allows for a decent range and is a baffled unit, constructed of aluminium, and well fastened.

At my height of 5’10”, I found the sightlines to be good, whether standing or seated, with a clear view both to the instruments and to the bow with its grapnel anchor held snugly against a sturdy bowsprit. The optional split bow rail is both aesthetically pleasing and practical, providing a good handhold when manually manoeuvring the craft at dockside.

The helmsman has an easy reach to the stainless destroyer-style steering wheel and a clear view of the dashboard with its embedded gauges and whatever electronic instrumentation he chooses to fit to suit his personal requirements – in this case a Furuno colour sounder and a Garmin GPS. The throttle falls readily to hand and overall the ergonomics are pretty well spot on.

This particular craft had already been sold, and there were some owner-specified bits and pieces fitted such as the helm seat with its shock absorber mechanism and a rear mounted anchor winch. However, the hull comes standard with an anchor well, bowsprit, moulded side pockets, underfloor storage, a generous glove box and a quality cabin hatch.

Also standard are bunk cushions and backrests, seat boxes and upholstered swivel seats with a driver’s side seat slide. Passenger comfort and safety is assured with a sturdy and easily reached windscreen grab rail, a dash grab rail, recessed coaming hand rails and bulkhead foot rails.

Further standard items included are the stainless steering wheel and hydraulic steering along with the foredeck bollard with pin, the bow roller, two stern eyes and a pair of cleats, navigation lights, switch panel and harness and a bilge pump. A toughened glass windscreen adds further to the safety of those aboard and there are four stainless steel rod holders to put a smile on the face of fishos.

That’s a pretty good list of standard features by any measure but, as you might expect, there is also an extensive range of options available including the stainless steel rocket launcher and bimini top you see in the photos, the walk through transom, a swim platform and a ladder. A fibreglass hardtop is also available, as is a deck-wash pump.

Whether in its basic configuration or optioned up to whatever degree, the Northbank 600C can hold its own against any locally built or imported craft with which you might want to compare it.