From one of the biggest and best known brands in Australia, the Haines Hunter 565 Offshore is a well-sized package that is manageable. As the name suggests, capable as an offshore boat. The Haines Hunter is a performance boat that is also great for family fun on the Broadwater and Moreton Bay. There is plenty of room onboard, with a comfortable layout for the family and good set-up for fishing.
It is just the right size. The hull is 5.65m long with a wide beam of 2.4m. This big internal volume gives great stability, especially when you are at rest fishing. Additionally, the entire hull is foam lined, even the cabin, so this dampens the banging noise making it a quiet ride out on rough water. This is what you should expect from a well-built boat.
The 565 Offshore has a dry weight of 720kg, and even when loaded, it’s only about 1250kg, and when towing on a trailer, the entire pack is under two tonnes. This ease makes the boat suitable for every family, and it’s able to be towed behind the average family car. Sitting on a twin axle mechanical brake trailer, the well thought out design allows you to load the boat with ease. Just drive on, you almost can’t get it wrong.
Ideal for long outings, there is a 200L fuel tank under the floor with a theoretical range of nearly 400km. So, you don’t have to worry about running out of fuel while trolling for marlin on a big day offshore.
You can expect trouble-free and low-running cost boating from this popular combination of the Haines Hunter boat with Yamaha outboard. Fitted with the Japanese-engineered Yamaha 150, 4-cylinder high-performance engine with a lot of torque and great economy, allowing this model to reach 35 knots or 65km/h, while the best cruising speed is at 3500 rpm enabling about 2km/L.
The angle of the hull ensures good performance when heading into waves. They handle exceptionally well, and there is no banging courtesy of the deep-V, which allows the boat to cut through the chop. The boat can also turn skillfully at high speed, producing performance when you need it, and once trimmed will lift the bow to tackle any chop you are heading into.
The offshore model has greater height in the front cabin, providing protection from the elements and offers good head clearance in the large accommodation. The bunks in the cabin can have a fill-in to make a full-size bed, and you can also install a toilet. The anchor is accessible by the cabin hatch, comes with a bowsprit and can be fitted with a remote winch. If you want to walk out around cabin, there is a handy step out of the cockpit, so you can get to the bow quickly.
The wide and deep open cockpit is a fantastic feature of this boat, allowing space for the family to move around with the safety of the high sides. The pedestal seats are mounted on fibreglass storage boxes, the helm seat folds up, which allows for the standing position through the waves, protected by the screen and clears. There is ample storage around the boat, under cabin seating and along the sides of the cockpit.
The high gunwales also have a toe recess, including at the transom, which ensures stability while fishing. There is a transom door and small duckboards on either side of the engine, and a swim ladder, that makes loading access into the boat very easy. There is easy access to the dual battery system and your bilge pump and plumbing.
You can spec-up his boat however you like. In the cockpit is a flat dash ahead of the driver and more space in the centre dash, for mounting at least a 12-inch multifunction computer for fish finding and navigation. The instruments and gauges are well laid out.
And there is an underfloor foam-lined storage area accessible through lockable lid that can be used as kill box or as a good size esky, as well as a fully plumbed round shape live bait tank on the transom that keeps the fish moving around and alive longer. The deck wash is also handy, to keep the fishing area clean and hose off the kids. You can install outriders if you wanted, and there are many positions to increase the number of rod holders, if required. The options are plentiful and limited only by your imagination.
The Haines Hunter 565 Offshore rides well and is easy to tow. So this boat is a sensible choice for a boating family and serious fishos. It is the kind of boat you will own for the rest of your life, and if not, you can take advantage of their excellent resale value, if you decide to sell.
For more information contact Marine Care QLD on (07) 3186 5270 or en*******@ma***********.com
Published in print July-September 2022
