Arvor 675 Sportsfish

Arvor 675 Sportsfish Review

After years of serving up reliable and frugal diesel-powered vessels, the French Arvor company has had a new lease on life in the last couple of years. New investors gave it an injection of adrenalin and new outboard-powered Arvor fibreglass fishing boats have begun flowing to our shores.

 

ARVOR 675 SPORTSFISH

In a departure from traditional Arvor fishing boat style, our review boat, the newly released Arvor 675 Sportsfish has power from a four-stroke Mercury 150 outboard motor. These lightweight but gutsy engines are replacing Nanni Diesels on many of the latest Arvor boats and they offer a turn of speed (and quietness) that the inboards lack.

Not many boats of this size have the cockpit room and walkaround decks, yet still manage to include such a big pilothouse. To achieve this, the helm is positioned well forward in the boat and the width of the sidedecks has been minimised. It’s not that obvious but the cabin has been offset 75mm to port, making the starboard walkway that much wider and the preferred way to access the bow for fishing and docking. Up front there is room for fishing, a sturdy anchor and Quick electric windlass.

 

LAYOUT

Jumping on board for our test on Sydney Harbour I was immediately impressed by the roomy feel in the cockpit and the security of the high sides. Arvor has taken its Sportsfish title seriously with impressive attention to fitting out the boat with lots of fishing necessities.

The exterior impression of the Arvor may be distinctively European but the cockpit has been strongly influenced by the American style of hatches and fittings, while the quality of the boat’s mouldings has been boosted from my impression of previous models.

Taking advantage of life without an inboard engine the 675’s deck is completely covered in hatches with monster killtanks – 1.1m long and 400mm deep – to the sides and two huge lazarettes in the centre. All hatches have quality stainless steel fittings and gas-assisted.

 

TRANSOM

The rear lazarette houses a table that slots into a fitting in the floor and is surrounded by lounges across the transom and along the port side that fold out of the way for fishing. This dining arrangement takes the fishing boat to a more social level, not only for taking the family cruising but also for relaxing back in port around a cold drink and some fresh sashimi. Very civilised.

Non-slip sidedecks are wide enough for sitting and both have two rodholders at their extreme ends. Slots for rod storage are located under the coaming on the starboard side and crew will appreciate strategically placed grabrails around the cockpit.

At the transom the livebait tank has a blue internal lining that now seems common on American boats and is claimed to make the fish feel relaxed – well, up to the time they are trailed behind as a tuna snack. The tank is plumbed and large enough for a decent day’s fishing.

To starboard, a locking door leads to a wide walkthrough and a stainless steel dive ladder. Twin batteries – one for cranking, one for house – live in a sealed hatch, well-protected under the walkway floor.

 

PILOTHOUSE

One step takes you down into the Arvor 675’s interior which is engulfed in light from large windows, an overhead hatch and glass doors at the back. Predominantly white fibreglass mouldings add to the brightness, while timber features lend a touch of homeliness and warmth. It’s welcoming and roomy enough for a crew of four, or five at a pinch with one standing.

Immediately inside the door on the starboard side is a large moulded storage hatch with an upholstered twin seat above, while to port another neat fibreglass structure houses a sink with pressure water and a floor-level 40lt Waeco upright fridge/freezer.

Both helm seats are a swivelling pedestal style on raised mouldings with bolsters, finished in plush beige leather-like vinyl. Forward of the helm is a cuddy cabin with a V-berth and infills to make a full-width lounge that can be further extended back into the cabin with even more infills to make a useful 6ft bed.

Storage is everywhere – under the bunks, in the floor and under the helm seats. There’s even a Porta Potti onboard and a sea toilet with holding tank is an option. So, with privacy curtains all-round, all you need for extended weekends on board is a transom barbecue.

 

HANDLING AND RIDE

Bare of any navigation screens, but ready for the buyers choice of monitors up to 12in, the display is limited to Mercury’s informative digital engine displays in a large analogue tachometer and speedo, flanked by fuel and trim gauges. (Arvor has an electronics package consisting of a 9in Simrad GPS-sounder and Fusion sound system that would be a useful option.)

Seated high on the helm chair I had expansive views around the boat through the flat, single-piece windscreen and long side windows. As I hooked into gear and slid the controls forward, the boat lifted swiftly to its natural bow-up stance as we climbed out of the hole. Hull weight is around 1500kg so the planing speed of 12kts shows efficient design of the easily driven hull. Meanwhile, the torquey 150hp four-stroke seems a good match for the hull and definitely isn’t underpowered.

Maximum power is a 200hp Verado but I felt the 150 Mercury outboard was adequate for all but the times when the deck is loaded with big fish on the way home from the shelf.

The design of the boat incorporates hard chines that meet the water a third of the way along the hull and while the entry is sharp, the bow is fairly full so I was expecting the ride to be a little harsh. That certainly wasn’t the case across the harbour chop and we easily maintained a decent 25kts cruise with only a small amount of noise from the chines and hardly a sound from the Mercury.

Handling is sporty and there were no surprises as the hull leaned only slightly into turns with a feeling the big chines were offering a lot of buoyancy. Only over big waves was there any harshness of ride on landing; and even then it wasn’t enough to be of concern. It will handle long runs to the shelf at sensible speeds and has the range from the 200lt tank and frugal engine to do it with a good margin of safety – and without sending you broke.

 

THE TRADE-A-BOAT VERDICT

If you are looking for an offshore fishing boat with a few creature comforts then the Arvor 675 Sportsfisher deserves a look. There aren’t that many pilothouse boats with a self-draining deck and frugal running costs – and at $84,150 as tested, it seems to be competitively priced.

 

ARVOR 675 SPORTSFISH SEA TRIALS

Mercury 150 FourStroke outboard.

RPM

SPEED (KTS)

1000

3

1500

5

2000

6

2500

7

3000 (on the plane)

12

3500

17

4000

22

4500

26

5000

30

5500 (WOT)

33.4

*Sea-trial data supplied by author

 

ARVOR 675 SPORTSFISH SPECIFICATIONS

Arvor 675 Sportsfish price: $84,150 (priced from)

 

GENERAL

MATERIAL GRP

TYPE Monohull cabin cruiser

LENGTH 6.55m

BEAM 2.54m

WEIGHT 1565kg

 

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE (DAY) 7

REC. HP RANGE 150 to 200

FUEL 200lt

WATER 32lt

 

ENGINE

MAKE/MODEL Mercury 150 FourStroke outboard motor

TYPE Inline four-cylinder petrol outboard motor

RATED HP 150

DISPLACEMENT 3000cc

WEIGHT 206kg

GEAR RATIO 1.92:1

 

MANUFACTURED BY

Brunswick Corp (Europe)

 

SUPPLIED BY

Collins Marine

26/17-21 Bowden Street

Alexandria, NSW, 2015

Phone (02) 9319 5222

Web collinsmarine.com.au