chocolatemoose
30-03-2016, 10:36 PM
The 2nd in my little boat and their owner stories , This video is about Dave and his Evolution 500 cuddy.
I've known dave now for a few years and he is the real deal. its hard not to just love the guy. he has his 500 cuddy Evolution boat Serenity, a pretty famous landmark in the Victorian fishing world and boy does he love it.
spending the day fishing for squid was such a laugh,
what i learnt about the 500 cuddy was, especially powered now with the new 115 merc 4 stroke is... it really is one of the better 5mt boats ive ever been in, its tiny on the trailer and yet huge inside. stability wise was just amazing. trimmed right it rode extremely well. there was very little on the boat that wasn't tip top. and those that weren't.. were a simple after market fix away.
i loved the storage. all quality lockers, large or deep. stainless hinges still looked good a a few years after hard use, where cheaper quality often browns by now. the stainless snapper racks and baitboard all fit & function seemily and solidly.
with the ever so slightly heavier 115hp mercury 4 stroke "over the factory 90hp etec" the boat had a needed pitch to aft, however the bow still pushed a fair bit a of water and would of benefited from a bit more ass end.
I would of liked to have seen a separate live well and deck wash pump system, reaching in to switch between the two was a bit of a pain.
The dash has a bit of a dated curved top to it. with modern electronic fit outs a larger squared off dash these days would be nicer "though this was an older boat"
A passenger shock absorbing seat would of been night. or at least a height adjustable.
the freeboard was excellent. i am 6ft 2 and felt plenty safe with toe holds on all three sides keeping me secure in the cockpit. yet not to high that i couldnt sit on the cap rail and relax
If i was in the market for a 5mt glass cuddy.. i would be looking very seriously at the 500 evolution cuddy.
pros :
ride quality
internal volume
storage
cons
a bit nose heavy.
no transom door (either good or bad)
needed better pedestals
price as tested
: around $68,000AUD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=230xIfINkNQ&feature=youtu.be
I've known dave now for a few years and he is the real deal. its hard not to just love the guy. he has his 500 cuddy Evolution boat Serenity, a pretty famous landmark in the Victorian fishing world and boy does he love it.
spending the day fishing for squid was such a laugh,
what i learnt about the 500 cuddy was, especially powered now with the new 115 merc 4 stroke is... it really is one of the better 5mt boats ive ever been in, its tiny on the trailer and yet huge inside. stability wise was just amazing. trimmed right it rode extremely well. there was very little on the boat that wasn't tip top. and those that weren't.. were a simple after market fix away.
i loved the storage. all quality lockers, large or deep. stainless hinges still looked good a a few years after hard use, where cheaper quality often browns by now. the stainless snapper racks and baitboard all fit & function seemily and solidly.
with the ever so slightly heavier 115hp mercury 4 stroke "over the factory 90hp etec" the boat had a needed pitch to aft, however the bow still pushed a fair bit a of water and would of benefited from a bit more ass end.
I would of liked to have seen a separate live well and deck wash pump system, reaching in to switch between the two was a bit of a pain.
The dash has a bit of a dated curved top to it. with modern electronic fit outs a larger squared off dash these days would be nicer "though this was an older boat"
A passenger shock absorbing seat would of been night. or at least a height adjustable.
the freeboard was excellent. i am 6ft 2 and felt plenty safe with toe holds on all three sides keeping me secure in the cockpit. yet not to high that i couldnt sit on the cap rail and relax
If i was in the market for a 5mt glass cuddy.. i would be looking very seriously at the 500 evolution cuddy.
pros :
ride quality
internal volume
storage
cons
a bit nose heavy.
no transom door (either good or bad)
needed better pedestals
price as tested
: around $68,000AUD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=230xIfINkNQ&feature=youtu.be