Hooker vs Southwind

[Hooked_On]

Looking at buying a boat of around the 5.9m in size, and could do with some input from people who own either a southwind / southern star UB 5.8 or a hooker 6m c/c. Would appreciate to get some feedback from people with all the good and the bad of these boats.


If anyone owns one between Rockhampton and the Sunshine Coast I would love to come and see them for myself as they are rare thing in the boat yards. Which suggests that they may be a great thing to hang onto.

Damo

[vermin]

Just one for me. Southern Star used to have timber in the stringers (may not now?). Hookers are timber free. Sure there are many more differences.

[leezor]

http://www.leosmarine.com/hookermov.htm

Found this one for sale in Townsville.

[jackster]

ive got the ub580 1996
no wood in stringers ...foam
wood in transom...dont know about now..everyone seems anti wood so prolly doesnt
the ub is a delta padded hull designed by yamaha
old write up
http://www.marinews.com/details.php?recordid=416

magazine sponsored story
http://www.marinews.com/fishing_details.php?recordid=265

darwin fishing
http://www.happymicks.com.au/fishing/fish_adventures_june.html

the ub will be more stable..the hooker will go faster in chop,... probably
ub will need less power and juice because of hull design
ub has scuppers and a rear bulkhead and gunwale flotation

goodwin has a similar hull and will custom...southwind/ southernstar wont custom

dont know much about hookers except they are a v hull
hooker looks nicely finished with a liner

go for a test ride...both will ride very differently ..different boats really

[Pedro]

Pro 's fishing around my neck of the woods use Hookers. I have fished with them in my UB670 and they were a lot faster bin a big sea but in every other aspect as far as I was concerned the UB was streets ahead. More stable at rest, drier over all a more comfortable boat to fish out of.
Regards
Pedro

[Rod_Bender]

i have been in my mates twice since he brought it brand new from Leo's in Townsville. Its similar in size to the pic someone loaded. I found it highly tippy!!!!!! My mate nearly fell out of it when someone walked across from his size. Going through the 1.3 metre chop was very very very good. The hull performed very well. If you can get over its unbalanced nature, they seem to be ok. I think as you go bigger they might sort this problem out.

[scottv50]

Terry's Marine in Rockhampton has a UB580 in their yard for sale. It was unrigged the last time I saw it, but I think he was putting a motor on it to sell too. Might be worth a phone call to see what the deal is and/or a drive up to check it out.

Terry's has just become a Southern Star dealership and from memory this UB580 was a demonstrator at another dealer that went bust. Terry picked it up without the motor and is now selling it with a new motor. I can't remember what he was going to put on it, but for some reason a 90hp Optimax rings a bell and I think he said it would be about $38k.

Anyway I hope this helps and maybe give them a call and find out.

[Hooked_On]

Thanks a heap for the replies, sounds that the southwind might be on top of the Hooker , I know they are fairly different boats but just wanted some feed back from anyone who has one or has been in them!

I know that both of these boats with give you a fair bit of water to face in certain conditions, but can anyone tell of their experience with the dryness of either of these two boats.

[jackster]

38 for a demo...how much is a new one now with a 90hp...anyone know?

hard to say which is dryer,,,,seeing i've never been in a hooker

i find the ub a dry boat..and change my angle to the wave when neeeded
need to ask someone who's been in both

[Hooked_On]

Jack412 What conditions ie wind strength, seas would you have the boat in when you say dry boat ? Talked to josh from Weipa who charters from there with both the boats mentioned, and he finds ub dryer as the bow protects him from most of the spray! and he also mentioned that the hooker was a great ride in big seas on the plain but can take a few over the nose if trolling into to steep sea's.

The 580 in Rocky sold for 33k was a 2006 boat with 90hp put on it no T-top, as I called today to try for test run!

[jackster]

sounds like there isnt enough buoyancy/volume in the bow for it to spear and not lift

strong wind on the beam will blow in a bit of spray over the side when in decent chop...
joys of an cc boat
if its too bad, i tack like a sailing boat, going more upwind or downwind

without wind...nothing, it has good edge chines and lays it flat

you can get a T top and run clears on it for protection

i cant see you ever stuffing the bow on a 580..tall, fat bugger

dont buy without taking it out when the seas are up, days when ya think twice about going out
there are some used for charter too..that might be an idea to go on a couple

be a shame to buy, only to find out you dont like an cc boat

[Hooked_On]

Thanks for that I shall look around to see if I can find any of these in charter on qld coast to go for a run

[Pedro]

I've been on both and would not hesitate to recomend the UB over the hooker. I am a fairly big fella and the hooker was too unstable for my liking. the UB is a lot more forgiving when you are caught out . The hooker in a following sea if caught out will dive and broach a lot earlier than the UB would.
I used to fish a UB 670 solo out wide of Innisfail and have been caught out numerous times at night due to unforecast wather spikes and have not once felt scared coming home.
Regards
Pedro

[jackster]

pedro
i fish mainly spenser gulf sa, so i'm not strong on bar crossing

i've been curious about the ub670 compared to a cat in crossing a bar
seeing the yam hull was designed for beach launch and crossing the surf zone,
i cant see it being a slouch....i would value your opinion

@ Hooked_On, 18mths ago i priced the ub670 basic tiller hull in sth aust and it was $14,000
sounds like that demo had all the bells and whistles

[Kendall249]

the hooker are a semi-longboat style, they carry more of a V then the traditional style longboat like the UB.

[Pedro]

Jack 412
I have never made a bar crossing so advice would be out of my league. But I have also had considerable experience with cats and If I had to cross a bar I would like to do it in a cat.
Regards
pedro

[jackster]

thanks, cats do well on a bar
i have also heard longboats do a bar well too

i was just wondering if someone has run both on a bar

[Pedro]

I would be concerned about the freeboard of the UB in a bar situation. You can get a lot of water over the side quickly if a wave breaks against you.I would feeel more comfortable with a bigger wall between me and the water.
Pedro

[finding_time]

I would be concerned about the freeboard of the UB in a bar situation. You can get a lot of water over the side quickly if a wave breaks against you.I would feeel more comfortable with a bigger wall between me and the water.
Pedro


Been watching this thread for a while and pedro has just raised an interesting point! I own a ub520 and about 18 months ago i was mucking ( eg being stupid)around in the pincushion bar on and particularly nasty day, to cut a long story short i took three waves over the bow of the boat the first breaking on the outboard they were tubing that much :o

The boat was full to the brim with water yet i was able to keep going and make it through. Reasons, well the ub's are a true self drainer, or better still wet decker with low sides and a very low transom (about three inches) and what water that didn't flow straight out the back was sucked out the scuppers in no time at all. The fact that the ub's have low sides means that they dont hold enough water to turn turtle when full of water ( a big problem with other so called self drainers) Any open boat hit by that wave that day would have taken a lot of water on board regardless of gunwale height but it was the lack of gunwale height that saved my bacon. Freeboard is a very overestimated safety feature in a boat just look at trawlers and tugs little freeboard but sealed decks with the weight down low! ;)

[jackster]

your right...the low gunwales and motor well is to let the water out
the gunwale flotation bulge is to keep it upright till it bails
the front and read bulkheads is to float the motor and contain whats left of the deck water amidships, improving seakeeping

'free water effect' the weight of deck water running to one side of a boat..
has swamped and turtled more than a few
heck..they have even given it a name

yamaha has been building the boat world wide for 30yrs...think they got the final bugs out 25yrs ago
it was designed to traverse the surf zone, and bars are surf, kind of

they will be wetter than a cuddy cat, or any cuddy for that matter
but cats have a few quirks to consider too, which are known
just curious, thats all, if cats are best...how far behind is the 670 longboat?
with comparable deck area

[jackster]

sorry those other links didnt work

old write up
http://www.marinews.com/details.php?recordid=416

magazine sponsored story
http://www.marinews.com/fishing_details.php?recordid=265

darwin fishing
http://www.happymicks.com.au/fishing/fish_adventures_june.html

[Hooked_On]

Jack412 last week I got a price from goldcoast on the 670, came with console front rails and bollard, none feedback steering, lights, ready for motor $19,000

How do you find your outfit for room and how many people could comfortably fish offshore in the 5.80

[jackster]

.
the 580 and 670 has the same beam..the 580 is a shortened 670
imho they need side rails..bow rail is a waste as you dont need to climb onto the foredeck

just so im sure im not leading you down the garden path
what ever you do down the middle of your boat now...
forget it.....your missing the bit down the middle of the boat,
you have 2 sides of boat..no middle
but i think its a fair trade...the 22' is skinny but a 90hp pushes it well ...
ya cant have a 90hp and fat 22'
if ya get caught in snot the better seakeeping of skinny comes into play

how many ...as a comparison
with 18ft half cab i like 2 ...4, i want to go home
with 580 i like 2 on stern and 2 upfront ... 6, i want to go home

the 670 for 14,000 was hull only.. no cc. lights. steering. rails etc

[Hooked_On]

Found Goodwin boats on the net today, can anyone tell me if they might have timber under floor? the guys won't answer the phone!

Look very similar to the southwinds... but looks like flow coat floor finish which may sugest timber under floor!!!

[Kendall249]

Hooked_on, I know an engineering mob here in townsville who has fitted out some goodwins. They would be able to answer your question, PM me if want some details, in the case you want to call them.

[jackster]

found this pic of the deck space for you to see
this one had storage fitted in front of console, for a 900 mile trip

http://www.marinews.com/fishing_details.php?recordid=265
http://www.marinews.com/contentImages/051205101444_ex-trop-1297-5.jpg