With growing interest in its range of pontoon boats, the Kiwi Aqualine brand has recently introduced a smaller and more tow-friendly version of its HT (hardtop) range - Aqualine 590HT. And if you want to ‘collar’ yourself a really great boat for rough water boating and less pleasant weather the Aqualine 590HT is it. These boats might be built for the chilly waters of New Zealand, but are also quite at home in our more climate. Indeed, they can be a brilliant choice if family cruising is high on your agenda.
Thanks to side-opening windows the hardtop gives you cool ventilation on hot days, and keeps the sun off. Coupled with a comfortable sleeping cabin, the Aqualine 590HT shapes up nicely as a family cruising boat, as well as fishing craft. And the added safety of the pontoon collar design only enhances its offshore safety credentials. Short of being hit by machine gun fire you’ll be pretty safe in one of the Aqualine 590HT.
Built at the cold tip of New Zealand the Aqualine is starting to get a toe-hold in our market. We looked at the big 660HT a year ago, but this more compact version is even more appealing because it needs smaller horsepower and is friendly to car towing. Key feature of the Aqualine 590HT is the variable, deep Vee deadrise hull that gives you a long bow entry. The RIB style design actually softens the ride and makes the Aqualine 590 HT very sure-footed in rough waters. Another bonus is the parallel running strakes, which ensure increased lift as well as better grip through fast turns.
Aqualine 590 HT currently builds around 17 models in its state-of-the-art Invercargill (NZ) factory and this boat is neatly finished and strongly built. We tested the Aqualine 590HT through Sydney dealer, Huett Marine, a business that’s been selling the Aqualine brand since the very inception. Sales manager, Craig Huett, is a big fan of these kiwi boats. And he believes the semi-enclosed hardtop is ideal for offshore fishing around Sydney and coastal NSW. He says the hardtop makes the Aqualine 590 HT really great for year-round fishing trips. And he’s found the market isn’t just fisho. The boat has also been snapped up by scuba divers because of its high stability.
Design:
At a length of 5.9m, the Aqualine 590 HT is nicely sized for offshore and inshore water fishing. The size and weight of the boat also makes it possible to tow behind larger cars like the Falcon and be towed at any time because of its road-legal 2.3m beam. Having previously sampled the 660HT, it was interesting to compare this slightly smaller sister. First up, we notice the cab space of the Aqualine 590 HT is pretty comparable and the only thing missing is the chemical toilet. You can have this as an optional extra.
What I like about the Aqualine 590 HT, apart from its robust construction, is its high stability provided by the side pontoons. You notice the boat is very, very stable at rest and this makes for greater safety for crew and passengers. I also like the deep cab with plenty of headroom and room to sleep two people overnight. Indeed, there’s a bunk infill provided to make this into a double berth. Sitting in the cab with its dark grey carpet liner and attractive fabric upholstery, you can see how the Aqualine 590HT would be great boat for cruising and exploring. Fishos might use the cab for overnight fishing trips, or whilst at tournaments to save cost.
There’s also plenty of stowage in the Aqualine 590HT with big side pockets in the cockpit, side shelves and small under-bunk bins in the cabin. Stepping aboard is made easy by a cockpit rear door folding ladder. Once aboard you find quite a deep cockpit, which is safe for offshore anglers as well having children. Up at the helm station you get two comfortable pedestal seats, plus extra rear-facing seats on the fibreglass seat boxes. There’s no galley in the Aqualine 590HT but there’s room to add a stove. Or simply fit a barbecue to the cockpit. An in-floor kill tank would also provide esky facilities.
While the styling of these boats is a little different to conventional trail boats, it’s amazing how quickly you warm to these practical Kiwi boats. Certainly, Aqualine 590HT has done a good job of visually blending the hardtop to the hull, and this boat also has tasteful graphics. Other attractive features to help win over Mum include the generous headroom under the hardtop and a deep cockpit for crew safety. An 1100 gallons per hour electric pump takes care of any water that gets into the bilge. I might mention the nine air chambers are pressure tested to 5PSI during construction so there’s very little chance of sinking.
Meanwhile, the Aqualine 590HT is built super tough with 5mm plate hull and 4mm and 3mm plate alloy in the tubes. Interior floors are also made from super tough checker-plate alloy in commercial boat style. High coaming sides also ensure the Aqualine 590 has plenty of internal freeboard for getting down and slippery with a yellowfin tuna.
The boat weighs approximately 675kg and this translates to a tow-weight of about 1550kg loaded up with fuel and tackle aboard. This falls within the range of cars like the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and Toyota Aurion. However, my guess is the best match-ups will come from work Utes, or mid-sized 4WDs like the Nissan Pathfinder or Jeep Cherokee.
Performance:
The weather Gods were smiling as we slipped the Aqualine 590HT into the placid water at the Bayview, Pittwater. With a touch of summer in the air we were keen to get going and sample the Aqualine 590HT. The deep Vee hull slips easily off its single-axle trailer and tracked nicely in the water, especially at slow speed. With an Evinrude 115hp on the transom it was well suited to slow speed trolling.
With little traffic on the water we were able to cruise up Pittwater at speed enjoying the smooth ride of the deep vee hull. There’s no doubt the rounded tubes help to balance the Aqualine and also cushioned the ride at speed. It’s a phenomenon we’ve noticed before in RIB inflatable and seems to work just as well with these alloy versions of the same hull. While not quite as smooth riding as its big sis', the Aqualine 590HT is certainly pretty easy on her passengers. You sit comfortably in the pedestal seats and well protected by that wrap-around hardtop.
The pod-mounted motor also hangs on well in turns and with hydraulic steering is very easy. The stability of the Aqualine 590HT underway and its sure-footed ride will give you the confidence to head offshore in all but the worse days. If you’re looking to fish close-range reefs offshore and exposed coastal bays like Morton and Port Phillip it will fill the bill.
As skipper you’ll be looked after with good protection, proper footrest to brace yourself and good all round vision from the helm. Other good features include a flush-mounted throttle box and a very neat, sloped helm dash which has a GPS chart plotter/sounder mounted just ahead of the instrument binnacle. There’s also a VHF radio mounted to the side of the dash, within reach of the helm. It goes without saying that the Aqualine 590HT is incredibly stable at rest and is a very reassuring boat when you’re fishing in a seaway. In fact, it’s one of the safer boats you could use offshore.
Power:
Aqualine rated the Aqualine 590HT to 175hp, however, our boat was rigged with the much more modest 115 ETEC 175hp outboard. This gave us surprisingly good out-of-the-hole performance as well as acceptable mid range performance.
The following GPS results proved you could get by quite happily with this size motor:
* 3500rpm 20 knots
* 4500rpm 25 knots
* 5500rpm 30 knots
OK, some readers are going to find this performance a bit sedate, in which case I’d recommend they try 130hp, 140hp or even 150hp. However, not the 175hp because I reckon that’s over-kill judging by the speeds we were getting. The Evinrude E TEC 115hp of the Aqualine 590HT is an impressive performer and really kicks the boat out of the hole quickly. This is something to keep in mind when comparing with four-stroke motors.
And still on the subject of power, it’s pleasing to see the Aqualine 590HT coming complete with a 150-litre under-floor fuel tank with transom filler. Coupled with a clean-tech motor like the Evinrude E TEC it should give you the range you need to explore offshore. For those after more scintillating performance, the next step in the Evinrude range would be the new V4 130hp. But if you really wanted to kick this Kiwi along you’d bolt up the V6 150 Evinrude for some real zest.
Deck Layout:
At the business end of the Aqualine 590HT there’s a neat bowsprit with bow roller and bollard to carry the anchor on the bows. Here you also get an electric anchor windlass to really make life easy. A wrap-around bow rail and non-skid deck also ensures crew safety up front. However, most times you won’t need to go on deck as the anchor can self-deploy from the bows. A roomy cuddy cab extending to the side gunwales ensures plenty of passenger space below, even to enjoy the odd party after your fishing trip!
The Aqualine 590HT also enjoys a large, glass-topped foredeck hatch for light and ventilation. You also get direct access into the anchor locker from the cabin and checkerplate flooring. The hardtop also provides passenger grab rails so you can walk for’ard if you wish though the side deck is pretty narrow. In the cockpit of Aqualine 590HT you find a people-friendly interior with back-to-back seating and two-person lounge at the stern. That’s seating for a total of six people, more than enough for most occasions and certainly great for family days out.
This same interior works well as a fishing workspace. The unpainted, brushed alloy surface of Aqualine 590HT is easy to clean and very practical for busy fishing days. Here too are four rod holders and an overhead six-pack rod rack. Side pockets are raised enough to ensure a good toe-under fishing space and there’s sufficient space between the pedestal seats and hull to stow long length rods and other fishing gear. Right aft there’s an excellent work space with raised cutting board and deck wash. You also find small bait well in the stern deck walkway area.
Summary:
Those darn Kiwis have certainly come with an innovative craft in the Aqualine 590HT. The mix of RIB-style hull and hardtop allows this tinnie to punch above its weight in both offshore fishing, and cruising terms. Some people might find the styling ‘different’ but the more you play with these clever pontoon boats, the more you appreciate their great rough water ride and super practical stability.
There’s no doubt this style of craft has been a huge success across the Tasman. Here in Australia we’re still getting use to the concept. However, there is a growing market as the word spreads about their benefits. Personally, I’m all for any boat that lifts the level of safety and meets the Australian level flotation standard. The Aqualine 590HT does all that without spoiling internal cockpit depth.
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