Offshore Marine Master’s range of plate alloy craft are arguably up there with the best that Australian boat manufacturing has on offer.

I recently had the opportunity to review OMM’s aptly named 610 Cuddy Cab Hardtop All Rounder. With its inspiring ride, list of features as long as the arm, and a thoughtful layout that sees the craft just as suited to long range offshore fishing as family day or weekend cruising, the eye pleasing plate alloy cuddy cab rig is truly an all rounder.

Family orientated features also pleasing the angler would likely start with the Maxwell power winch up front of the spacious anchor well. A marine toilet was set under the family sized bunk within the soft lined cuddy cab while cabin shelving plus under bunk storage capacity would certainly be appreciated and put to good use. Seated within the cabin, I found that a carpeted floor, plus excellent head room made it a handy place for a rest out of the weather. I noted also that it was well lit thanks to side windows and the big clear hatch up front.

Within the craft’s self draining cockpit an EvaKool 110L ice box was snugged under the first mate’s seat while classy Sea Deck flooring provided a reliable non-skid cockpit floor surface, with easy clean up after use simply by hosing it out. On-water clean up would be via the craft’s sea water pressure wash but do note that a fresh water shower linked to a 40L water tank was also on board.

The reviewed rig was certainly well optioned, with about the only option absent being a rear cockpit seat. Families with youngsters aboard would certainly appreciate the OMM’s metre high cockpit sides (with their gunwale padding) which guaranteed excellent sea keeping while a boarding ladder to port, adjacent to non-skid steps, facilitated ease of entry after a swim. Enjoying a weekend in the spacious All Rounder would likely see just the addition of a spirit stove taken aboard along with tucker and drinks. A fuel capacity of some 250L ensured prodigious cruising capability for family and fishing teams alike.

While there’s no doubting the appeal of the 610 Cuddy Cab Hardtop as an all round family boat, it’s dedicated anglers that will appreciate the specialised fishing features of this strongly built craft with its 6mm bottom, 4mm top side, all-plate construction.

The solid plate rig featured cuddy roof top side rails; reliable hand holds if one wanted to go forward onto a beach. There were also eight rod holders set into the rear of the cuddy to compliment the eight elsewhere aboard her. The hardtop featured a washer/wiper equipped windscreen plus sliding side windows to allow ventilation and visibility. An overhead console above the tempered glass screen provided secure storage plus a perfect location for the rig’s marine radio. LED lighting was installed within the cabin, as well as under the hard top.

At the helm area sturdy bucket style seats atop large L shaped storage boxes were standard; both seat boxes also being equipped with padding aft to accommodate a couple of extra folk along for the ride. The first mate’s seat box was set up with the big EvaKool, the skipper’s being equipped with a set of tackle trays at the rear.

The helm/dash area of the hardtop was sensibly spacious and well set out. A full width dash shelf stretched aft of the screen with main features for the first mate consisting of a locking glove box, a grab handle, plus both upper and lower shelving. The skipper also had a grab handle. Instrumentation stretched across a couple of levels, uppermost being a Garmin GPS Map 751 sounder plotter, with Maxwell winch and Volvo Penta trim tabs close by.

On a lower level were full instrumentation for the 175hp Suzuki 4-stroke, windscreen wiper controls and a compass; two banks of rocker switches, a twelve volt outlet with the craft’s three spoke steering wheel central. The engine’s forward controls were side mounted in the normal manner. In all, the OMM had a very well set up helm arrangement and I was impressed with both the dash layout plus the full visibility all around while at the wheel.

The best way to describe the craft’s cockpit would be to simply say it was designed to make fishing as easy as possible.

Whether in the bay, an estuary or far away from land the high sides, its non-skid self draining floor and paired rod holders per side all combined to make things great for, say, four anglers. I really liked the 750mm high gunwale’s inner coaming; soft padding designed to prevent accidental bumps should an angler having a tough time with a fish suddenly lose balance. Other useful features included a plumbed live bait well at the transom, a full width transom pocket along with off floor side pockets, a rod holder equipped bait station at the stern, both fresh and raw water wash down hoses and a massive underfloor floodable kill tank which could be bunged for storage use. Paired engine batteries plus water pumps were within the transom’s off floor transom lockers. The craft’s Suzuki 175hp, linked to hydraulic steering, was mounted on a lip above the full width aft non skid boarding platform.

The OMM 610 Cuddy’s test runs were mainly confined to the Caloundra Passage as a combination of a six knot speed limit plus lack of water saw work within the Caloundra bar totally off limits on the water test day. That aside we scored some decent washes from passing party craft within the Passage and it was child’s play to note how easy the big solid plate craft rode, how totally unfussed it was at any speed. Combined hull features of a 20 degree vee (OMM’s Ultra Vee) plus large reversed outer chines assured best ride and handling from the 1,050kg hull which, in my view, would be totally at home in the bluewater environment. With its easy sea keeping, a very well mannered ride and terrific stability at rest I feel that offshore work would be something to really look forward to in this well performing plate craft.

The top power 175hp Suzuki was whisper quiet at idle; never excessively noisy even when working hard and it was easy to note how willingly the four cylinder engine responded to throttle input. During trial runs the 175 pushed the craft onto an easy plane at 1,800rpm at 16.3kph. 2,000rpm saw 18kph recorded, 3,000rpm 21.1kph, 4,000 a speed of 40.6kph, 5,000rpm delivering 56.7kph and 5,800rpm a feisty 64.6kph on the Garmin unit. Throttle response from the 4-stroke was excellent, ensuring peace of mind in situations where rapid acceleration might be needed, such as bar crossing conditions.

In the wash area extending inside the Caloundra bar I found the OMM ran true to driver input, was finger tip responsive to steering and, overall, a pleasure to helm. The hull’s interior remained quite dry, as well, thanks to the cuddy’s protection plus the over all height of the bow and sides. And with an under floor foam fill the alloy hull’s ride was remarkably quiet.

In summing up my thoughts on the OMM 610 Cuddy Cab Hardtop All Rounder I saw it as a very versatile craft with a lot to offer to both family boaters and dedicated anglers on the lookout for a well appointed off shore fishing rig. Sea keeping, ride and handling I’ve touched on: the finish and over all presentation needs serious mention as well. Jason Norup of OMM takes a lot of pride in ensuring his boats are among the best finished in the business. Full and neat welding is always evident and rigidity of construction is easily detected. Paint application is perfect and upholstery and general fitout is up with the best Australian alloy boat manufacturers offer.

While an eye catching craft the 610 Cuddy Cab Hardtop is also a highly capable sea boat, one that an owner could have a lot of confidence in. Cost of the fully optioned rig, as reviewed, which included the Sea Deck flooring, top power 175 Suzuki, breakaway brakes on the Redco trailer, Garmin sounder and anchor winch plus many other features was $94,465 but do note that packages start at around $76,150 mark. Offshore Marine Master can be contacted on (07) 5492 6555, fax (07) 5492 6566 or at --e-mail address hidden--

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