Brooker 535R Discovery with Mercury 75hp, 2-stroke ELPTO outboard

The Brooker 535R Discovery is a spacious boat that would suit anyone who likes to go fishing, water skiing, cruising or just being out and about with family and friends. This rig is rated to take six passengers at approximately 75kg each. That means if you’re a family of two adults and four kids, you can get yourself out on the water or even tow a tube behind the boat.

Not only would this be a great family boat, you could also get out for a fish with a few mates in the estuary. It would even be ideal to take offshore and chase snapper, morwong and flathead while drifting. Or maybe you could have a go at trolling for kingfish, tailor, salmon, mackerel or even marlin.

Now that I have gotten your interest, I will take you through what this rig has to offer.

From a standing start, the Mercury 75hp, 2-stroke ELPTO outboard was able to pull the boat out of the water with ease. It only took about 15m for the boat to be on the plane using half throttle.

Although I was only able to test this rig in the calm waters of the Nepean River at Penrith, I’m certain that the deep sides and V-shaped hull would make fishing comfortable both offshore and in bays and estuaries.

The wrap-around windscreen with grab rail was at a height where it didn’t impede your line of sight when sitting down driving the boat. And if you prefer to stand when driving, there’s plenty of clearance underneath the bimini – so long as you are under 6ft, like me. If you’re tall you would probably have to sit down to drive. Either way, the bimini would be great when you are sitting out on the water waiting for a bite and the sun is beating down.

The rig that I tested didn’t have any wraparound clears, but that would be a great accessory to have, especially on those cold and wet mornings.

In this boat I never felt cramped. The forward removable, fold-down swivel seats are positioned so you don’t have to stretch to use the controls or operate the sounder/GPS. When you sit down to drive, you still have plenty of leg room while still having storage space up front.

Not only was there storage upfront, you also have a couple of long side pockets and the seat at the rear also coupled as a storage bin. To give yourself a bit more storage, you could do away with the 25L fuel tank and have the underfloor fuel tank installed. This would give you more storage at the rear of the boat, plus more fuel for those long days on the water.

Some boat users don’t like having a carpeted floor. For me, it’s a must. Not only does it give you more comfort underfoot, there is less noise when you drop something, and the carpet cuts away all the glare that an aluminium floor would give off.

The reinforced, walk-through, aluminium framed windscreen made dropping and retrieving the anchor easy. The walk-through windscreen would also make using the boat by yourself less complicated, as you could lean over the front of the boat and hook up the strap before getting out.

Driving the boat onto the trailer is very simple, as the self-centring rollers move around to help position the boat onto the trailer. It’s just a matter of slowly moving forward until the front of the boat is close enough to clip on the strap. Then you just turn off and raise the motor, climb out through the windscreen, hook on the safety chain and drive off to tie down your boat.

The Brooker 535 Discovery and Mercury 2-stroke 75hp ELPTO outboard comes with many features, depending on the package you choose. They are as follows: front and side grabs; two padded adjustable pedestal seats; full-width rear pod with transom ladder; an anchor well capable of taking a sand anchor with 3m of chain and 50m of 10mm rope; bow roller and front bollard; four plastic rod holders; shallow side pockets that run about half the length of the boat; bilge pump; navigation lights; inland waters safety kit; a battery; lockable glovebox; fully carpeted floor; 25L fuel tank; provision for underfloor fuel tank; a walk-in dashboard; painted white hull and a wrap-around, walk-through windscreen with grab rail.

Optional extras include a custom bimini, Raymarine Dragonfly 7 sounder with CHIRP and GPS, and more.

The base model of the Brooker 535R Discovery with a Mercury 75hp, 2-stroke ELPTO outboard, complete with wrap-around windscreen, wrap-around back rest, a 1516MRB Brooker trailer, trailer and boat rego, inland waters safety kit, one battery and a bilge pump comes in at $30,099. The rig tested on the day comes in at $34,958, and this included the custom bimini and clears, the Raymarine Dragonfly 7 sounder with CHIRP and GPS, trim gauge and a Mercury 75hp 4-stroke ELPT and three gauges. The EPIRB, compass and VHF and AM/FM radios in the test boat were added later, and are not included in the standard price.

Penrith Marine service all late model outboards at very competitive prices, and their service manager is one of the top Mercury mechanics in the industry. The business is a Premium Mercury Outboard and MerCruiser Dealer, and they have been dealing for over 30 years. They also have a great selection of chandlery.

And if you have a family member or friend who wants a boat licence, Penrith Marine provide courses. They are a Western Sydney based trainer for Maritime & Safety Training NSW RTO # 90440.

Penrith Marine is located at at 4/133 Coreen Avenue, Penrith. For more information you can contact them on (02) 4731 6250, email --e-mail address hidden-- or visit www.penrithmarine.com.au.