Goldstar are a new name on the east coast boating scene but these craft are as common as painted sunsets in WA. There are 35 craft in the Goldstar range to choose from so boaters have a wide range at their disposal.

Coastal Powerboats on the Gold Coast are the driving force behind the arrival of Goldstar’s range onto our local waters. They have even extended their range of craft available since the initial showing at this year’s Tinny and Tackle Show.

The reviewed Sailfisher, one of three craft that ranges between 5.3-6.5m in the current Goldstar Sailfisher series, is the ideal trailerable offshore fishing rig.

The Sailfisher impressed me from the moment I first saw it. From 20m away I could tell it was a good looking boat and once I stepped aboard I was struck by the craft’s outstanding finish. All the welds were smoothed, corners neatly rounded, joints and overlaps were as smooth as silk yet this is achieved without filler.

Once off the Dunbier trailer and into the Broadwater I found the Goldstar had all the freeboard required. The freeboard added extra sea keeping ability and the bow section sported a nice upwards lift. The sleek cuddy cabin accentuated by the bow’s upwards kick in the sheerline. There is a narrow walkaround area between the cabin edge and bow rail if you wanted to go forward to lift the pick. I think it would be easier to access the anchor well via the cabin hatch in rougher conditions – the hatch is certainly large enough, however, a non-skid forward deck is standard.

The cabin is large enough for several people to sit in, and could easily sleep three adults with an infill. Under bunk storage was handy, as was the ample headroom.

Out in the cockpit the skipper and first mate are sheltered behind a 3 piece screen. A foldable bimini provides shade. I liked the bimini’s front and side zip open clears. It offered another 6 rod holders that could be dropped out of the way after removal of a couple of pins.

The craft had great stability. There’s a 16 Vee, reversed outer chine plus decent sized strakes on the hull’s 5mm thick underside plating to maintain a grip on the water, whether at rest or moving.

The driver and passengers can sit on the swivelling Reelax seats that are mounted on storage box style bases. The passenger seat is designed to take an esky. A wide, flat, dash area is set up with a lip to stop dash contents slipping off. A locking glove box and drink holder is set up to port. Instruments can be set up on the dedicated panel consisted of gauges to monitor the Suzuki 4-stroke astern, a compass plus switch panel and electronic aids. The aids were a Navman 4500 sounder, Navman 5500 GPS and map, plus a Navman VHF radio.

The wheel, linked to hydraulic steering, was below the sounder and GPS while forward controls were set into the side of the craft. The driving position was excellent and had unrestricted visibility.

The craft could easily head offshore for extended periods. There are foot rests for driver and passenger with plenty of grab handles on both sides.

The folding bench could be moved around within the cockpit although it was set up aft of the front passenger for test runs.

The side pockets in the Sailfisher were 2m long, and quite wide as well. Good-sized rods would fit in here, as would plenty of extra gear for day or overnight use.

There were plenty of rod holders on the 900mm high gunwales which provided terrific freeboard for offshore work. The transom is the same height. A carpeted self-draining cockpit with big wide scuppers offered room for four or five anglers to fish without being in each other’s way. Storing your catch is taken care of with a large underfloor kill tank, a livewell and a deck wash was set up in the above floor across cockpit module at the transom. The cockpit module also housed batteries and bait pump.

Bait boards are an important fishing accessory and the Sailfisher featured a beauty, complete with undershelf storage for odds and ends. Entry on the test craft was via a retractable ladder and gate to port, there being ample room on the rail equipped non-skid boarding platform to make access easy.

The test Sailfisher 6200 came with a 150 Suzuki EFI 4-stroke which was an efficient and quiet engine. The rig planed at 21km/h at 3,100rpm. 4,000rpm saw 38km/h on the GPS, 5,000rpm saw 50.6km/h and a burst of WOT at 5,500rpm saw 58.8km/h.

The Suzuki was whisper quiet at idle and even when working hard did not intrude much. Performance was brisk with heaps of mid-range power to keep the craft abreast of swells when running with seas. I was quite impressed with the ride of the Sailfisher. The plate alloy hull handling was spot on and always remained quite dry. Even purposely taking a few waves straight on the bow didn’t fuss the solid rig and at no time did any water look like coming aboard her.

The Goldstar Sailfisher 6200 is a very well made and well performing craft. It would be perfect for offshore or bay anglers. Strength of build and fastidious attention to detail are the craft’s strong points and will evoke pride of ownership. A 200L underfloor fuel tank will offer an extended cruising range and all the necessary features are certainly there to make fishing as enjoyable as possible.

The rig as tested, including comprehensive safety gear and registration retails for around the $64,500 mark, which is quite competitive. For a test drive contact Coastal Powerboats on (07) 55712960 or visit www.coastalpowerboats.com.au .