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Yamaha Southwind SF 640
Gary Howard
YAMAHA Outboards needs no introduction to boating enthusiasts; they continue to establish the reputation of being trouble-free performers that grace the transoms of many boats around this country and around the world. What many may not realise is that they also produce a number of trailer boats under the name of Southwind.
YAMAHA SOUTHWIND
In the early days when outboard manufacturers tried to team up with boat manufacturers to increase their share of the market, Yamaha Southwind had a small range of aluminium boats made firstly by Sportfish Boats in Brisbane, then by Mayfairs.
This wasn’t overly successful - there were many alloy boats already on the market. However, everything took off after they established their own facilities in Gosford, a few hours North of Sydney. This modern facility now produces a number of fibreglass Southwind boats, the most noted of which is their range of Utility Boats or Long Boats. There are 11 models in the range - all fibreglass.
What the Southwind factory have been working on for nearly two years now is a couple of trailer boats that are more suited to Australian conditions and the needs of Australian anglers and their families.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the parent company is in Japan. Like the Yamaha Outboards, the Japanese don’t like doing anything unless it is spot-on.
The development of the new models has surged forward under the management of Stuart Wood. Stuart has been a keen boating person for most of his life, and has an established background in the marine industry.
I worked closely with Stuart when he worked for Lowrance electronics, and a few years back we developed the UB 520 Sport Fisher together, so I know that he is passionate and a bit of a perfectionist.
TESTING THE SF 640
At the invitation of Stuart, I and a few other boating writers headed down to the Pittwater just north of Sydney to take a couple of the new models for a run.
Three boats awaited us at the ramp. Two of them were the same but powered up differently - one with a Yamaha HPDI Z 200hp two-stroke and the other with a pair of Yamaha F 115hp four-stroke outboards.
You don’t often get the opportunity to test two identical boats in the same conditions with different power, so I was really looking forward to this. You’ll see a few comparisons following, and some of the pictures will be of both boats, so don’t worry - we haven’t printed the wrong pictures.
Layout
The SF 640 has really targeted two markets - the keen offshore angler and the family man. As you will see, as we move through the boat, it has the essentials for both user groups, plus a few extras.
The layout of the SF 640 features a spacious deck with more than enough room for three anglers to fish, and there is certainly plenty of room for the family to mill about, weather they be going in and out for a swim or sitting about socialising.
Big side pockets allow you to throw in a heap of gear, and because they’re quite deep, large rubber sockets have been placed in the aft end of the side pockets and mounts towards the bow. This allows you to slip a few fishing rods in them, tag poles, or gaffs where they are up out of the way of all those other items that tend to accumulate in the side pockets.
Importantly, you can still get your feet under the side pockets when fishing up against the side of the boat. Both the side pocket cover and the deck coamings are padded. When you are offshore fishing the padding on the coamings makes a big difference, as you tend to lean your thighs against this area while fishing.
A lot of work goes on down in the transom area of the boat, so it is essential that this area be neat, tidy, and functional. The last thing you want is for rods and lines to become tangled, and you don’t want to worry that the kids are going to trip in a mess of tangled cables and wires.
As we see in a number of larger boats, a good folding bench seat runs across the transom that can be lifted up or down. The SF 640 has a three-quarter bench seat with a removable door in the transom which allows walk-through access from the pod into the deck.
Not overly important when fishing, but a big difference when it comes to those family days out on the water when you may be swimming or skiing. There is the added advantage of using this to make life easier when getting in and out of the boat while it is still on the trailer.
Behind the rear lounge are all your wiring and battery switches - out of the way, but still easy to get to. These are all mounted on the inside face of the transom, so they are up off the deck where they remain dry and enable you slip other items into this area to better use the space.
With the engine and cables all being out on a full width extended hull you have a full height transom which gives better protection from waves rolling up into the back of the boat in a following sea.
The other side of the full transom is that you have a couple of big wells in here to be plumbed as a live bait tank or just as more storage area. One is located centrally under the bait board while the other is on the starboard (right) side. There is no well on the port side, as the walk through section of the transom and door is located here.
The bait board is always well-used on a fishing boat. This one is pretty standard, with a stainless steel frame, nylon board, small sliding tray below and a couple of rod holders. I prefer a bit more in this area when it’s going to be a full-on fishing boat, as there is a lot of preparing and rigging that goes on here.
The helm seats are mounted on moulded fibreglass boxes, making good use of space. The swivel seats sit on the high section while the lower back half is used to provide a couple more bench seats. The mount boxes provide a heap of storage space, especially as they are incorporated into the back section to increase the storage area.
If the fishing is slow or the old legs get a bit weary you’ll find these lower rear seats perfect to sit down on and have a fish. I think this setup is a lot better than pedestal seats where all the space below the helm seats is pretty well wasted, with just a single pole coming up from the deck to the seat.
Inside the cab there are good size bunks with storage below. As a fishing boat, the sleeping arrangement doesn’t worry too many anglers, as the area is used more for dry storage than anything else. With the family though, a dry and comfortable area with a bit of room to move around in is quite important, especially if you have young kids that often fall asleep out on the water. Here they have somewhere comfortable and out of the weather to go to sleep. And with the centre insert section in place they can’t roll out - it turns into one big bed.
The cabin can be closed off and locked for privacy and security. The hinged section in the dash allows for better entry in and out of the cabin without the need to duck as much, or scrape your back as you try and move into the cab. And because you never know when the call of nature will be stronger than the fish biting, provisions are in place for a port-a-loo.
A lightweight canopy runs from the stainless Targa top forward over the cabin area and to the windscreen. The basic canopy on this rig gives you shade, but does not provide any side protection from wind-blown rain and spray. The Targa top gives you overhead storage for your fishing rods, and a strong, high place to mount radio antennae and GPS receivers.
The dash layout has been designed to allow two separate depth sounder and GPS units to be flush mounted. Here the gauges and switches are positioned above and to the side where they are all easy to see and reach. There is sufficient room for the twin engine setup (see photo).
Performance
Now, the really important question is, how does this spiffy-looking rig perform? The design of the hull sees a number of important characteristics which add up to improved performance.
Firstly, there is the 20 degree deadrise which is reasonably deep, giving the boat good rough riding abilities. The down side of a deep V hull is that it often comes at the cost of decreased stability, and the hull a little slower to come out of the water. To compensate for this, Southwind have run an eight-inch plank on the bottom of the hull for about half the boat’s length. This generates a lot of lift, increases the planing surface of the hull, and improves stability. The plank decreases in width and you still end up with a deep V at the bow.
Along the hull you will also see very substantial planing strakes which run almost right to the bow, along with a nice outer reversed chine.
These also aid in lift and dryness of the ride. When you are offshore and you run down the face of those bigger swells, the advantage of those big strakes becomes evident, as the bow of the boat does not want to disappear into the trough or the next wave. The lift created here and the downward energy of the spray and water as it is forced back down is quite surprising, and the bow holds up very well.
You will be very happy with how the boat handles. It holds in on tight turns, gets up on the plane quickly, and provides power and speed when you need it - especially with the engines that were fitted on this rig.
Two-Stroke Vs Twin Four-Strokes
When it comes to the two engine selections that we had here, which do you think would be the better choice for speed and power - the new 200hp high pressure direct injected two-stroke Yamaha, or the twin 115hp Yamaha four-strokes?
The twins are 150kg heavier, but surprisingly the boat doesn’t sit noticeably deeper in the water. The twin rigs slipped the rig up on the plane very smartly, with no bow high attitude. There wasn’t much difference in the time the two rigs got up there, but the twin rig held low planing speeds better with lower engine revs, as the two outboards provided plenty of low down torque when compared with the single engine.
Both accelerated swiftly throughout the rev range. While I expected the injected two stroke to be quick throughout, the consistency of the power through the twin rigs was far better than I had anticipated - even right at the top end.
The twin rig had about four knots better at top end than the two-stroke. Of interest was the average consumption of 9L/h for each on the twin rigs. To only average about 20L/h for the 230hp (2x115hp) is superb. Even with the improved economy of the injected two-stroke over the carburetted model you are going to be looking around 40L/h.
If you do a lot of offshore work or travel long distances, there will be a huge saving in fuel on the four-stroke rig. If you do a lot of boating, you will recoup the initial cost difference in fuel and oil savings.
The average cost of a Z HPDI is around $19,500, and the combined twin rigs will come in at around $27,000. One of the 115hp will be a counter rotating engine which is a little more expensive, so bear that in mind if you are going to do some costing yourself.
The boat will need to be ordered as a twin or single rig because the standard single rig has a transom height of 25 inches, while the twin rig uses XL leg engines at 30 inches to provide for the counter rotating engines.
The release of the Southwind SF 640 is only in its early days. Once the boat show circuit gets underway, you will be sure to see more and more of these boats around the place. They are well priced, and I feel sure that they will give a few of the big name boats a run for their money.
To find out more about these new releases, phone Yamaha Southwind on (07) 3399 0807. |
