106 JANUARY 2018

The last time I launched at the Elliott River in Bundaberg, I was headed offshore for the day with Spanish mackerel pro-line fisher, Peter Stevens. And on that day we made Fishing Monthly’s most popular YouTube video yet (about how to troll dead baits for Spaniards). Pete’s boat is a no-nonsense plate aluminium workhorse that delivers day-in and day-out. Sea Jay’s new 4.6m Ranger is built with the same user in mind – maybe not commercial anglers, but anglers that use their boat hard every

weekend and never expect any reliability issues, ever. The new Ranger replaces the 4.4 and 4.7m models in the range and is built on Sea Jay’s Samurai hull. Featuring 4mm bottom sheets and 3mm sides, the test model had a fully self-draining checker plate deck, a massive

3.25m beam the similarly bulletproof Yamaha F70 (tiller) strapped to the back. Incidentally, Mackerel Pete’s boat was powered by the same engine and recently closed over 2500 hours! When we released the video for this test, it really hit the mark with anglers

Sea Jay Ranger 4.6m with Yamaha 70hp 4 stroke

Twist the throttle on the Yamaha and the Ranger jumps onto the plane and it sounds just like an F-series Yamaha at full throttle. Without fuel flow metering available, the Ranger delivered 51km/h against the tide and 56km/h with it. With standard F70 fuel consumption, that gives a range of well over 200km with the on-board 90L fuel tank. Overall, this rig is as Queensland as XXXX Gold and winning State of Origin footy games. Check out www.seajayboats.com.au for more details and make sure you like Sea Jay on Facebook. As tested, the Ranger came in at $31,530. Make sure you scan the QR code hereby to see the Ranger in action!

There are plenty of boating anglers out there who want to do all of their maintenance with a garden hose (or a Gerni

if they are upmarket). The Ranger allows this.

Main: The Sea Jay 460 Ranger is about as bulletproof as you’ll find in a commercially available boat in today’s marketplace. A full self-draining floor and massive beam will make this rig an

instant favourite of the tough-as-nails fishing crew.Above: Apparently when you Google ‘What boat does

Chuck Norris have?’ the Ranger 460 comes up.

SPECIFICATIONS

Length ........................................................4.6m

Beam ........................................................2.35m

Depth .......................................................1.26m

Hull .............................................................4mm

Sides ..........................................................3mm

Floor ribs ....................................................... 10

Capacity .................................................. 5 max

Hull weight .............................................. 505kg

Max motor weight................................... 155kg

Fuel ..............................................................90L

Total length .............................................. 6.15m

for electronic intervention to keep your baits alive. The high front casting deck conceals massive underfloor storage. The Ranger holds a fibreglass EvaKool under the deck. Up for’ard, the ability to mount a trolling motor next to the anchor well is great for those who like bait fishing as well as lure casting. The small side console is one of the pro concessions to luxury in this rig and will probably be frowned upon by the tough TNQ anglers as being a bit ‘soft’, but it’s a great place to mount a sounder and keep your valuables out of the way of spray. The other concession is some comfortable seats which slide into a baseless floor mount.

MORE ONLINE - SCAN THE QR CODE FOR EXTRA

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Australia-wide and the soft-launch of the model created a demand for the hull that Sea Jay worked hard to fill. What I learned from the experience is that sometimes it isn’t the creature comforts of a hull that gets anglers excited; it’s about having a boat that does its job well. And that’s exactly what the Ranger does. If you use your boat hard in estuary and inshore environments, you want the clean-up from a crabbing or prawning trip to be easy and to be achievable with a garden hose. The Ranger ticks all of the boxes here, with no carpet to clean or paint to damage. Similarly, the built-in livewell drains straight to the outside through holes in the transom, reducing the need

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

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JANUARY 2018 107

Small side pockets hold a bit of gear, but don’t run full length to the front casting deck.

There’s plenty of room under the transom for water to escape through the scuppers.

The small side console is super practical without chewing up cockpit space. You can see some of FM’s tools of the trade in this shot – the Nikon

KeyMission 170 is on all of our boat tests.

This is clever – capability for a proper anchor well and an electric motor. It’s good to see a boat manufacturer that understands how most of us like both lure and bait fishing.

Yamaha’s F70 is a perfect complement to this hull. The tiller is eminently user-friendly and economy is off the charts.

Sea Jay’s livewells are simple and self-drain through an array of holes on the transom.

2.35m of beam makes the Sea Jay Ranger a real workhorse. We challenge you to fill it with camping gear for a long weekend

away, because it’ll hold it all – easily.

Ain’t got time for dance seat bases? Sea Jay has you covered.

Above: The front casting deck is actually pretty high, which makes the storage underneath caverns. A little paint on the inside could take the edge off the sun, in case you live in North Queensland. Inset: There aren’t too

many boats where you can fit an EvaKool this size under the floor!The Ranger holds its beam a long way forward and the Sea Jay steps

bow is distinctive from the outside, but barely noticeable inside.