This big new fishing boat combines the best of twin hull
stability with mono hull economy and performance, writes WAYNE
KAMPE.
THE
Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder is a trihulled half cabin that will
appeal to anglers searching for a solid craft that offers a lot
of comfort. It's a dedicated fishing craft which very successfully
makes the transition to a family cruiser as well (hence the All
Rounder denomination). A good hard look at the unique design reveals
the Lifestyle combines some of the best features of multi hull
and mono hull craft in the one package. Certainly, the great stability
and sea keeping ability of the multi hull design prevails throughout
every aspect of the boat's performance but it also comes with
the economy associated with running only one engine.
The hull
The hull of the Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder is roomy, stable
and boasts great sea-keeping ability. The tri-hull design features
a central deep vee section with smaller side sponsons. Under way
the central section of the hull makes initial contact with oncoming
waves while the side sponsons are riding high and dry to a point
about half way back along the hull. This means there is far less
of the Lifestyle's hull in contact with the water at speed than
there is at rest with greatly reduced drag when underway a bonus.
On the flip side of the coin, once the hull is at rest the deeply
vee'd side sections of the hull then come into full water contact
to provide a great deal of stability. In fact, I noticed that
three adults on the one side of the Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder
are a non-event. This is one very stable rig.
A neat engine pod protrudes aft. This pod also incorporates
a wide boarding/swim platform. A huge walkaround cabin, plenty
of cockpit fishing room and enough creature comforts to keep the
family man in the good books with mum and the kids as well make
this a great, well, all-round boat.
Layout
The Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder is packed with features in standard
form, although the test rig had been thoroughly optioned up. Easy
anchor access is standard with a large bowsprit and heavy duty
roller. An anchor winch is an option. Standard, though, are the
paired anchor wells up front along with the split stainless steel
bow rail. Access to the walkaround area is via pairs of moulded
steps on each side of the cockpit with both the windscreen, targa
frame and bow rail offering support. A moulded targa arch is standard
and makes an excellent place to mount a rocket launcher or bimini
with clears: the test craft featured both of these options. A
set of speakers for the radio and CD player were also fitted within
the targa.
The dash layout consisted of a neat moulding on the starboard
side of the substantial full width bulkhead in place below the
screen. On the upper section of the dash section were instruments
to monitor the rig's Honda 225 four-stroke engine. A compass is
there as well. Mounted below these instruments was a Garmin plotter/sounder
unit and an array of switches plus a decent grab rail. The dash
had ample room for more nav aids as well. A grab rail set near
the door leading to the cabin was there for the passenger while
both passenger and driver were offered a fair amount of side storage
in the pockets provided.
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| The Lifestyle is a fair lump
of a boat. A big 4WD would be the preferred towing option. |
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The steering wheel of the Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder was mounted
on a vertical section of the dash moulding and both the wheel
and engine controls were well placed for ease of use.
The bucket seats on the test craft were very comfortable and
featured plenty of adjustment plus full swivelling capability.
The driver's seat was also serviced with a footrest built into
the lower dash moulding. Both driver's and passenger's seats were
mounted on moulded storage boxes and there was an interesting
option here in that one storage box had also been set up as a
refrigerator.
Entry to the cabin area was via a tall hinged door that opened
to port. The finish of the cabin is top shelf and the contrasting
tones between lining and large Vee berths was quite eye pleasing.
The usual storage compartments were set up under the berths. I'd
rate the cabin size as an XOS and an in-fill cushion would allow
both parents and a couple of youngsters to sleep aboard with ease.
Unfortunately the TV in the photo is an option but it sure would
keep the kids quiet when the fish were hard to come by!
Room to fish
The heading about sums it up. The Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder
has a large, angler-friendly cockpit that would fish at least
five rods under most conditions. Four rod holders are set into
the top of the gunwales as standard but on the test rig five more
were also located up on the targa mounted rocket launcher. The
cockpit is self-draining, a sensible feature in a craft with as
much offshore capability as this one.
Anglers fishing from within the cockpit will notice there is
plenty of free board and anglers can get stuck into fish with
their toes hooked under the well placed lower gunwale padding.
Large side pockets are featured within the cockpit as well. Another
excellent feature is the high transom which guards against water
entering from astern even when reversing into following seas.
The Lifestyle's wide transom features two very large bait tanks
with hinged covers as well.
Performance
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| The driving position is comfortable
either seated or standing. Plenty of room for electronics.
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The 225 Honda on the stern of the test boat was right at the
upper limit of power requirements but the rig still balanced and
performed beautifully. At 5,700 rpm the big Honda, fitted with
a Solas four-blade Torquemaster propeller, pushed the rig at 40.8
knots! Planing was at about 13 knots for a modest 2,800 rpm and
a sensible cruise speed would most likely be around the 26.5 knots
at 4,000 rpm. Dropping back a little will see the rig travelling
at 21 knots at 3,500rpm if need be.
Sea travel is always governed by prevailing conditions but a
big plus for the Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder is the fact that it
planes at a level attitude at all speeds and trolling at 13 knots
would see the engine almost whisper quiet, consuming very little
fuel and with the craft trimmed quite flat.
Both the ride and handling of the big tri-hull were really quite
exemplary. The steering effort seemed to be virtually nil thanks
to the Sea Star hydraulic steering fitted and the inherent balance
of the craft as a whole. At speed and into oncoming seas the under-hull
tunnels always seemed to have a cushion of air trapped below them
to soften the ride. And the craft was surprisingly quiet under
way - no vibrations or rattles at any speed.
The Lifestyle's hull reflects the time taken in design and development
in that the ride was as dry as it was soft. Very little spray
or water can find its way aboard this craft, even when pushing
into seas with the wind quartering on the bow.
Final judgment
The Lifestyle 6700 All Rounder is a boat that will have tremendous
appeal to anglers wanting to fish anywhere from estuaries to oceans.
The comfort levels make it really suitable for families to enjoy
yet the sea-keeping ability, cockpit size and the many angler
orientated features will endear it to hardcore fishos as well.
Level of finish was in the deluxe class and a wide range of options
is available, including a lower transom for twin engine installation,
toilet, the targa canopy and many others.
The price of the rig as tested, but without the extras comes
in at $72,500 and includes the 225 Honda. However, anglers happy
to come down somewhat in power and opt for a 130hp Honda, for
example, could see their new boat coming home on a Sea Link tandem
trailer for around the $59,500 mark, a very competitive price
for this type of boat.
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LIFESTYLE 6700 ALL ROUNDER
Engine: ....................... Up to 225hp (Rec 130hp)
Measurements: ............ L: 6.7m, B: 2.5m
Hull Weight: ................. 1250kg
Fuel: ........................... 200 litres
Towability: ................... Big 4WD
Price as tested: ............ $72,500
Contact: ...................... Lifestyle
Boats
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