POLYCRAFT

It’s not that often we get to test ‘baby’ boats — a category into which Polycraft’s neat little Tuffy fits quite nicely. Designed primarily as a tender for larger craft, the Tuffy offers plenty more for those who like to poke around, stealthily and quietly, in confined water ways. Powered by the new Mercury Avator 7.5E electric outboard, this package is easily affordable and a lot more versatile than many would think.

Like all Polycraft, the Tuffy is constructed from rotomoulded polyethylene plastic, which offers amazing durability in a vast array of conditions. You can knock this stuff around without having to worry too much about it, which is always handy in a small boat used in tender situations. In fact, polycraft boasts that its plastic offers five times more impact resistance than fibreglass — a really eye-catching statistic! Naturally, polyethylene isn’t prone to any sort of corrosion, electrolysis or osmosis either, and it’s UV stabilised to guard against fading.

The dual wall construction (evident throughout the Polycraft range) offers exceptional buoyancy as air is trapped between the inner and outer layers of polyethylene, rendering the boat unsinkable. Stability is exceptional in the Tuffy for a boat that’s barely 3m long and weighs a tad over a hundred kilos, enabling a couple of anglers to stand and cast without falling over each other —or in the drink!

The Tuffy now offers a forward casting deck and dual aft seat lockers, all of which provide handy strorage —something that’s always at a premium in a craft of this size. All usable working surfaces are non-skid, and there’s a drainage channel from fore to aft to facilitate unimpeded movement of water that may come aboard.

As you’d expect in a boat of this size and style, the Tuffy 300 comes with a limited range of standard features. There are a couple of stainless grab rails, dual rod holders, an alloy transom plate and sturdy cleat and bow eye. Optional extras include an electric motor mount (forward), carpeted floor, lifting points and a couple more rod holders. Interestingly, the Tuffy can also be built to survey standard if so desired.

Rotomoulded plastic is an amazing material

Merc's first foray into electric power

Aesthetically, it’s never easy to make a small open dinghy look flash, but Polycraft does offer this one in eight optional colours. I like its rounded lines, which are accentuated by broad outer chines, and it’s certainly well proportioned.

Almost as interesting in this package —certainly as far as I’m concerned —is the new Mercury Avator electric outboard. This is the first electric I’ve seen that’s designed as a primary engine, as opposed to the bow-mounted models that have been around now for quite some time. It’s quite a radical concept, but one I’m sure will evolve in time along the same lines as automotive engines.

The Avator 7.5E is incredibly light, weighing in at just 16.7kg without the battery or 24.3kg with batter y fitted. It’s a snack to put it on or take it off the boat, and sits neatly and unobtrusively on the transom of the little Poly. According to the information provided by Mercury, the Avator puts out roughly the same amount of thrust as a 3.5hp internal combustion engine —without the noise, the exhaust and, of course, the fuel cost.

Mercury has obviously done a lot of thinking before releasing the Avator onto the world market. The 1kWh lithium-ion battery has no cables to connect, instead slipping into a compartment beneath the flip-up engine cowl — a process that takes five seconds. Naturally, it’s possible to carry a fully-charged second battery that doubles your operating range in the blink of an eye. These batteries take around four hours to charge from dead flat.

The tiller handle offers three optional operating positions, adjusting up and down, left and right to suit the driver’s needs. This handle then folds down to provide a comfortable carry handle at day’s end. Mercury also offers three optional propeller pitches to cater for the requirements of different users.

So, how does this new little gem perform on the back of the Polycraft Tuffy 300? With two on board (and nothing else), it scoots along at around 7kph, so it’s definitely no world beater in the speed/acceleration stakes. Polycraft rates the Tuffy hull to carry up to 15hp in conventional outboards, which will naturally provide more punch and top end. However, if you are in no hurry to get any where and value the stealth factor that is part and parcel of electric power, I reckon the Avator 7.5E is well worth considering.

7kph is top speed with two on board

I can see this combo fitting neatly into the Port River bream/mulloway scene, and it would be right at home up on the Murray as a cod fishing platform. Quietness, stability and portability are three big factors that weigh heavily in its favour.