Yet many manufacturers deliver boats with options as a standard item that not everyone can afford. Not all buyers want an extensively optioned rig.

Sure, in some cases they can downgrade the package... but it's nice to know straight-up what you're getting at the listed price displayed.

Allison's Fisherman 5 is perhaps one of the best-priced packaged fibreglass boats that I have seen.

Ex-Brisbane, this rig - with a 60hp Mercury outboard - can be bought for under $20,000. And it's just as suited to families and older couples as it is to bay and estuary anglers.

What you basically have is a deep-vee hull which has the ability to handle choppy conditions with a soft dry ride. Cabin room isn't overly large and has not been built to provide a sleeping area, but it does provide covered storage for a few items.

The no-skid fibreglass floor covers a substantial area for a rig this size, with the helm seats well forward behind the upright windscreen.

This really is quite a good work area and as the boat is only five metres in length, you can still position yourself at the helm (under the canopy!) and fish out the side and back of the boat. Indeed, the deck layout is easy to get around, simple to maintain and a breeze to clean.

Pockets run down the side of the boat - widening at the transom - to provide a raised platform for the oil bottle and battery.

The small half pod is an extension of the hull. Its internal side is clearly visible and provides additional storage for the likes of a bucket or spare fuel tank and a bilge pump in its lower section.

It's very easy to lean over and net a fish anywhere in the aft section of the boat. There is a pod and duck boards on either side of the outboard pod, but they are not so substantial that they hinder your fishing efforts.

Easy Anchoring
Anchoring a boat of this size can be a real problem, but Allison Boats has addressed this in the Fisherman 5 by providing a split windscreen and bow hatch. This allows you to walk freely to the anchor well - with no leaning forward at awkward angles to lift out the anchor or retrieve rope.

That's one of the reasons why I believe this rig would be well suited to elderly couples who have backs 'a little worse for wear' and/or are not agile enough to crawl through cabins and hatches each time the anchor needs to be hauled in.

The Fisherman 5 bow hatch also provides easy entry for the nimble who can give the boat a bit of a shove and jump in front-first. An easy task for some - with the added advantage that there's no cushions inside to soak water and mud up as you walk straight into the helm position.

However, if you don't fancy jumping into the boat the bow hatch way, then the duck boards at the back are a bit higher than water level, and - as the boat is not overly large - it is fairly easy to hop into it this way.

The format is that of a standard runabout with a forward windscreen and overhead canopy and the boat is easy, and comfortable, to drive from the seated and standing positions.

As with all Allison boats, a variety of colours for the decks are available as well as a few tasteful decals and pin-striping.

Well-Balanced
Powered by a 60hp Mercury, the test package was well-balanced with the boat neither under nor over powered. This size of engine provides plenty of zip and has very good low planing speeds.

During the test, we ventured out through the Gold Coast seaway and traversed quite slowly with an outgoing tide pushing up a few pressure waves. Certainly the ability to stay up on the plane at low speeds made the job a lot easier - with the boat sitting high on the waves it made it a lot easier to control.

Choppy conditions while not dangerous, are a real pain in smaller, lighter boats. With the Fisherman 5 staying on the plane at relatively low speeds, the trip is more enjoyable, not to mention the fuel savings.

The Fisherman 5 fits this bill and does it a lot better than many other rigs of similar size that I have tested. Once again, these features make the rig attractive for a variety of users.

At 5.0m, the boat is large enough to consider heading offshore when conditions permit. The underfloor fuel tank along with an additional 20lt tank gives range.

As straight forward as this rig may appear, Allison Boats' has done a lot of homework putting this package together. Above all, it provides the basic requirements of a family or fishing boat at an affordable price. On top of this, it is a well-finished, good looking boat with a performance hull. For more information contact your local Allison Boat dealer or contact Allison Boats directly on tel (07) 3274 2900.