Endeavour Seajeep boat test
By Simon Everett
(Featured in Boat Fishing Monthly, October 2008)
The Seajeep has been around for quite a few years now. The familiar cathedral hull was derived from the early dory hull shapes and over 2000 of them were built.
That says something in itself, they were very popular because all of a sudden here was a dory with a cuddy. The new Seajeep from Sunshine Marine in Cheshire is a result of them buying the moulds and rights to build them from Seahog.
This was a perfect opportunity to give the trusty old girl a bit of an update and produce an affordable boat that requires very little power, both on the water and on the road -- so we went along to see what changes had been made and how the new version works on the water.
The shape is still the same as always, but the cabin windows have been given an upgrade to Lexan held in by a couple of fistfuls of stainless steel machine screws backed by washers and Nyloc nuts. This ensures the window is pulled tight evenly around the frame seal and provides less stress and better waterproofing. The result is not just better quality windows, but a more aggressive and stronger look to the boat. To make the most of the compact size, the Seajeep is only 15 feet long, the cuddy is placed all the way forward. There is virtually no foredeck, just enough for a cleat and roller fairlead on the stem. The centre screen opens outward to provide access for rope handling. This is fine in the kind of waters the Seajeep is meant for, it could be a bit wet if you got caught out and had to weigh anchor in a slop.
The cuddy itself is very roomy, for the size of the boat it really makes the most of the available space without reducing the cockpit. There is full sitting headroom but, there are no lockers in the seating, this is because they are full of foam for safety buoyancy. The pedestal seat for the helm has a locker in its base, which is accessed through a watertight hatch in the side of the base. This is ideal for your safety equipment as it is easy to get at. Then there is also a locker in the main console, again accessed through a Gaspatchi hatch. Other than that there is no built in stowage, just clean, non-slip deck space.
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The Seajeep is very beamy for her length at 6ft 6in, making the cockpit even more spacious for such a handy sized boat. Four adults could fish at a pinch, but three would be ideal. The internal freeboard is generous at 28-inches, making reaching the water very easy and safe. The gunwales are full and there is plenty of room below them to put in racks or hanging straps for landing nets, gaff and spare rods. All the edges are covered with trim rather than being left bare, which is the case on many boats I have viewed. The test boat only had the one seat fitted, but it is simply a matter of specifying the seating and layout arrangement that you want. The clean deck is the most obvious for fishing, especially if you target fish such as tope. There are no fish holds, so you will have to use a portable one, an Icey-Tek insulated box would be my choice. It could then either live in the stern sheets, or in the cuddy depending on the situation.
The cathedral hull was billed as providing more stability and lift, making it easy to drive and steady at rest. In reality, a small boat is going to move about whatever hull configuration you give it. The Seajeep rode well on the drift, but it still reacts to people moving about within. .jpg)
When my son moved from one side to the other the boat loved accordingly and you need to be aware that a small, lightweight boat is going to react to weight distribution.
This isn’t alarming or violent, but don’t think that the side sponsons will prevent the boat from moving, they won’t. On the move that same lightweight and high lift hull gets on the plane on in a heartbeat. We had a four stroke Yamaha 40 on the test boat, but if you weren’t going to load the boat with more than a couple of you and limit your tackle then a 30hp would still get her on the plane and give you a decent speed. The 40hp got her up to over 32mph flat out and a harmonious cruising speed was 25mph.
The boat rides dry but is quite lively and the cuddy seems to amplify the noise of the wind, water and engine. The hull is stiff enough and the cuddy is built so that it doesn’t shake and rattle, it is purely that you become more aware of the external noises, presumably because you are sat in more or less still air behind that great big weather shield.
Sat at the helm seat under way the visibility isn’t great. The windows provide about 60 per cent visibility, the other 40 per cent being the support structure.
Standing is best because you can then see over the top of the coachroof unhindered, sheltered behind the curved windscreen atop the wheelhouse roof.
There was also an A-frame mounted to take the navigation lights and VHF aerial. Because it is mounted low over the windscreen it doesn’t interfere in any way and is a useful addition. The fit and finish of the new Seajeep has been upgraded and now includes a fully flow coated interior to the boat, so there are no ragged edges or shards of glass fibre to catch yourself on.
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Driving the Seajeep showed what a useful little boat this still is. The hull is rather noisy through the water and the ride is a little harsh when compared to modern deep-V designs, but not untoward. Having the sea astern is always a good test for a boat and we had a bit of a following swell. By trimming the motor up a little the Seajeep rode very well, the trim raising the bow and preventing that characteristic yawing you get if the bow drops too low on a shallow raked stem.
The strength of the Seajeep is in her handiness. She is lightweight and easy to handle on a beach launch or exposed slipway. She is a small boat and so will fit in any normal garage and is easily managed solo if you need to.
The other attraction of having a smaller boat is that you don’t need to buy a gas guzzling 4x4 to tow her about. Any 1600cc car will have no trouble pulling the Seajeep up and down the country and launching or recovering from a hard slipway.
The Seajeep has been recreated to provide an affordable, easily driven and managed boat that will put you in range of bigger fish when the weather allows.
She also makes a fun little boat for the family to enjoy on non-fishing days if you need her to.
