Hugo Montgomery-Swan tests Avon’s top of the range sports tender - the 580 Seasport De Luxe. A RIB, which he was to discover, held one or two surprises up its inflatable sleeve...

I have to admit to considering that, usually, I can pretty much determine what most boats that come up for test will be like, in advance of the trial itself. But although having now tested/reviewed something in the region of 200 models, it was recently brought home to me how the act of predetermining a craft’s character is truly flawed. That’s right, I confess to having been taught a lesson! “About time too you smug blighter”, I hear you say. Yes, well, but allow me to assure you that you’re now dealing with a reformed man!

So, what induced such a realization? The truth is, a make of boat I thought I knew better than most - an Avon, for goodness sake! As to how, or in what manner, it took me by surprise I shall reveal in a moment, but, for now, let me begin by taking you through the RIB’s overall fit out and design.

The model in question is the Avon Seasport De Luxe 580 - a craft which bears the typical hallmarks of a blue water super yacht tender.  Despite this, however, Avon claim the 580 is also suited to the function of a stand-alone day boat/ sports RIB. There are five models in this particular range - from a 3.80 through to the 580, which, in fact, is the largest.

Fit-out
Much emphasis has been laid upon the boat’s aesthetics, and understandably so, as this product is designed for a market that places great importance on the matter of good looks. After all, a RIB such as the Seasport could well find itself adorning the aft deck of a luxury motor-yacht, so it’s vital that whilst fulfilling such a function, it doesn’t detract from the mother vessel in terms of design and overall finish.  It’s my view that the Avon scores highly in this regard as its design is neither ostentatious nor overly contrived. In other words, whether it be the 320 or the 580, the Seasport has the ability to blend in with most of the contemporary yacht designs currently on the market. Of course, its traditional, neutral and relatively plain white and grey livery helps in this respect, but that said, if this colour scheme doesn’t light your candle then you can now order your Seasport with dark blue tubes. Only, having these two colour options may grate a bit if you desire something a little less ‘off the shelf’, but both look seamanlike and tasteful nonetheless.

As regards the 580’s ‘internal affairs’, passenger accommodation is exceptionally good. With the ability to carry seven adults in relative ease, all the seating aboard the Seasport is of the ‘bench’ variety, and very comfortable it is too. (Optional swivel seats can apparently be fitted if so required.) Good quality upholstery with an adequate degree of cushioning helps to contribute to the quality of the ride when underway, plus, the vessel’s super low deck and generously high gunnel afford much protection as well as enhanced onboard safety. In fact, I have to confess to not being on any open RIB that boasted greater all round protection than this, and hence it would be almost impossible for a child to fall out of this boat when walking about on deck. The 580’s inner GRP shell, with its GRP cockpit surround, would no doubt give the first time RIB passenger a familiar feel of being aboard a hard boat, only with the increased sense of security that the addition of large, 52cm diameter inflatable tubes afford. It was good to see the 580 model had well placed handholds for all onboard - amongst which were the stainless steel rails that topped the vessel’s gunnels.

The deck of the boat features lighting and internal wet lockering intended for the stowage of skis and so on. Further storage of the dry variety can be found in the seating consoles, plus an additional large, bow locker that’s also internally lit. As regards the deck’s ability to shift a shipped sea ą well, it’s pretty limited. In fact there are no scupper points to speak of at all, except for the fact that the wet locker panels to the deck’s surface have been made in such a way as to allow the water to drain down between their cavity surrounds. The water then travels aft by means of a small interconnecting ‘channel’, before finally passing through the molded transom.

In my view this is simply not sufficient. The deep nature of the deck makes it all the more a potential collection point for a serious amount of unwanted seawater. Some might argue that this boat would never be likely to be taken out in a rough sea state where it could suffer a ‘stuffing’. But my argument against this view would be that its deep-vee hull is wholly suited to serious fun at sea and therefore, at some point, someone is going to be caught out by a wave that catches him or her unawares. When this occurs, the boat is likely to take on all the waterborne attributes of a semi-submerged cargo container!

The design of the helmsman’s and navigator’s consoles is such that they afford a central walk through. This provision means there is none of the usual squeezing past a console to go fore or aft, and, though the two consoles are relatively small in size, they are nonetheless quite sufficient, with the navigator’s position allowing for the fitting of any needed instrumentation. The driving position is good too, with both the wheel and throttle located in such a fashion as to afford the helmsman a high degree of control at all speeds.

The GRP molding is of an excellent standard, with the design of the internal ‘shell’ providing a high degree of rigidity.  Mind you, on a 5.8 metre RIB, this extent of GRP represents a fair degree of weight, and then of course there is the added payload of the boat’s 65-litre fuel tanks and the 45-litre water-tank to consider also. However, if anything, the hull’s substantial 558 kilos appeared to actually add to the boat’s overall handling and general sea-keeping.

Avon construct all their own Pennel hypalon tubes at their plant in Wales, and are known for producing a very high standard of work when it comes the inflatable side of the business. As mentioned earlier, the tubes to the 580 are quite oversized, even ‘blue water’ in their design, with this particular style being further emphasized by means of the RIB’s squared bow. However, I feel they tend to make the boat appear quite dumpy in appearance ą especially from the side angle. Her lines would be greatly enhanced if the sponsons, therefore, were tapered to the bow in order to ensure they were more flowing and sportier.

Performance
Coupled to a Yamaha 150hp outboard the 580 Seasport touched 53mph at full throttle and optimum trim. She climbed up onto the plane from a standing start in a sprightly six seconds and reached maximum revs in 18 seconds. This performance would therefore be quite adequate for water-sports purposes, that is, the pulling of skiers and wakeboards and so on. The hull’s spray rails work very effectively at deflecting the spray downwards, away from the boat, which not only results in a dry ride but also assists in the all-important matter of generating lift. The RIB benefits from good directional stability and its big tubes, whilst affording a high measure of stability, do not interfere with the hull’s hydrodynamics. Forward visibility is good and not impaired by any undue porpoising at low speeds. This also reinforces the fact that the boat is well balanced and benefits from good weight distribution.

I have to confess to being very pleasantly surprised at this RIB’s turn of speed and overall seaworthiness. But, upon being put through a tight turn, the hull did in fact allow a very small amount of slip out, with this minor tendency being slightly more noticeable on the port lock. I have to emphasize, however, that this was not to the degree where I would have considered it to be a problem or dangerous in any respect.  Generally, it held the water very ably and quickly inspired confidence thanks to its overall surefooted nature. I thoroughly enjoyed my time behind the wheel and was genuinely impressed by the 580’s very obvious seagoing ability. It was clear this was not just a high speed tender ą this was a true RIB with all the handling characteristics/hallmarks of a pocket cruiser or FRC.

The Seasport De Luxe’s hull is akin to Avon’s Adventure series ą a hull similar to, but narrower and slightly less ‘veed’, than the famous Avon Searider designed by George Marvin. Such then, affords much of the pedigree that belongs to the 580 with its somewhat surprising seagoing performance.  The old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover” is perhaps an apt one therefore, when it comes to the matter of assessing the potential abilities or characteristics of a boat awaiting trial. A lesson learnt? I admit to there having been so!

HMS