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This package is so far the most serious fishing in a fish/ski/family combo that I've had the pleasure to test. Serious anglers will have no issues at all with the layout for fishing and that's what sets the TAHOE^® brand apart from many competitors.

The TAHOE^® Q4SF has a superlative hull and impeccable design that is packaged to perform as a perfect family runabout while being versatile enough to meet the standards of the very serious angler. Measuring in at 5.92 metres with a wide beam of 2.31 metres the Q4SF combines a terrific balance of performance, fishability and fun boating. The 220 HP Mercury^® sterndrive delivers plenty of power and a reasonable fuel economy.

Some of the features on the TAHOE^® Q4SF include king-sized swim platform, sizeable storage areas, adjustable interiors, swiveling skippers bucket seat, jump seats on either side of the engine compartment and a host of fishing accessories.

TAHOE^® is part of the TRACKER^® Marine Group are imported into by TRACKER Marine Australia. The Q4SF comes in a sterndrive or outboard configuration. The boat as tested came complete with a MerCruiser^® 4.3 litre MPI 220 HP V6 stern drive and colour matched trailer with GalvaShield™ protection.

Hull Design

The TAHOE^® Q Series hull and package was introduced just over a year ago and has been accepted as one of the best combination hulls around. It is an extremely high quality fiberglass construction, with a finish, style and design which is at a level of the best I've seen. The design of the hull is based on what is called a PowerGlide™ Hull complemented with HydroStep™ strakes designed to keep the hull still on the plane at slow speeds and give the hull greater manoeuvrability and predictability.

The HydroStep™ strakes are in my terms, very advanced and well-designed reverse chines that really lift the hull right high up onto the plane. This hull will cope with poor conditions on the likes of Port Phillip or Moreton bays and that capability makes this a very versatile and useful package.

The hull does get easily on the plane and the advantages with such a slippery hull are seen in fuel economy and plenty of top speed and performance. The deadrise is a neat 15 degrees which gives the hull a good ride in rough water and little if any evidence of broaching. The high sides deflect spray well and make for a very dry ride. The hull is really well balanced and tracks true with little evidence of sway even under shifting weight loads.

Ride and Performance

As already outlined the ride of this package is a real eye opener considering that the boat is essentially a bow rider configuration, albeit in a fish/family/ski package. It's really much more than that such is the level of development and hull design. The 220 V6 MerCruiser^® delivers plenty of power in a very controlled manner, which makes this package a really neat and tidy unit for almost anyone to drive. With skiing there's heaps of power to pull skiers out of the hole and for fishing and fun boating, the performance is exhilarating. The ride is soft, very predictable and I always felt that I was completely in control and it would be hard to drive this package so badly so that one would get into trouble. It's stable, it doesn't show indications of broaching, and it runs the waves well and is very dry for a boat of its size. I liked the way it just powered onto the plane and the boat was really balanced well too. Obviously the designers at TRACKER^® know how to design a boat for a sterndrive as this package felt like it was just seamless and was a real joy to drive.

Fit Out

The interior is well designed and laid out and fishing is never an after thought. As part of TRACKER^® Marine Group, one would expect just that and TAHOE^® models, including the Q4, is equipped with internal arrangements that can quickly convert cockpit seats to pedestal-mounted fishing chairs positioned on elevated fore and aft decks. Conveniently located live wells on most models are fully plumbed and aerated. There are plenty of storage compartments to stow fishing tackle within easy reach and the Q4 also features a factory installed MotorGuide^® bow mount electric.

The conversion from ski to fish only really takes a few minutes, the cushions are simply removed from the front and rear decks converting them to neat, solid casting platforms. The two rear seats are removed and relocated on their posts in position on the platforms to allow them to be converted to fishing and casting seats.

Other areas of the fitout are all of the highest standards, the dash is put together superbly, instrumentation is easy to see, the drivers position is excellent and the throttle falls easily to hand.

Overall

This is a fully factory fitted package and it shows. All the electrics are completely integrated, everything has a place and everything is in its place. The finish is just superb and couldn't be faulted. The ride and handling held no surprises; it was predictable and no nonsense and the performance are sparkling.

Overall it was a great package to test and if you can afford on you will not be disappointed. This package is definitely one of the best fish and ski packages.

Article by Bill Classon

Reprinted with permission from Sport Fishing Marine & Trailer Boats, September 2005.

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