550 cruise craft outsider

[Gozz]

Hi does any body own or fish in one,
I am looking at buying one and I'd love some info on ride stability etc.
Thank you

[jtpython]

Mate if it's a 550 it must be from 1997 to around 2002 roughly mind yiou i have the explorer model 2001 absolutely amazing boat i imagine the outsider is a bit more heavyier and handle chop alot better but i wouldn't give my explorer up unless for the 685 explorer

[Gozz]

Thanks mate,just had a look and the outsider and explorer share the same hull apart from the cabin and there is about 40kg less weight in the explorer.
Very nice rig you have there,how does it cut through the 1.5 m chop.

[jtpython]

aBSOLUTELY AMAZINGLY
BUT DOESN'T LIKE GOING STRAIGHT INTO IT
PM AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE LINK TO MY VIDEO'S MATE
YES YOU ARE RIGHT I THINK BY MEMORY THE EXPLORER IS 750MM LONGER IN FISHING ROOM AND THE OUTSIDER IS 750MM LONGER IN CABIN SPACE
I DO HAVE ALL THE SPEC'S AND I CAN GIVE YOU A LINK TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEENT BOTH MODELS

[juju]

Gozz.......is this the gozz from fishnet?......E-Tec???.......this is the old Rustyshakelford....

[finding_time]

I have spent a fair bit of time in GBC'c old 550 outsider and it was a pretty good fishing platform, very stable for it's size. GBC's outboard was a bit over propped and this combined with the fact that he's a fairly laid back fella and was never in a hurry contributed to a good ride at about 18-20 knots( not good for the motor though) but if there was anything less than good conditions and you were in a hurry the ride was bloody terrible ( they dont get the name bruise crafts for nothing) the boat planned at a low speed which was the compensation and again if it got rough you could come home quite slowly and be comfortable.

Gbc now owns a signature 545 centre consol and the ride of this boat is very very good and the faster you drive it the better it gets. For a similar sized boat the ride quality is chalk and cheese but the signature has less fishing room and is not quite as stable , every thing is a trade off

There are plenty of boats i would bypass to get a 550 outsider but there are also a few around that i would bypass a 550os for .

Ian

[mikeyh]

Hey Gozz,
I had one for about 3 years here in Townsville with a 130 2 stroke Yammy. Lot of offshore work out to the reef for diving and fishing.....once took her to the back of the slashers (118km out) but usual trips 80km each way. We dont get swell here but lots of chop. Brilliant boat, very stable from wide beam, good in following sea. I agree with the comments about banging (straight) into chop but the only boat I have found that copes with that are Kevlacats (or big Riviera's !!)......very deep vee Haines do have better ride but I find they rock and roll more at anchor. I was very happy with the build quality and finish and if I was into another trailer boat would like to look at a 685.....although the cat would probably sway me.

cheers, Mike

[Gozz]

Thanks heaps for your replies,just waiting to hear from seller,he's gone away until early next week.
Any more info would be great while I'm waiting.

[GBC]

Ditto what finding time said -

Honest enough hull, good layout, good stability, excellent bow/stern recovery (due to the fact that they are fat).

Wouldn't say it was more stable than the signature - sigs sit very low at rest.

Good enough for what they are - if not completely overpriced these days.

If you want to do big offshore miles quick you'll end up hating it - buy something sharp like a haines/seafarer/sig.

I'd have another one if I didn't continually cross the top of Moreton Bay to go fishing - they hurt you in 3ft chop, and are harder to keep in the water at any speed compared to the other hulls mentioned.

Having said that, they will plane slower than a punt, and shoulder most rough stuff.

I capped more than a few waves with mine (hence the hipped sheerline in the 575 update), filling the cabin well on a couple of occasions and stalling the motor. I'd install a very good bilge pump cause capping a wave at speed = lots of water. They aren't notorious for it, maybe outsider owners are tight lipped about it - maybe I was unlucky or pushing it too far?

Lastly I'd say buy it with confidence that it won't cost you money. They are worth more now than they were a few years ago when I sold mine. The build quality is O.K. (screws still rattle out, and the pinch mouldings coming loose and being uncleanable will drive you mad) - certainly no less than the other majors apart from seafarer who were a cut above at that time.

Feel free to ask any questions - I'll be blunt and honest.

Oh, and the anchor well is not good at best. Access is bad, and the well is open to the cabin, so when you cap waves, the little lid flies open and all your precious stuff you keep on the cabin shelves gets a bath.

C.J.

[mikeyh]

Agree totally with GBC about the pricing...and also about the resale...I sold mine for nearly what I paid and I was the 2nd owner. I never copped any greenies over the bow (luckliy) and in terms of the mouldings (mine had screws replaced with nuts and bolts...so fair call CJ. If I was doing big offshore miles (and wasnt after bells and whistles inside) Id go for a cat,
cheers, Mike