Judging by the numbers of boats sold, the 17’ class must be the most popular size for the small boat angler, and it’s easy to see why. They’re light, so can be towed and launched with a normal family car, they don’t require huge tracts of horsepower to get them moving, they can accommodate three, or four anglers at a push, and can be parked on the drive at home. All in all this adds up to a very useful combination for a family day boat.

The Orkney 520 is a development of the hugely successful Strikeliner 16 and carries on the traditions that were built up around that boat. At just under 17 feet (you get 1'' change) the 520 is a handy enough size but with sufficient waterline to deal with moderate swells and even if it starts to break. Sheltered bays and estuaries are the meat and drink for the 520 or further offshore in settled weather.

Open or Cuddy

The boat I had was an open version, but there’s a forward cuddy available if you want somewhere to duck the worst of the weather. To be fair, it’s less of a cuddy and more of a rigid dodger. However, it does offer protection from wind and rain that an open boat cannot. As a payback, the open boat benefits from more usable deck space as the bow area comes into play.

The offset console steering is common to both boats and makes moving about the boat that much easier than negotiating a central console. It’s also a benefit to the rigging department as the wires and cables can be run through the gunwale, higher in the boat, and come out in the engine well at a convenient height to make a neat installation.

The remainder of the layout is pretty conventional with lockers below each of the seats in the stern, but they’re used for the battery and fuel tank, and I think a spare couple of gallons of fuel would fit in too. There’s still some room in them for small items such as a sponge, funnel, spares, tools and odds and ends.

Then there’s some stowage below the hinging pilot seats where a set of flares and warps could be stowed. The after cleats are partially recessed, so as to keep the sides clear of obstructions, and the hardware is all of proper seagoing dimensions.

In the bow there’s a well for the anchor and warp, which drains overside. There’s also a forward locker where main warps can be stowed. The bow is accessed by lifting the centre section of the wrap around bow seating.

The bow is properly equipped with a stemhead roller and substantial cleat on the inboard end of the rope well. Below this there’s a space, with a retaining lip, where a removable box can be stowed, which could hold all the loose items of seamanship gear, freeing up the locker space. The side seating, unusually, hasn’t been used for long lockers, and I think that these are filled with foam for buoyancy.

What isn’t quite so standard in small boats is the self-draining cockpit. There’s a small well with an internal bung. Once the boat is under sufficient way, about 10 knots, the bung can be opened and a venturi effect drains any water down to the last eggcupful. The bung can then be replaced and you’ve a dry boat. If you’ve ever noticed how much water collects in a boat on a rainy day, then you’ll appreciate how useful this little feature is.

Outboard Power

The Orkney 520 is designed to make use of smaller engine capacities, with a maximum rating of 30hp. The test boat was rigged with the brand new Suzuki 25hp four-stroke. This little engine is a diversion from the normal parallel twin design used for engines of this size. Instead, the Suzuki engineers have used a V-twin configuration to provide the power from a more compact engine layout.

V-twins have been used very successfully in motorcycle engines for the best part of a hundred years, and Suzuki can lay claim to one of the sweetest middle weight motorcycles on the road in their current SV650, so they’re nothing new to Suzuki.

This new outboard utilises a 70 degree angle between the cylinders so as to allow a significant weight saving by being able to leave out the balancer shaft. A single carburettor sits in the valley between the cylinders, making it a very compact design which is both light and powerful for the capacity.

A work-a-day engine like this also needs to have rugged reliability, so a single overhead cam is used for the simple and reliable two valve head. The result is a lightweight unit that returns excellent fuel economy in a reliable and easily maintained package.

At first, the thought of a 17 foot boat with only a 25hp motor might appear to be a bit on the slow side, but when I took her out she revealed a hidden ability. At manoeuvring speeds the engine does feel a little lumpy and the characteristic exhaust note is different to what we’re used to, but there’s no doubting the efficiency of the low down torque. As the revs rise the engine smooths out and the exhaust note becomes a more familiar burble.

Just creeping along at a slow trolling speed at under 900rpm is a piece of cake and isn’t putting the flexible V-twin under undue load. Opening her up to the wide open throttle setting of between 4,700rpm - 5,300rpm has the little engine buzzing like a hive of bees and getting just as much work done.

On the Water

The 520 is a right little sleeper. With the 25hp on the transom she didn’t only plane, she fairly spanked along and took some reasonable sized swells without breaking stride. The hull is a combination of fine entry bow, with a rounded, multi-chine main section. This gives her the ease to plane and ability to cut waves, but without the usual slap of a hard chine hull when drifting. All the elements of a sea boat with a good turn of speed and comfort have been combined into one.

The cockpit has loads of working space to fish from both ahead and astern of the steering position. The cockpit has a high internal freeboard, backed up with guardrails, making it safe and easy to reach the water overside for boating even large fish.

When we had her out we reached a maximum of just 20 knots on a brand new, tight engine with two up, but no gear. She rode very easily at slow speeds even in the swells that were rolling in. Opening her up had her up to speed without struggling to get on the plane and she impressed with her light handling and wave cutting ability.

Putting the wheel over she heels into a turn and can be put about hard enough to get the gunwale rails close to the water! She’s certainly very nimble and only requires small helm inputs during normal boating activities.

Being light and easily driven, fuel consumption is impressive at just over 1 gallon per hour. That equates to about four hours from a single five gallon tank at normal operating speeds. If you keep her nailed to the stop that figure will drop rapidly, but a full day of fishing shouldn’t use any more than a tank full. With a couple of gallons spare kept in the same locker you've plenty of range to fish the banks and reefs around the coast.

With her Orkney heritage backing her up you can be assured of a high standard of build coupled with a proven ability on the water that stretches back nearly 30 years. This is one small boat model that has endured and will go on providing sterling service to owners for many years to come.

August 2006

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