These days, you can pick up virtually anything, flip it over and see a little ‘Made in China’ stamp on it. Since the nation already builds everything from toys and robots to cars and bikes, why not a quality boat? Well, maybe they just have! The Editor, Dean Castle, gets better acquainted with two options from MorningStar.
You might not be able to tell immediately, but MorningStar’s cute but gutsy craft are, believe it or not, aluminium. Built in China and shipped around the world, including South Africa, this import is up against the likes of Linder boats from Sweden, Quintrex from Australia, Kimple from China, and various other locally built aluminium boats such as T-Craft. While a dealer of each brand can give you a plethora of reasons why their model is the best available, for me, it comes down to ride comfort and built quality. So let’s take a look at what these boats can offer you.
Deck Layout
It’s important to note that both of the boats you see in the accompanying pictures measure 4.65 metres. They do inn fact share the same hull. The difference comes in the deck layout where the BayFisher is a neat centre console and the BayRover is reminiscent of American river runners in design. Both layouts have their pro’s and con’s and it really comes down to which is the more practical for your time on the water.
The BayRover is unique as there’s no boat available in South Africa in this size range that I can think of which compares to this type of design style. Sure, it does have its own appeal, but the practical uses between this layout and the centre console don’t differ a whole lot, in my opinion. For example, you can fish, cruise the waterway, pull a tube or even just relax the day away on either of these models, but if you ask me, the BayFisher is the one you want; the walk around capability with the deck up front on the bow and the overall generous amounts of interior space for up to five passengers just offers that little bit more when it comes to real value.
