If you’re looking to take eight of your mates and go for a cruise; take the kids onboard and throw a line in; or have a fun day out with the family on the tube, the River Runner 590 is a boat that’s got it all covered. With aluminium durability and classy finish, this craft is unlike other ‘tinnies’ you’ve come to know.
Traditionally, when something is said to keep up with the tough demand of being in Africa, what you can expect is that all focus from the builder has been put into making the toughest craft they can – and this usually means a sacrifice in quality finishes. This is why I was a little shocked to hear it said of Kimple’s new River Runner 590 since she doesn’t look the rugged work boat she’s been proven to be.
Kimple’s River Runner design was developed for the African environment with the company wanting a hull which would perform in rivers and lagoons. It has shown itself as a workhorse of waters at places north of our borders such as the Okavango Delta where the key is to run in shallow water and have performance handling to take on the maze of waterways and challenging corners. All without sacrificing the quality look and feel, this craft will destroy all doubt you’ve ever had in aluminium boats.
Deck Layout
There’s quite a lot within the 5.9 metres to feast your eyes on – and importantly for me, when a boat is designed to carry nine passengers, it’s good to see that there is a seat for each. There are four chairs up front which provide plenty of area to relax and socialise – or remove them and give yourself a generous sized fishing deck. And if doing some light angling is your type of thing, everything else aside, the River Runner 590 will be just up your alley. Fitted as extra on this craft is a live bait well and pump, Rail Blaizer accessories – such as rod holders and a bait board, and a Dragonfly fishfinder at the helm.
The River runner 590 is designed as a walk-around configuration, and interestingly enough, there’s more than enough space in either walkway for you to easily move around – which, if I’m honest, was quite refreshing as it’s not generally the norm on boats this size.
A feature of this River Runner which I really liked was the T-top. While it’s always nice to get some shelter from the sun when the days are hot, the added weight up top, especially on lighter boats, tends to make the craft top-heavy and therefore susceptible to rolling; however, it’s not the case here.