Specification:
Length: 16' 11"
Beam: 6' 1"
Weight: 750lb
Engine: Yamaha 30h.p. 4-stroke
Country of Manufacture: U.K.

Report from Gary

I purchased this boat to replace a Mayland Firefish 150, which had been sold to me as a suitable fishing boat for inshore waters. It was not, it rolled terribly at anchor but was fantastic as a 30 knots ski boat. An expensive lesson was learned.... always question what you are being told by a dealer,
The 520, on the other hand, is as stable as any boat with a 6ft beam, and probably better than most. With 2 people on one side to net a fish, she remains quite flat in the water. My 520 is fitted with a cuddy giving some protection against the elements and sea spray, but as it is not tall enough to stand up in, you must sit and drive for protection on the move.

The inside the cuddy is lined with bouyancy foam filled seats. The front seat cover lifts up and with the front hatch open fully, you can stand upright when recovering the anchor obviously making this job a lot easier.

Pilot and co-pilot seats are lift top giving deep useful storage boxes for the important things like flasks, food etc. The main deck space is clear of other obstructions giving a great platform to fish from.
At the stern, 2 seat boxes are situated with lift up lids, one housing the battery and the other housing the fuel tank.
The 520 will fish 2 in comfort, 3 is fine but I think with all the necessary kit, 4 anglers on board would prove a squeeze. The deck is self draining making light work of scrubbing down on the way back to port.

Under power the 520 handles well although she can tend to 'slam' into waves at times. This can normally be rectified by easing back on the throttle and you can still motor comfortably at about 11 knots. On a very calm day this summer, we opened her up to 22 knots flat out.

The un-braked trailer supplied with the 520 is an assett worth shouting about. The tilting bed allows for easy launch and recovery, and not being braked means one less servicing job to do. But the star feature of this trailer is the sealed waterproof bearings. According to the manufacturer (Dixon Bate), all that is requred is an annual service carried out by a DB authorized dealer. I have fully submerged the wheels on each launch/recovery with no ill effect

The engine on my 520 is a Yamaha 30hp 4-stroke. This frugal engine delivers clean, smooth, efficient power, and it constantly amazes me just how much quieter 4-stroke is than 2- stroke. In the 9 months I have owned the engine I have found it to be extremely efficient and have experienced none of the cutting out problems that I have read can plague 4-stokes.

I believe that the 520 stands well against any 17 footer, provided your expectations are realistic for a boat of this size.

Gary's Boat

Specification:
Length: 16' 11"
Beam: 6' 1"
Weight: 750lb
Engine: Marina 30h.p. 2-stroke
Country of Manufacture: U.K.

Report courtesy of Boat Angler, Sept 1998

There she stood, gleaming white and yellow in Orkney's Arundel yard. Out of the water she looked huge, but that's a landsman's view of a boat out of the water - at sea the space can shrink to the size of a postage stamp. But the new 520 is still a big little boat and the ideal fishing tool for the two-angler team.

Peering over the gunnel the design changes became instantly apparent. Gone is the huge gunnel-to-gunnel seat which swallowed up deckspace and barred easy access to the cuddy and anchor. Gone are the exposed fuel tanks and lines... yes, the 520 has a lot of uncluttered space for such a little boat.

With the huge plank-like thwart seat gone, you get dedicated skipper and pilot seat boxes. More on them later! To make the boat easier to work, Orkney have moulded a flip-up seat and haul the pick.
Those of you familiar with earlier Strikeliners will know you had to kneel on the front seat and haul the warp. Not always easy and definitely hard work, especially in a working sea. Now, at near 6ft 2in, I can stand up and give the anchor rope the stick it sometimes needs.

If, like me, you like a clear deck, then you will love the 520. In the starboard locker, which has a flip-up seat moulded in the op, goes the 5 gallon tank, with the fuel line running directly off the engine and into the back of the locker. So there's no fuel feeds anywhere near the working and fishing area.
I like the stern seat box idea because it keeps water, and especially airborne sea spray and salt, away from the tank vent which should mean no fuel contamination. The locker is also big enough to hold a 5 litre back-up plastic fuel tank, which holds a petrol/oil mix for the 3.3hp Mariner auxiliary.
And there's more. Also stored out of the way goes the spare two-stoke oil and a funnel, which isn't used at sea but is useful ashore for moving fuel about. So, all in one place is the stuff needed to power the boat. Perhaps the only little disappointment is that I have to have a 5 gallon tank reserve stored up in the front of the cockpit - the only plus point being it moves some of the weight well forward.

The port locker, which again is a box seat, holds the battery and bilge pump. I could put a 21/2 gallon spare tank in here but I am loathe to mix petrol with electrics! You could store spare boat gear in here, but you would have to watch for a stern-heavy situation which could affect trim and performance.

More internal changes...

The individual seats already mentioned are brilliant! I don't use the actual seat to sit on when the boat is underway, I prefer the stand and look ahead, but I use it for fishing when I am facing astern. It has also become my bosun's locker with all kit needed to keep the boat functioning stored in it.
Lifting the lid it holds more two-stroke oil, T-bar, wash-down sponges, spare chain shackles, WD-40, priest, spotlight, spare mooring lines and I don't know what else.
The pilot seat is dedicated for fishing tackle, holding lines, lures, leads and all the other bits in need. It's so useful you don't need a tackle box aboard unless you are carrying specialist gear.

The console and wheel on the 520 has been changed and now has a flat top to take electronics. I have placed an Eagle Ultra Classic fish-finder to the right and at the back of the console I have sited an Eagle View GPS lower down in front of it, angling it back on the slope so that I have both in direct line of sight. The fuse control panel sits below the wheel. Orkney have moulded in a compass housing which takes a big backlit model that I can see while standing at the wheel.
This is a smart stainless-steel spoked model with thick padded rubber outer grip ring. Using the console as a center point, I have attached a Sowester fire extinguisher and Sowester Coastal flare pack to the side. The reasoning is I can grab them quick!
Using heavy-duty Velcro, I have since attached a Sowester first-aid kit to the back of the console. I can now 'rip it off' and take it anywhere in the boat in an emergency or pass it to another boat if need be. Using the same method I have also attached a plastic box measuring around two inches deep above the flare pack. This holds folded charts and the back up hand-held VHF radio.

Bench seats line the cockpit. They don't have lids because they are filled with buoyancy foam which helps keep the 520 afloat if she gets holed or swamped. There's plenty of all-round vision with big windows each side of the cabin and three small ones along the front. The hatch flips up and out of the way, so you can work the anchor and there is a small anchor well which I don't use, bringing all the warp, chain and anchor back inboard when underway.
The small foredeck has a large anchoring cleat fixed to it and a bow roller completes the forward tackle. I must have been unlucky because my bow roller doesn't roll, despite trying to free it with WD40 and oil. A few hefty whacks with a hammer hasn't freed it, which means hauling anchor is a chore.

I measured the gap when the front seat flap is lifted up and purchased a large kid's plastic toy storage box to fit the hole. It now holds the bulk of the cable tidily out of the way, although storing the anchor is a headache and I carry that, and the chain, in the fish box while on the road to prevent it bouncing about and wrecking the GRP.

Orkney have done away with the tricky job of feeding steering cables and electrics between hull and internal moulding by fitting an unobtrusive trunking panel down each side of the inside gunnel. Now a job that was a nightmare, even for professionals, is a doddle.

Hull and engines
The 520 is designed around a tough and sea-proven semi-displacement hull which gives a top speed, in ideal sea conditions, of 22 knots, driven by a more powerful 35hp long shaft outboard. The previous hull was rated to take engines to 25hp, so there is now more power to call on.
A standard 16ft 11in, 6ft 1in beam boat is built in heavy-duty laminated GRP and the hull and deck are wet bonded with a GRP girder system under the cockpit sole for additional strength. Of course, the craft has full built-in buoyancy. A new feature is a self-bailing cockpit when the craft is underway, the drain hole being stopped with an expandable rubber snap-over plug between the rear seats.
Hull fittings include anodized alloy mooring cleats, inner and outer transom plates, heavy-duty fender, stainless steel winch eye and galvanized keelband bringing the complete weight of the boat, without the engine, to a very manageable and trailerable 750lb (340kg).
Engine options are wide and varied depending on pocket and preference ranging from Yamahas to Mariners, Johnson and Hondas. Our boat is fitted with a Mariner 30ELO two-stroke, with a back-up 3.3 Marine auxiliary and the combination, considering weigh, works very well.

Personal impressions
As you know, our previous boat was a 19ft Fastliner in center console Bass Hunter guise - a great boat, very fast and superb fun to drive. but she was wet and heavy to launch-and-retrieve with a two partner crew. The 520 is far easier to handle and slips off the trailer like a dream and even the missus can winch her back on the cradle!
A fine sea boat. I have tried her here, in the calm waters of a Scottish sea loch and opened he up in the choppy seas off Mull and she behaved like a dream. Not a big boat, but easy to handle, stacks of room for two anglers but you must be careful about overloading the hull with kit... too much gets in the way anyway!

Put the 520 behind a car and you won't know it's there - I have a 2 litre Mondeo and can take the boat anywhere with minimal gear shuffling to keep the revs up. Minimum fuss means some great fuel returns, especially on long hauls.

I see the Orkney 520 as a 'keep-at-home-take-anywhere' two-man angling boat that is designed and capable of handling most inshore angling situations with the option of pushing offshore up to maybe 12/14 miles in suitable sea conditions, especially if fishing with a buddy boat.

Specification:
Length: 16' 11"
Beam: 6' 1"
Weight: 750lb
Engine: Yamaha 25hp 4-stroke
Country of Manufacture: U.K.

Report courtesy of Mike Thrussell World Sea Fishing

Built down in Ford near Arundel, Sussex, Orkney boats have been a favourite with sea anglers for donkey’s years and are one of the commonest small angling boats seen bobbing on the moorings inside our harbours and marina’s. They are also often the first boat bought by a newcomer to dinghy fishing.
I’ve never actually owned an Orkney myself, but I’ve fished on more than a few that mates have owned over the years, so I already felt I knew the Orkney 520 I was about to test pretty well.
She was waiting and ready for the slipway when I arrived in Swansea at the Cambrian Boat Centre. With a weather forecast suggesting a later increase in the already brisk force 4 east wind, I figured I’d just got time to look her over before heading offshore.

DESIGN FEATURES
This new 520 differs slightly from the older type I’m more used to. The semi-displacement hull is more vee shaped nowadays and with more beam at the waterline. This modification is said to give greater stability at anchor and improves the overall speed and sea keeping qualities in heavier seas.
All hidden cavities are filled with foam buoyancy, and the deck is formed to the hull, keel and deck structure during the actual moulding stage which improves the overall strength of the hull in relation to actual weight.
Taking in the stern first you have ample room for fitting an auxiliary engine bracket along side the main engine. What you immediately notice though, is that the splash well is not that deep, nor wide. I made a mental note to check this in a following sea during the test.
A couple of feet back from the stern on the gunnels you have a T cleat either side for mooring off. Built in to the stern corners are large locker seats with plenty of storage space underneath.
The gunnels on the 520 only come up to lower thigh height and I’m an average 5’ 10” high. There was no safety rail on the test boat, and I’d be inclined to fit at least a 6-inch stainless steel safety rail to the gunnel tops, just in case anybody ever slips on deck, or leans too far over when trying to tail a tope or other big fish.

Looking forward you have two locker seats, the one on the starboard side being the helm seat. These are large enough to hold small tackle boxes and smaller boat gear items needed for quick access.
The wheel is a car type, stainless with a heavily grained plastic covering that is ideal when the hands are cold and wet as it gives you a surface area that maximises your grip at all times. The steering console also has room for a switch panel, with space for a compass on top. There is no locker space underneath, the below console area is open.
Most boaters choose to fit their VHF, GPS etc, either directly in front of the helm seat under the cabin top, on to one side at an angle.
The cabin seating has room for maybe four. The middle seat hinging upwards to free up standing room for getting access through the Houdini hatch to haul anchor. Also between the hinging seat and the Houdini hatch is a spacious anchor locker.
The cabin windows are fitted in with rubber inserts. More experienced boaters would prefer these to be cut oversize and bolted in for extra strength.
The cabin top has stacks of room for a stainless steel gantry to carry your VHF aerial and steaming light stack to give them extra height if need be, though many just fit their aerial, steaming light and GPS receiver directly to the cabin top. The upper side edges of the cabin also have small moulded in areas designed to take your navigation light, though these were not fitted to the test boat.

Up on the bow you have an open anchor locker, with an alloy T cleat and alloy bow roller.
The test boat certainly looked smart finished with a blue hull and white top side, with black fendering, though I think the Orkney standard colour is all white, alternative hull colours being an extra.

HOW THE 520 PERFORMED
You can tow these boats with a typical 1600 to 2-litre family car and you’ll barely notice you have the boat at the back. They are also very easy to launch and retrieve. A mate of mine works his boat completely on his own, which gives you some idea of how effortless it is.

Nudging out from the lock it was only when we rounded the breakwater that I realised just how strong the wind was. Checking the horizon it was pretty bumpy out there with plenty of white tops. We went with the wind heading west.
Babbati, the test boat, is fitted with the classic Yamaha 25hp 4-stroke unit and opening the throttle the acceleration comes in progressively all the way through the range, but don’t be deceived because this is a nippy boat that quickly reaches her cruising speed. In the conditions I had I couldn’t really wind her up, but I’d guess she’d easily cruise around 14-knots with the 25hp and be pushing about 20-knots flat out. Fuel wise about 3 and bit gallons an hour at average working speeds would be somewhere about right. These figures are a guess on my part, and are not quoted figures.
I spotted a patch of heavier sea and made a bee line for it. Swinging the bow back in to the wind and heading in to the waves, some of which were over 3-feet, the boat tends to cut through with minimal effort, though you do get some wind blown spray coming back over the cabin top and into your face when standing. And stand I had to do, as the water was full of floating debris including logs and sticks from a recent flood. If I’d been sitting down I’d never have seen them.
Remembering my mental note about the shallow splash well, I swung the boat around and with the waves. In a following sea she’s fine, but if you absolutely have to reverse in to a series of waves, and trust me sometime circumstance will dictate you need to, then the water bulb can creep high up in to the splash well. I was putting the boat in a deliberately bad position, but it’s something to bear in mind if you’re caught in very rough seas.
Coming around again I made the hull quarter the waves, which she does superbly. She’ll lift a little at the bow, tilt slightly to one side as the wave hits her almost beam on, but rights herself immediately the wave passes underneath. You need minimal wheel correction to keep on course.
I also cut the power and watched how she drifted. She tends to sit bow slightly off the wind, but drifts pretty straight, and she’s stable, so makes for a good platform if you drift for bass or plaice over sandbanks.

Once more coming around to face the waves, I waited for a biggie, came over the top and into the trough, eased off the power and turned her fully around. She proved very predictable with no tendency to over lean in what is a nasty manoeuvre to have to make in what was a very short sea.
In calmer seas, if you gun the throttle and want to make a tight turn, the boat will lean in to the corner direction, sit the inside corner quite deep, but stick like the proverbial to a blanket. She also stops pretty quickly if you need to make an emergency stop when cutting back hard on the throttle.
Leaving the wheel to one of the CBC lads, I walked about on deck while we were moving. She does lean to one side a bit when you shift both your combined weight to the one side, so again care is needed when you move about, especially if you’re a bit of giant. This is not a criticism of the boat, just commonsense boating procedure.
This also applies if a big fish needs the attention of two of you on the one side of the boat. Two of you leaning on the same gunnel will make the boat lean over a fair way, but still leaving you plenty of safe freeboard.

WOULD I CHANGE ANYTHING
I’d certainly add at least a 6-inch safety rail to the gunnels for added safety. I personally feel the gunnels as they are are too low and it’s so easy to slip on a small boat, or be thrown to one side while underway.
The windows held in with rubber inserts are okay if you’re estuary fishing. If you buy this boat to go to sea some distance offshore, then I’d fit oversize windows and bolt them in.
The seat lockers are bloomin’ hard on your backside when sat to steer. You’ll need at least a cushion or better still fit swivel seats.
When you’re sat on the seat lockers, there was nothing to hold on to for added security. If I bought a 520, I go for grab rails positioned just rear of the side cabin window on the inside edge. This especially applies to the port side where the passenger sits.

The Houdini hatch is quite small. If you’re a big lad or lass, then you have to access the open hatch first sideways on, then twist your shoulders round to get yourself through for hauling anchor.
The deck on the test boat was stippled finish for grip, but painted white. The test day was sunny and you do get quite a bit of kick back in to your eyes. Painting the deck a matt blue or grey would cure the problem.
I know this sounds a long list, but they are only niggly things, and I am a bit of granny when it comes to safety afloat. It’s also fair to say, that this is a customer owned boat and the fitting out may well be to a particular standard requested by the customer for personal use.

MY VERDICT
The Orkney 520 is a proven hull, with excellent sea keeping characteristics, and a good turn of speed. She’s forgiving if she is your first boat and treats you gently when you make a basic mistake. She’s also economical.
I see her as an excellent choice for the crew that wants varied fishing inshore working up to say 8 miles out in good weather targeting bass over sandbanks, reef fishing, bassing close to shore and estuary fishing. If you do get caught out in deteriorating weather, just throttle her back, read the waves and keep her bow on, and you’ll be home without drama.
You could also go for the bigger Yamaha F30 30hp on the 520 which will push up your top speeds to something in the region of 24 to 25-knots and lift your cruising speed to about 16-knots. Nice to have the option and you don’t have to use the all the power on the day.

Disclaimer: Everything written in these reports are based on personal experience and the individual's opinion only. I have tried my best to present the facts correctly, but I/we take no responsibility for any mistakes or omissions.