Specification:
Length 17'6" (5.33m)
Beam 6'3" (2.10m)
Weight 500Kg
Engine 5hp to 90hp Max
Country of manufacture: UK

More details on full specification can be found at http://www.seahog.co.uk

Commodore 17

By courtisy of Jim Whippy - Boat Fishing Magazine

To say the BFM Commodore 17 and the 70hp 4-stroke Suzuki have had a proper boat test is perhaps understating the fact. We have been out sometimes three times a week, occasionally on long trips up to 14 miles out, visiting several wrecks in a day. The weather encountered on these trips has covered from flat calm to a force 6 to 7 that came up during one of our club competiions. We've anchored in shallow water, over rocky reefs and in strong tide races off Beachy Head and can honestly say we've never had a scary moment.

Stable
The Seahog Commodore is a triple hull that remains stable and goes very fast with the Suzuki giving us upp to 33 mph. We are not quite achieving this at the moment because of a slight build up of growth on the hull despite two coats of anti-foul on the bottom.
Graham who fishes with me is 15 stone and with the two of us on one side the boat, while landing fish, hardly dips at all.
There's plenty of deck space, in fact it is almost a route march to grab your rod if sitting down and the rod's set in the rear holder. The two seats in the boat are superb and everyone remarks on how comfortable they are for fishing from. They can be turned to face the bow when under way.

The Hull
The question everyone asks who hasn't tried a triple hull is "does it slam" and honest answer is "Yes-in some conditions" but those conditions are when you really shouldn't be afloat. The hull cuts through waves up to a few feet high and we maintained 18mph going head onto a force five. Anything more than that and you will get plenty of slamming, but what boat wonldn't? The next question to address "Is it noisy at anchor". In other words would it scare the fish. As graham and I came first and second in our first three club matches this year I can say with certainty "No it doesn't scare fish and apart from very sloppy conditions it is great at anchor.

Outboard
I can't sing the praises of the Suzuki high enough. The four stroke is so economical, quiet and reliable it's a joy to go afloat. Some of the two strokes I've had in the past have been a pain. Main reason is the 4-stroke don't need all that oil mixing, in fact they use very little oil and you check it just as you would a car, using a dip stick.

Changes
So you've heard what I like about the boat now what would I change or add.
We have no cover from the rain or wind but a plastic cuddy would cure that. The bench seat forward of the helm could do with a raised edge to stop everything sliding off when under way. The bow roller is set too low because of the rounded shape of the bow and sometimes the anchor rope doesn't even touch it if we have a lot of rope out and tied off on the bow cleat.
The tonneau cover is only held on by a few clips at the bow and a few more on the stern, as all the other pot rivited clips have come off. None of these things would put me off the Commodore 17 as they can be overcome quite easily. Poolside Mouldings have dealers all round the country and do package deals on the Sehog range.

Part 2

The BFM Commodore 17 is going back to Poolside Mouldings after 18 months of constant use. The boat is one of the Seahog range and has come up to every expectation and helped me and my regular crew Graham to success in our club competitions as well as getting out to land loads of plaice, smoothound, bream, dogfish (of course), whiting and some nice cod. Coupled with the 60hp Suzuki four-stroke it's proved to be fast, achieving around 30mph, economical and safe. Our fuel consumption is excellent and we rarely use a full tank, even on trips up to 12 miles offshore.

Safe
We have never felt less than perfecly safe, sometimes in pretty dodgy conditions and wih the helm well forward there's tons of space for fishing, even with two big tackle boxes, bait buckets, fish boxes and the tub that holds the anchor, rope, chain and buoy.
The stability is impressive, due to the cathedral hull, as often we have both been right over on one side to land a fish yet the boat remains vitually level.
The good sized hatch allows access to the bow but we don't use it for anchoring as we work ours from the side of the boat using the Alderney ring.

Anchoring Tip
A safety tip here if you use the Alderney ring, make sure you use a stop to prevent the buoy coming right back to the bow at anchor. If the buoy is kept down the anchor rope at least four to five metres away from the bow you will be able to see it clearly when you prepare to retrieve the anchor and steer away from it.
With the cathedral hull like the Commodore 17 it can give you problems if you can't see the buoy as you pull forward and allow the rope to run under the boat. With a deep V boat it will slide off but it ca lay between the keels on this type of boat, but as I say, use a stop so you can see the buoy clearly and it solves the problem.

Outboard
The Suzuki 60hp has been absolutely brilliant. For those of you who have used a four-stroke cannot fail to have been impressed with the economy and quite running. It really can be difficult to hear our engine running sometimes and only the tell tale water outlet indicates it is actually going.
For anyone thinking of buying a boat who's looking for an economy price, low fuel consumption and plenty of safe, roomy fishing for two people, three at a push, then I can say this combination would be an excellent choice.

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.