Specification:
Length 16ft
Beam 6' 9"
Draught 10"
Weight 550Kg
Engine 60hp max
Country of manufacture: Lancashire, UK
More details on full specification can be found at Douglas-Marine
The modern semi-cathedal hull form makes for excellent sea-keeping qualities, combining a deep-vee entry for comfortable, dry ride at speed, and heavy reverse chine to grip the water in tight turns and to provide exceptional stability at anchor.
The hull construction incorporates a solid hardwood inner keel for exceptional longitudinal strength and rigidity, with a large underfloor buoyancy chamber and sealed storage lockers ensure the boat has excellent freeboard, even when swamped. The hull is constructed to Lloyds' specification using only Lloyds' approved materials. the hull also carries a three year guarantee. The standard colour is diamond white, although other colours available at extra cost.
The generous cockpit area makes the Preadator 160 ideal for sea angling, diving, family fun, or for use as a fast work boat.
The windows are of tinted polycarbonate and are through bolted to resist wave impact, an essential feature for seaworthiness.
The Predator 160 is equipped with a heavy duty stainless steel bow roller and foredeck bollard which are accessed for safety from within the cuddy, through an opening front hatch.
Anchor stowage is provided for with a storage compartment built into the bows and an upholstered bucket seat (for comfort and support) is provided at the helm position. This seat swivels through 360 degrees for convenience when at anchor and is mounted on a GRP seat box which also provides dry storage.
In addtion to the seat base, dry stowage compartments with sealed locker hatches are alwo provided in the steering console and in the bow seats in the cuddy.
The Predator 160 is equipped as standard with heavy duty, non-returning steering system and with a quality padded steering wheel.
Two low-profile stainless steel stern cleats are provided in addition to the foredeck mooring bollard.
The standard equipment includes full length grab rails to both sides of the cockpit and smaller grab rails to the rear of the cuddy.
The Predator 160 is also equipped with heavy duty gunwhale fendering and 2 built-in rod holders, and a stern boarding step.
Standard Equipment
Single helm seat
Fire extinguisher
Stainless steel bow roller and stainless cleats allround.
Ultraflex no feed back steering.
2 rod holders.
Stainless handrails down the full length of either side.
Stainless steel step.
Full CE tested, Only Lloyds approved materiels used in the construction.
All with full warranty.
Specification:
Length 16ft
Beam 6' 9"
Draught 10"
Weight 550Kg
Engine 60hp max
Country of manufacture: Lancashire, UK
More details on full specification can be found at Douglas-Marine
Report by Dave Lewis courtesy of Sea Angler
If you are looking to buy a boat that can be towed anywhere, be easily launched and retrieved and is a delight to the skipper, then take a very close look at the Predator 160 before you open your wallet. For this smart boat is well designed and laid out, a craft that is fast and eye- catching, yet at first glance looks very similar to several other established makes of angling boats on the market.
With an overall length of 16ft and 6ft 9in beam, the hull is what is described as being a semi-cathedral. Basically we have a hybrid design that combines the very best of vee and cathedral design hulls.
The vee-hull is noted for its ability to cut through waves providing a smooth ride through choppy seas at speed, through often the trade off for this is less lateral stability than the cathedral hull.
However, while a cathedral hull does offer a huge amount of cockpit space, it does have a reputation for slamming when being driven hard through choppy seas conditions. Douglas Marine Led, who build the impressive Predator 160, have combined the front half of a vee-hull with the back half of a cathedral very successfully to achieve the best of both worlds.
The basic layout is an open cuddy. Forward we have a spacious cuddy with a decent amount of head room, a large forward opening hatch to enable the crew to work the anchor and good-sized tinted polycarbonate windows that have been cut over size and bolted in place for strength and all-round visibility.
We have the usual moulded seats port and starboard, with watertight hatches that open to reveal some spacious dry stowage boxes.
I particularly liked the open stowage compartment located immediately beneath the forward hatch, which is ideal for storing the anchor, chain and plenty of warp. There's nothing worse than hauling the anchor in pitching seas and having to carefully manipulate the warp into a bow locker.
The decent-sized console, which features a recess for holding a fire extinguisher, is positioned to starboard and features an opening hatch in the front giving access to the wiring looms.
The test boat was fitted with seats for both a helmsman and crew person, which had been mounted on top of moulded fibreglass boxes that incorporate additional stowage space. The helmsman's seat is standard, while the crew seat an optional extra, both seats swivelling through 360 degrees.
The cockpit is large and spacious for the size of the boat and is plenty big enough for two anglers to fish in comfort, three at a push. Inboard freeboard is an excellent 32in, yet Douglas Marine takes safety to a much higher level with stainless gunnel rails and first-class non-slip finish on the deck.
The high freeboard continues across the full width of the transom. The test boat was fitted with a full beam transom seat, though I suspect most anglers would prefer the usual open transom arrangement where fuel tanks, battery and fish boxes can be stored.
Under floor chambers provide buoyancy, which can be foam filled as an optional extra costing £225. Standard fixtures and fittings include a heavy-duty stainless steel bow roller and foredeck bollard, all necessary deck hardware including a couple of flush-mounted rod rests, gendering and a stern boarding step - a particularly notable safety feature given the large amount of freeboard.
A couple of stainless grab handles either side of the cuddy are also standard. A full range of factory-fitted optional extras is available on this CE Category C boat.
Sea conditions were almost flat when I tested the Predator 160 on the tidal River Ribble, downriver from Preston in Lancashire. I would like to have run this boat under more testing conditions, but you accept what you get on the day.
The boat was fitted with a 50hp Mercury outboard, which Douglas Marine tell me gives the boat speeds up to 31 mph. Maximum is 60hp, which gives 37mph, more than enough for most sea anglers.
At slow speed and for close-quarter manoeuvring, the boat handled beautifully. The heavy-duty, non-return steering is fitted as standard and the benefits were reassuring at all speeds.
Eventually the narrow creek joined the Ribble and I was able to open the throttle and really get to grips with this boat… wow! She really flew. Open the throttle and she rose swiftly and smoothly up onto the plane, and quickly achieved her maximum speed.
In a few places we did encounter conditions bordering on a slight chop, but the forward vee-section sliced through the water smoothly and cleanly, yet it wasn't until I tried turning at that I experienced the benefits of the cathedral aft section.
I pushed the Predator 160 through increasingly tight turns at high speed until I was pretty much locking the helm over from dead ahead to hard over at full tilt. at no time did the engine attempt to cavitate while lateral stability was held, thanks to the heavy reverse chines that gave effective grip in the water.
It was a shame we couldn't find more confused water, so we could have pushed her harder, from what I could see a bit of choppy wet stuff wouldn't confuse this boat."
If I Were looking for a fast, trailable angling boat then the Predator 160 would be on my shortlist of three or four boats. Best of all it has a recommended retail price of just £4300, so a complete package including boat, engine and trailer would be in the budget of many anglers.
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.