(air rushing)
(upbeat music)
Narrator: The following opinions are solely those
of BoatTEST.com and its test captain.
-: Hi, Captain Steve for BoatTEST.com,
and today I'm on Robalo's R180.
This is Robalo's answer for making a fish boat affordable.
Let's see how they've done as I take
it on a full test and performance evaluation.
Let's start by taking a look at the R180 on the trailer.
She has an 18 degree dead rise
with single-lifting strakes to each side.
Taking a look at the bottom,
I noticed that the keel is flat,
almost as a running pad,
which should give us quick times to plane
and minimal bow rise.
Our test boat was fitted with
a 115 horsepower Yamaha four stroke.
There's an option for bolting on
a 150 four stroke to the transom.
The fuel fill is flush-mounted to the cap rail,
just aport of the console.
Fuel capacity is 50 gallons.
The Robalo R180 has a length overall of 18 feet
four inches, a beam of eight feet,
and she draws two feet 2.5 inches of water.
With an empty weight of 2600 pounds, 3/4 fuel,
and two people onboard,
we had a test weight of 3,175 pounds.
I found the distance between the helm
and the leaning post to be just right.
I could stand behind the helm comfortably,
and also run the boat from the seated position.
There was a comfortable foot rest under the seat,
but I'd also like to see a recessed foot rest
on the console.
There is room for it behind the head.
For a boat aimed at keeping the price down,
there was a surprising amount of stainless steel,
and it continues at the helm with the wheel,
grab handles, and drink holders.
There are two rows of toggle switches
to either side of the panel.
The clutter is kept to a minimum
by utilizing the Yamaha digital multifunction gauges.
I measured 15 inches between the switch panel
and the gauges, so you can mount a good 12-inch display
if you're so inclined.
Our test boat was not equipped with the optional tilt wheel,
and I didn't find it necessary.
A center-mounted compass is standard
and it's flanked by two recessed areas to hold stuff,
and these spaces are rubber-matted and self-draining.
I like the stainless steel rail
running around the windshield,
it insured that there was always a place to hang on to.
The windshield itself is mounted into a sealed base
that keeps water out
and it eliminates annoying vibration while underway.
On the water, I found the R180 to be a pleasure to operate.
Our test boat was equipped with
the standard hydraulic steering,
and I wouldn't want to be driving all day without it.
She was very responsive to the helm,
and while we had a flat, calm day to test in,
it was easy to find wakes to carve through,
and the R180 performed quite well.
Launching off waves, she held a nice even keel,
and made a gentle stern-first reentry
that kept me in control and comfortable.
Even crossing the wake from the side
had a nice stable feel.
Doing hard turns were equally comfortable,
but were met with a little ventilation,
but it's rare that you'd operate this way.
Normal turns were a nonevent.
With the 115 horsepower Yamaha four stroke,
we reached a top speed at 6000 RPM and 41.1 miles per hour.
At that speed, we were burning just 10.4 gallons per hour
for a range of 178 miles.
Best cruise came in at 3500 RPM and 20.1 miles per hour.
At that speed, we were burning only 3.8 gallons per hour
for a range of 237 miles.
However, I found that the R180 felt most comfortable
at 4000 RPM and 25.5 miles per hour.
That's where my hand settled the throttle at,
and since the speed was generating only an additional
1.1 per gallon per hour fuel burn at the cost
of only 3 miles to the endurance,
that's probably where you'll be cruising too.
Thanks to the flat keel providing additional lift,
we had a quick time to plane of 3.8 seconds.
Acceleration was average, with the 115 horsepower plant
and we reached 20 miles per hour in 8.1 seconds,
and cruised through 30 miles per hour in 12.1 seconds.
Well, that's our look at R180.
Very comfortable fish boat.
As for affordability, the boat, motor
and trailer package is under $30,000.
For BoatTEST.com, I'm Captain Steve.
We'll see you on the water.
(air rushing)