Sportsman Heritage 241 – By Luke Galea
Late last year, I had the opportunity to review the Island Reef 17 brought to you by the reputable and world-class stable at Sportsman boats. It is fair to say that at that time, the range of fibre-glass saltwater fishing and pleasure boats built in Australia had just been bolstered by the addition of this tried and tested, true performer. By all accounts, sales of these boats have been going well which is not surprising considering how impressed I was by these sleek, stylish, yet very practical and effective fishing machines. Apparently, there were many other people who shared my opinion!
Just check out the lines on this hull! You just know that this boat is going to be a top performer without even getting it in the water.
When I recently received the phone call from Andrew Camilleri, owner of Reef Marine Mackay to come check out the big new Sportsman Heritage 241 that had just landed at his store (from Sportsman headquarters in Summerville, South Carolina), well, I was pretty bloody excited. I knew I just HAD to check this thing out. Arriving at Reef Marine you could hardly miss it. The presence of the Heritage 241 was outstanding as it was sitting pride of place, proudly out the front of the store.
Immaculately designed and finished, it oozes class, screams luxury and has certainly been developed with comfort in mind.
For me personally, this was the most noticeable standout difference setting the Heritage 241 apart from most other traditional fibreglass vessels which have fishing as their sole purpose. The premium Sileather Marine silicone-coated seats (available in 3 colours) are not only super comfy, but are also tough, durable and able to withstand the harshest of conditions. Cushions, bolsters, branded foot rests and mats as well as perfectly placed cup holders are just a few more of the components that add to the comfort side of things. But is that it? Hell no! There are a whole swag of one-percenters that contribute to its prestige status. In a nutshell, the Heritage 241 is an all-inclusive, well-rounded centre console which boasts a swag of luxurious features for up-scale boating/cruising and fishing.
The Heritage 241 measures 23’ 8” (7.25m) in length and has a beam of 8’ 6” (2.62m), making it one hell of an impressive vessel that will be popular across the nation for a wide variety of fishing and boating applications.If you saw this boat launching at the boat ramp or cruising out on the water, you wouldn’t be able to help yourself but stare a little, most likely with bottom jaw agape and a little drool accruing in the corner of your mouth.
With the bow seating easily removed, there’s a large casting deck plus loads of storage under foot as well.
Both the bow and stern of the Heritage 241 are designed with entertainment and versatility in mind. The bow comprises wrap-around seating with cushions, removable backrests and wrap-around bolsters. Of course these cushions can be removed to reveal a large casting deck (ideal for GT popping) with two imbedded insulated eskies / kill tanks / dry storage compartments beneath. The middle section of the casting deck can actually be removed so you can erect the large fibreglass table that stores away in the head console and comes standard with this model. A third compartment is located just aft of the front deck. The stern of the vessel features an end to end seat. The port and starboard corners conceal 2 x 32litre live-wells beneath them which can be operated together or separately with the pressure selector valve inside. Of course they also double as coolers for food and drinks if live-baiting is not your caper. The middle of the backseat raises to reveal the rear total access hatch which gives you access to the bilge, through-hull transducer, essential pumps and seacocks.
Something I really like about the Heritage 241 is the self-bailing cockpit. This is an important safety feature that redirects any water that accumulates across the deck to drain overboard via the collector box drainage system and not into the bilge area. This is done without any mechanical assistance. If you did happen to take a wave over the side (unlikely given its stability and smooth ride) or if it happened to be raining, then you wouldn’t have to worry about water accruing unknowingly in the bilge area, therefore not chewing through fuel unnecessarily with the extra weight of the water.
And speaking of smooth ride, the hull has an 18 degree deadrise at the transom and 40.6cm draft. This mere draft gives the Heritage 241 the ability to be floated in the shallowest of water so even fly fishing for bonefish of golden trevally over the sand flats is a high-value option if that’s your caper. In fact, a big part of the meteoric rise of these boats in the States was off the back of chasing giant tarpon over the shallow flats on the fly.
Apart from the obvious with the oversized fibreglass hard-top protecting the helm and providing shade, it encompasses a swag of other features including front and rear white spreader lights, red and white map reading lights, four rod rocket launcher across the back, two other angled rod holders suitable for outrigging or trolling, Garmin VHF/antenna and two JL Audio speakers (total of eight JL Audio speakers in various locations across the boat). The underside of the hard top is also colour matched to the sides of the hull. Aside from performance, practicality and comfort, aesthetics is important too right? Bloody oath it is.
Plenty of space between the console and gunwales ensures a whole stack of people could comfortably jig or drop down baits in deep offshore waters. In fact, the Heritage 241 has a certified capacity of up to 12 persons! Personally, I would never dream of taking out that many people BUT it just goes to show that there is enough room aboard the vessel to comfortably carry 12 if you really wanted to.
The console just oozes class in every aspect, from the twin 9” Garmin fish-finding units, and 13 operational 12v switches.
The console itself presents very nicely and is ergonomically designed with the SeaStar helm offering over 40 degrees of tilt (locking into 5 different positions) and paired to a high-quality Sportsman-branded steering wheel with knob. The dash consists of 13 operational switches for your 12V accessories (plus horn), 2 stainless steel cup holders, Yamaha turn-key and throttle, Fusion sound system control. Your electronics are neatly flush-mounted in the dash and consist of 2 x 9” Garmin fish-finding units. A neat little feature is that the black acrylic dash reduces glare on the water…clever hey.
Another couple of one-percenters include the console foot rests with pads that not only offer a comfortable place to put your feet whilst travelling, but also look awesome with the Sportsman branding imprinted upon them. Similarly, the Sportsman branded anti-fatigue helm pad. Beneath the helm seat sits a Yeti cooler that slides out on a track….and seriously we all know how awesome Yeti gear is!
14 rod holders grace the vessel as standard. Four high-quality Gemlux rod holders are flush mounted in the gunwale, four rod holders are located on the back of the helm seat, four rod holders are located on the rocket launcher at the back of the hard-top and another two angled rod holders adjacent the rocket launchers for outrigging or trolling. In addition to the rod holders, there is storage for another six rods in the under-gunwale rod racks (three each side of the boat). Talk about stacks of room for rods. I suppose you’re going to need all that storage if you are going to have 12 people aboard! I’m pretty particular with my fishing gear, so I am a big fan of stowing my rods and reels in the under-gunwale rod racks when travelling to limit egress of salt spray.
At the stern of the boat, a swim platform and stainless-steel collapsible ladder will make getting into the boat a breeze, either at the ramp or after a relaxing snorkel over a vibrant coral reef. Obviously this ladder is an absolute must for spearo’s as well.
The stern is well appointed with additional comfortable seating and loads of storage underneath.
The 446 litre fuel tank ensures plenty of capacity for those wide trips to the reef or weekends away. The Heritage 241’s advanced composite construction means a 100% fibre-glass hull. Zero timber means no rot and no slop which are common issues for some of the earlier/other makes and models of fibre-glass boats.
A bow anchor locker, enclosed head, trim tabs, dual batteries, freshwater washdown with tank and underwater lights are just a few more of the extensive list of features that come standard with the Heritage 241. Ohhhh, did I mention it is pushed along by a 300HP Yamaha? That’s a lot of ponies!
I honestly feel that the Sportsman Heritage 241 is going to be a very popular option for those contemplating a fibre-glass offshore vessel, and particularly for those who like to fish and boat in style and comfort. It’s extensive range of features, 10-year hull warranty, performance, aesthetics and extreme versatility in being able to tackle whatever fishing style you want to throw at it, makes it a very strong and capable option for those in the market.
For further information, check out their advert on page 19 of this edition, or if you would like to check these beautiful boats out for yourself in more detail then get in contact with Andrew Camilleri or the staff at Reef Marine, 26 Prospect Street, South Mackay on 4957 3521 or admin@reefmarine.net
Check out that big 300Hp Yamaha sitting on the transom! Coupled with an 18 degree dead-rise at the transom, plus a swim platform and stainless steel collapsible ladder – perfect in every way.
