In September 2008, the new and long awaited 170 model had its launch, both metaphorically as well as literally into the Warrior range. At that stage, the plan had been to call it the Warrior 170 Leisure, the idea being that those less fortunate amongst us who first need to get these things past the wife first might have a better than even chance of doing so if it was packaged as a family boat that could, 'at a push', be used for fishing too. A sexist train of thought perhaps, but sadly a reality for some. So the first version had a ski pole, padded back rest, fold down rear seats, and most important of all, the word Leisure placed centre stage in the naming decals. But that's not the way it is today. The leisure version is still there who either want or need it. But so too is a fisherman version with the ski pole, padded back rest and rear seats swapped for all the regular features that have seen Warrior Boats occupying the number one trailed angling boat slot for the past several years. The 170 Fisherman certainly looks every inch an incremental addition to the established Warrior angling boat range. But don't be kidded, because out on the water it doesn't feel like any Warrior I have ever been in before, which is all of them up to press.
This is the a result of a radical re-shaping of the hull. One point which needs be taken on board here is that 'radical re-shaping' must not be seen as any sort of an admission that previous models were not up to the mark. Having the top selling trailed angling boat in the country year on year immediately slaps suggestions of that sort back into line. You wouldn't think that way about cars, so why even suggest it with boats. The requirements list given to the designers by Phil and Paul included an overall length of around 17 feet with similar strength to previous models, but less weight, more pace and power, and a smoother ride. To achieve this they in turn gave it a deeper V with an extra inch of beam at the gunnels and four inches of extra beam at the water line. Gone is the simulated clinkering, dropped keel, and six out facing chines, and in are two reversed chines sized up to give sufficient grip to prevent the boat sliding sideways at pace on the turn, all of which were bound to conspire together to give the thing a totally different feel. So much so that when Phil and Paul, along with Dave Devine and myself took it out on the water for its debut handling and performance trials, it took the lot of us completely by surprise.
Anyone who, like me, is used to the performance characteristics of a Warrior 165 is going to be in for a few surprises by the way the new 170 handles. But again let me emphasize that this is in no way a criticism. It's just that it feels, performs, and responds so differently from the rest of the range, while at the same time looking every inch a Warrior boat. I had a similar situation some years ago when I first switched from a full cathedral hull to a semi cathedral, and again when I first put to sea aboard a Warrior 165. Every hull design handles differently, and will leave regular boat users with a slight feeling of unease until eventually, through familiarity, that boats performance becomes the norm. It's all down to cross sectional profile and the effect this has on a boats stability and cornering characteristics. The 170 has a slightly deeper V hull than the rest of the range, on top of which, with its extra water line width, it tends to have more of a rounded shape as opposed to the sloped sides and flatter base of the 165, which was bound to have an effect on how it reacts laterally when weight is displaced out towards the sides. Also when cornering, particularly at speed, which is the thing that caught us all out the first time we threw the steering wheel hard over at pace.
In terms of straight line running with the same sized engines on the back, this boat will leave both the 165 and the 175 for dead. Its acceleration and ease of getting up to top speed are breath taking. We had it gently cruising at 30 mph, which, had the GPS not been displaying the speed, I would have said felt more like 20 mph. The 165 is easily capable of doing 30 mph. The difference is that by comparison, a 165 feels like it's working to achieve it. Aboard the 170 it was effortless with a very much softer ride into any lumps and bumps, even when we had it flat out at a whisker over 40 mph. It's when you turn the wheel that you get the reminder that this is a very different boat. Cornering tilt comes into play so quickly that my instinctive reaction was to cut back rapidly on the revs. It wasn't that the boat couldn't take it. It was me. But eventually you start to get 'braver', which I did by putting the boat into a tight circle and progressively increasing the throttle feeling my way into the tilt by increments. Very soon I had it up to quite a good speed in what for anglers would be a far tighter turn than we are normally used to making as most of the running we do is pretty much straight line. My efforts however paled into insignificance compared to the 'bravery' of Phil Byrom when he decided to settle the issue once and for all by turning the wheel as far over as it would go at full throttle. In anything other than a test this would be a handling error, and as expected, it did assume quite an 'interesting' angled tilt. But it only leans so far then it digs in, after which if you still keep piling on the power or tightening the curve, the back end gives a little slip to take the sting out of the manoeuvre.
On the debut outing we also took along a ProAngler for safety reasons and as a filming platform. Initially Paul and Phil had taken the helm of the 170 leaving Dave and myself following on at the back. Then part way through the session, the two boats were brought along side each other gunnel to gunnel on the water for the swap over. Only then did we get a full appreciation of how much higher in the water the 170 sits. On the trailer this isn't something you would necessarily pick up on. But afloat the 170 must be a good 4 inches and possibly more higher than the ProAngler/165, all of which comes from the hull design. Internal freeboard is pretty much the same as the ProAngler and 165, so the 170 is obviously sitting higher because of its hull profile and the way in which this displaces the water surrounding it. The bow it also quite noticeably higher, and importantly, stays that way even when weight is disproportionately displaced up front. When Dave and I moved our combined bulk of just over 28 stone right up to the nose, it still sat higher at the bow than it did at the stern, which can't be said of some of the small boats I've been out in, which is a bit worrying when hauling in the anchor through the hatch in a heavy bow on sea.
Design change has not been restricted just to the hull. Each of the three main structural mouldings, as well as many of the fixtures and fittings have also been looked at again in minute detail in an effort to maximise the boats user friendly feel, and to impart a greater air of quality and attention to detail. The floor, which is actually part of a complete double skinned liner that includes the tanks, well and console, was put into the debut model as per design without a support lattice to sit it on. The idea was that the long narrow under deck locker running from near the floor well up into the cuddy would be all the support it needed. Out on the water however there was a bit of flex in the inner floor, and a hint of vibration from the hull. But that's what pre-production testing is all about. Back at the workshop this was quickly remedied by the fitting of four transverse stiffeners each side of the locker which beef up both the floor and the hull, though the hull had already been pre-strengthened by incorporating biaxial roving matting into its layup, which at the same times helps cut back on weight. Plastic tubes have also been fitted into the bottom corners of the supports in case, God forbid, any water ever did get in, to transfer it to the floor well where there is now an inspection and release bung. On production models of the 170, all the above will be combined into an integrated under floor lattice similar to that used in the ProAngler and 175.
Actually, the mid floor locker is the only remaining throw back to the Leisure version still to be found in the Fisherman option. For obvious reasons, that had to stay. As an angler, I personally would have dispensed with it had that been possible. But as with any other space on a boat, you can always find things to put in it. Originally designed for ski storage, it could actually take spare rods, spare ropes, fenders and anything else that wouldn't clatter about while the boat was underway. Beyond this is the rear floor well, which takes two five gallon fuel tanks, and has a small recess moulded into one corner for an electric bilge pump which comes as standard. The floor itself has non slip Treadmaster fitted into shallow recesses, with a more functional version of it in the Fisherman than the trendier stuff in the Leisure. Under the cuddy, the buoyancy tanks have robust lids with quality stainless steel fasteners, plus an additional box on the end at the passengers side that could very easily become a live bait well. Up front you can either have an anchor locker on the outside of the hatch, or the option I prefer, which is an internal bulkhead stowage locker as I think that side anchoring is by far the easiest and safest approach. And to finish things off with the inner moulding, the re-shaped console has been designed to take the very latest in flush fit Lowrance electronics, lighting switches, and obligatory engine related gauges.
The top moulding, at the front end at least, is very similar to a ProAngler, and is fitted with toughened glass windows capable of taking windscreen wipers if required. There has been a bit of re-shaping here and there. The roof top grab rails for example are now set into recesses along the cuddy lip and the roof top bridge has been re-styled and beefed up. Side pockets set into the gunnels are also available. But it is the back end where this boat radically differs from all that has gone before. The inner bulkhead has been given three curves. Two outward facing ones at the corners for greater access, and one inward facing in the middle to facilitate a full range of engine tilt. Fitted to this on the Fisherman version is a stainless steel rail complete with rod rests and bait board. The actual well beyond the bulkhead is also different. A little narrower in the middle with re-designed access steps and sloped sides like the 175. Gone too are the two live bait wells moulded into the rear of the 165 and ProAngler which makes for a lot more in boat space at the back for batteries, anchor and spare fuel. There is also a grab rail and step which, like everything else metal on this boat, are now made from top quality polished stainless steel for aesthetic purposes as well as functionality.
That debut run out provided Phil and Paul with quite a few things to think about in the run up to the official launch of the model at Portland sailing club in early October. As was mentioned earlier, work under the floor was done, plus the decision had already been taken to produce the two totally different versions instead of sticking with a single catch all model. So when it came time to take the first Fisherman version out on the water off Weymouth, we had a very different boat to play with, which in some ways made all that had gone before on the debut run, in reporting terms at least, somewhat irrelevant. There are a number of reasons for this which I have to say combine nicely together to give the final version a very much better feel. The power and acceleration are still there. In fact, at 42 mph it was a little faster this time around, and could well go faster still when the right propeller for what was the very first Suzuki DF90 in the country arrives from Japan. This engine compliments the 170 very well indeed. Without wanting to say too much at this stage as there is a full test and review of this engine already on the site, being 11 Kg lighter than the outboard used for the debut run out certainly helped in terms of weight balance. A transom wedge was also fitted to give it a better range of trim, plus it had trim tabs too, all of which in my opinion helped the Fisherman version ride better than the Leisure version also down at Portland, which on the day, did not have the trim tabs fitted. With the nose a little further down it had a much gentler softer ride. But I can't make my mind up as to whether the trim tabs also help lateral stability or if its just me getting more used to the feel of the thing.
There is no doubting the fact that while the 170 comfortably looks a part of the Warrior range, it is a departure, and quite a radical departure at that from the rest of the boats they build. This was deliberate in so far as the brief given to the designers was to improve the performance, which by my reckoning they have most certainly done. But when orders do begin to be placed for both the Fisherman and the Leisure versions, it is not intended, and nor is it likely to be, that the Warrior 170 will become the companies top selling model. That mantle will undoubtedly stay with the ever popular Warrior 165, leaving the 170 to carve out more of a niche market for itself where performance, comfort, and class are as important as simply getting afloat. For make no mistake about it, if the 165 were to be compared to say a Volkswagon Passat car, then the 175 would be an Audi A6, with the ProAngler and the 170 probably somewhere up around the BMW level at least, and the 170 Leisure version possibly a little more upmarket even than that.
