P46 - FISH & BOAT, February 2019 Boating Offshore Marine Master 620 By Ben Keen Believe it or not, reviewing boats can be a tough gig. Most of the time, boats being reviewed are either the flagship model of a particular brand or have a feature that is the next big thing. Essentially, you are usually stepping onto something awesome, given the keys, told to go as hard as you want and then after a few hours - hand it back! This roller coaster of emotions often ends with a “comedown” drive home that leaves you feeling like Peter Dutton at #ScoMo’s Christmas drinks. But, the show must go on and this boat review is testament of my ability to put myself through emo- tional turmoil and present you with a review of what I reckon is one of the best boats on the market, the Offshore Marine Master (OMM)... The background… It had been nearly three years to the day since my last review of an OMM. That boat was a 575 Walk Around and it particularly struck me as an exceptional value for money proposition. It was solidly built, had plenty of beam, was loaded with neat features and to top it off, had a very neat price. Following that review, I became hyper-aware of anything to do with the OMM brand, following their Beached as bro - check out that V. builds and even checking their various models out when crossing paths with owners at boat ramps. In that time, I noted a few important things. They are repeatedly acknowledged as a serious prop- When a fisho of his calibre uses the word “perfect” to osition by the experienced end of the fisho scene anddescribe a boat, it speaks volumes… are often purchased for use in remote and treacherous So, obviously, some pretty big wraps in there for an waters. Also, they seldom appear for sale on second- operation that runs out of a small industrial shed in hand listings - indicating to me that owners don’t likeCaloundra. But why? What makes OMM boats so to part with them. awesome? Having reflected on that question, I have To labour that point, Fish and Boat Magazine’s verynailed it down to a combination of a few things. own Peter Ford is an OMM owner and a couple of Firstly, owner Jason Norup is a hands-on boat build- Walk around life - YESSSS! years back, he gave his a bit of “spring clean”. er. Not one to sit back in the air-con and delegate, This included banging on a wrap, upgrading his Su- Jason is heavily involved in every build right from the zuki, putting some Deck Armour down and doing a initial customer consultation through to delivery. Es- few cosmetic touch-ups. sentially, every build is a ‘custom’ experience where I asked Peter at the time if he had considered justbuyers really do end up with the boat that suits their selling up and buying a new boat. His answer was needs. simple “Don’t need to, it’s perfect for what I do.” I did Continued next page not take Fordy’s endorsement lightly. The Minn Kota plate - spot the split fold bow rail - a great feature.