Best Ski Boat Ranges Australia - By: Boat Sales Australia

The Stephens Magic GTO is a Superb Ski Boat that packs a powerful sting via its Black Scorpion Inboard Engine

The New South Walestown of Corowa, on the great Murray River, is one of the most idyllic settings in New South Wales for outdoor activities. When you live on the doorstep of Australia's mightiest waterway, then it is a logical choice that most of your activities will revolve around utilising the river. Hence fishing and water skiing are two of the most well-liked pursuits of people living in the state.

With this in mind, some of Australia's best ski boat manufacturers have a large presence in the region including Maverick Boats whose Stephens badge has regularly turned heads at the Melbourne Boat Show over recent years. Maverick Boats, based in Corowa, is a family business run by the Walton brothers. They were originally a Stephens dealer when Alan Beale was building the brand in the mid-90s. Maverick would take on the hulls at stage two of the build process and fit the hulls out to suit their customers. When the opportunity arose for Maverick to take on Stephens as their own project they took the chance, revived the moulds and brought most other aspects of the building process in house.

We met with Doug and Chris Walton recently at Lake Mulwala to put to the test a brand new Stephens Magic GTO. As the brothers pulled into the car park at Mulwala Ski Club, you could see they take a lot of pride in their product. The test boat was perfectly presented and the red and white hull cut a striking figure on the back of the Easy Tow trailer with stainless steel guards and mag wheels.

The Murray delivered its greatest autumn weather for the test day and the GTO Magic proved a nifty and sleek hull as we flirted with the camera boat. But first to the craft itself.

The helm setup on the test boat was conventional yet effective. All gauges, switches and throttle are within arms reach of the drivers seat. The standard Mercury gauges complement the 330hp Mercuiser powering the Magic GTO. One of the options available is to upgrade to Mercury's Smart Craft range of gauges, which if you were not buying to budget would be something to consider. To the left side of the sports steering wheel is the switch panel featuring switches for lights, radio and bilge pump. Right of the wheel is the VDO stereo control panel and keyless ignition, which people like myself, who are forever losing keys in the most obvious places, will appreciate. Simply use the keypad to get the motor started and on the day of the test this fired up first time, everytime. Now what was that code!

There is also a storage space to the right of the driver's seat, ideal for small personal items, and cold drink holders for both the driver and the passenger/observers seat. Talking of the seats, I found the bucket style seats on the GTO to be genuinely comfortable. The seats are free of timber, feature anti-rot cotton, and are covered with 99 per cent UV protected vinyl. Doug informed me he prefers an off-white vinyl as they are much easier to wash. A small but practical detail that highlights the thought that goes into Stephen's flagship model. I should also mention that the drivers seat is adjustable forward and aft.

The cushion on the observer's seat, when removed, provides access to bow storeroom, which on the day housed safety gear, as well as the battery. All storage areas are fully carpeted as is the cockpit. There are full-length side pockets both port and starboard as well as underdeck storage, so there is no lack of space for all your ski gear. Aft of the rear lounge, there is also a shallow rope locker that is the ideal place to store tie downs or even shoes once your session of skiing gets underway. A spun aluminium bollard is also found at the transom.

Unfortunately on the test day we were not able to demo the boat from a skiing/boarding perspective, however, the Walton boys had set the boat up as if it we were. It featured a Fluidcore wakeboard high pole,bimimi and canopy finished with wakeboard racks. The test vessel cut a path across Lake Mulwala thanks mainly to its v-bottom hull and engine.

The GTO is powered by a 330hp Mercruiser, also called the Black Scorpion. The flagship Mercury engine proved to be a great match for the hull. If you are purchasing to budget there are other engine options available with the entrymodel costing $38,000. A gaze at the speedo during the water test saw us hit 38mph at 3500rpm while a comfortable speed of 25mph was recorded at 2500rpm.

There is a nice synergy about the Maverick/Stephens story, the location where the GTO is built and the good old Aussie philosophy of having a go. But the Walton boys have achieved more than have a go. They have built a quality local Ski Boat at a more than affordable price. If your looking for an Australian built ski boat then you might want to give this badge a second look. Get up to the powerful Murray to experience the river and while you are there take a Stephens Magic GTO for a test run as well.

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