The 610 HT has continued Osprey’s tradition of excellent design and build, and this is a worthy contender for anyone looking at a mid-range family boat
- Unique rail around entire outside of boat
- Solid pontoons ensure stability
- Stable, precise and comfortable when underway
- Good attention to detail throughout the boat
- Full-length bunks in half-cabin layout
All Ospreys are based on the same design principles: Pontoons for safety and stability, fine entry and deep vee for a soft and dry ride, and unique side rails on the pontoons to protect them from damage while providing a foothold around the boat.
Stem to stern
The bow area of the 610 HT features a welded alloy bowrail and fairlead, with a Manson Supreme anchor held in place by the Quick Aster winch. Access to the foredeck is through the large polycarbonate hatch, or by walking around the cabin along the hull ledge.
The hardtop on the review boat is open at the back, although an enclosed sliding door is available. The forward cabin contains twin three-quarter bunks, but these can be extended to full length bunks for overnight trips.
Inside the hardtop
The interior of the hardtop is lined with carpet, creating warmth and sound dampening. The upholstered plastic helm seat is fitted to a pod that is welded to the side of the hull, allowing space under the seat.
The passenger seat is a king and queen arrangement. The rear-facing seat lifts up to reveal a storage compartment perfect for a drop-in cooker and mini sink unit. The large windows provide an all round view, with the side windows featuring large sliding sections. Wipers can be fitted.
The helm position is laid out in a simple fashion, with the engine instrumentation, switch panel and anchor controls to the right side of the helm, leaving space for a large screen chartplotter to be fitted into the dash.
The review boat had a Raymarine A70d chartplotter/fishfinder temporarily fitted on a pedestal mount. Gary Stephenson, director of Brokerage Marine, said that they prefer not to second-guess what brand and model the buyer will prefer. Thanks to the cable channels, easy-access covers and pre-drilled holes that are already in place it is simple to fit electronics into this boat.
Steering is via a six-spoke stainless and plastic wheel and is hydraulic. A GME VHF completes the electronics.
The cockpit area is spacious enough for three or four people to fish from. It felt roomy, and the broad gunwales were comfortable to sit on. A sun awning provides shade for about half the cockpit area, but unfortunately precludes the fitting of a rocket launcher along the hardtop roof.
The transom has a flip-up baitboard in the centre, with rodholders welded into the gunwale in each corner. A hatch opens up in the transom to reveal twin batteries, and the isolator switches and anchor winch reset switch is fitted under the gunwales. Broad parcel shelves under each gunwale provide storage for additional gear.
The wide boarding platform is ideal for swimmers and divers. A step-through in the port side has a hinged door, and a boarding ladder swings down when needed.
Engine and power
The boat is fitted with the 150hp Honda V-Tec four-stroke motor. The V-tecs have a well-deserved reputation for reliability and fuel economy, and feature a five-year warranty. The hull is rated for between 115 and 150hp, so a smaller motor is an option. The boat has a 150-litre underfloor fuel tank.
The hull is constructed from 5mm alloy with the pontoon and hardtop being 3mm. With a hull weight of just 800kg this boat will be easy to tow. It is supplied on a single-axle braked Mudgway trailer fitted with zero-maintenance LED lights.
On the water
With around 10 knots of wind, two people on board and a full tank of fuel, we easily achieved a respectable 35 knots, before dropping back to a more economical 28-29 knots.
The fine-entry hull cuts through minor chop with ease, and the carpet lining means that the hull is remarkably quiet for a “tinny”. We managed to get airborne over a couple of waves, and the landing was controlled and relatively soft. A pontoon boat is always going to make a bang when it comes down off a large wave, but the Osprey is certainly one of the best in this regard.
A larger swell outside the harbour saw us drop the speed down to around 20 knots, but it was still comfortable. Hard turns at speed were precise and comfortable, and the welded planning strakes on the hull ensured the boat was stable when underway, even when occupants moved around.
Highly versatile
Running the boat up on the beach proved very easy to do and despite the fine-entry hull the pontoons ensure the boat stays upright.
Then we used it as the base for a diving expedition. Again it proved ideal, with entry and exit from the water easy. The platform is big enough to hold a diver and all their gear on either side of the motor.
The final test was some serious fishing, and the Quick Aster winch lived up to its name. Despite being a power-down rather than a free-fall version it has a fast drop rate to make precise positioning of the boat easy.
Fishing for up to four people would be no problem in the cockpit. The only issue we found was that, without a rocket launcher, we were short of rod holders to store rods not in use. Osprey also has optional rod holders that fit in front of the radar arch portion of the hardtop.
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Specifications
LOA 6.10m
Beam 2.25
Hull weight (pull engine) 800kg
Deadrise 23 degrees
Engine 150hp Honda V-Tec four-stroke