IT’S BACK! The Robalo R160 was, for many years, this builder’s smallest offering and one of the few 16’ center console fishing boats on the market which was fully finished and had many of the features and fittings found on bigger boats—but without the bigger boat price tag. Robalo discontinued the model years ago, but now they’ve brought the R160 back and it’s even better than before.
You still want those bigger boat features? Of course you do! How about a real pipework-framed leaning post, instead of a flip-back cooler seat? How about rodholders and cup holders made of stainless-steel instead of plastic? How about top-shelf Envision mildew, stain, UV-resistant silicon upholstery instead of vinyl? Oh, and how about a poured ceramic transom coring backing up the Kevlar-reinforced hull, the same build technique Robalo uses for larger models, which then gets backed up by a limited lifetime hull warranty? And on top of all that they throw in a single-axel aluminum trailer with a folding tongue jack.
Along with a newer nicer leaning post with a 36-quart cooler underneath this latest iteration of the R160 also has a different console, which adds six vertical rodracks along the sides of the forward console seat. Flip that seat up, and there’s a 12-gallon livewell underneath. The swim platform is larger, too, as is the integrated 24-gallon fuel tank.
Some additional angling highlights can be found in the transom, which houses a pair of flip-up jump seats on the sides and stowage underneath including a five-gallon bucket compartment. Flip the seats down, and they provide aft elevated casting positions. Open up the bowdeck hatch (note that it stays open, too, thanks to friction hinges) and you’ll find a 16.5-gallon fishbox that drains overboard.
The R160 comes with a 70-hp Yamaha F70 standard, and can be upgraded to a Yamaha F90. The 70-horse option has plenty of pep for a boat of this size, with a cruise in the mid-20s and a top-end in the upper 30s. This is an uber-economical rig, too, and when cruising at the most efficient 4000 rpm (which produces speeds in the low 20s) gets better than eight mpg. Up the ante to the 90-hp powerplant and cruise jumps up to around 30 mph while top-end gets slightly north of 40 mph. Efficiency is still impressive, with best cruise clocking in at 4000 rpm, speeds in the upper 20s, and over seven mpg.
We need to remember that on any 16-footer performance will be affected quite a bit by the load of passengers and gear, but any way you cut it this is pretty darn magnificent performance for a boat in this class. The level of construction is similarly impressive. As is the outfitting. As is the fishing focus. You know what else is? The price. Much as we’d love to print hard numbers here on the pages of FishTalk we simply can’t. First because they can change so erratically that by the time you pick this up and read it the number we printed may well be wrong, and second because of price variations due to optional features and rigging. That said, the fully outfitted boat-motor-trailer price is below that of the average new car. In this day and age that’s exceptionally rare. And we’re exceptionally psyched the R160 is back.
Robalo R160 Specifications
- LOA – 16’4”
- Beam – 7’0”
- Displacement – 1600 lbs.
- Draft (hull) – 1’0”
- Transom Deadrise – 15 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 24 gal.
- Max. Power – 90 hp
- Area Dealers – Anchor Boats, North East MD, (800) 773-2628.