Serious Fishability, Premium Finish: Meet Craig's Formosa 565 Centre Console
There's a point where a "few options" turns into a full custom build, and Craig's Formosa 565 Centre Console is a perfect example of just how far that can go. Every box has been ticked, from hull construction through to electronics, deck layout, and finish. The result is one of the most comprehensively specced 565s we've handed over, and a boat that's genuinely set up to do everything well.
The power and control are premium, the deck is built to fish hard, the electronics suite is about as good as it gets, and the finish ties it all together. This is what happens when a fisho goes all in.
Power & Control: Fly-By-Wire Precision
Sitting on the back of the 565 is a Yamaha F175XCC, Yamaha's fly-by-wire digital throttle model - which is maximum HP for the 565. Instead of mechanical cables running back to the engine, throttle and shift commands are sent electronically, giving smoother, more precise control and a dynamic, more responsive feel at the helm.
Craig's paired that with a premium Yamaha 6X9 binnacle control box and a CL5 touchscreen gauge, Yamaha's top-tier digital instrumentation. Engine data, trip information, and diagnostics are all there at a glance on a clean touchscreen display, rounding out a helm setup that feels every bit as premium as the rest of the boat.
Hull, Construction & Colour
Underneath it all, this 565 has been built tough. 5mm 5083 High Tensile bottom sheets add serious strength and longevity to the hull, while Quad4™ ballast has been fitted to dial in the ride and handling. The ProDeck self-draining deck upgrade means the cockpit clears itself of water automatically, keeping the deck dry and safe to fish from no matter the conditions, and trim tab mounts plus the new ZipWake PRO system which is 5x more responsive than the standard model. This ultra-fast response time allows the Pro system to react instantly to sudden waves, wind shifts, and rolling motions to keep the boat completely stable in real-time.
Craig's gone with a striking colour combination to finish it off: a pewter hull, light box grey interior, and pewter console, T-top, and hardware. The whole deck has been finished with factory-fitted U-DEK, so it looks as good as it functions.
Deck Layout & Fishability: Built to Fish Hard
This is where the build really shows its purpose. Craig's specced a baitboard with four rod holders on a high-mount setup, giving him a serious rigging station right where he needs it. At the transom, there's a live well with a window and lid, complete with dedicated bait tank plumbing, so livebait stays in top condition all day.
Behind that sits a transom casting cage with extended rails and a double ladder, including duckboard extension, turning the back of the boat into a stable, secure platform for casting and easy water access. Craig's also added extra aluminium rod holders to the casting cage and throughout the boat, on top of an upgrade from the standard rod holder to a combined aluminium rod and cup holder setup. Storage is just as well thought out, with the anchor well finished with a hinged lid for a clean deck.
For anchoring, Craig's running a Savwinch 1000SS drum winch paired with a 7.5kg stainless steel slider anchor, plus a 7m chain guard to protect the hull from chain slap and reduced noise. There's a plumbed kill tank (a ProDeck-specific feature), and Craig's covered the wash-down side of things too, with deck wash plumbing for hosing down the cockpit and separate saltwater hand wash plumbing for rinsing off after a session.
Electric Motor & Power Systems
Up front, Craig's running the Minn Kota Instinct Quest 72" 36v package, complete with quick-release bracket, circuit breaker, and support arm, giving him self-deploying, precise positioning without needing to leave the helm. It's backed by a serious power setup: a 36v 100Ah BLA lithium battery, and an BLA lithium 240v to 36v charger to keep everything topped up and ready between trips.
Craig's also added two spotlights mounted under the electric motor bracket on the bow, making it easy to see what's going on up front during early starts or late finishes.
Helm & Electronics: A Genuinely Premium Setup
The helm is built around twin Garmin GPSMAP 1253xsv chartplotters, running Garmin Navionics Vision+ charts for detailed mapping like Relief Shading and bathymetric data wherever Craig's fishing. Sounder coverage comes from a Garmin GT51 transducer, with a secondary Garmin GT56 transducer added for even more detailed bottom and structure reading across different conditions.
Communication is handled by a Garmin 115i VHF radio. It's an electronics package that wouldn't look out of place on a boat twice this size.
Comfort, Lighting & Finish
Craig hasn't skipped on comfort either. A folding front lounge, built to suit the centre console layout, gives the bow genuine seating for cruising or relaxing between fishing spots. Undergunnel LED lighting in warm white lights up the cockpit at night, and Hella Apelo A2 underwater lights add a serious visual touch when running after dark or anchored up.
There's USB and USB-C sockets fitted for keeping devices charged, and for the trip out and back, Craig's added a Fusion MS-RA210 stereo with the XS Sports speaker kit, so the music's sorted whether it's a sunrise run offshore or a relaxed afternoon on the water.
A Build That Holds Nothing Back
Craig's Formosa 565 Centre Console is what happens when a customer commits to getting every detail right. The hull construction is reinforced for the long haul, the deck is genuinely set up to fish from, the electronics are about as good as you'll find on a boat this size, and the finish ties it all together with a colour scheme that makes it stand out.
It's a boat that's ready for anything Craig throws at it, whether that's chasing fish offshore, working the bait grounds, or just spending a relaxed day on the water. All the best with the new boat, Craig. We can't wait to see where it takes you.
