One of them copped a belting, more the local dealer support, was it uglyprik?

Try the search, those newspaper reviews are pretty worthless.

If I can talk the missus into getting a boat, that's what I'd be having a look at.  It seems they are built well/tough and ride well and are stable at rest but they are pretty basic when it comes to the finishing off/fit out and that's why they are relatively cheap?  If you are after a fishing rig and aren't fussed by all the bells and whistles, I reckon it could be a goer.

I haven't actually seen one yet but I'd be keen to go and have a look and go for a spin if I can just get past the missus.

 I bought my Yalta after many trips in a mates 6m Yalta cuddy cab in SA - the 615 Odessa is a great boat - the gelcoat finish is not the greatest its not a really deep hardy gloss like you would get with a Reefrunner for example but I didn't want pretty. The boats performance is fantastic and I don't baby it - its sturdy at anchor and underway - does not need trimtabs and smashes chop - the down side is the 'built to a cost' factor - there you lose quality of the seats, WINDSCREEN, cheap carpeting that covers poorly finished floor glass, doesn't come with a bilge as standard, bow roller is crap. The best advice would be to ensure that you purchase it on the condition that the bow roller is replaced with one that is suitable for a 6m glass boat - not something you would expect to find on a dinghy, bilge pump is installed, carefully inspect the seats and if they don't seem up to scratch ask they be replaced with better after market seats - i mean seat spinners don't come standard they spin on a nut and bolt setup spinning on a piece of marine carpet?? seat spinners are 10 bucks each??? Definitely get hydraulic steering installed. Carefully monitor the windscreen perspex for crazing and importantly replace the windscreen pop rivetts with upsized rivets or nut and bolt cos if you smash chop you will pop windscreen rivets, drop seals. I bought the hard top and I would not buy one without it. The anchor setup is a pig but that is common on many smaller glass boats, you know the drill - crawl through the cabin, squeeze through the hatch

Other than than that a bloody good workhorse. Consider and assess (I know that is difficult to do) after market support - I found the attitude of the factory in QLD as dismissive and uncaring, quite frankly unprofessional.

Best of luck dealing with Boat City who are the local agents.I was set to buy one a couple of years ago but gave up in the end as the bloke I was trying to deal with was not interested in selling one.I looked at one at Boat City and then talked to him at the Mandurah boat show about prices and a test ride.I had to keep chasing him and eventually he promised to ring me when they were going to sea trial one but never did.The boat itself looks great value and I would still consider one if I got another boat but it would be from Marine Tune in Brisbane

They are not a bad boat I saw them for the first time at the hillarys boat show this year. They look very similar to the Tournament Pleasure Boats range.

Maybe just a cheap copy

They are not a bad boat I saw them for the first time at the hillarys boat show this year. They look very similar to the Tournament Pleasure Boats range.

Maybe just a cheap copy

 Very good value for money and very well built.If you like the Yalta you will love the tournament 2000 bluewater.Its a smaller version of mine

Yalta build a good sturdy boat built for the average family man on a budget no frills polyester resin and woven rovings with chopstrand mat hull and decks timber stringers. The gelcoat on the new ones is of reasonable finish and the product is fairly straight body wise only thing i really picked up on them was a few fibreglass dags in corners of storage compartments.Family friends owned a dealership in Cairns and sold Yalta,s by the truck load i have rebuilt a few older ones in my time and modified as well only the usual issue of rotten floors trannies and stringers.

Yalta was very popular in the 80-90s on the east coast built just south of Brisbane in Yalta just down the road from Haines Hunter.They did stop building them for a period of time then the father son team started building again though couldnt supply enough for demand especially Nth QLD.It has been 3 years since i worked on a new Yalta so materials may be of higher grade now i dont think you would have any regretts great handling hull love 25 knot winds have a deep v and would recommend may be a set of trim tabs for the quarter beam wave where deep v hulls like to lean over.Dont be shy about putting max H.P on this hull they can handle it just bacause it is their doesn,t mean you have to use it it will be more responsive and use less juice happy hunting.

Ive got a yalta 555. Pretty much agree with nico, solly and ugly- no frills but a pretty good seafaring hull. the hull itself has the bare basics- no flash lockers or fruit etc but in terms of ride, id rate it up there with similar sized haines, penguins etc that Ive been out on- usually take mine to the islands off home (28-35ish nauts away) in semi-reasonable seas and have a lot of faith in its riding ability. I am of the pretty solid opinion you pay for the decent hull and forego the other fancy stuff... have spent a bit on mine decking it out how I wanted it... its not quite there yet, but getting close...

gel-coat etc? I bought mine as a 4 yr old boat (granted, it had been shedded its whole life) and I keep it fully covered and it still looks shiney. I do the gnaraloo track a bit and while theres the expected chips from that shit of a road, havent had any problems with that side of things at all...

In terms of the seats/ windscreen issues... Mine came with decent rotating padded seats (no floaters granted) but not sure if they were aftermarket or not- no branding on them. and I have given mine a lot of good beatings in pretty average conditions comong back from the islands and havent seen any problems with the screen.

 Thanks for the comments guys.

Ended up with a Whitley 2100 Clearwater. 07 model, with a 175 Suzuki 4 stroke.