Boating NZ

WORTHY OF THE PRIZE

- Words by John Eichelshei­m Photos by Bryce Talor

Type Trailer Boat Model Surtees 700 Game Fisher Writer John Eichelshei­m

The prize for this year’s show, May 18 to 21, is an awesome boating package comprising a new Surtees 700 Game Fisher on a deluxe, dualaxle, alloy-wheeled Epic trailer with Balex Automatic Boat Loader system. The hardtop rig is powered by a pair of 115hp Yamaha four-stroke outboards and features the latest Garmin electronic­s package. All up, including a comprehens­ive range of equipment and safety gear, the prize is worth more than $150,000.

Boating New Zealand picked up the gate prize from Surtees dealer Fishing Boats NZ on Auckland’s North Shore, towed the rig to Gulf Harbour where we put it through its paces. Sevenmetre boats take up a bit of road space and can be a little daunting to tow, but this rig tows very well. Weighing in at just under two tonnes (dry), we towed it easily enough behind a diesel station wagon with a 2.2-tonne towing rating.

Launching the boat was a doddle thanks tot he b alex automatic boat loader. The more I see this innovative Kiwi-built system in use, the more I’m convinced it will become standard equipment on trailer boats everywhere.

Launching the boat, and later in the day retrieving it, were essentiall­y one-man operations, thanks to Balex’s user-friendly remote control and super-easy operation. The Automatic Boat Loader controls the boat during launching and pulls it back onto the trailer straight and true when retrieving. We didn’t even get our feet wet.

On the water the Surtees 700 Game Fisher impresses as a fast, soft-riding, blue water capable sport fishing boat. The hardtop offers good protection, there’s a wiper for the driver’s side of the windscreen and there’s enough space inside the forward cabin to sleep two if you want to camp overnight. The prize boat is set up for day fishing, but you could easily overnight in it if you wished. A toilet is something the new owner can add – there’s space for one between the v-berths and a privacy curtain is supplied.

Access to the Lone Star drum winch and anchor locker on the bows is excellent through the large acrylic forward hatch. Big forward hatches are a Surtees specialty: no need to sidle around the hardtop to inspect the bows.

Smart-looking in its blue paint finish, this is a serious fishing machine ready for business. The cockpit is wide-open with chequerpla­te floors giving secure footing and wide Octi-grip faced coamings for grip in the wet and seated comfort while waiting for a bite. The gunwales offer thigh support, the full length, neoprenefa­ced and tube mat-lined side pockets are usefully wide and there’s plenty of freeboard for open water work. An underfloor wet locker with drains and bungs will swallow dive gear or other large items.

The transom area is sensibly designed and well-appointed. The bait station can be removed in favour of a ski-pole if desired. It features a drop-in PVC cutting board and three rod holders to complement six through-coaming rod holders and a rocket launcher across the back of the hardtop roof. The boat is also supplied with a rear awning for additional sun protection, which along with the fore-cabin courtesy curtain, was stowed away for this review.

Surtees has a safe and tidy solution for start and house batteries. Three batteries are housed across the transom on a shelf protected from the elements by the rear seat, which folds up to provide a flush transom. The rear seat can accommodat­e two people and serves as a handy step for getting in and out of the boat.

The transom step-though is on the port side, with a folding door. It opens onto a full width swim platform with a T-style boarding ladder and handy grab rails on the port side to make leaving the water easier. Twin fuel filters under the coaming on the starboard side are easy to monitor and there’s a saltwater

washdown on the port side which, along with the live bait tank under the step-through, is fed by Jabsco pumps. A Rule 2000GPH bilge pump deals with any water in the cockpit.

Another feature of the portofino transom is the simple cord and cleat system Surtees uses to operate the spring-loaded gate for the boat’s flooding ballast tank. All Surtees boats feature a flooding keel, which provides enhanced stability at rest. When filled with the gate closed, the extra weight of water carried along the keel in the ballast tank enhances rough water handling and stability.

When empty with the gate closed, draft is reduced for beach launchings and bar crossings. Sealed chambers provide positive buoyancy.

In normal operation, the gate is left in the open position so the flooding keel empties and fills of its own accord. Launch the boat onto the plane and 380 litres of water ballast empties in a matter of moments.

There’s plenty of outboard motivation for the Gate Prize Surtees 700 Game Fisher. Twin 115hp four-stroke Yamahas provide blistering hole shots and hang on admirably in the turns. The boat is capable of over 40 knots – not quite as fast as it would be with a single engine of comparable horsepower, but plenty fast enough. Fuel consumptio­n at cruising speeds was around 36 litres per hour in total. The boat’s 280-litre fuel tank was full.

This is a variable deadrise deep-vee hull measuring 21 degrees at the transom. The entry is fine with a shallow forefoot, which helps provide the soft, forgiving ride. Spray rails have been welded to the chines forward to turn down spray and the chine flats widen towards the transom.

We noticed that moving bodies about the cockpit while the boat is underway does affect its attitude. However, as is true when the boat’s at rest, filling the ballast tank when underway mitigates any tendency for the 700 to lean over.

We experience­d 12-15 knots of wind and the usual Hauraki Gulf chop – hardly heavy seas conditions – so we kept the gate open most of the time! Lectrotab trim tabs are useful to counter windage and passenger loading.

As mentioned, the 700’s ride is very good. The bow makes easy meat out of a head sea and plenty of engine trim up gives a relatively dry and comfortabl­e ride with a following sea. The 700 Game Fisher is excellent in a cross sea as well, if a little wet at times, though in a hardtop with a windscreen wiper a bit of spray is a very minor niggle.

The rig cruises nicely at 25-30 knots. It took me a little while to find its sweet spot, but once I got the engines properly synchroniz­ed and the combinatio­n of engine revs, outboard trim and trim tab positionin­g right, the 700 Game Fisher was a fast and very comfortabl­e traveller. Quiet, too.

This vessel is superbly equipped, thanks to a long list of generous sponsors. The electronic­s package is worthy of special

mention and includes a Garmin VHF radio, Fusion Bluetooth head unit and speakers and the latest Garmin GPSMAP 7412 MFD.

The new Garmin is packed with high-tech features, including a high-power 1kw transducer for superb fish finding performanc­e, GPS mapping and XHD Radar. We were fortunate enough to have Kieran Andrews from Garmin onboard to explain some of the more technical features and offer advice to Boating readers on how to get the best from their electronic­s, regardless of the brand (see sidebar).

Whoever takes home the Surtees 700 Game Fisher after the 2017 Hutchwilco Boat Show will be impressed, probably blown away. It is a superb package and a worthy grand prize for this year’s show: to be in to win, simply buy a ticket to the show and register at each of the Gate Prize booths. Each qualifying entry goes into the draw and the lucky winner will be announced on the last day of the show. B

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 ??  ?? The Surtees 700 Game Fisher is ready to fish. The prize boat is packed with features and extremely well equipped.
The Surtees 700 Game Fisher is ready to fish. The prize boat is packed with features and extremely well equipped.
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 ??  ?? The batteries are well protected but easily accessible. The fold-down transom cover becomes a useful seat-step. A Balex Automatic Boat Loader made launching and retrieving with the Epic trailer easy, while a Lone Star drum winch takes care of anchor duties.
The batteries are well protected but easily accessible. The fold-down transom cover becomes a useful seat-step. A Balex Automatic Boat Loader made launching and retrieving with the Epic trailer easy, while a Lone Star drum winch takes care of anchor duties.
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