Surtees 6.7 Game Fisher review - boatsales.com.au

words & photos - Jeff Webster

A sophisticated production-plate alloy boat for the sport fishing enthusiast

LIKES

- Solid all-round performance
- Massive cockpit
- Extra wide side coamings with non-slip matting
- Set-up for fishing from the get-go
- Self-flooding keel ballast chamber improves stability

OVERVIEW

- New Zealand’s finest fishing rigs
Surtees has been manufacturing aluminum boats in New Zealand for more than twenty years. Purpose-built for fishing, Surtees boats are very popular in their home country and now highly regarded in Australia. These big, tough production-plate boats are available nation-wide and the range of models is extensive.

For this test report we have secured one of the big offshore sport fishing models, the 6.7m Game Fisher hard-top from Brisbane’s Northside Marine. It is one of about seventeen models in a range of trailerable boats between 4.85m and 8.5m in length.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

- Flooded keel ballast for greater stability
Surtees hulls are built from heavy-duty marine-grade plate aluminium and designed with a deep vee shape with a deadrise ranging from 15-20 degrees depending on the model size.

The 6.7m Game Fisher has a 20 degree vee at the transom and the hull bottom is made from 5mm alloy. The hull sides are 4mm and the cabin sides 3mm.

The hull entry forward is fine and the bottom shape smooth with no strakes or spray chines. The outer chines are slightly reversed to improve stability.

Under the floor, a series of six full-length longitudinal stringers provide significant strength to the hull and this is further re-inforced by a series of cross bulkheads and gussets.

Two large, sealed air-buoyancy chambers are built into the hull to provide flotation. These are pressure tested at the factory to ensure they are air-tight.

The 4mm tread-plate floor in the 6.7m Game Fisher is fully welded and sealed.

The cockpit doesn’t have a self-draining system, but there is a sump-like water catchment area under the transom from where the water is removed with a bilge pump.

A key feature of Surtees boats is their self-flooding keel ballast chamber. At rest, seawater floods into the hollow keel chamber through a triangular opening at the transom. This water ballast adds weight (approximately 380kg in the 6.7m Game Fisher) to the keel, steadying the hull in the water and making it more resistant to sideways movement. When you decide to move off and accelerate up onto the plane, the seawater in the chamber drains quickly back out the transom again.

The 6.7m Game Fisher also has a gate or flap across the opening of the keel chamber which can be manually opened or closed as required. Retaining a keel load of water when underway can be useful in softening the ride into a head-sea in rough water. The added weight may also reduce pitching, steady the hull and help it to track straight.

All Surtees boats have a six-year hull warranty and are built to the Category C European CE Safety Rating.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

- Choose your options and build the perfect fishing boat
The pricing for Surtees Boats is designed so that you start off with a basic boat, and then add features and equipment to suit your budget and fishing requirements. This makes sense as it means you don’t have to pay for stuff that you don’t want or need -- such as carpet lining to the cabin sides for example.

Leaving out some gear and equipment means the starting price for a 6.7m Game Fisher is a very reasonable $88,408 at Brisbane’s Northside Marine. This price includes a tandem axle, Australian-made Redco trailer and Yamaha’s latest 200hp four-stroke, the FETX.

The price also includes toughened, tinted glass windows and screens, Raymarine VHF radio, bilge pump, fuel filter, non-slip coaming matting, hard-top rocket launcher, six in-deck rod holders, tread-plate alloy cockpit floor, cup holders, berley bucket and muncher, boarding ladder, underfloor storage, navigation lights, and bow and stern grab rails.

The list of options is long and extensive. They range from full galley facilities for family boating through to a game chair and outriggers to suit heavy tackle sport fishing.

Among the options on the test rig was paint to the hull sides and Nyalic clear coating elsewhere, a walk-through transom with port side live bait tank, cabin sliding windows, a shade extension over the cockpit, cabin berths and infill cushions, fold-away rear bench seat, Softrider helm pedestal chair, rear bait board and rod rack and a Lowrance HDS-9 fish finder/GPS.

As you would expect, adding options lifts the package price – from $85k to around the $107k mark. To keep this in perspective however, less than $110k for a fully fitted, ready-to-fish, 6.7m plate alloy boat is a pretty good price.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION

- Huge, uncluttered cockpit will keep anglers happy
Surtees offers the 6.7m model with a range of layouts. They include a centre console, a cuddy cab called the Workmate, a sports-style cab called the Sport Fisher, and two hard-top Game Fisher models.

The test rig is the open cabin version of the Game Fisher. It is also available as an enclosed model with a full bulkhead separating the helm and saloon area from the rear cockpit.

For maximum fishing room, the open version we tested is the model of choice. From cabin to transom wall there is 3.2m of fishing deck space. Behind the helm chair the cockpit stretches 2.45m back to the stern.

The cockpit is flanked by full-length, above-floor side pockets, and surrounded by massively wide (350mm) side and rear coamings.

The tread-plate cockpit surface will get hot under bare feet and a bit slippery when wet -- but it will be easy to clean.

There is plenty of freeboard to the sides and rear of the cockpit, except in the port-side corner which has the walk-through transom step situated above a decent-sized live-bait tank. The tank has a clear viewing window so you can monitor the health of your baits.

Boarding platforms at the stern have a folding ladder on the port side and a built-in berley bucket over to starboard.

On the rear transom bulkhead there is a lanyard that is used to open and close the flap covering the opening to keel water ballast tank (see photo).

The test rig was fitted with dual batteries and these were located on a shelf, suspended above the floor under the transom. The batteries are sheltered behind a panel that is hinged so that it can fold down to form a two-person bench seat. A cushion for this seat is optional.

Additional cockpit features include an underfloor storage compartment, six in-coaming rod holders and cup holders, stern cleats and rails, and an optional in-floor rod storage rack. This vertical rack is not intended to be used while fishing, but for storing four rod/reel outfits while in transit.

Additional rod storage holders and racks are available for mounting to the tops of the cockpit side pockets. There’s also an eight-rod rocket launcher mounted to the trailing edge of the hard-top, forward of the retractable cockpit shade canopy.

Moving forward in the boat, Surtees has ensured there is ample space for bracket-mounted electronics with a wide, deep dash area. The fascia is not large enough to accept a flush-fitted fish finder, but can cater for engine instruments, switch panels and radios.

The helm was laid out quite well with the steering wheel and side-mount throttle comfortably close whether seated or standing. Grab rails across the dash and to the sides of the skipper and co-pilot chairs were useful, and there were no problems with vision through the toughed glass windscreen panels.

A variety of helm chair options are available -- from simple fold-out seat squabs through to the deluxe Softrider suspension chair fitted for the helmsman in the test rig. The Softrider chair was ideal as it swiveled and could be adjusted for height and length from the steering wheel.

For the co-pilot the test rig had what Surtees calls its King/Queen seat which consists of bucket seat mounted above a moulded polyethylene storage box with aft facing padded chair.

Instead of a fixed bulkhead separating the helm area from the cabin, the test boat had a zip-out canvas curtain, behind which was a standard vee berth set-up. The cloth covered berths are just shy of a full length, but there are two infill cushions available to convert the two single berths into a good sized double.

With the infill cushions removed, the centre companionway leads through to a big hatch in the forepeak. Open the hatch and there is ready access to the foredeck for anchoring -- though this would not be necessary in the test rig as it was fitted with an optional Stress Free electric winch operated from the helm.

ON THE WATER

- This proven performer doesn’t disappoint
The waters of Moreton Bay in Brisbane were very choppy for our test of the Surtees Game Fisher. Brisk northerly winds blowing against an ebb tide whipped up a mixed, joggly sea at the entrance to the bay which proved ideal for testing.

Surtees boats are known for their deep vee hulls and soft ride and the 6.7m Game Fisher lived up to the reputation. It rode rough-shod through chop that was a metre or more high and felt comfortable throughout.

Due to the hard-top and enclosed cabin structure, the Surtees will list into a breeze, and this does make the optional trim tabs something of a mandatory purchase with the enclosed helm configuration. With the trim tabs you can correct any lean or list as required. You can do this with a twin outboard set-up too -- but not with a single engine.

Underway, the Surtees does throw a bit of water about, but much of it is shed away from the boat. Of course spray is not going to be an issue with the Game Fisher as it has a hard-top and enclosed helm.

Midway through the test, we stopped and checked the stability of the boat – with, and without, the water ballast chamber open. You can tell the difference in a mixed-up sea as the hull tends to rock a little less. It is not apparent in smooth water and to be frank, the Surtees is stable even when the ballasted keel is not in use.

The 6.7m Game Fisher is rated for single or twin outboards up to 250hp and it is capable of handling that power. Brisk performance was achieved with the Yamaha 200hp four-stroke fitted, but the hull could easily handle more.

We achieved a top speed of 36 knots. It attained this speed at just 5600rpm which would indicate the boat is a little over-propped -- especially as it was lightly laden and will only get heavier with full fuel, gear and tackle.

 
VERDICT

- A ripper boat for offshore sport fishing
The Surtees 6.7m Game Fisher is a terrific fishing rig. It’s a solidly built, good looking boat with a functional design and layout. It also has plenty of options and accessories so you can create a package that is just right for your fishing application.

For ride quality, the Game Fisher has most of the opposition beaten while also being a lot more stable, and better outfitted. It’s a ripper boat, and one that I would love to have parked in my driveway.

PERFORMANCE

5.6kts (10km/h) @ 1500rpm
6.9kts (13km/h) @ 2000rpm
9.6kts (18km/h) @ 2500rpm 
16.2kts (30km/h) @ 3000rpm
20.6kts (38km/h) @ 3500rpm
24.5kts (45km/h) @ 4000rpm
28.2kts (52km/h) @ 4500rpm
31.0kts (57km/h) @ 5000rpm
36.1kts (67km/h) @ 5600rpm

Specifications:

Price as tested: $107,625 
Priced from: $88,408 with Yamaha F200FETX four-stroke, Redco tandem axle braked trailer, and boat and trailer registrations.
LOA: 6.84m 
Beam: 2.39m
Hull weight: Approx. 1000kg 
Towing weight: Approx. 1,760kg
Deadrise: 20 degrees
Bottom alloy: 5mm
Side alloy: 4mm
Cabin alloy: 3mm
Length on trailer: 7.96m
Height on trailer: 2.99m
Maximum power: 250hp
Engine as tested: Yamaha 200hp four-stroke
Fuel: 240 litres
Water ballast: 380 litres
Maximum Persons: six

Supplied by:

Northside Marine
2294 Sandgate Road
Boondall QLD 4034
Telephone: (07) 3265 8000
Website: www.nsmarine.com.au

Original Source: boatsales.com.au