Seaforce boats are made by Hamilton company Fibre Forces, formed by Rusty Borrell and Ric Lawrence in 1985. The company turns out around 50 hulls a year and is content with a modest production of high quality hulls. Seaforce are represented by a network of eight dealers in Silverdale, Manukau, Hamilton, Tauranga, Whakatane, Taupo, Bulls and Christchurch.
The Seaforce Fisherman 600 is a well-regarded design and won the ‘GRP fishing boat under six metres’ at the Hutchwilco Boat Show in Auckland. A trial was arranged in conjunction with Hamilton Seaforce dealer Rollo’s Marine, and I met with Jared Dutton from that company at Tauranga’s Sulphur Point ramp in early November to take the boat for a run.
Construction
The Seaforce fisherman 600 hulls are constructed from GRP (fibreglass). An isophthalic core mat is sandwiched between layers of chop-strand matting, woven rovings and double-bias glass. Four longitudinal stringers and three full frames are glass-encapsulated tanalised pine clears. The bottoms are 14mm thick to the chines, with the sides 9-10mm thick. Cabin and side pockets are fitted as liners to the main hull. Decks are glass-over-ply, and the hull (including forecabin) drains via a sub-deck to a sump under the transom, from where any water is removed by a 1000gph bilge pump.
The two under-deck chambers, the side-pocket bases and backs, and the backrests in the cabin are all foam-filled – a total of 1.35 cubic metres of foam. The hull is rated for six people under CPC, and has a total of about 350kg of reserve buoyancy, much of it placed high so the boat will (hopefully) float upright if swamped.
Power and performance
The 600 series is rated for up to 150hp outboards. The test Fisherman 600 was powered by a Johnson 115hp electronic fuel-injected four-stroke, swinging a standard 19” prop and fed from a 120-litre underfloor tank. The 115hp combination is a popular one according to Ric Lawrence, and turned in a respectable top-end performance of 36.5 knots (67.6kph) at 5700rpm. Cruising at 4200rpm produced just over 26 knots (48kph).
It was a beautiful day in Tauranga. A strong run-out tide was pushing up standing waves of half to three quarters of a metre at the entrance, and outside was a big, open, lazy swell of about a metre.
Seaforce’s 600 hull is a very deep V at 24° and cuts through the water like a knife. A couple of planing strakes on each side help with the lift.
After I found the right level of trim (about a quarter to a third the way up) the boat performed well, a soft lander and well behaved. Although there was little wind, this hull also seems to be a pretty dry rider, with the gull-wing chine, side mouldings and substantial rubbing strip turning away any spray.
Anchoring
The cabin of the 600 comes almost right out to the gunwales and it is not practical to climb around the outside to access the bow. The hatched anchor-well and the foot-switch-op
erated Anchormax capstan is reasonably easy to reach from the cabin roof hatch, but the cleat and fairlead are a bit more of a stretch.
The Fisherman 600 was fitted with an (optional) full stainless bow rail, which looks smart but restricts the size and shape of anchor passed underneath when at sea. A short split bowrail that drops down hard against the sides of the fairlead (to help contain the warp) would be more user-friendly.
Layout
The forecabin has an easy entry into a lowered step-down that is d
rained over a subfloor (which also picks up any drainage from the hold between the seats) to the sump under the transom. A 1000gph bilge pump removes it from there.
There is stowage under the squab in the forepeak, and shallow lockers under the berths. Side shelves also double as padded backrests. Access to the wiring and steering behind the helm console is through a hinged hatch.
Cleverly, the padded-top fish bin (which doubles as extra seating out in the cockpit) fits perfectly between the berths to become a berth infill, allowing sleeping room for two adults and maybe a child as well. A cabin light is fitted.
Out at the helm station, the dash has two (medium and small) shelves on the passenger side, and a Navman VHF 7000 radio flush-mounted into the companionway face.
The helm console has space to flush mount either two compact LCD units (sounder and GPS) or a single larger multi-function unit.
Steering is Teleflex cable, and was perfectly adequate for the task. Seats are upholstered, rotationally-moulded plastic bucket types, mounted on sliding, swivelling pedestals. Footrests are moulded in to the liners, and grabrails are provided. Ric Lawrence at Seaforce told me that the company is quite happy to customise the seating to suit any buyer.
The throttle/shift is well sited and comfortable to use. The acrylic screen is topped by a canopy riser, which runs back to the rocket launcher behind. There is plenty of room underneath for even tall individuals. A large zip-down clear section allows good forward visibility when standing, and when seated there is a good view through the ‘screen.
Two side pockets run the full length of the cockpit (2.27m). These have padded faces and pole/rod brackets mounted in them. The battery, isolation switch, and a pump for the livebait tank and washdown hose, are well protected up on a hatched platform in the transom wall. Other fittings include three drink holders and chromed cleats in the stern corners.
A transom walk-through is fitted on the passenger side, with a light drop board. Small boarding platforms with grab rails and moulded-in anti-skid finish are at either side of the outboard, and the walk-through side platform has a fold-down stainless boarding ladder recessed into it. A solid-looking rubber rubrail is fitted right around the outside of the boat to help prevent marking the hull finish.
Good use of space has left plenty of work room considering the size of the boat (5.59m).
Fishability
Considering the very deep V (24°), this boat is remarkably stable at rest. Two adults on one side induced only a slight list. Perhaps the down-turned chines help here. The deck was covered in fixed marine carpet, which gave good footing, but is a little harder to keep clean than some alternatives. There is toe room and good mid-thigh support all the way around the cockpit, making it comfortable to fish from.
A six-position rocket launcher also mounts a riding light and a cockpit spotlight. It is built so it can be easily folded down for garage storage.
Four through-gunwale rodholders are fitted in good positions for bottom fishing, although the gimbal pins are in the wrong orientation for serious trolling (the pins should be fore-and-aft to avoid the gimbal binding under load). This could be easily altered if necessary. The Bermuda baitstation fitted on the transom provides two more rod positions, but would be easier to fish around if mounted lower.
An underdeck hold, with two fish bins provided, in addition to the movable bin with the upholstered top, gives plenty of capacity for stowing the catch or to stow a few dive bottles.
Flush-mounted in the side wall by the transom walkthrough is a seven-drawer tackle locker, while under the walkthrough is a plumbed livebait tank with a top hatch access. Both pump and ram water feeds are fitted, and it looks capable of sustaining about 20 jack mackerel.
The basics are all there for a good fishing machine, and the rig is highly spec’ed. Pretty much everything mentioned is a standard feature. A Cannon downrigger, fishfinder, the VHF and EPIRB, flare kit, fish bins, gaff canopy, road cover, anchor kit, fire extinguisher and first aid kit are all included in the key-turn package.
Trailering
The boat is carried on a DMW Premier trailer, a galvanised cradle A-frame design. The single axle is fitted with zinc-treated leaf-spring suspension, and the wheel rims are also galvanised and fitted with Bearing Buddies, all designed to keep trailer maintenance to a minimum.
Other fittings include: a wind-down jockey wheel; submersible trailer lights; dual coupling; and a dual-ratio manual winch. Five sets of wobble rollers per side make loading easy, and are very free running when launching. The tie-down system is well thought-out and easily accessible, with straps running from the stern cleats to the trailer. Approximate towing weight for the rig is a reasonable 1250kg.
Overall
The level of finish and quality of components used on the Seaforce Fisherman 600 are excellent, and the boat is designed to take the fittings used, rather than just having them added on.
The level of finish and quality of components used on the Seaforce Fisherman 600 are excellent, and the boat is designed to take the fittings used, rather than just having them added on.
Trimmed correctly, this rig handles very well and delivers a comfortable ride. The foam-filled hull and consequent high reserve buoyancy is an attractive safety feature.
These boats look classy and come ready-fitted with just about everything needed, so the rig can be driven away from the dealer and put in the water – just add petrol, bait and tackle. An excellent two- to four-person rig for those who want to get into some fishing this summer.
Specifications
Length over all 5.59m
Beam 2.30m
Maximum horsepower 150hp
Hull Dry weight (approx) 600kg
Deadrise 24°
Key turn package
(Yamaha 115hp two stroke) $54,375
As tested $61,100
(January 2006)
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This article is reproduced with permission of
New Zealand Fishing News
Jan 2006 - by Sam Mossman
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited
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