AMF 660 V Berth Cabin |
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There are two companies building boats with the AMF marque in New Zealand.
Paul Sharrat, now working out of Mount Maunganui, originated AMF boats. Brian Collings, owner of RiverCity Marine in Wanganui, liked the workmanship, but wanted a heavy duty, rough water, fish-and-dive boat for his local conditions. The two designed the AMF Pro-Sport Series hulls for the job.
Collings and Sharrat maintain regular contact, more so since Brian married Paul’s daughter Jodi. Sharrat builds larger, mostly one-off designs in the Mount, while in Wanganui, RiverCity Marine bought the jigs and patterns, and produces the AMF Pro-Sport series.
This year, RiverCity celebrates 25 years in business and a change in direction. They are closing the chandlery side of their business to concentrate entirely on boat manufacture. Brian Collings is moving to the Bay of Plenty to improve marketing and promotion of the product, while son Bevan will run the Wanganui AMF factory with a dozen staff. They are currently turning out one finished hull per week, but plan to double this with the reorganisation.
This also means expanding the current dealership of five. Since closing the retail branch of the business, RiverCity has been approached by (and are negotiating with) a number of dealers now interested in representing AMF hulls in various regions, but are still looking for more dealers so their hulls are more accessible to the boating public.
They have also introduced a new lower-priced series of hulls, the Fisherman range, with slightly lighter gauge aluminium, but retaining the tough, proven AMF construction methods.
The test boat however, is their original series Pro-Sport Series 660 V-Berth Cabin, and the first AMF hull that RiverCity has fitted with a diesel inboard. I travelled down to Wanganui to trial this boat on its home surf.
Construction
AMF Pro-Sport hulls have a reputation as one of the most solidly constructed aluminium recreational hulls on the market. The 660 has a 6mm plate hull, 5mm transom and deck, 4mm sides and 3mm cabin. All welds are full length – no skip welding here.
The chine joints are fully welded inside and out, then capped with angle extrusion, which is also full-length welded, giving four full-length welds at the chines. The bottoms are butted up to a keel bar and likewise welded full length inside and out. A wear strip is added over the keel and seam welded, making a total of six full-length welds at the keel.
There are seven full-length longitudinal supports. Under the cockpit floor are four lateral supports plus bulkheads and collision bulkhead in the bow. A 145-litre underfloor fuel tank is fitted (a 180-litre option is offered), with the fuel port just forward of the engine box. Of note is the use of rounded corners anywhere there may be contact between the crew and the boat (it’s nice to have a hull that doesn’t ‘bite’), and the use of extra strengthening plates where side supports, seat pedestals, bollards and the like meet the deck.
The fully-sealed floor provides buoyancy and is pressure tested at the factory. This sealed section has a capacity of 1332 litres of air, and about ten of these hulls are being used for charter work under the Safe Ship Management certification without any hull modification from the standard build.
The hull has an 18.5° deadrise, moderate entry, with down-turned chines. Five topsides layouts are available: Hardtop Cabin, Hardtop Runabout, Vee-Berth Cabin (as tested), Open Runabout, and Open Dory (centre console). RiverCity Marine offers a six-year, structural-hull warranty for recreational use.
The Vee-Berth Cabin has a forward cabin and windscreen/Targa top combination at the helm. Drop-screen clears can be fitted between the Targa and the tinted polycarbonate ‘screen.
Power and performance
As mentioned, the test boat is the first of the AMF Pro-Sports to be fitted with an inboard, and a Volvo Penta D3 2.4-litre diesel 160hp unit with Duoprop drive was chosen for the task. This is a very compact unit when installed into the transom wall.
It features common rail fuel injection, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, variable geometry turbocharger, aftercooler and electronic vessel control.
Revs top out at 4000 by the book, and in slightly sloppy conditions we achieved 3800rpm by the dash dial, equating to 35 knots (64.8kph) by the GPS. The boat cruised very nicely at 20 knots and 2200rpm, with the performance tests run on this boat showing fuel use of only 12 litres per hour at this speed. This level of economy-for-distance run applies to about 3100rpm (27 knots), after which consumption per distance run increases somewhat.
Brian Collings told me that with a mix of running speeds, including troll speeds and full noise (approximating general boating use), that he used 136 litres for 12 hours running.
The 330kg (not counting the props) Volvo Penta installation is further forward, lower, and around 40kg heavier than a comparable outboard. In addition, the Targa top is lighter than RiverCities’ heavily reinforced hardtop design, further reducing the centre of gravity.
I have run a number of outboard-powered AMF 660s before, most notably as part of the crew that took a hardtop cabin version from Wanganui to Picton and back to Mana near Wellington in a day. The difference in performance between outboard hardtop and inboard Targa versions of the same hull is marked.
These tough, heavily built hulls are made to cope with rough conditions, and in this situation you can normally expect a lively (but not harsh) ride from a 660 outboard rig. The inboard version, by comparison, still takes off like a dragster, but sits down well, cuts the water like a knife, and is a very soft traveller. I was most impressed with its excellent sea keeping. With Brian Collings (a man well known for his heavy throttle arm) at the helm, the combination of an open, half-metre swell and 35 knots of boat speed, saw us taking to the air on a regular basis – and landing like a feather. A very good performance indeed.
Anchoring
Although it is not too hard to get to the bow around the sides of the ‘screen, it is easier to work the anchor through the cabin-top hatchway. The test boat is fitted with a helm-controlled Lewmar Pro-Series 700 chain and warp capstan, which feeds into the anchor well. This well can be accessed through a hatch in the forward bulkhead. Inside is a lug and shackle to secure the end of the warp.
A Sarca anchor is permanently mounted on the fairlead, which has split bow-rails dropping down hard on each side, containing the anchor warp – even if bucking up and down in a head sea. A padded chain plate protects the foredeck, and a heavy aluminium bollard is welded aft of the capstan.
Layout
The forecabin is fully lined and the berths are long enough to sleep two adults, with stowage and a space for a chemical toilet in the centre. A berth infill is available. Further stowage is in two large side shelves, the padded faces of which double as backrests when sitting on the berths. There is hatch access to the wiring and steering inside the console, as well as the bung drainage for the step-down. The cabin can be made secure with a lockable drop-door.
Out at the helm is a large, deep dash with a big backlip. There is plenty of storage room here and also space for instrument mounting. Twin Humminbird M97 units provide both GPS and sounder functions. The engine caused these to vibrate a bit at idle, but they were okay when underway. A GME Electrophone GX600 VHF radio is recessed into the forward facia; handy, but out of the way.
Daytime visibility at the helm is reasonable, seated or standing, through the relatively low, slightly tinted polycarbonate ‘screen. The dark marine carpet lining on the dash helps to minimise internal reflection.
The power steering was nice to use. Seating was taken care of by two upholstered plastic bucket seats with swivelling, sliding bases on pedestals. Gas shocks are an optional extra. Stowage in this area, besides the dash, is taken care of by a large hatched glovebox on the passenger side and two protected side pockets, one on either side of the boat.
Decks are sealed chequerplate, and drain to twin sumps under the transom, from where water is removed by twin 1100gph bilge pumps. Two bungs are also set at deck level, particularly useful when washing down the interior of the boat on the trailer. The engine compartment is fitted with a third 1100gph bilge pump fitted with a float switch.
Deep, large-capacity side shelves run the length of the cockpit, approximately three metres long. Twin batteries with selective charging are housed up inside the transom wall. The engine box, while taking up some cockpit room, does provide extra seating or a work surface. It is covered with rubberised Decktread.
Two heavy bollards are set on the stern corners, and over the transom wall is a chequerplate boarding platform with grab rails and fold-down ladder, which also forms the cover over the Duoprop leg.
The boat is acid washed and Nyalic-coated for easy washing.
Fishability
The six-position rocket launcher on the fold-down Targa top (for easier garaging) also carries a riding light and the GPS antenna. Only four through-gunwale rod holders are fitted – basic nylon types. This is adequate for basic bottom fishing, but for those wanting to fish bigger rigs (as when trolling for gamefish), more alloy or stainless holders can easily be fitted.
The hull is stable and the chequerplate deck gives good footing. There is toe room all around the cockpit (except for the engine box) and the flat-faced, rounded-edged gunwales give support at the top of the thighs. And although the engine box does take up some transom room, it also provides two fishing positions where anglers can easily brace themselves, as well as somewhere to sit when fishing astern, and is a potential work surface (incorporating a bait station in this area is an obvious use).
The excellent sea keeping, low fuel use and the low-frequency harmonics of a diesel engine make this rig a sitter for trailerboat gamefishing in particular.
Trailering
The test boat was carried on a Voyager Elite trailer, a cradle A-frame design with a keel entry. It has nine pairs of wobble rollers and a keel entry roller, tandem axles and zinc-protected compensating leaf-spring suspension. Wheel rims are galvanised, and other features include: wind-down jockey wheel; dual-ratio manual winch on a welded, braced post; dual coupling; hydraulic brakes; and submersible lights. Tow weight is 2150kg with a full fuel tank.
All in all
I really liked this boat. Built like a tank, it gives a great ride, has good handling, is well finished, looks smart and has excellent fishing and diving potential. Along with general fishing and diving duties, this rig is particularly well suited for offshore fishing involving bar crossings and trolling for gamefish. It is pretty hard to fault.
Specifications
Length overall 6.60m
Beam 2.45m
Deadrise 18.5°
Bottom 6mm
Sides 4mm
Deck 5mm
Topsides 3mm
Price as tested (inclu. electronics) $123,000
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