Seahouse Liberty 7200

Seahouse is an unusual name for a company manufacturing high quality aluminium sports boats.

It goes back to owner Paul Rutter’s great-grandfather, who was a lighthouse tender, lifeboat crew and fisherman in the Scottish village of ‘Seahouses’.

The family has always been involved with the sea and boat-building. Paul Rutter began his working life building truck bodies and the like, then started a panelbeating business in his home district of Dunedin. But with Paul’s background and love of boats and the sea, the panelbeating business became a boat-building business, based on Paul’s own design ideas.

Located in Dunedin, Seahouse Boats has three boat-builders (including Paul) on the floor, producing extensively-customised aluminium boats (ranging from 4–7.4m) and with dealers in Christchurch, Taupo and Auckland.

It was with the Taupo agents, Fleets Marine, that the boat test was organised, and I met up with partners Richard Herbert and Michael Parsons at Tauranga’s Sulphur Point ramp, after they had towed the test boat up from their Taupo base.

Construction

The Liberty 7200 (7.2m) is built with 5mm bottoms (a 6mm option is offered), 4mm sides and decks, with a mixture of 3mm and 4mm aluminium used in the superstructure. Under the decks are six full-length bearers with crossbracing, and five bulkheads (counting the transom). The bottom plates are butted-up at the keel-line and fully seam-welded inside and out. An optional capping strip is offered, and being a belt-and-braces man myself, I think it is a good offer to take up. The join at the chine is likewise butted plates with full seam-welding.

The hull has a fine entry, a 19° deadrise, no strakes and a moderate down-turned chine. There are two main buoyancy chambers under the deck. These hulls will be available to ‘survey’ standard, with the required reserve buoyancy ratings.

Sealed chequerplate decks drain into twin sumps under the transom, from where water is removed via two 1000gph bilge pumps. A similar pump is mounted in the engine well.

Mounting plates are attached to the stern, allowing the fitting of transducers, trim tabs or water intakes without drilling holes in the hull. The batteries are situated up in the transom wall and are well protected from swamping. One heavy-duty starting battery and two house batteries are fitted, with triple switching and selective charging.

The quality of finish looks to be excellent and the exposed welds were well executed. Seahouse offer a five-year recreational use/one-year commercial use warrantee.

Power and performance

The test boat was set up with a Volvo-Penta 5.0-litre fuel-injected petrol engine with a DPS (Duo-Prop System) leg, delivering 270hp at the props. Recommended power for an inboard version of this hull is 180-300hp.

Fuel is carried in a 205-litre underfloor tank. The fuel port is on the rear of the transom, avoiding internal fuel spillage. Double venting makes filling the tank easy. This engine is freshwater-cooled with a heat exchanger, except for the manifold. Here, a ‘Neutra Salt’ salt neutralising system had been fitted, removing the need to flush with fresh water.

Considerable pains had been taken with the sound-deadening, engine ventilation, and with the servicing-access aspects of the engine fit-up and engine-box design. A separate hatch cover opening back from the transom makes it easy to get at the rear of the engine and the steering gear.

The engine box does tend to dominate the rear of the cockpit, although this is not all bad. As an alternative, Seahouse make an outboard version of this hull, rated 175-225hp, and there are some very classy high-tech outboards in this power range available these days.

In sheltered waters I gave the engine a quick squirt and achieved 44mph (on the dash gauges) at 4550rpm (the maximum rating is 4600rpm). Acceleration was powerful but progressive, with none of this ‘light-speed jump’ stuff that throws any unsuspecting crewmember to the deck.

As we headed out of Tauranga Harbour we encountered 15-knot nor’-east winds against a powerful run-out tide. There were tight standing waves of about 1.5m in the entrance, and a two-metre sea running outside, breaking on the sandbar to the west of the entrance. Such was the confidence provided by the handling, acceleration and bow-lift, that we went down to play.

The Seahouse took to the conditions like a duck to water – very predictable and biddable, with no vices whatsoever. She proved to be a soft lander too, coming over the top of a steep three-metre wave with a nice soft ‘squelch’. Next was a beat out to Karewa Island and back. The sea was one to two-metres and capping. Visibility was good, both seated and standing, and the Sea Star hydraulic steering was a pleasure to use. We were comfortable and dry in the wheelhouse, but did not take much spray into the cockpit either, even in a beam sea. The engine was quiet (for an inboard), and even more so with the wheelhouse doors shut (they had rubber gaskets fitted).

The Tauranga entrance approximated a moderate bar crossing, but again, the Seahouse handled it with aplomb. Very controllable, plenty of bow lift, and instant power when you needed it. A very good sea boat indeed.

Anchoring

On the test boat the anchoring set up was an interesting one. The design sees an anchor permanently mounted in the bowsprit, which is fitted with three rollers. Behind the fairlead the anchor warp channel is covered in and feeds to a Maxwell 500 capstan, which is set down under deck level, accessible through a hatch. The control for this is at the helm station.

This, and the absence of bow rails, makes very clean looking bow lines. Although I personally find bow rails a bit comforting when clambering around the pointy end, there were plenty of grab rails, and a non-skid deck-tread was also fitted; in some ways the absence of the bow rails actually made it a lot easier to get up to the bow.

The alternative for those needing to get to the bow is through the hatchway in the forecabin roof. The anchor well itself can be accessed from the cabin through a hatch in the forward bulkhead.

The brand-new test boat had not been set up with ground tackle at test time, so I was unable to try the system, but looking at the height of the installation raised questions in my mind as to whether there was enough fall (with a decent load of warp in the well) to allow the winch to operate properly. Apparently Maxwell thinks it’s okay. The open entry at the back of the fairlead had also allowed a fair amount of salt spray into the well. As you would expect, the well is drained, but the winch engine was coated with saltwater.

A different and smart-looking design concept for the anchoring set-up, but I must admit to some reservations, which, without trying the system, I was unable to settle one way or the other. The good thing is that, as Seahouse Boats specialise in custom building, any potential owner could specify a conventional above-decks layout if they wanted.

Layout

With a hard-top, enclosed wheelhouse design, there is plenty of shelter for the crew. The lockable bi-folding wheelhouse door has a rubber seal, making it a nice firm closure and reducing noise. Inside, the helm seats are comfortable bench types (a third lift-out seat fits between them) with folding footrests that help support clever fold-down berth extensions which, at 2.4m, allow anyone wanting a kip in the forecabin to really stretch out. A centre in-fill and optional toilet are available. Paul Rutter is still not entirely happy with the footrest design, and a new design is under way.

Two levels of side shelves and the area under the berths offer stowage space. The lower side shelf has a padded front face that doubles as a comfortable backrest. A hinged cover provides access to the wiring behind the helm console. An Aquatech loom has been used here, making for a nice tidy installation. The cabin is fully lined.

The cabin entry is wide and comfortable to negotiate (with a large grab rail above), and the dash is large, with a rear lip and lined in dark marine carpet to cut internal glare on the ‘screen. Curved, tempered glass is used here, with twin 5mm toughened glass sliders at the sides. These will open in both directions.

There is dash room to flush-mount two reasonably large display screens. Stowage shelves are fitted on each side of the boat and there are two levels of stowage space under the helm and passenger seats. The space under the passenger seat is partly used to house an Engel refrigeration unit that runs the built-in fridge directly behind the wheelhouse, out in the cockpit.

The cockpit fridge also doubles as a bench seat and provides storage for perishables when away for longer periods. Some may consider that a quality chilly bin and a load of ice is a simpler (and cheaper) option. A bench seat on the other side of the cockpit, hard up against the rear of the wheelhouse, was fitted with a removable plastic fish bin – a useful place to store the catch or wet gear. These two bench seats are reasonably well sheltered by rear extensions and an overhang off the wheelhouse roof.

The gunwales feature two levels and lengths of side pockets, and steps are rebated into the sides to aid climbing up onto the gunwales. Stern cleats are added, and grabrails run over the transom and down onto the expanded aluminium boarding platform. A fold-down boarding ladder is fitted. The transom is fairly wide, and a bit of a climb to get over, but a walk-through transom version is available.

Fishability

The Seahouse 7200 is a stable fishing platform, with the chequerplate deck providing good footing. There is all-round toe-recess room and mid-thigh support for anyone working a fish off the gunwales or transom. The engine box does tend to dominate the stern area, but there are some advantages to set against the loss of fishing room. One is that the positions at either side of the engine box, where you can get to the transom, allow anglers to brace themselves on three sides if playing a fish in rough conditions. In addition, a large bait station had been built on top of the box (although the wooden cutting board had not been added yet), draining over the transom.

No rod holders had been fitted at the time, but obviously any potential buyer can decide on the appropriate positions for them. A six-position rocket launcher was fitted on the hardtop.

For divers, the handrail, ladder, and boarding platform are good, although the climb over the wide transom in a constricting wetsuit (amazing how they shrink over the winter, isn’t it?) is a little inconvenient. No doubt tank racks could be easily fitted.

This boat could fish four anglers without too much trouble and is certainly blue-water capable. A hard-core fishing fit-out might require some different design choices, but that is what custom boat builders like Seahouse are all about.

Trailering

The Seahouse Liberty 7200 was carried on a Toko trailer, a company based in Milton, about 30 minutes south of Dunedin, and familiar to many from their association with McLay Boats. The trailer is a cradle A-frame type, built from heavy box and ‘C’ section and hot-dip galvanised. It is a tandem-axle model with Duratorque suspension and hydraulic brakes. The boat is carried on eight pairs of wobble rollers per side, plus one pair at the bow. A keel entry roller is also fitted.

Other features include: a dual-ratio manual winch; moulded plastic guards with step; submersible lights; and a wind-down jockey wheel. Dry tow weight of the rig is 2250kg.

All-in-all...

The basics are there: this is an excellent sea boat with a good quality of finish. Seahouse specialise in (within reason) custom-building boats, and there is often a lot of input from owners. Consequently, it is difficult to make any criticism of such a custom boat as each one is an individual, and buyers get what they ask for. The trick is in knowing what to ask for, of course!

On a personal level then, what would I do to make a hard-core fishing machine based on the Liberty 7200? Obviously this recipe is not to everyone’s tastes, but I’d probably fit a conventional deck-top anchoring system; go for the outboard option (giving a heap more cockpit room); and fit a half-height transom walk-through (and shift the boarding ladder adjacent) on the opposite side to the helm. This is because when gamefishing and chasing fish forward, the angler needs to be on the same side as the skipper, so the skipper can see the line more easily. This means that the angler needs a full-height transom on the helm side to work off.

Adhering to the KISS principle, I would skip the built-in fridge and build mounts for one of the excellent large chilly-bin/iceboxes available these days. The rest of a fishing fit-out is minor detail. You could make one hell of a fishing machine from a Liberty 7200.

Specifications

Hull length 7.20m
L.O.A 7.95m
Beam 2.50m
Deadrise 19°
Bottoms. 5mm (6mm option)
Sides 4mm
Topsides. 3 and 4mm
Recommended power (inboard) 180–300hp
Recommended power (outboard) 175–225hp
Price as tested $129,950
Without fridge and paint $119,950
Dash space is available for flush-mounted electronics.
A fold-down ladder is fitted to the expanded aluminium boarding platform.
There is plenty of cockpit space in the Liberty 7200, although the engine box dominates the transom.
Batteries are in protected positions up in the transom wall.
Soundproofing and easy servicing access are features of the engine installation.
The bi-fold cabin door has a rubber gasket for firm fitting and noise reduction.
Left: Rear cabin-top overhang gives some shelter to the cockpit bench seats.
Above: No bow rails and a concealed anchor channel give clean lines to the bow.
Left: A fridge unit is built in under a cockpit bench seat.
 

	This article is reproduced with permission of New Zealand Fishing News   by Sam Mossman Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited