A Kiwi all-rounder

Starting out as a retailer, Bay of Plenty-based company Sportcraft Boats soon progressed to having their own designs built, striking initial success with the boat-on-a-budget Scorpion range and progressing to the more up-market Bluefin line.

Recently they produced a new ‘offshore’ Bluefin layout based on their proven 665 hull. I travelled to Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula to meet with company head Jamie Black and check out the redesigned Bluefin 665 HT.

On the water

Open-backed hardtops are a popular configuration in 6-7m trailerboats. Pontoon hulls and cats aside, hulls need a bit of size to sustain the extra windage and weight of a hardtop. Open-back versions work well in this size range as they take up less space, cut the windage a bit, weigh less and cost less, while still offering the crew reasonable shelter from sun, rain and spray.

The Bluefin 665HT is rated for outboards up to 175hp; the test boat was pushed by a 150hp Mercury four-stroke, swinging a 17-inch pitch Enertia propeller. (An inboard version is also available.)

Launching at Whitianga, we made a return journey to Great Mercury Island (about 30nm) and did a bit of running around as well. This used 46 litres of fuel, or a little under 1.5 litres per nautical mile, equating to a range of around 93nm (172km) from a full 140-litre under-floor tank. Top speed for this rig is 36.5 knots (67.6kph), with a comfortable cruise speed of 20 knots (36kph) achieved at 3400rpm.

It is a truism that all boats are compromises. Change one design aspect to satisfy a particular requirement and it will affect other aspects of performance. The trick is to identify the most important requirements for a particular boat in the role it will undertake, and then design the boat to meet them. In the case of the 665, the design of the hull is calculated to produce a dry, soft ride, and it achieves this to a high degree. Indeed, the 665 is one of the softest riding hulls I have been in for a long time, something I really appreciated having had some minor surgery only a couple of days previously.

The trade-off is that the hull is a little tender, but this is countered when underway by using Lectrotab trim tabs. Over the day we encountered conditions ranging from calm up to a metre of chop, and the Bluefin aced it, with not a single bang or bong and very little spray coming aboard.

Putting it together

Construction includes 5mm bottoms and 4mm sides, decks and topsides, downturned chines and a fine entry flaring to a modest 17-degree deadrise at the transom. The level of finish is excellent, with a two-tone paint job to the chines on the outside and the cabin and hardtop areas lined to the deck with marine carpet. The sealed under-deck chamber provides reserve buoyancy and the boat is CPC-rated for six people.

The cabin features stowage under the berths and in large side shelves. It can sleep two adults, or three with a berth infill added, and although not fitted in the test boat (in favour of a ‘bucket and chuck it’), a toilet can be added as an option.

The helm area offers good all-round visibility through the curved, toughened glass ‘screen, fitted with optional sliding side windows to aid ventilation.

Recessed into the dash is a Raymarine touch-screen sounder/GPS, engine gauges, switching, capstan and trim-tab controls, plus charging ports that include a USB outlet. GME VHF and sound systems are fitted into the hardtop overhead, along with cabin lighting and a rear-facing floodlight for the cockpit. Seastar hydraulic steering makes helming this boat a pleasure.

The stowage space on the large, lined dash is supplemented by a hatched glovebox, two pockets on each side, an under-deck hold between the seats, and the king-and-queen seating units. These feature upholstered, rotationally-moulded bucket seats and rear-facing bench seats that lift to give easy access to stowage space inside the large base units. Grab rails are fitted under the hard-top and along its trailing edges.

The cockpit is a decent size (the beam is 2.5m), with large side shelves, a sealed treadplate deck with tube mat, and it drains to a sump under the transom. Any water is removed from here with an 1100gph bilge pump. The transom wall features a raised locker with two hatches that house the dual battery system, isolation switching, live-bait tank plumbing, and wash-down hose.

A step-through with drop-door in the transom wall gives access to a large boarding platform with a treadplate top, ‘H’-type boarding ladder, and grab rails.

Fish and dive

The boat is set up for a mixture of bottom fishing and diving. The boarding facilities just mentioned, along with an under-deck hold that can accommodate a pair of dive tanks (as can the seating units), make life easy for divers.

The owner decided against fitting a rocket launcher on the hardtop so he could get the boat into his shed. There are two rod holders fitted to the rear faces of the hardtop that could fit drop-in outriggers if required. Six through-gunwale rod holders are spaced around the sides, with two more across the transom used to mount a bait-station. This is compensated for with two more angled rod holders attached to the side of the bait-station.

Other rod stowage is in the fore-cabin side pockets and also in the cockpit. To allow for extra rod length, the latter have rubber extension boots fitted.

The other fishing fitting of note is a mackerel-sized live-bait tank set into the transom step-through. It is plumbed and features a top hatch and front window for easy assessment of the health of the baitfish. Catch stowage is in an aftermarket ice bin.

The cockpit offers plenty of workspace with tube mat over treadplate deck for good (and comfortable) footing. There is plenty of toe room, and flat gunwale faces give top-of-the-thigh support when fishing. The gunwale tops are wide and feature decktread panels that make them comfortable places to perch while stationary.

At the Mercury Islands we drift-fished for a while, throwing soft-baits and putting a reasonable feed of pannie snapper in the chilly bin before resuming our travels.

We also dropped the pick for a while in Great Mercury’s picturesque Peachgrove Bay. Although there is easy access to the bow through the fore-cabin hatch or around the outside of the cabin sides, I found the helm-controlled Lewmar anchor winch a useful labour-saving device, precluding the need to get out on the bow.

On the road again

This is a substantial boat, but on the trailer the whole rig has a reasonable towing weight of around 1650kg. The trailer is a cradle A-frame, tandem-axle model made by Sportcraft. It features: zinc-protected leaf-spring suspension; eight pairs of wobble rollers per side; wind-down jockey wheel; dual-ratio manual winch; dual coupling; mag wheels with plastic guards; submersible LED lights; and trailer brakes. It is a bolt-together construction, providing a little flex and allowing for easy replacement of any damaged components. The American-made Fulton fitting in the drawbar is an interesting custom fitting, enabling the drawbar to hinge back on itself, reducing the space required for the rig’s storage.

This updated version of the Bluefin 665 HT rides beautifully, looks sharp, and is well made with a good level of finish. It is also practical and well-suited to a fish, dive and family boating lifestyle, while providing plenty of shelter for the crew. It is a decent-sized craft, blue water capable, but still reasonably towable – a good Kiwi all-rounder.

Specifications

Material: aluminium

Configuration: open-back hardtop monohull

LOA: 6.650m

Beam: 2.500m

Bottom: 5mm

Sides and topsides: 4mm

Deck: 4mm

Deadrise: 17°

Recommended power: 175hp max

Test engine: Mercury 150hp
four-stroke

Prop: Enertia 17-inch pitch

Fuel: 140-litre underfloor

Trailer: Sportcraft tandem-axle

Tow weight: 1650kg

Key-turn rig: $73,500 (Merc 150hp four-stroke)

As tested: $94,495.