Extreme 645 Centre Console reviewed

Extreme Boats certainly knows how to win boat show awards. When I arrived at the factory near Whakatane, I counted 19 Hutchwilco plaques and plinths on display, and I’m not sure if that was all of them – I was too distracted by the new shoulder-mount of the massive 484kg blue marlin that company owner Glenn Shaw had skippered in Tonga last year.

Extreme’s Sales Manager Shane Laurent and I hitched up a pair of boats: Glenn Shaw’s personal 605 Centre Console to use as a camera boat, and the 645 Legacy Series Centre Console, fresh from its NZ Boat Show triumph.

Given that the rig had been a show entry, and a winning one, it had been used to showcase many of the options Extreme offers. This extended to the trailer, built by Northland company Custom Alloy Marine, with a tandem-axle aluminium construction, well gusseted for strength. Features include a Knott wind-down jockey wheel (the handle winds in the vertical plane – much easier than the usual horizontal design), stone-chip guard screens, a dual-ratio manual winch, custom guards, mag wheels and guide poles, along with the usual submersible LED lights, wobble rollers and so on. Other production trailers are also available for these boats. Tow weight of the rig is about 1800kg.

A short tow along the coast saw us launching in the Thornton River, and with Shane leading the way (this ramp was new territory for me), running the bar and heading for the Raurima Rocks. After a photo shoot, we anchored the camera boat and went off to put the 645 through its paces.

Robustly built with a 5mm bottom and transom, and 4mm sides and deck, the 645 has an attractive, modestly-rising sheerline and 20.5-degree deadrise. You might expect a deep-V of this magnitude to make a vessel tender at rest, but Extreme compensates for this with a self-flooding keel chamber and downturned chines, both of which help to stabilise the hull when off the plane. However, the hull retains the benefits of a fine-entry deep-V when underway. Reserve buoyancy is around 840kg – a very high level – and the hull is rated for up to six people.

The test boat, like all Extremes, has an excellent level of finish with a smart paint job by local firm Haddock Spraypainters. The sealed deck and gunwale tops are all finished in attractive brushed SeaDek panels (a non-skid, closed-cell product made from UV-protected, non-absorbent EVA foam; text and graphics can be added into the design, an option that Extreme had used to good effect). The SeaDek panelling provided good footing, was easy on the feet, and added to the comfort when sitting on the gunwales.

On the water

In the sea conditions encountered (up to a half-metre and about 10 knots of southerly wind), the 645 travelled softly, smoothly and was dry. Not a drop of water came over the gunwales during the trial – remarkable for a centre-console configuration, and a testament to its design.

The test boat is powered by a Yamaha 200hp four-stroke outboard; performance figures are shown in the table on page 101 of this review. Fuel capacity is 130 litres in an underfloor tank, with the filling port located on the outside of the transom wall. A fuel filter comes standard.

A Minn Kota RT80ST electric outboard on a bow mount provides a second source of propulsion. This 80lb (37kg) thrust model has an i-Pilot and Lift Assist, and is a handy device for fishing (especially soft-baiting), being able to travel through shallow water with minimal disturbance and keep a boat hovering in one spot. The Minn Kota has a separate two-battery electrical system that gives about two days of fishing before needing a recharge back on shore.

Stem to stern

A Savwinch drum anchor-winch is fitted in a forward locker. It has electronic fast fall, allowing a drop speed very close to freefall – useful for precision anchoring in deeper water, such as is necessary when tarakihi fishing. A Rocna anchor is permanently mounted on the fairlead.

The centre-console design is clever. It is a decent size (but still easy to walk around) and has a comfortable seat built into the front. The centre of this seat can be lifted on gas shocks to reveal a small internal cabin with a built-in flush toilet. We also found it a useful spot to store extra tackle and bags. The fabric bimini has a zip-up storage pouch – a handy place to keep all the covers for the electronics when not in use.

Electronics and switching have been greatly simplified by Raymarine’s Empirbus system, which allows digital switching: pull up the switch function on-screen and touch the icon to control the boat’s electrical functions.

A second Raymarine ES97 ‘hybridtouch’ display is used for the usual sounder and GPS. A GME VHF radio is fitted, along with a Fusion sound system, USB charging port, Lectrotab trim tabs, Yamaha engine instrumentation and hydraulic steering.

There is also an extensive Hella lighting package, including: underwater LED baitfish lights (mounted on the trim tabs); one forward and two rear-facing Sea Hawk XLB flood lights; eight blue-strip lights; a blue live-bait tank light; navigation lights; and an inner cabin dome light.

A freshwater system with 50-litre tank feeds a sink in the helm-seat island. A wash-down hose pump also feeds an overboard hand-washing system that is controlled by a knee switch, while a bilge pump removes any water from the sump.

With all these electrical systems, you need a decent battery setup. The 645 has separate house and crank batteries in transom lockers, along with isolation switching. Although the big Yamaha 200 has a decent charging rate (12V-50A), a flexible GFS 100 solar panel system is attached to the top of the bimini, with a charge regulator protected inside the centre console to keep the batteries topped up.

Island life

The ‘island’ behind the console seats two passengers on a comfortable upholstered bench with roll-up bolsters that allow more room for those who prefer to travel standing up. Facing forward, three lockers in the island house a rubbish bin, dive-tank rack, and general shelving. Facing the stern are three soft-close drawers, taking: a 56-litre Icey-Tek bin for catch storage; a kerosene burner for simple cooking tasks; and general stowage. On top is a worktop (a fish measure is incised into the SeaDek) and a sink with fresh and salt water.

Side shelving offers additional stowage fore and aft, while the transom wall features two lockers (and includes battery storage), along with a step-through section, giving access to the boarding platform with its fold-down ‘T’ ladder and grab rails.

A serious fishing machine

One of the big advantages of the centre-console configuration is the amount of fishing space it provides, especially the bow platform. This is particularly useful when there is lure casting involved (such as soft-baits, surface lures or flies), as anglers can work from the bow and stern without endangering one another.

Indeed, the 645 is a serious fishing boat, well designed to encompass many aspects of fishing. It has the basics, of course: stability, good footing, all-round access and thigh support. Rod storage is generous, with four rod holders across the forward bulkhead, six along the console sides, four across the back of the bait station, six on the rocket launcher, and another six along the gunwales, for a total of 26.

Other fishing-friendly fittings include: gunwale mounts for outriggers; flush-mounted cup/sinker holders; recessed mooring cleats with side ports; two tuna tubes in the transom wall; a live-bait tank in the transom step-through; a Hi Tech Plastics berley pot that drops through the boarding platform; and a bait-station with two tackle drawers, cutting board and overboard drainage.

The final wash-up

From a fishing point of view (and what other worthwhile view is there?), this is one hell of a boat. The combination of innovative and attractive design features, clever fit-out, and high-quality build and finish make it easy to see why this highly spec’d rig, originally commissioned by Dargaville Extreme agents Northland Boating, won its class at the Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show.

But what the boat show judges do not get to do with each of the boats they are judging is put them on the water and trial their sea-keeping and practical-use aspects – a logistical impossibility when the number of boats entered in the show is considered. But in my opinion, Extreme’s 645 Legacy Series Centre Console is a winner on the water, too. Couldn’t fault it!

Performance

Yamaha 200hp four-stroke outboard, 16” pitch propeller

Specifications

LOA: 6.45m

Beam: 2.49m

Deadrise: 20.5 degrees

Bottom & transom: 5mm

Side and deck: 4mm

Rec HP: 130-200hp

Test engine: Yamaha 200 four stroke

Prop: 16” pitch

Tow weight: 1800kg approx.

Rated: six people or 842kg

Trailer: Custom Alloy Marine

Key-turn rigs from: $90,000

As tested: $130,995

Test boat courtesy of Extreme Boats.