Extreme 915 Walkaround Boat Review

When managing editor Grant Dixon went to Tauranga to review the new Extreme 915 Walkaround, he did not realise he would figuratively be transported back to Florida, USA. MasterTech Marine’s Karl Rastrick put together his company demonstrator and powered it with twin 350HP Suzuki outboards, following on from the American concept that you can never have enough horsepower…

We idled out of the Sulphur Point Marina, the nicely-synced Suzuki DF350As burbling quietly behind us. A couple of years back I attended the international launch of the world’s first duo-propped outboards and had been blown away by just how much horsepower the Americans were prepared to run on their transoms.

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When Karl hit the fly-by-wire throttles for the first time, I was quickly transported back to that launch, rapidly reminded of these outboards’ performance out of the hole and beyond. When Karl says “hold on” you had better be listening well and make sure anything that might move is properly secured! Acceleration and top-end speed might not be everything, but in this rig, it sure got the pulse racing.

Karl took possession of the hull just before lockdown, the G-Fab trailer only arriving the night before the country shut up shop. In self-isolation, Karl fitted the boat out and then had to wait a week into Level 3 for Maritime NZ to give permission for water tests to take place ‘in sheltered waters’ only.

Prior to the pandemic we had arranged a fishing adventure on board, the results of which due to appear as a ‘Setting Up for Sportfishing’ article in this edition. COVID-19 brought those plans to a halt and we only just made it onto the water for this issue, with no chance of a fishing trip thrown in. Flat Tauranga harbour conditions were hardly a test for this beast of a boat, hence the new ‘Boat of Interest’ tagline.

While the boat is MasterTech Marine’s demo vessel, it is also for sale. Consequently, Karl has gone for an uncomplicated factory fitout, leaving the opportunity for the eventual new owner to add his or her personal touches. The boat is ‘95% complete’, with Karl waiting on the supply of a MinnKota electric motor and a Maxwell Tasman drum winch to complete the job. The trailer will also go back to GFab for its final fitout.

Centre cabin boats, or ‘Walkarounds’ as Extreme brands them, are growing in popularity. Extreme have had several models in their line-up for some time. They are a great compromise between a cabin boat and a hardcore, balls-out centre console fishing platform. Anglers can, as the name suggests, fully walk around the hull. The bow is an excellent casting platform for topwater fishing and soft-baiting, and this leaves more fishing room in the cockpit.

A scupper clears the bulk of any water coming on board. Sea Dek anti-slip is liberally applied throughout the vessel.

A scupper clears the bulk of any water coming on board. Sea Dek anti-slip is liberally applied throughout the vessel.

Extreme Boats are built for anglers, and this has never been more obvious than in the 915 Walkaround.

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In centre stage on the transom is the bait/rigging station which includes a bait board, four rod holders and two tackle/essential items drawers.

The bait station features two drawers for all those essentials you need close at hand.

The bait station features two drawers for all those essentials you need close at hand.

Either side are two tuna tubes with a large, glass-fronted livebait tank on the port side. There are step-throughs giving access to the railed Portofino stern and dive ladders – great places to fish or leader the catch.

There is a standard set of gunwale-mounted rod holders – three a side – for game fishing, with six more positions in the cabin-top rocket launcher, four (as already mentioned) across the back of the bait station and another couple in either corner of the swim step cage.

Saltwater washdown hoses can be found port and starboard and there is a knee-operated freshwater supply set into both gunwales, which are great for washing your hands over the side.

Everywhere you are likely to stand has had the SeaDek treatment – cockpit floors, walkaround, cuddy top and gunwales. Not only does this product offer good grip, even in the wet, it is comfortable to stand on for extended periods. I cannot imagine a boat without SeaDek these days, especially with my old legs!

There is plenty of workspace in the SeaDek-covered cockpit, as well as good 'toe room' against the gunwale for fighting fish.

There is plenty of workspace in the SeaDek-covered cockpit, as well as good 'toe room' against the gunwale for fighting fish.

There is double shelving running the length of the sides for smaller gaffs and tag poles, with more shelving port and starboard under the hardtop and running along the inside of the cabin.

For night fishing there is under-gunwale lighting and a single rear cockpit flood adorns the rooftop. A forward-facing bar flood/spotlight illuminates the way forward. The walkaround area is also lit and there are two adjustable-direction soft lights on the rear sides of the hardtop. Underwater lights are attached to the Electratab trim tabs.

The helm station is well ventilated with sliding windows either side and an electric sliding sunroof above.

The hardtop offers plenty of protection, as well as room for storage drawers, a fridge and twin-burner gas hob.

The hardtop offers plenty of protection, as well as room for storage drawers, a fridge and twin-burner gas hob.

Taking pride of place in the helm station is a 16-inch Raymarine Axiom 16 Pro series sounder/plotter/Quantum 24-mile radar. The sounder offers both 1kW CHIRP function along with 3D and Downvision and is interfaced with the engines which also have bespoke Suzuki monitoring gauges. Without putting the gear through its paces in a fishing scenario, it is not possible to provide further comment but we have similar electronics in the NZ Fishing Media’s project boat On Line and it has been a positive user experience.

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The helm station is nicely laid out with plenty of room to fit everything at the skipper's fingertips.

The helm station is nicely laid out with plenty of room to fit everything at the skipper's fingertips.

Another thing I was impressed by was the ability to monitor the drone’s flight through the Raymarine screen – technology has come a long way since the old days of paper print-out sounders!

Overnighting features include an electric toilet under the cuddy fill-in – the latter creating a sleeping space for three people. There is an Isotherm fridge under the hardtop as well as a double-burner gas hob.

There is room for three people to sleep up forward in comfort, with the use of an infill. An electric toilet is concealed beneath.

There is room for three people to sleep up forward in comfort, with the use of an infill. An electric toilet is concealed beneath.

Food and beverages are kept cold in an Isotherm fridge unit.

Food and beverages are kept cold in an Isotherm fridge unit.

Carl made sure he has the best seat in the house, a Shockwave S5 hydraulic seat base, known more commonly as a Shark seat, and there’s a standard pedestal seat for the navigator.

If I have one criticism, it is the distance between the seats. For a bigger person, it is not that easy to squeeze past them. Perhaps someone is trying to tell me something!

Suzuki meets the demand

There has been a world-wide demand for bigger, more powerful outboards to replace stern drive and conventional shaft drive propulsion systems and the DF350A is Suzuki’s response.

Suzuki’s designers started with a blank canvas and came up with some best-in-class technology, starting with the dual counter-rotating props and the radical overhaul of the lower gear case.

Add to this dual injectors which improve fuel atomisation; a much higher compression ratio (12.0:1), producing 80hp per engine litre; an intake system that removes moisture from the air and increases airflow; a new dual water intake system which ensures plenty of cooling water, especially at high speeds; and you have something special bolted to the transom.

Worthy of extra mention is the contra-rotating propeller. Suzuki’s engineers say this “produces additional grip underwater, distributing engine torque evenly over the props and allowing the gear diameter to be reduced, resulting in a smaller, more hydrodynamic gearcase.” The propeller design has also changed. The three bladed front-three back prop combo proved to be the best performer, especially in acceleration, during extensive testing.

One of the most impressive features of the new hull’s performance, and a testament to the grip offered by the propping system, is just how flat the boat sits in a tight turn at speed – it’s like it’s on rails, not dissimilar to a twin-hulled vessel.

I expected the fuel burn to be more than it was. The critical stats – 47.2 litres per hour at 3000 RPM producing 24 knots, and 14.0 l/hr at 1400 RPM at eight knots trolling speed – are acceptable for a boat this size.

Single engine performance is good. One motor gets the boat up on the plane and cruising at 30 knots, burning 46.5 l/hr at 3900 RPM. We also ran a single motor at trolling speed, burning a miserly 10.1 l/hr at 1800RPM – not bad for a 350HP motor and a nine-metre vessel.

These numbers were taken off the Suzuki engine monitoring system and GPS in a 15-knot cross wind, both into and with the tide. The boat was relatively light, with two crew on board and around 150 litres of fuel in the 450-litre capacity tank, and no extras such as chilly bins, ice, or fishing tackle.

A multi-setting Ultraflex steering system is adjustable at the helm, allowing fingertip control regardless of the situation - WOT, cruising or close-quarter manoeuvring.

A multi-setting Ultraflex steering system is adjustable at the helm, allowing fingertip control regardless of the situation - WOT, cruising or close-quarter manoeuvring.

Trailer built to last

The rig sits on a triple-axle G-Fab alloy trailer that is built to last – it comes with a 12-year chassis warranty. The axles are rated to 5250kg and the trailer overall to 3500kg. Nothing has been left to chance in the construction and it is set off beautifully with black contrasting mag rims.

All the brake componentry is stainless steel with the brake lines fully braided. The construction includes hard plastic keel rollers and skids. Manufacturer Danny Sunkel says this allows the boat to sit lower on the trailer which is better for both towing and launching/retrieving.

This is the fifth such trailer the company has built for boats of this size. G-Fab is well known both here and across the Tasman for its roofing and flatdeck trailers.

Carl took over the trailer in a roadworthy but incomplete state so he could work on the rig during the COVID-19 Level 4 isolation period. When it goes back, the mudguards will be fully welded, and gussets added fore and aft of the mudguard assemblies. A boat catch will also be added.

When we retrieved the boat, it came easily onto the trailer, courtesy of a remote-controlled electric winch which has its own battery system, charged from the vehicle. Carl tows the rig with his VW Amarok V6 utility and while we only travelled a short distance from his Tauriko base, the rig did not show any vices and pulled up well with the Credo braking system.

Overall

From the trailer up, this is an impressive rig. While it was disappointing not to be able to test this vessel in a fit-for-purpose scenario, I saw enough to get excited. The re-worked hull shape and the way it handled 700HP on the transom will bring delight to any throttle jockey.

With a set of electronics to match, there was plenty to like about this boat that offers the serious trailerboat gamefisher a great platform to add their finishing touches to.

Specifications

Length Overall: 9.15m

Beam: 2.82m

Hull: 6mm

Sides/decks: 4mm

Deadrise: 20 degrees

Overall length on trailer: 10m

Height on trailer: 3.20m

Width on trailer: 2.82m

Tow weight: 3450kg (dry)

Crew rating: 8 pax

Recommended HP: 300-450

   This article is reproduced with permission of   
New Zealand Fishing News

June 2020 - Grant Dixon
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited

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