FlyFin 1900 Centre Console Boat Review

It is not surprising, considering the high level of boat ownership in NZ (about 15% of households own at least one boat) and the Kiwi ‘can do’ attitude, that we have an extraordinarily strong domestic boat-building industry. Sam Mossman investigates a new sportfisher.

A company that had escaped my notice until the most recent Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show is Tino Marine. The company is based in Papamoa and was founded by Nicholas Fenton. Fenton has been in the marine industry for 19 years, cutting his teeth with Hamilton firm Tristram Marine before going on to earn an honours degree in marine design from Massey University’s Albany campus. A spell of designing hydrofoil sail boats and alloy hulls locally was followed by a few years travelling and working for overseas superyacht manufacturers. In 2014 he returned to New Zealand and set up Tino Marine.

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Initially the firm focused on soft-sided superyacht tenders and RIBs under the Tino Marine marque, most of which were exported. Wanting to do more in the domestic market, Fenton designed a range of alloy hulls under the FlyFin brand that were aimed at coastal fishing and boating. The firm has produced 32 hulls to date. Currently all the design and construction are done in house, except for paint and upholstery, and they are currently constructing a new purpose-designed manufacturing facility that will allow them to further expand production.

The Auckland agent for FlyFin Boats is Auckland Marine and manager Gary Hatton drew my attention to the FlyFin 1900 Centre Console at the recent Hutchwilco Boat Show in Auckland. It looked to have all the makings of a great coastal sportfishing boat, and we arranged to put it through its paces in the northern Hauraki Gulf after the show was over.

Design and performance

I met up with Gary Hatton at Omaha on a fine winter morning and we put the FlyFin 1900 in the water. I was immediately impressed by the rising shearlines, high quality welding, well-faired hull and cool paint job (Nicholas had selected ‘Pyrite Silver’, which is also used on selected Audi cars. Depending on the light it changes from silver to gunmetal).

With a seventeen-degree deadrise, the hull uses a self-flooding (and draining) ballast chamber along the keel line that holds 380 litres of water (380kg), aiding stability at rest. The gunwale tops extend past the hull sides, helping turn down any spray. Decks are sealed tread plate and drain from a raised casting platform in the bow back to a sump under the transom wall, from where any water is removed by a bilge pump. The 5mm bottom plates extend back past the transom to where the engine is mounted, increasing the planing surface.

A main feature of the design is the centre console configuration, which opens the bow to fishing (especially casting), pretty much doubling the available space. This is a wide console, which shelters two crew and is topped by a powder-coated bimini top which is designed to be easily lowered or removed for storage or long tows.

The centre console configuration opens the bow to fishing, especially casting.

The centre console configuration opens the bow to fishing, especially casting.

Rated for 70-115hp outboards, the test boat was powered by a Mercury Pro XS 115hp CT (‘Command Thrust’) four stroke, fed from a 110-litre underfloor tank fitted with a surge chamber that prevents ‘weeping’ from fuel expansion on a hot day or ‘blow back’ when filling. Tote tanks are an option with space under the transom wall for two.

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The test boat was powered by a Mercury Pro XS 115hp CT ('Command Thrust') four stroke outboard.

The test boat was powered by a Mercury Pro XS 115hp CT ('Command Thrust') four stroke outboard.

Mercury calls this engine the ‘Tiger Shark’ and with its over-sized lower gear casing it certainly pushed the FlyFin 1900 along well. (See the performance figures on page 84). The rig is a kind traveller with a fine entry and the overlapping gunwale tops turn away the spray. Steering is hydraulic from Maxtek, complimented by a stainless ‘destroyer’ style wheel. A nice touch was the addition of a knob (‘spinner’) which is particularly useful when manoeuvring at low speed.

Stem to stern

The test boat is extensively optioned. Up in the bow a helm-controlled Maxwell drum winch is recessed in the anchor well and a Rocna plough anchor is permanently mounted in the fairlead under the bow rails.

A Rocna plough anchor is permanently mounted in the fairlead under the bow rails.

A Rocna plough anchor is permanently mounted in the fairlead under the bow rails.

The wide, nicely radiused gunwale faces and tops are finished in grey U-Dek, which is a good thing in an aluminium boat during the extremes of our seasons. In high summer, aluminium can get burningly hot in the sun, while in winter it will slowly leach the heat out of you. The U-Dek will provide insulation both ways, making the gunwales a useful spot to perch while fishing. Storage shelves run along each side of the cockpit.

There is some stowage space inside the console, supplemented by a dome-on canvas cover that has storage pouches incorporated. Electronics include a Furuno DB9 sounder/GPS with a TM 260 1Kw transducer. The bottom image was great, even at planing speed, and Gary reports good results from it when ‘puka fishing in 300m. Engine instrumentation is taken care of by one of Mercury’s Vessel View 403 units and a GME GX700 VHF handles the radio communications.

There is stowage space inside the console, supplemented by a dome-on canvas cover that has storage pouches incorporated.

There is stowage space inside the console, supplemented by a dome-on canvas cover that has storage pouches incorporated.

South of the console is a twin bench seat with reversible back rest, which is useful when fishing at anchor. The seat is made to take an ice box underneath and a 70-litre Icey Tek was fitted in the test boat.

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The seat is made to take an ice box underneath; a 70-litre Icey Tek was fitted.

The seat is made to take an ice box underneath; a 70-litre Icey Tek was fitted.

The twin battery system is housed centrally in a locker in the transom wall, with isolation switching behind a hatch on the starboard side and a transom step-through to port. On the boarding step behind this last feature is a folding stainless ladder with adjacent grab rails to aid boarding for swimmers or divers.

Fitted for fishing

Fishermen are well catered for. A bait station is fitted centrally atop the transom wall with an integral (mackerel-sized) live bait tank that can be fed by a venturi pick up or a pump. There are four rod holders across the back of the bait station, five more through-gunwale types along each side, a six-position rocket launcher in the bimini top, and a further five holders across the front face of the centre console. That is a total of 25 rod storage options! To increase seating and stowage a bench seat will be built on the front of the console in future.

A bait station is fitted centrally atop the transom wall with an integral (mackerel-sized) live bait tank incorporated.

A bait station is fitted centrally atop the transom wall with an integral (mackerel-sized) live bait tank incorporated.

This rig has been Auckland Marine’s demonstrator over autumn and Gary has taken it wide after broadbill and ‘puka, as well as putting a striped marlin aboard, proving its blue water potential. We didn’t have time to be that ambitious on test day, so Gary threw a soft-bait around and put a couple snapper in the bin while I took notes and photos for the review.

The gunwale faces and side shelves present a flush face to work off, made more comfortable by the U-Dek finish and the toe space beneath (helping the angler stay on balance). The Tread Plate deck gives good footing while the ballast tank keeps the boat stable at rest. The casting platform forward of the console, added to the cockpit space, allows two or three anglers to throw lures safely.

Toe space beneath the side shelves helps the angler stay on balance.

Toe space beneath the side shelves helps the angler stay on balance.

Roadworthy

The FlyFin is carried on a single-axle Enduro trailer. This is made from galvanised box section and features leaf-spring suspension, six pairs of wobble rollers per side, wind-down jockey wheel, dual ratio manual winch, and submersible LED lights. Tow weight of the rig is around 1100kg.

A self-flooding (and draining) ballast chamber along the keel line aids stability at rest.

A self-flooding (and draining) ballast chamber along the keel line aids stability at rest.

Check it out

Overall, this is a great coastal fishing boat with blue-water capability. It has a high level of finish, robust construction, good looks and some excellent design points. Well worth checking out.

And for those who prefer more shelter than the centre console configuration provides, a hardtop version of this hull will soon be available. Available through Auckland Marine and Boat City, Paraparaumu.