Surtees 750 Game Fisher Open

Things do not always go according to plan. After an early morning drive from Auckland down to Whakatane in what looked like perfect weather, I arrived at Surtees’ boat building facility in the countryside near Whakatane, to find that a big northerly was piling into the Whakatane Bar, making the entrance unworkable. But fortunately, in that part of the world there several Plan Bs. For a start, a cluster of Rotorua’s lakes are only a few kilometres over the hill.

Lake Rotoma was closest, and we soon had the big 750 Game Fisher, and a camera boat, launched into its crystal-clear waters. Surtees stalwart Frosty had supplied his personal boat, Frostbite, for the camera work and Isabell Zitzelsberger from Surtees marketing came along to tell us about the boat’s features.

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Hugh Stewart from Yamaha was our source of expertise regarding the engines and the remarkable Yamaha Helm Master control system, while Mike Rose, one of the Boat Show organisers, was there to check out the gate prize.

On the water

The 750 hull is recommended for 200-350hp and the show boat was fitted with a pair of Yamahas’ new F150hp DEC Four-Stroke outboards. DEC stands for Digital Electronic Control, a feature that was previously only seen on Yamaha’s bigger horsepower range. This ‘fly-by-wire’ control delivers extremely smooth and precise throttle operation.

The larger 2.8-litre displacement of the F150 DEC delivers increased low and midrange torque, getting the boat up on the plane more quickly and with less effort. The F150 DEC is fully compatible with Yamaha’s new CL7 touchscreen multi-function display, delivering GPS navigation and mapping, graphing and fish finder functions. This instrument is also NMEA2000 compliant, providing full connectivity to third-party marine equipment such as sonar, radar, camera and all leading display brands.

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Even though the two 150hp outboards totalled less than the maximum recommended horsepower, they still made the boat go like a rocket, pushing it up near 50 knots! (See performance table on page 120. Note fuel performance figures indicative only, from sister ship).

By now most Kiwi boaties will have at least heard of the exceptional ride provided by Surtees’ hulls, and the 750 Game Fisher is no exception. With a fine entry, 20-degree deadrise, and the well-known self-flooding ballast tank along the keel, stable, soft and dry are the only three words required.

New technology

Complementing the comfortable ride is the fly-by-wire steering and Yamaha’s new Helm Master control system, offering several very useful functions and making the rig an absolute pleasure to drive.

This fully-integrated boat control system allows for easy joystick-controlled docking and precision boat positioning through an enhanced binnacle control; a streamlined digital display; push-button start/stop switches; a proximity key-fob; and an innovative joystick control.

One function, FishPoint, will automatically hold the boat in position over a deep-water reef or a bait school using minimum revs, while a bump of the joystick will move the boat’s position in three-metre increments up to 30 metres in any direction.

Another system, DriftPoint, uses a dual antenna GPS to keep your bow pointed in a certain direction and drift – great for fishing soft-baits and live-baits. One twist of the joystick will move the boat’s bow heading angle by five degrees and additional twists will rotate it by up to 50 degrees.

This radical new Helm Master system also incorporates joystick control at low speed. Intuitive joystick manoeuvring allows you to move your boat forward, in reverse, laterally left or right, on a diagonal, or to pivot it in place through 360 degrees (yes, it will turn in its own length) – great for docking and close-quarters work.

Helm Master also allows you to automate trim adjustments and speed control, lock control of twin outboards to a single lever, select your second station, or centre engine(s)-only operation, all at the touch of a button. We had a lot of fun on the lake, learning a bit about Yamaha’s new controls, along with the layout of the rig.

A top-of-the line show boat, valued at over $250,000, you would expect to be highly spec’d. A Lone Star GX3 drum-winch handles the ground tackle, and a comprehensive Hella lighting system is used, including dual colour Sea Hawk-XL LED work lamps to light the cockpit.

Electronics include twin 12-inch GPSMap 7412xsv multi-function displays with GPS and chartplotter. There is also a Garmin GMR24 high-definition radar with a 48 nautical-mile range (featuring bird mode and a chart overlay function), Garmin dual-CHIRP sonar with 1kW transducer, and a 25W Garmin VHF 115i marine radio. The sound system is a Fusion Apollo stereo.

Other electrics and electronics include a pair of Exalto wipers for the toughened-glass screens (the side sliders are also toughened glass), a pair of USB charging ports and various pumps (live bait tank, deck wash, and a 3700gph bilge pump in a sump under the transom wall). It is little wonder that the boat is fitted with a threebattery system (two start, one house) from Century in a protected position in the transom wall.

Stem to stern

This is a beautifully finished boat with high quality welding and a classy ‘Prowler Red’ paint job with black and white trim, courtesy of Russell Allerby and his team in the paint shop. The cockpit and gunwales are custom-finished in SeaDek panels and the sealed deck drains to a sump under the transom wall, fitted with a powerful bilge pump.

The forecabin is fully lined, with under-berth stowage supplemented by large side shelves. It has a sliding, locking door, which provides security for stored gear and the cabin could sleep three adults with the berth infill fitted.

A decent-sized dash with marine carpet lining is a useful place to stash items, the carpet also cutting internal reflection on the toughened glass ‘screen. Further stowage is in trays along each side of the wheelhouse, and in front of the passenger.

Seating is excellent. The two king-and-queen units have high-quality upholstery over HiTech Plastics bucket seats with roll-back bolsters, along with rear-facing bench seats. There is internal stowage and the passenger side takes an Icey Tek bin slid underneath.

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The cockpit is large with plenty of fishing room and flat faces for anglers to lean against. Cockpit side-shelves will take poles and rods, and the wash-down hose. Isolation switches and fuel filters are housed in transom lockers, along with a bit of protected storage room and the battery system already mentioned. The transom wall also features a stepthrough with a drop-in door, and over the back is the boarding platform and boarding ladder.

Fishing fittings

Surtees boats are primarily about fishing and in the 750 Game Fisher, with its large open cockpit, excellent stability, and good footing (thanks to the SeaDek finish), the basics are there.

The fit-out includes four through-gunwale rod-holders (three with cup holders) fitted along each side; a live-bait tank is set in the transom step-through and a bait station is screwed to the transom top, with a further three rod-holders on the back. Ocean Blue outriggers are fitted and there is a six-position rocket launcher on the hardtop. As mentioned, catch stowage is in the Icey Tek bin that fits under the the passenger seat. A GoPro camera system will be fitted by GoPro expert, Ben Brown.

Trailer talk

This 750 Game Fisher is carried on a Hosking Tandem trailer, a galvanised cradle A-frame design with leaf-spring suspension, a BrakeRite electric/hydraulic actuator brake system and a parking brake.

This trailer is also fitted with a Balex Automatic Boat Loader, 10 pairs of wobble rollers per side, a wind-down jockey wheel and LED submersible lights. Approximate tow weight of the rig is 2410kg. This beautifully-finished boat is well suited for fishing and diving tasks. It is ideal for game – and most other types – of fishing. With its already excellent sea-keeping and Yamaha’s new DEC 150 outboards with Helm Master control system, this is an exceptional boat. The Hutchwilco Boat Show gate-prize winner will be a fortunate person, indeed.

   This article is reproduced with permission of   
New Zealand Fishing News

March 2019 - Sam Mossman
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited

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