Surtees 5.8 Gamefisher

While it’s one of the company’s newer models, the 5.8 Gamefisher is already fast becoming a Surtees icon. Matthew Jones took one for a ride to find out why.

Surtees has built an enviable reputation out of manufacturing
high-quality, capable craft packed with clever, practical features.
The company has won 21 awards (and counting) in the last 11
years.

While others are stumbling, Surtees is pushing forward, buoyed
by its focus on quality and the brand’s exceptional reputation.

“We’re focusing on getting bigger and brighter,” says Surtees
sales manager Cliff Schick. “We’ve recently ramped up production
from 25 boats a month to 32 – it’s just gone mad.”

Of these only approximately 60 percent are for the domestic
market; the rest manufactured for export.

Schick says Surtees didn’t really agree with the New Zealand CPC
standard and instead has attained international CE certification,
which he says is a lot harder to achieve in terms of
compliance.

“All Surtees boats are fully CE certified so we can export into
Europe and the United States without any drama. We’re one of the
only companies operating in New Zealand to achieve CE
compliance.”

There is a new 8.5-metre Surtees model set to be launched in the
next couple of months which will become the new flagship in the
Surtees Range, taking over the mantle from the 7.3 Gamefisher.

Fishing Boats NZ kindly supplied a 7.3 Gamefisher as a very
comfortable photo boat for this test as well, so see next month’s
issue to check out how that performed.

The Surtees philosophy

All Surtees models across the range have the trademark Surtees
flooding keel, non-pounding hull and easy-loading trailer catch for
an effortless launch and retrieve even when you’re single handed.
Every Surtees boat is overbuilt with six fully welded under-floor
stringers and is pressure tested to ensure sealed buoyancy
compartments built in under the cockpit floor are airtight. Each
boat is backed by a six-year, worldwide hull warranty. Next year
will be the company’s 20th anniversary and in all that time Surtees
has never had a hull failure, says Schick.

Commercial sign-off is also available with minimum hassle. “All
Surtees boats are built to MSA survey standards. The only
requirement to achieve survey is a simple swap-out of the
windscreen from our standard 4mm tinted toughened glass to 6mm
clear glass. As we’ve now passed the five-year threshold, our boats
go straight through,” says Schick.

Since its launch at the 2012 Hutchwilco Boat Show, the 5.8
Gamefisher has been well received in the market with around 130
boats produced in just 30 months. Schick explains why: “We’ve
completely changed the hull shape for a better and drier ride. It’s
also priced right and has just about killed off our 6.1m market.
It’s another popular boat that’s going to become a Surtees icon,
just as the Surtees 5.5m Workmate has,” he says.

Fishing Boats NZ managing director Andrew Carlson says that
increasing the fuel tank size in the new 5.8 has proved a winner,
increasing buyers’ on-the-water range and opening up entirely new
destinations for customers that want to fish or cruise out
wide.

“With the increase from 130- to 150-litres this boat now becomes
capable of exploring Great Barrier Island; this is partially why
we’ve sold four of the model this month alone,” explains
Carlson.

Carlson says the boat’s popularity stems from the fact that it
effectively bridges the gap between a small boat and a big boat,
yet retains the qualities of a boat that is manageable and
economical to run.

“It’s just a nice affordable rig that’s got the range to cover
the whole of the Hauraki Gulf. And weighing in at just 1.3-tonne
it’s still relatively light to launch, retrieve and park at home
which is a big factor for many buyers.”

Fishing made easy

It might seem insignificant but having a handhold to grab onto
while climbing aboard from the trailer when at the boat ramp is the
first of many sensible touches that are trademark Surtees. The
extra-wide, thigh-high gunnels (complete with rubber non-skid for
comfort and safety) provide a secure step and comfortable place to
park while waiting for the fish to bite.

Drink (or sinker) holders are fitted beside each of the four
gunnel-mounted rod holders, with a further two rod holders fitted
on the transom. The solid self-draining bait board has a removable
wooden cutting board for easy clean up. The bait station also
carries three rod holders so there’s rod storage for all. The board
itself is easily removed and an optional ski-pole can be slotted in
place for skiing or towing water toys. There’s another six rod
holders in the rocket launcher above the cockpit and a wrap-around
hand rail for security when standing on the gunnels.

A sliding parcel shelf-cum-rod holder provides a convenient spot
to rest your rod while rigging up bait from the built-in live-bait
tank. Alternatively you can secure up to four rods out of harm’s
way, bringing to 19 the number of rod holders fitted as
standard.

Clever, practical and functional

Fold-away seats provide extra fishing space if needed and tuck
neatly against the cockpit sides when not required. This really
opens up cockpit space. Soft-rider pedestals are offered as an
option if you prefer extra comfort over practicality. Handholds are
in abundance and are fitted in all the right places. An under-floor
bin provides some out of the way catch storage and an Icey-tek
chilly/fish bin complete with squab is also on the options
list.

An infill squab is also available for the cuddy cabin and the
1.7-metre bunks can be extended by 300mm to provide a comfortable
berth for over-night adventuring. A courtesy curtain can be fitted
for privacy when using the portable onboard toilet. Getting secure
access to the anchor is easy through an oversized deck hatch,
although manual anchoring duties on the review boat are taken care
of by the electric Lewmar windlass.

As any diver knows, getting in and out of the water with dive
gear on can be a challenge. Surtees’ answer is a solid T-bar ladder
that doesn’t require divers to remove their fins to use it. And
rather than having a single grab rail on the transom (which a wet
hand can easily slide down), Surtees has gone one better and
manufactured handholds for a more secure grip. Dive bottle holders
are also offered as an optional extra.

A fold-down transom seat creates additional seating for two
across the rear of the cockpit and securely encloses the boat’s
twin batteries and battery switches, which are mounted high off the
cockpit sole for protection against cockpit flooding.

At the helm, all controls and electronics have been set-up for
comfortable and practical use. There’s no room to flush mount a nav
screen, so the new HDS7 Gen 2 Lowrance touchscreen on the review
boat is mounted on the dash. This unit provides a wealth of
information and is intuitive to use, even for a Gen-2 virgin like
myself. Hardtop visibility and headroom is excellent and while
fitted with a single wiper, there is provision to fit a blade for
each of the windscreen’s three panes.

On test

It’s no secret that a Surtees boat comes packed with clever
features to make your boating safer and more enjoyable, but do they
really make that much difference? I can safely say the answer is
yes on all counts.

Takapuna Boat Ramp on Auckland’s North Shore is exceptionally
busy at the best of times, so it’s always nerve-racking launching
and retrieving a brand new painted boat with so much other boat
traffic about, let alone with the on-lookers admiring this boat’s
eye-catching finish.

Thanks to the Surtees trailer catch, the launch was as simple as
lowering the outboard, turning the key to fire the Suzuki
four-stroke, driving forward to unlock the catch before shifting
the throttle to neutral to allow the boat to glide back off the
rollers – stress-free launching personified.

Heading out into a choppy Rangitoto Channel gave us a chance to
test another of Surtees’ clever features: the full length flooding
keel. Whenever you’re faced with a head sea and whitecaps rear
their ugly head, the flooding keel can be filled and sealed to
increase the boat’s displacement which makes a notable difference
to ride quality in choppy water.

“You wouldn’t do it in a following sea because you want the nose
to be light, but into a head sea, lock it in,” says Carlson.

Flooding the under-floor ballast chamber is as simple as letting
the boat sit for 30 seconds and pulling the transom-mounted cord up
tight and locking it into place. You drive the boat in exactly the
same way but, being heavier, the bow and 19 degree transom vee
slice through rather than pound across any chop for a better ride…
albeit at the expense of increased fuel use of course.

With the transom flap open, the ballast is discharged within
seconds as you power off and is barely noticeable. Surtees’ has
added a front breather to assist the ejection process and it’s a
vast improvement over an ageing 5.5m Workmate that I was fishing on
in the Far North last week. The ballast chamber can also be closed
on the trailer to provide additional buoyancy for beach launching,
or when extra hole-shot is required.

The ride

The rock-solid hull and moderate deadrise cut through chop with
ease and deliver a comfortable, dry and well-mannered ride at any
speed. We had no issues pushing the boat at wide-open throttle
through a pesky chop to record performance figures, and while the
outboard fitted was technically bigger than the recommended power
output for this hull, the boat lapped it up.

Suzuki’s new generation DF140A features the manufacturer’s “lean
burn” technology and was a powerful match, delivering smooth, quiet
and responsive power while being pleasantly clean-burning.

In cruising rev range the Suzuki is using less than one-litre
per nautical mile and with 150-litres of fuel under the floor a lot
of ocean can be covered in a short time. It’s always a bonus at
day’s end to step off a boat without a headache or ringing
ears.

This capable performer was supplied on a single axle un-braked
trailer which provided a comfortable tow through congested Auckland
traffic behind a 3.0-litre family station wagon. However I’d
personally opt for a bigger tow wagon or tick the box for optional
trailer brakes for long distance towing with a full load.

The last word

The Surtees 5.8 Gamefisher is a well-featured and quality
package from a respected manufacturer and is showing all the early
signs of becoming a Surtees icon. Its crisp handling and ride are
top-notch and the clever features incorporated aren’t just
marketing hype. They’re Kiwi ingenuity at its best and they
actually work, and work well. There’s also plenty of factory
options available to set the boat up to suit a broad range of
boating applications. Just add water, a few mates and your ticket
to adventure waits.

For more information contact Andrew Carlson, ph 09 410 4369,
email andrew@fishingboatsnz.co.nz
or visit fishingboatsnz.co.nz.

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