2021 Surtees 610 Game Fisher review

New Zealand's favourite plate alloy trailer boat builder, Surtees is also very popular in Australia; the Surtees Aussie network of dealers has reported very strong sales during the past few years, and not just COVID-19 driven. The Surtees brand has been on the upswing for several years.

It's no surprise really. A dearth of custom plate aluminium boat builders in Australia today has paved the way for an expansion of the production-plate boat market with brands such as Yellowfin, Bar Crusher, Stabicraft and Surtees picking up pent-up demand for well-outfitted plate alloy fishing boats.

Similar to its key rivals in Australia, Surtees has a large range of plate alloy boats on offer, although almost all of them are designed for coastal and offshore fishing.

The Surtees range encompasses almost two dozen models starting with the 495 Workmate cuddy cabin and 495 Pro Fisher centre console, and culminating with the flagship offshore fishing rig, the 850 Game Fisher enclosed cabin hardtop that boatsales.com.au tested a few years ago.

The Game Fisher hardtop models have the largest cabins in the Surtees range to provide the most weather protection, making them ideal for wide offshore fishing applications.

The smallest of the five Game Fisher models is the 610 Game Fisher. This easily trailerable hardtop cuddy cabin boat is the subject of this review.

Brisbane Surtees dealer Northside Marine has Surtees 610 Game Fisher boat packages starting from a respectable $84,969 when packaged with a 130hp Yamaha extra-longshaft (25-inch) four-stroke outboard engine with hydraulic steering, and a dual-axle Redco aluminium braked trailer.

With some boat makers, a sharp entry price comes at the expense of equipment levels. That's not the situation here; Surtees boats emerge from the Whakatane, NZ factory with lots of good fishing kit.

Key features include a cuddy cabin layout with three-quarter length berths/seats and privacy curtain; semi-enclosed hardtop with three-piece toughened glass front windscreen, side windows, and rocket launcher rod rack; anchor locker with anchor, rope and chain; welded tread-plate cockpit floor; six flush-deck alloy rod holders; cockpit bait station with four rod holders and tackle drawer; cockpit side shelves; fold-out transom seat; offshore transom with boarding platform and ladder; elevated battery box enclosure; cup holders; bow and stern rails; navigation lights; auto bilge-pump; VHF radio; USB outlets; and more.

Our test boat was presented with a number of options, the most notable being an engine upgrade to the maximum 150hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard engine.

The test rig also gained black painted topsides and cabin structure; grey coloured SeaDek flooring throughout (including side decks and aft platforms); a Garmin EchoMap Ultra 125SV multifunction display; Zipwake automatic trim-tabs; dual battery system; LED interior, hardtop and floodlighting; raw water washdown; deluxe carbon helm seat with storage box; deluxe carbon co-pilot seat with alloy frame and 70L Icey-Tec icebox; transom bait station upgrade; clip-on side-pocket rod rack; cabin berth infill cushions; canvas hardtop shade extension; rubber gunwale protection strip; trailer spare wheel and carrier; sand anchor kit; open water safety gear pack with six life jackets; and Queensland registrations.

With the above extras, the fish-away package price rises to $109,990. 

Surtees boats are famous for their water-ballasted deep-vee hulls. When these craft are at rest, water fills a hollowed-out keel compartment. The resultant increase in hull displacement — the hull settles down deeper into the water — stiffens the hull laterally for more stability, reducing sideways rocking.

As well, each Surtees model has a shut-off gate to trap the water inside the keel tank/compartment when the boat rises up onto the plane. This makes the boats heavier, and probably increases fuel use, but the added weight yields a softer, more settled ride into rough water.

In calm conditions, you would not bother trapping water in the hull, but it can improve stability and ride comfort underway when the weather and sea turns ugly.

The amount of water trapped in the keel depends on the size of the model. The ballast tank capacity in the 610 Game Fisher is 340 litres compared with the 530 litres for the flagship models.

As you would expect, Surtees hulls are also built tough. Our 610 Game Fisher test boat has a 5mm bottom and transom, 4mm topsides and 3mm cabin sides.

Reinforcing the robust plate alloy exterior are six full-length, fully welded underfloor stringers with supporting gussets/cross-ribs every 400mm. Overhead,a welded tread-plate alloy floor secures the sub-floor stringer grid.

Flotation to Basic Standard is achieved with the inclusion of two fully sealed (pressure tested) airtight flotation compartments that run the length of the hull.

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher has a traditional open cuddy cabin layout. There is no bulkhead separating the cabin from the cockpit, but Surtees does include a zip-out privacy curtain that will be useful if you want to get changed or use an optional toilet.

The cabin is cleverly designed with modular-style berth cushions/boards so that this space can be configured as a double berth (with optional infills) or as two 1.6-metre side seats.

In the latter format, there is a walkway through the centre of the cabin leading to an acrylic hatch in the forepeak. A raised step beneath the hatch provides the height you need to stand within the open hatchway to access the foredeck and the anchor well.

Beneath the two side seats are safety gear/dry storage lockers. Side storage pockets flank the cabin to provide more stashing room.

The cabin berth/seat cushions are upholstered in a neat cloth fabric, but there is no protective finish to the plywood bases. I would like to see the plywood here painted or carpeted to seal it against mould.

The helm's layout was upgraded for this latest version of the 610 Game Fisher, featuring a much larger dash fascia panel to accommodate a 30.5cm (12-inch) multifunction display along with engine instrumentation.

Our test rig was optioned with a Garmin EchoMap Ultra 125sv, which slotted nicely into the flat-panel space alongside the Yamaha CL5 digital engine display and the controller for the optional Zipwake auto trim tabs.

There was ample space beneath and to the side of the fascia for engine switching, along with the well-placed steering wheel and side-mount Yamaha throttle.

The flat dash stretching across to the port side has a layer of carpet to keep stuff from sliding off and to reduce glare. There's also an excellent, full width welded grab rail.

Our test boat had the optional carbon-look deluxe seats with flip-up front bolsters and fore-aft sliders so you can adjust both seats to perfection.

The starboard helm seat was mounted over a storage box. The port side chair was affixed to a swivelling base atop a welded alloy frame to allow for an optional Icey-Tec icebox to be secured neatly underneath. Nice set-up.

From the helm, the panoramic view beneath the hardtop is excellent and there is ample headroom.

Cockpit and fishing features

The 2.5m x 1.85m rear cockpit is perfect for fishing. You can stand up against the full-height (730mm) transom wall and fish comfortably over the stern of the boat.

The outboard engine is mounted a metre or so aft of the inner transom wall, but you can still pass a fishing rod around the back of it, which is important for game fishing.

The cockpit is not self-draining, but this boat does come with a sump beneath the transom that is fitted with a 2000 gallons an hour auto bilge pump.

Our test boat was fitted with the optional offshore transom with a port side live bait tank and boarding platform, but the standard transom is similar in shape/design.

The modest-size live bait tank with a viewing window is cleverly located beneath a broad step that leads out to the port side boarding platform. Instead of a transom door, there is a transom board that slides up to close off the cockpit.

Other key features include the optional SeaDek foam rubber flooring, optional deck wash, six rod holders, 325mm (extra-wide) side coamings, optional side pocket vertical rod rack, an enclosed battery storage compartment in the centre of the transom, and a flip-out quarter seat to starboard.

Our test rig was also optioned with the deluxe bait board with five aft-facing rod holders, a broad nylon cutting surface and handy tackle trays.

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher has a smooth, clean 5mm plate alloy hull with a sharp vee entry shape stretching aft to a deadrise of 19 degrees.

There are no hull lifting strakes, but it does have flattened chines that combine with the water ballast system to ensure the boat retains ample stability at rest.

Underway the 610 Game Fisher rides comfortably, safely through choppy water, particularly when the ballast tank is filled with water.

At speed, the hull feels nicely balanced on a fore and aft axis, and it responds quickly to changes in engine trim; you can drop the nose into the sea when running into the waves and lift it back out when running before the sea.

Mind you, with the optional, and effective, auto Zipwake trim tabs fitted, much of this pesky boat trim stuff can be done automatically for you.

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher hull is not especially sporty, but it handles well, and the boat will take sharp turns securely and without any engine ventilation on corner exit.

With the maximum-rated 150hp Yamaha outboard engine fitted, the Surtees 610 Game Fisher is swift and responsive through the mid-range, topping out at 40 knots at 6000rpm.

That's arguably more speed than you need for most offshore fishing applications; I would consider dropping down to Yamaha's smaller, but excellent 130hp four-stroke outboard engine, which will also save a few dollars.

Performance

Range on 95% of the 200L fuel supply at 3500rpm: 203.9nm

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher is a traditional, well-designed cuddy cabin fishing boat with an excellent feature set and a semi-enclosed weatherproof helm station.

This tough, durable plate alloy trailer boat has all the good gear for coastal sport and game fishing - including a safe, seaworthy hull, a large, deep fishing cockpit and a competitive package price.

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher has plenty of competition from rival alloy and fibreglass boat makers, but this terrific kiwi import stands up there with the best of them in this market segment.

Specifications

Model: Surtees 610 Game Fisher
Length overall: 6.1m
Beam: 2.26m
Deadrise: 19 degrees
Hull weight: 790kg 
Weight on trailer: Approx 1,450kg
Alloy: 5.0mm (bottom, transom), 4.0mm (topsides), 3.0mm (cabin)
Maximum power: 150hp (25" extra-longshaft)
Engine as tested: 150hp Yamaha four-stroke
Fuel: 200L
Water ballast: 340L
Flotation standard: Basic
Passengers: Six 

Priced from: $84,969 including a 130hp Yamaha extra-longshaft (25-inch) four-stroke outboard engine with hydraulic steering, and a dual-axle Redco aluminium braked trailer.

Price as tested: $109,990. As above but with a 150hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard engine; black painted topsides and cabin structure; grey coloured SeaDek flooring throughout (including side decks and aft platforms); a Garmin EchoMap Ultra 125sv multifunction display; Zipwake automatic trim-tabs; dual battery system; LED interior, hardtop and floodlighting; raw water washdown; deluxe carbon helm seat with storage box; deluxe carbon co-pilot seat with alloy frame and 70L Icey-Tec icebox; transom bait station upgrade; clip-on side-pocket rod rack; cabin berth infill cushions; canvas hardtop shade extension; rubber gunwale protection strip; trailer spare wheel and carrier; sand anchor kit; open water safety gear pack with six life jackets; and Queensland registrations.

Supplied by: Northside Marine