AMM 7000 Tournament: Fishing Boat Review

Plate-alloy boats don’t come much better than AMM’s striking new 7000 Tournament Hardtop. Sturdily built, wonderfully finished and fully outfitted, the enclosed-cabin trailerable deep-V cruiser is one fine sport fishing craft. It’s no slouch in the performance stakes either, charging to a 40 knot top speed from a single 300hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard.

OVERVIEW
- Enduring Aussie boatbuilder improving with age
For more than two decades, Brisbane’s Australian Master Marine (AMM) has been manufacturing high-quality plate-aluminium boats for recreational and commercial applications. Not only is this company one of the most enduring Aussie alloy-boat builders, it is also one of the best.

Established, owned and operated by brothers Barton and Matthew Thomas, AMM has prevailed and thrived in the boating industry through good times and bad thanks to a loyal customer base, and by consistently producing a top-quality product.

AMM is arguably best known for its Tournament range of offshore fishing craft and these impressive hardtop cabin boats are available from around 6.8m through to 9.0m in length. For this review we have secured a 7000 Series Tournament Hardtop powered by a single Yamaha 300hp four-stroke outboard.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Standard, deluxe, and custom fit-out packages available
AMM Tournaments are available with Standard and Deluxe levels of fit-out. They can also be custom outfitted, though most people start with the Standard level fit-out and then customise from that point.

If you want a fully rigged boat, ready to hit the water and ready to fish, then the Deluxe package is the way to go. It comes equipped with all the gear and equipment you are likely to want in your new sportfisher.

Some of this added gear includes a dual-battery system, curved toughened-glass windscreen, glass sliding side windows, plumbed live bait tank, transom ladder, hydraulic steering, fuel filter, navigation and interior lighting, cutting board with tray, bunk cushions, deluxe Reelax helm chairs, raw water deck wash and an automatic bilge pump.

Electronics gear is not included as AMM recognise that most anglers will likely haven an allegiance to a particular brand and will want to nominate a specific make or model of fish finder or GPS, etc.

So, excluding electronics, the Deluxe AMM 7000 Tournament package can be purchased from around $110,585. This price has the boat paired with an extra-longshaft (25in) Suzuki 225hp four-stroke outboard and riding on a AMM tandem-axle alloy trailer with electric-hydraulic break-away brakes.

Our test boat had a number of options as well as a larger engine. As a demonstrator, the AMM team rigged the test boat with the maximum power outboard in the form of Yamaha’s superb 4.2L big block V6 300hp four-stroke.

Other options (over and above the Deluxe package) included a Furuno TZTL15F multi-function touch-screen display, Fusion stereo, radio box under the hardtop, Stress Free anchor winch, coloured hull sides (instead of plain white), extended helm seat boxes with cushions, rear sunshade awning (removable) transom door, trim tabs, upgraded live well with viewing window, berth infill cushions, and an upgrade to two x 300 litre fuel tanks.

With all the above gear the sail-away, ready-to-fish 7000 Tournament Hardtop is priced at $138,880. Given the boat’s size, capability and inclusions a sub-$140k price is quite good value.

INTERIOR LAYOUT
- Full-shelter cabin with vast rear deck and loads of storage space
The 7000 Tournament has a roomy, uncluttered layout with a large rear cockpit, practical helm and saloon designed equipped with storage box mounted helm chairs, and a traditional vee berth forward.

There is a full bulkhead separating the helm from the forward cabin with a doorway in the centre and a cut-away dash so you can duck down and enter the cabin with sufficient headroom.

As noted the cabin has a regular vee-berth layout with the cushions and side storage pockets covered in a tasteful velour fabric. Two optional infill cushions convert the two large single berths into a large double bed.

You’ll find storage lockers under the berths, shelving storage behind the passenger side bulkhead, provision for a chemical toilet, and a canvas cover clipped to a purpose-designed wiring box behind the helm.

A ventilation hatch in the cabin ceiling can be used to climb through to the foredeck and bow, but it is quite narrow and not really intended for this purpose — as the cabin side decks are wide and there are excellent hand-holds on each side of the hardtop.

Back at the helm, the skipper has a comfortable environment to work in. There is plenty of headroom under the alloy hardtop and the steering wheel, throttle and engine instruments are neatly arrayed before him.

The fascia is large enough for flush-fitting a single large multi-function display such as the Furuno TZTL15F unit fitted to the test rig. There was also space for the Yamaha Command Link digital display, a compass, and switch panels, while the VHF radio and Fusion stereo head-unit were built into a special radio box overhead, under the hardtop.

From the sliding, swiveling and very comfortable deluxe helm chairs the skipper has an excellent view of the surroundings through the curved, toughened-glass windscreen and side windows.

It never felt stuffy at the helm as the side windows slide open from front to rear to provide excellent air-flow and ventilation.

To maximise the available space in the saloon areas the helm seats are mounted over long storage boxes which also have aft facing squab seats for two more crew members.

The two boxes are insulated so they can be used as an ice box, or for keeping your fish cold and fresh, although there is a large underfloor kill tank in the rear cockpit.

Under the floor, between the helm seat boxes is another massive, in-hull storage locker, ideal for large fenders, additional anchor systems, tackle boxes, etc.

Moving aft, anglers will be rapped with the enormous size of the rear cockpit. There is 3.8m from the cabin bulkhead to the transom, while the uncluttered space behind the helm seat boxes is almost square at 2.3m x 2.35m wide.

The fully welded, self-draining deck was carpeted in the test boat, but can be ordered with a regular checker-plate finish.

Key cockpit and surrounding features include super-wide side coamings with six built-in welded rod holders, full length, above floor side storage pockets, full-height, 700mm high cockpit freeboard, hardtop rod racks with four rod holders on each side, and an optional, removable cockpit sun-shade.

The dual batteries are closeted on a shelf beneath the large centre transom live bait tank. Our test rig had the live well optioned with a clear front window for viewing the health of your baits.

Overhead the optional deluxe bait board (with rod holders) was welded to the transom top in the test boat, but can be bolted to the deck for easy removal.

Externally, the transom has wide boarding platforms and a telescopic boarding ladder on the port side, behind the optional transom door.

The test boat still feels big, solid and cruiser-like underway, but throw it into a figure eight turn and it responds quickly, cornering hard with a strong grip on the water and no sign of engine cavitation.

In choppy water, the boat is also soft riding, thanks to its deep-V hull, fine entry shape, and tough, heavy duty 6mm plate alloy hull bottom.

Unusually, perhaps, the hull has no lifting strakes as the flattened outer chines provide ample stability and lift at rest and underway.

In a following sea the hull feels sure-footed and nicely balanced. It rides easily out of deep wave troughs, pushing spray cleanly out to the sides.

In a beam-to or quartering sea, the high cabin structure will catch the breeze on occasion, causing the boat to list into the wind. However, you can compensate for this easily enough using the optional interceptor style trim tabs — which we thoroughly recommend fitting to any single-engined craft above 6m in length.

The smooth running Yamaha 300hp four-stroke engine performed as well as we expected, accelerating the AMM strongly from idle and through the middle rpm range, then winding out to a top speed of 41.1 knots at 5750rpm.

The boat and engine combination was most economical at 3500 rpm and a speed of 24 knots. This combination yields a maximum range on the optional 600L fuel supply of 433.3nm.

VERDICT
- A trailerable offshore sport fisher with pedigree and panache
Australian Master Marine has been producing fine quality offshore sport fishing craft for many years, and the latest 7000 series Tournament Hardtop is another beauty. It combines vice-free handling, ride and performance with AMM’s time-proven build quality and a fisherman-friendly interior layout.

This is boat you will be very proud to own.

LIKES
>> Soft ride from strake-free deep-V hull
>> Swift, agile performance with Yamaha 300hp four-stroke
>> Excellent AMM build quality
>> Solid alloy hardtop
>> All-weather helm station
>> Large, uncluttered self-draining cockpit
>> Heavy-duty alloy trailer

NOT SO MUCH
>> Bait board welded to deck (but can be bolted for easy removal)

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.76/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.9/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 4.5/5.0
X-factor: 4.8/5.0

PERFORMANCE
5.0kts (9.2km/h) @ 1000rpm
7.5kts (13.9km/h) @ 1500rpm
8.1kts (15.0km/h) @ 2000rpm
12.8kts (23.7km/h) @ 2500rpm
18.7kts (34.6km/h) @ 3000rpm
24.0kts (44.4km/h) @ 3500rpm
27.8kts (51.43km/h) @ 4000rpm
32.2kts (59.6km/h) @ 4500rpm
36.0kts (66.6km/h) @ 5000rpm
39.8kts (77.6km/h) @ 5500rpm
41.1kts (76.0km/h) @ 5750rpm (WOT)

PERFORMANCE – ECONOMY
4.4 l/ph @ 1000rpm
6.0 l/ph @ 1500rpm
13.4 l/ph @ 2000rpm
21.1 l/ph @ 2500rpm
24.6 l/ph @ 3000rpm
31.8 l/ph @ 3500rpm
44.2 l/ph @ 4000rpm
58.9 l/ph @ 4500rp
78.3 l/ph @ 5000rpm
98.6 l/ph @ 5500rpm
99.1 l/ph @ 6000rpm (WOT)

MAXIMUM RANGE ON 95% OF 600L FUEL TANK: 433.3nm @ 3500rpm

Specifications: AMM 7000 Tournament
Price: $138,880 including Deluxe fit-out package, Yamaha 300hp V6 four-stroke extra-longshaft (25”) outboard, tandem axle AMM alloy trailer with electric-hydraulic break-away brakes, Furuno TZTL15F multi-function touch-screen display (with TM260 1kw transducer) Stress Free anchor winch with Sarca anchor and rode, coloured hull sides (instead of plain white), extended helm seat boxes with cushions, GME VHF radio, Fusion stereo, Hella Marine fan, fire extinguisher, radio box under hardtop, rear sunshade awning (removable) transom door, trim tabs, upgraded live well with viewing window, berth infill cushions, an upgrade to two x 300 litre fuel tanks, amidships cleats, extra rod holders, hinged transom door, under gunnel lighting, offshore safety gear kit (including EPIRB) and 12 months boat and trailer registration.
Priced from: $110,585 with Deluxe Fit-out package, tandem axle AMM alloy trailer and a Suzuki 225hp extra-longshaft (25”) four-stroke outboard engine.

Length overall: 7.3m
Hull length: 7.0m
Beam: 2.5m
Depth: 700mm
Hull weight: Approx. 1300kg
Towing weight: Approx. 3000kg
Deadrise: 20 degrees
Bottom & transom alloy: 6mm
Topside alloy: 4mm
Maximum power: 300hp
Engine as tested: Yamaha 300hp four-stroke
Fuel: 240lt (upgradeable to 600lt)
Maximum Persons: Seven

Supplied by:
Australian Master Marine
234 Leitchs Road
Brendale QLD 4500
Phone: (07) 3889 7380.
Website: www.australianmastermarine.com.au.