Rayglass 850 Legend and White Pointer 850

Rayglass Boats, based in Auckland, has been building big trailerboats since 1987. Since then the company has grown to be a New Zealand market leader and expanded its business to include international markets such as Europe, USA and Australia. Australian readers will recognise the 850's lines as similar to those of Whittley's Sea Legend 7.3, which is based on Rayglass' 730 hull and decks. The Rayglass 730 and 850 are identical from the rear of the hardtop forward and it's only the extra cockpit space and overall length which differentiate them.

Rayglass Boats Managing Director, Tony Hembrow, says most 850s have been sold to big-boat buyers who did not wish to commit to another launch, or seasoned gamefishermen who appreciate the ability to target both NZ's east and predominately beach-launched West coast.

At 8.67m LOA and 2.45m beam, the 850 Legend requires a capable tow-vehicle and a substantial braked trailer. While size brings associated cost, it also generates universal advantages such as comfort-generating internal volume and extended operational capabilities. Provided the weather is on the positive side of trailerboat-marginal, the 850's long waterline, 23° vee and 2650kg on-the-water weight should allow owners to pretty much roam as they please.

Napier sawmill owner and logging contractor, Dave Warren, who previously owned a Rayglass 730, traded up to an 850 because it had room for a gamechair plus more space to trace a fish at the back of the boat.

FINETUNED FOR TUNA
"It's an ideal tuna boat, because it has the speed to chase the work-ups and the space to comfortably fight and land a big fish."

Warren says he could have purchased a tidy second-hand flybridge boat for what he paid for the 850, but he wanted the maintenance-free reliability of a new boat and a trailerboat suited his lifestyle.

"It sits in the Tauranga trailer park for weeks at a time while I'm working and I don't have to worry about antifouling or servicing it. During the gamefish season I can fish any tournament and chase the best fishing as the season develops."

Warren says there are a few things the factory could redesign. "The factory baitboard dribbles blood directly onto the engine box joint, there is no heat-shield to protect the cabin lining around the stove and there is no storage for cutlery, but on the whole I think you would have to go a long way to find a better fibreglass boat."

Warren chose a Yamaha 250hp diesel sterndrive to power his 850 (Ed: Yamaha sterndrives are not available in Australia - diesel or petrol). With around 45 850s on NZ waterways, 90% of owners have chosen this engine option, while the remainder have opted for twin 200hp Yamaha outboards or a single Volvo sterndrive.

Loaded with three people, a full tank of fuel (300lt) and a reasonable amount of fishing gear, the 850 achieved 25.1kt at 2800rpm. In the clam water inside Tauranga Harbour, the GPS readout peaked at 30.1kt at 3200rpm.

With a steady 20kt easterly, and a forecast predicting it would rise to 35kt late in the afternoon, our fishing options were limited. Motiti Island, 11 miles off Tauranga, was the only tenable spot but even this involved a headbutting voyage to get there. We initially took it slow and steady at around 2200rpm (about 18-20kt) then, as we came into the lee of Motiti, picked up the pace to 25kt.

Warren often uses his boat to fish around Mayor Island (20 miles off Tauranga) and he says the 850's strength is its ability to maintain 18kt in rough water, but move-out as the sea calms off. "Its sea-keeping is as good as many small launches," he says.

By the time we came home (minus any significant fish) the wind had picked up a notch and the sea was flecked with constant whitecaps. Despite this we had a very comfortable downhill ride and only one shower of heavy spray made it to the windscreen. Elapsed time for the trip was 32 minutes.

BIG IS BEAUTIFUL
While we didn't get into any decent fish (and hadn't expected to), we found it easy for three people to work in the cockpit, even with the gamechair in place (installed for the photographs earlier). There is no doubt the cockpit is generously proportioned and other features include a 300lt underfloor stainless steel kill bin (Warren says he will insulate it because it doesn't hold ice long enough), cavernous storage lockers in the moulded seat bases and an underfloor fueltank (300lt standard) that with diesel economy can take you to hell and back. A small livebait tank is fitted in the boarding platform and Warren says tuna tubes are the next items on the development list.

While weekend cruisers may not want all the fishing-related options, bluewater anglers will definitely appreciate the 850's standard cruising configuration. The cabin provides a generous double bunk about 2.25m long (with the infill in), galley facilities and a private, enclosed head.

There's plenty of headroom in the cabin and the use of curved mouldings with large radii adds to the general flow and comfort, as they do throughout the whole boat.

The support for the double bunk infill is stored in a dedicated recess so that it spans the underbunk storage locker. It also doubles as a table when attached to a stainless steel pedestal which screws into a floor socket. Multiple floor sockets can be fitted throughout the boat as required. The galley offers a compact but capable fridge, two-burner gas stove, a small sink and some storage. Hot and cold pressure water (40lt hot-water cylinder) is optional.

The toilet compartment has a shower drain moulded in the sole, but as yet no-one has fitted an interior shower because, from a showering point of view, space is tight. An electric-flush toilet is fitted as standard and all the 850s fitted with shower options have them fitted on the boarding platform.

The toilet door also doubles as a cabin door and it swings across to close off the cabin. If it's just the double bunk that needs to be isolated, a privacy curtain can be drawn across an overhead track and the edges domed to the galley unit and toilet bulkhead. With the curtain drawn, the remainder of the boat remains operational.

TAKING SHELTER
The helmstation is appealing and functional, and the stylish hardtop provides excellent protection from the elements. With New Zealand's harsh sun and changeable conditions, a hardtop takes the comfort-factor to a new level and Warren says it is instrumental in keeping the crew alert when trolling. "If you are baking in the sun and exposed to the wind you get dehydrated and this takes the edge off the crew."

The hardtop also creates an indoor-outdoor transition between the cockpit and cabin, which is very handy should it be raining. It also provides a structure to support a rear canopy that could provide a sheltered social area of big trailerboat proportions and allow crew to bunk down in the cockpit in good weather.

Rayglass was an early supporter of the NZ Boating Industry Association's (BIA) CPC program and its production complies with this Coastguard Federation approved scheme. The CPC program ensures each boat meets fundamental design, production and operational criteria. Construction of the 850 Legend, however, goes much further than the CPC requirements and each boat is built to commercial survey standard. A registered surveyor inspects and signs-off each boat as it moves from one production stage to the next, and this means all 850s can be put into commercial operation in NZ simply by bolting on the additional equipment required.

While building each boat to survey standard adds to the purchase price, Hembrow says the peace of mind and premium second-hand price it generates is worth the outlay.

"Very few 850s come on the second-hand market, but when they do, they hold their value because every one meets a high, uniform standard. With this in mind, we prefer to sell complete, turnkey boat, motor and trailer packages so that individual efforts don't dilute the pool with older engines and home-built trailers."

The 850's hull is hand-laid (the lay-up is specified by the composite engineering company, High Modulus) and four, full-length, laminated timber girders are glued in and encapsulated with gunstock before the cabin liner and deck mouldings are fitted. The cabin liner and deck mouldings incorporate all soles, bunks, seat bases, lockers, drains and sumps, and this contributes to the 850's very clean, crisp finish. It has very few joins to work or hold dirt.

Positive floatation is provided by injecting the underfloor cavities with two-pot foam, although foam is not a word the builders like to use because most people visualise white polystyrene which has many limitations and no structural properties. The two-pot system Rayglass use is closed-cell and does not absorb more than 1% water by weight, is impervious to fuel, solvents and oil, and adheres to all the fibreglass components it touches. Described as RPF (Rayglass Positive Floatation) the system adds to panel stiffness, deadens sound transmission and makes the boat virtually unsinkable.

THE ALLOY ANGLE
Reviewing boats is subjective and to help keep perspective I maintain a mental list of benchmark boats. They are craft that have set a class standard under headings such as build quality, styling, layout, ride, stability, room, features, value for money and trailerability.

My benchmarks evolve with the industry - and my familiarity with it - and every so often I come across a boat that makes me revise my points of reference. The aluminium White Pointer 850 is such a boat.

The White Pointer range is built by Rex Briant and his team at White Pointer Boats in Gisborne (NZ). White Pointer began building alloy jetboat hulls about 10 years ago. It has recently gained exposure in America where Briant's brother, Peter, won the World Jet Sprint Championships driving a White Pointer hull.

With many requests from locals for a strong seaworthy hull to work the exposed East Cape on the southeast end of the Bay of Plenty, White Pointer diversified into serious fishing boats about eight years ago. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength and, with around 200 White Pointer hulls on the water, the brand has built a respectful following among the sport and gamefishing fraternity.

The White Pointer range includes seven production models that buyers can have customised and detailed to any level they wish. The White Pointer 850, with an LOA of 8.8m, is the biggest in the trailerable range and it was this model that enticed me to sunny Napier.

Boat-owner Brent Hoare drove up from Wellington to complete the expedition party. Hoare bases his boat in Napier because the area offers more settled weather than Wellington and it's close to East Cape's gamefishing grounds. He fishes for tuna and marlin in summer and the 850 is big enough to run by sea to the Ranfurly Bank and further north into Waihau Bay. He also values the ability to relocate Grey Ghost anywhere in New Zealand - Houhora in the far north, Raglan or the lakes - as the fishing seasons wax and wane.

SPIRIT OF PROGRESS
When I arrived at the boat storage yard where Grey Ghost is kept near the Napier ramp, there were two 850s side by side and they dwarfed the other trailerboats. My first impressions were of generous size, good build quality and business-like styling, and these perceptions were reinforced as my two-day association with the boat developed.

I initially thought the size and weight of the 850 would cause some difficulty when towing and launching, but that's not the case. It is a very big boat to tow and has a 3300kg trailerable weight when fuelled, but it was launched in less than two minutes and retrieved in half the time it took a fellow ramp-user to recover his 4.4m Fyran tinnie. Briant simply drove Grey Ghost on the trailer until it was snug against the winch post and Hoare drove away once the safety chain was attached.

The aluminium White Pointer trailer under the boat showed some jetboating influence with not a single roller to be seen. The boat sits in a cradle of nylon skids that enable the boat to self-centre and be driven on from almost any angle.

After launching at Napier we ran 30 miles north to a spot Hoare regularly fishes for snapper et al. Grey Ghost ran well in the light cross chop and moderate ocean swell. It covered the ground so well it generated a change in mind-set - it was easy to think I was aboard a small launch. This was especially so when I turned to face aft and saw the expansive cockpit stretching back behind the double sliding cabin doors. For a trailerboat, the cockpit is bigger than Texas.

Grey Ghost was powered by a 300hp Yanmar/MerCruiser diesel sterndrive with independent exhaust system. (Ed: Yanmar now offer thru-hub exhausts. We cruised at 2800rpm and the boat's Furuno GP1850 colour GPS plotter registered 24kt and the fuel-flow gauge read 26lt/hr. The GPS confirmed a top speed of 35.2kt at 3900rpm and maximum fuel consumption was 64lt/hr.)

GHOST WITH A CHANCE
Cruising at 24kt, Grey Ghost has a range of around 460nm on the optional 500lt fueltank beneath the cabin sole (standard tank is 300lt). Hoare is considering installing another 200lt tank in one of the three cavernous underfloor cockpit lockers so he has a 200lt day tank and a 500lt long-range 'expedition' tank. The combined 700lt fuel capacity will provide around 650-700nm range!

The boat provides the sea-keeping ability to fully use this range and one of its many positive points is an ability to maintain a relatively fast cruise. Even in the rough seas we encountered off Gisborne two days after the Napier trial, Grey Ghost maintained an easy 18kt. Its hull length and relatively fine bow delivered a comfortable ride and the boat provides an excellent environment for extended operation.

The enclosed hardtop has glass all round, sliding windows on each side and overhead Weaver hatches above the helm and passenger seats so you can sit on the roof and scan the horizon for bird or fish life. Sliding doors isolate the cabin from the cockpit, providing warmth, noise reduction and security ashore.

If I have a negative comment about the boat, it is that it lacks sufficient sound insulation and the engine noise is more intrusive than it needs to be when the cabin doors are open. The cabin environment, however, is very comfortable in all respects when the sliders are pulled to.

While this particular 850 has no galley, enclosed head or shower (others do), Hoare says it is no problem for the boys to go away for days at a time.

The cuddy has bunks for two, another person could sleep on the floor in the helm area and the entire fishing club could bunk down on airbeds in the cockpit if they so desired. To keep the crew fed, Hoare simply takes his camping stove and utensils aboard the boat.

On arrival at the 30-mile spot we anchored in 58m of water. A moderate SSE swell swept through and lots of snow was highlighted on the inland hills.

With plenty of storm debris at sea, murky water, and discouraging moon and tide, we didn't expect the fishing to be great. It wasn't. Five spiny dogfish and one barracouta later we weighed anchor and headed home. However, the time spent fishing demonstrated the boat sat very well in the occasionally steep swells and it was excellent to experience the workboat-proportioned cockpit.

If conditions are really rough, the three underfloor lockers can be flooded to settle the boat further. Water is introduced and drained via a tube to the transom so that no free water passes through the sealed engine bay. The capacity of each underfloor locker is best gauged by considering each holds two big fish bins with ease.

A large baitboard - a man-sized, robust and practical accessory with a 100mm slurry drain - provided a waist-high workstation above the engine box. When the engine box is tilted forward the baitboard can be removed, otherwise it is captured. A gamechair module is available to interchange with the baitboard, but Hoare prefers stand-up gamefishing so he has not bothered with this accessory.

A davit and Maxwell 500 winch fitted in the front of the cockpit is designed to haul large tuna and the occasional craypot. Briant says the davit is often asked for and the winch is set up to haul a marlin or broadbill into the cockpit through the starboard transom opening.

The 850 has two transom openings and a full-width boarding platform that spans the top of the MerCruiser stern leg. Substantial railings enclose the platform and two hinged sections double as boarding ladders and provide easy but secure access to the water. Like the rest of the boat, this set-up was strong, practical and nicely made.

NO-CLAIM BONUS
With over 20 operational 8m and 850 models, and over 200 boats on the water, White Pointer says it has not received a single hull warranty claim.

Briant freely admits he was forced to adopt a 6mm bottom because other manufacturers promote 6mm plate as a necessity. "The market perceives 6mm is the required standard, but with the supporting structure we build into our hulls a 5mm bottom is plenty strong enough. The result is an indestructible overkill and a boat that is slightly heavier than it needs to be."

Hoare says the build process was enjoyable and he got exactly what he wanted. "The White Pointer is a boutique boat but it represents excellent value for money."

What he wanted was an undeniably well-built, good-riding, long-range bluewater trailerboat set-up for fishing adventures. What I got out of it was a new aluminium benchmark.