Surtees 6.1 centre console

Also all-round fishing capability is on the wish list of many and larger centre consoles have been born to cope with the demand. When multiple anglers are hooked up, nothing beats a full walk around deck.

This model Surtees joins the flotilla of boats well suited to these and many other purposes and when it comes to build quality.

Before testing this exact boat we met up with it and its crew down on the Daly River 240km south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. They were taking part in the 16th Palmerston Game Fishing Club Barra Nationals tournament and it was sharing the river with 57 other boats that sported more bling and spec than most boats on any show room floor. The Surtees held its own there and definitely stood out amongst the crowd.

As standard you will get side storage shelves, underfloor storage bin, spray deflection chines, deck grip, six rod holders, four cup holders, full graphics, bow side and stern grab rails, full transom with boarding platform.

As well in the price the burley pot, boarding ladder and ballast close-off flap are standard fit.

The switch panel, fuel filter and fuel line, bilge pump, DC outlet and anchor with rope and chain completes the package.

The centre console features a large dashboard with two angled fascias. The hydraulic helm is attached to the lower fascia along with the switch gear while the fascia is at a comfortable angle for the skipper to view any installed electronics.

An eight-inch Garmin was centrally installed but there was enough room to have two of these units side by side or a single of up to 12-inches if that was your preference.

A sturdy grab rail each side will be welcomed by skipper and crew when handling the rough stuff and the hardened glass windscreen has a pivoting hinge and locking lugs so that it may be laid back to reduce wind resistance and stone damage when towing on the highway.

Two shelves are installed inside the console and the aft of the module is fully open for easy access.

The hydraulic lines for the steering and wiring looms from the helm feed down through the shelves on one side of the console and into a hatch under the feet of the skipper. The area in this hatch would be ideal for storage of soft objects so as not to damage any of the lines traversing through.

Those looms then run through a bulkhead into a kill tank where they are protected by an alloy tube running its full length. This will alleviate damage from live fish armed with fangs should they be dispatched here. This kill tank is drained via a bung into the ballast section of the hull.

Further aft and under the rear battery shelf an open box section serves as the deck bilge and here the looms exit out through the transom bulkhead and up to the batteries on the shelf above.

Two batteries are installed here along with the isolation and house battery switches. This shelf occupies most of the beam of the boat save for the walk-through transom section.

The foot step in the walk through has a hatch to access the livebait tank that features a viewing window in its front.

This open aperture is blocked off by the sturdy fold-down telescopic boarding ladder which is retained in place by a mechanical locking system and an elastic strap to prevent it rattling when not deployed.

A dial fuel gauge with hardened glass face is fixed into the deck to monitor the tank content and a filler neck is available on deck as well as in the gunwale negating the need to climb aboard at the service station for refuelling.

The Surtees features a water-ballast system in the keel that has a volume of around 350 litres. This fills with water when the boat is off the plane and probably seven knots or slower would see the start of ingest of water.

It has a flap that is operated by rope running through to the top of the transom bulkhead that seals off the ballast section allowing water to be retained when on the plane. The water ballast may be released at any time.

There are two air-tight chambers under deck on this boat. When we retrieved the boat onto the trailer and bought it up to the car park, opening the bungs to these voids compressed air from heat expansion exited indicating a perfect seal.

At wide-open throttle the Surtees was cracking along at 74km/h according to the GPS while the 150hp Honda registered 6200rpm on the tachometer.

Hole shot was effortless and it proved to be snappy throughout the throttle range.

If you have a look at the specifications list you will see the beam of the boat more narrow than many brands in this length of trailer boat. At 2.357 metres it cuts the water with less banging that a wider boat which makes for comfortable offshore travel.

You will also notice that the beam tapers in on the aft corners. This tapering is referred to as ‘boat tail’ and reduces drag in the water when on the plane and assists with increased fuel economy and top-end speed. Does it work? Yep. Manufacturers of high-speed bullets for hunting rifles use this concept these days to reduce resistance in the atmosphere to get higher speeds out of their projectiles. In boating it works the same but with water in place of air.

Messing around with the water ballast was interesting. You could feel the hull settling deeper into the water with the extra 350kg of water on board and it was a noticeably softer ride when on the plane. Should you need to add some creature comfort for the ride home in rough seas, just close the ballast flap.

The Surtees had good handling characteristics. While not being able to test it over rough seas, we made enough mess on the surface to feel if it banged or not -- it didn’t.

Tight cornering is also easy with the boat favouring a good lean into the turns at speed reducing inertia to the payload on board.

Going hard astern the deck remained dry with no by pass through the huge scupper doors on the stern.

Water: nil
Fuel: 170-litres
Berths: nil
People Day: 5