Review: Surtees 610 Game Fisher

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher ticks a lot of boxes for blue water fishing.

What is the perfect size trailer boat for coastal bluewater game fishing? This is a question I have pondered for some years. Assuming money was no object, should you buy the biggest, most seaworthy trailer boat you can find? Something around the 8m size mark? 

A maxi-sized trailer boat will certainly provide you with a high degree of safety and security when fishing wide offshore. The bigger the boat, the safer, more seaworthy it is likely to be - all other things being equal. 

In light of the above, perhaps the travelling trailer boat anglers would be better served with the smallest, most transportable fishing boat that can do the job - and be safe enough to fish a dozen plus miles out to sea.

The smallest boat size boat you can realistically use for offshore game fishing will be something in the 5.7m-6m size range, perhaps a tad smaller for powered cats and trihulls - which tend to be more seaworthy for their given length.

A smaller boat may not have the outright seaworthiness or wide offshore operating range of a maxi trailer boat, but with an experienced skipper, a sub 6m trailer boat can be a very effective bluewater fishing rig. 

There's no reason why you couldn't run a sub 6m boat single-handed either - though a crew of two is a more realistic minimum.

A sub 6m boat can also be hauled about behind a regular SUV or dual-cab ute; you won't need to invest in a massive, specialist tow-tug such as the Ford F350 or Dodge Ram, etc. 

On the Australian boat market, there is also plenty of variety and choice of fishing boats around this size.  One of the best hails from our mates across the Tasman in New Zealand. Leading Kiwi alloy boat brand Surtees has a large fishing boat range - with both maxi and mini sized trailerable game fishing boats. 

One of the entry, but very capable bluewater models is the 610 Game Fisher hardtop, a tough, go-anywhere, easily towable, superbly outfitted plate alloy fishing boat. We tested this fine craft courtesy of Brisbane's Northside Marine and powered by a Yamaha 150hp outboard.

The Surtees 610 is a capable fisher boat

Surtees Game Fisher series

Surtees is a leading New Zealand boat manufacturer with more than 20 different models. The boats are designed expressly for fishing with centre console, cuddy cabin and hardtop cabin boats available. 

The Surtees Workmate cuddy and Game Fisher half cabin boats are the most popular, and most these days are purchased with a hardtop of some description.

That said, many of the Workmate cuddy cabs from 4.95m-7m, can be purchased with a soft top, a folding hardtop, or a fixed semi-enclosed hardtop. 

The bluewater Game Fisher half cabin models, on the other hand, come standard with a fixed, semi-enclosed hardtop with a full deck-to-hardtop, three-piece front windscreen. 

The Surtees Game Fisher models are available in 6.1, 6.5, 7, 7.5, and 8m boat lengths. All models are trailerable in Australia, with maximum beam widths of less than 2.5m.

The flagship 800 Game Fisher is one of those maxi-sized trailerboats I discussed earlier - big, bold, tough - but requiring a big tow vehicle to haul it around, and a crew to run it.

The entry 610 series boat presented here for this review is quite the opposite. It's very capable offshore, yet compact, easy to stow and tow, and to man-handle single-handled.

We first tested the 610 Game Fisher back in 2019 and were suitably impressed with its performance and fit-out. This model has since been updated with a range of new features and equipment - including an all-new dash and helm station.

Smooth sailing

Built tough

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher is a full plate aluminium boat with a tough 5mm hull bottom and transom, 4mm topsides, and a 3mm cabin structure.

The outer sheets of plate alloy are supported beneath the 3mm welded self-draining alloy deck by six full-length, fully welded stringers in combination with gussets/cross ribs situated every 400mm. This complex matrix of stringers and ribs provides the 610 Game Fisher with ample strength and rigidity. 

For safety, the 610 Game Fisher also has two fully sealed (and pressure tested) airtight flotation chambers to each side of the water ballast tank/compartment at the keel. 

Flooded, water-ballasted keels are a feature of all Surtees models, enabling these craft to run a deep vee hull bottom shape while retaining excellent stability. 

With this design feature, there is a channel or compartment at the keel of the boat which floods with water when the boat is at rest. This water adds weight or ballast, increasing the displacement so that the hull settles down deeper into the water, stiffening the hull laterally for reducing side-to-side rocking.

Flooded or water-ballasted keels are not unique to Surtees; many craft around the world have them. However, Surtees also fits a shut-off gate or flap so you can choose to trap the water inside the keel compartment when the boat rises up on to the plane. Normally, the keel water drains naturally back out when the boat takes off. 

Being able to retain the water in the Surtees keel does make the boat heavier, but this can also settle the boat down when running in rough weather and improve ride comfort. 

The amount of water held in the keel ballast tank differs with each Surtees model. The flagship 800 series boat runs a 530L tank, whereas the 610 Game Fisher has 340L of water ballast. 

Classic cuddy

The 610 Game Fisher has a traditional open cuddy cabin configuration, albeit with an alloy hardtop and a semi-enclosed, all-weather helm station.

The front cabin is decent in size. Each cloth upholstered side berth is just short of full length at 1.6m. However, fit the optional infill boards and cushions into place and you have a full width double berth for two people. 

I expect most anglers will leave the infill cushions at home as this creates a central companionway forward through the cabin to the opening acrylic hatch in the forepeak. 

You could, theoretically, clamber around the cabin sides to the foredeck, but it is much easier to go up through the front hatch to access the foredeck, and to anchor the boat.

The Surtees is also set up so that you can leave the anchor hanging off the front bow roller, ready to drop - instead of leaving it inside the large, open anchor well.

Back inside the cabin, there is ample storage space beneath the two side seats/berths, and within the broad, full-length cabin side shelves. 

For a relatively small boat, there is also ample space in the cabin to move about without regularly biffing your head on the ceiling. 

Like the rest of the interior, the cabin in the test boat has a neat looking Nyalic clear-coat protection finish which blends nicely with the optional grey SeaDek rubber flooring used throughout.

The well-appointed deck has plenty of storage

Helm and hardtop

The 2022 610 Game Fisher has a redesigned dash with a large, appropriately angled fascia panel to accept a 30.5 cm (12in), flush-fitted multi-function display, along with engine instrumentation.

In our test boat, the new fascia panel was filled with an optional Garmin EchoMap Ultra 125SV fish finder/plotter, as well as a Yamaha Command Link 5 display, and switching for the optional Zipwake auto trim tabs. 

The new dash/fascia is modern, practical. There's space also for the steering wheel of course, as well as a side-mount throttle, switch panel and a VHF radio. I was also impressed with the full width welded dash grab rail, and the footrests for the skipper and co-pilot.

Various seating options are available for the 610 Game Fisher. Our test boat was fitted with two deluxe, carbon-look swivelling bucket chairs with flip-up front bolsters and fore and aft sliders. 

The helm chair was mounted above a storage box. The passenger/co-pilot chair was secured above an aluminium frame with space underneath it for an optional 70L Icey-Tek ice box. 

From either of the two helm chairs the sightlines forward through the three-piece toughened glass windscreen were excellent. There were no blind spots aft either - as the hardtop supports are narrow, yet sturdy.

Room to move

The cockpit is the most important space in every fishing boat. This is where the action starts and finishes. Accordingly, the cockpit needs to be large, well designed, uncluttered. 

As you would expect from a seasoned fishing boat builder like Surtees, the cockpit in the 610 Game Fishermen is a ripper. With an overall length (cabin bulkhead to transom) of 2.5m x 1.85m wide, there is space for three to four anglers to move about freely - without tripping over each other, or anything else.

The optional SeaDek flooring is brilliant underfoot, while the side deck coamings are nigh on the perfect height with a vertical measurement of 730mm. The high cockpit and full-height transom here allows anglers to fish safely, securely from the boat in rough weather.

The cockpit is not self-draining, but there is a sump/water catchment area under the transom which is fitted with a 2000 g/ph auto bilge pump. 

Elevated side storage pockets stretch the full cockpit length, beneath the 325mm wide side coamings - which were surfaced with optional SeaDek foam rubber. 

At the transom, our test boat was optioned with a deluxe bait board/workstation - complete with a rod rack, cup holders, two slide out drawers and plastic terminal tackle trays. 

An elevated platform underneath, behind a SoPac hatch, housed the twin batteries and master switches, keeping both safe and sheltered from the weather.  

On the starboard side of the stern, a transom corner seat folds out to reveal another storage shelf with access to the fuel/water separating filter. 

Opposite, to port, the 610 Game Fisher has a sliding transom door above a modest sized live bait tank with a clear front viewing window. The tank hatch doubles as a step which leads neatly out to the rear boarding platform and the fold-out ladder. 

Other key features include six welded rod holders, an optional side pocket rod rack, hardtop rocket launcher and canvas shade extension, welded stern cleats, and transom rails. 

Plenty of room to move

Power and economy

Paired with Yamaha's evergreen 150hp extra-longshaft four-stroke outboard engine, the Surtees 610 Game Fisherman is a strong performer, accelerating to a top speed of 40.3 knots. 150hp is the maximum power recommended for the 610 Game Fisher and given its excellent performance I see no need for a larger engine. 

Quite the contrary in fact. Given the excellent engine response and agility of our test boat through the mid range, I reckon you could get away with a smaller motor. A 115hp motor would be the bare minimum - but a motor in the 130hp-140hp size range would save you a few dollars up front, and yet still yield a top speed in the mid to high 30 knot range. The Yamaha 150hp four-stroke is quite an economical motor, and this is reflected in the performance data. 

Underway, the test boat proved most fuel-efficient cruising at 3,500 rpm for a boat speed of 22 knots (40.7 km/h). At this point in the Yamaha rpm range, this smooth-running motor burns 22 L/h for a maximum range (with 10 per cent in reserve) on the standard 200L fuel tank of 193.2nm.

Handling and ride

The Surtees 610 Game Fisher has a smooth, strake-free plate alloy hull bottom with a sharp, wave cutting entry shape at the bow - combined with a more modest 19-degree deadrise vee angle back down at the transom.

The latter, in combination with wide outer chine flats and the water-ballasted keel, ensures the hull retains good stability in addition to ride comfort through the chop. 

The hull topsides are not especially flared beneath the foredeck at the bow, but there is a substantial spray deflecting chine separated the topsides from the hull bottom which helps to keep spray at bay.

Underway, I found the test boat to be well mannered, easy to drive, responsive to trim - although our test boat was fitted with Zipwake auto trim tabs which do the job for you. 

At sensible cruising speeds the boat rides very comfortably, safely. I'd happily run the 610 Game Fisher wide offshore, as this well-balanced hull is well capable of tackling some rough water.

The 610 Game Fisher is not designed for towsports, but it takes tight turns easily and safely enough, and this is a handling characteristic which may also be needed when running out through an ocean bar enroute to the offshore fishing grounds.  

Is this the Goldilocks of fishing boats?

The wrap

I'm not sure if the Surtees 610 Game Fisherman is the ‘Goldilocks’ size trailerable fishing boat, but I reckon it is close to ideal for the travelling angler, especially as it weighs less than 1,500kg (dry) on a tandem axle alloy trailer. 

The 610 Game Fisher is also superbly outfitted - even in standard configuration, while the semi-enclosed hardtop makes this excellent craft a genuine all-weather fishing proposition. 

Package prices for the Surtees 610 Game Fisher start from $93,614 when paired with a Yamaha 130hp four-stroke outboard and a standard dual axle trailer.

Optioned with the bigger 150hp Yamaha - and a heap of gear as listed in the specifications below, the test boat package has a drive-away price of $125,443.

Surtees 610 Game Fisher Specifications

General

Capacities

Engine

Options Included

• Garmin EchoMap Ultra 125SV
• Painted topside and cabin
• SeaDek flooring throughout
• Zipwake automatic trim-tabs
• Dual battery system
• LED interior, hardtop and flood lighting
• Raw water wash-down
• Carbon helm seat with storage box
• Carbon co-pilot seat with frame
• Icey-Tek 70L ice box
• Transom bait station
• Offshore transom
• Clip-on side pocket rod rack
• Cabin berth infill cushions
• Canvas hardtop shade extension
• Rubber gunwale strip
• Trailer spare wheel and carrier
• Sand anchor kit
• Open water safety gear pack
• 12 months QLD registrations

Surtees 610 Game Fisher Sea trial

Two people onboard

*Sea trial data supplied by the author. Fuel figures calculated leaving 10 per cent in reserve.

Surtees 610 Game Fisher priced from $93,614 (with Yamaha 130hp)

Surtees 610 Game Fisher price as tested $125,443

Supplied by Northside Marine