Yellowfin 6700 CC Review

MELLOW YELLOW

When it comes to fishability there's nothing quite like a centre console. There's plenty of room to move around, so you can fight a fish from any part of the gunwale; plus, no superstructure to contend with when using long rods. But with every upside there's usually a downside. Some of the most common complaints with centre consoles are the lack of dry storage space that cabin boats have and the fact that you often get wet going to and from the fishing grounds; especially when the wind quarters across the bow. I've even been in 30ft-centre consoles and it's no different - until recently that is, when I tested the new Yellowfin 6700 Centre Console now produced by Telwater.

DRY-RIDING BOAT

The team took the Yellowfin 6700 CC 8nm offshore, ran it in all directions and still it remained dry with a surprisingly gentle ride. This is because the boat's deadrise is quite sharp coming off the keel at the forefoot, before it tapers to 20° at the transom. It's also deep enough to cut the water when running over a sharp chop, not blunt, which would cause it to bang down on top of the water. There are no planing strakes to break up any solid mass of water rising up the hull until it gets to the spray chine on the forequarters, which deflect the water down and away at the last minute. But all of these features, combined with a helm forward of amidships, have resulted in one of the better riding centre consoles that I
have tested.
Dead in the water and on the drift, the hull was a very stable fishing platform and remained so even with three large adults moving about the expansive cockpit. When you're 8nm out, it's too deep to anchor and fish the bottom, but the boat held stern-on into the oncoming sea and very little water came over the transom - most of it was stopped by the wide-boarding platform.
Any water that did enter the cockpit was quickly dispersed through the twin scuppers, which are fed by a 75mm gutter running across the cockpit under the transom bulkhead. This gutter is a distinct advantage to fishermen, because any rubbish on the deck eventually finds its way down here and if it's small enough it's jettisoned via the ball-in-tapered-neck style scupper system. This scupper system also proved effective and stopped water coming onto the deck when backing up. However, cleaning under the walkthrough transom sill will be difficult, because the wiring looms between helm and engine run through this area and block easy access.
The rest of the gutter is accessible behind the house battery, which is fixed to the floor and the 65lt livebait tank installed on the portside of the transom. A second battery is stowed high up on a shelf mid-bulkhead. The battery-isolation switch and the engine-oil reservoir for the 200hp Mercury OptiMax are also positioned here.

WIDE BEAM

This boat, along with its sister 6700C cabin version and the smaller 6200 and 5700 series, shares the same-sized beam and transom fixtures that are standard to the Yellowfin range. The transom door is one of them, although it's a little different, because it unclips and folds down to make an extended sill when walking in and out of the boat. Another is the bait-rigging board, which is set at a good height and has a shelf below the cutting board to stow tools, rigging needles and other gear.
Should secure boat storage be an issue, some of the small, aftermarket tackle-draw sets might recess into this aperture. Plenty of rod tubes also adorn the cutting board, which has the back section welded to the bottom of the tray from the outside, leaving a crevice along its length topside. Sealing this up with Sikaflex or a similar product will stop rubbish wedging itself in here and getting on the nose. Ideally, welding it on the topside would be a practical solution that alleviates the problem. A good-sized killtank that drains over the transom rather than the bilge is also a standard fitment.
If you like to add bits and pieces to your boat you will need to get a second job to fill the gunwales of the Yellowfin range. They are wider than most, roughly 300mm toward the bow and only slightly narrower near the stern. They make handy seats and will allow you to fit fixed accessories like cutting boards, outrigger bases and downrigger units.
The sidepockets are also large, which might also be good for some of those aftermarket draw sets mentioned earlier. There's good under-pocket foot room all round the 6700CC, which, combined with good gunwale height, makes for stable stand-up fishing.

ROOM TO MOVE

Is there room to move? There's plenty. In fact, there's so much room that the short, raised platform in the forward section of the cockpit looks a little lost. I mentioned earlier that a lack of dry storage is one of the fundamental downsides in centre consoles and I did get that impression here. Storage under the raised platform will hold a single layer of lifejackets, but since the 6700 has room to burn, it would be practical to raise the height of this platform, so gear bins could be stored inside and out of the way. That should be a relatively inexpensive option.
I also liked the 6700's wide console. It had enough sloping fascia to flush-mount a 6in sounder unit and there are further gimbal-mounting options on its top. There's additional storage space in the aft end of the console.
While all of the helm electrical looms are hidden away, the fuses are easily serviced. They're located inside the hatch on the console's front.
The helm seat is also practical. It's a cross between a bolster seat and one that you can perch yourself on fully. It has a short backrest with a rail over the top for passengers to hang onto when underway. However, any rods in the holders on the flat ledge across its back would be in your face and would need to be moved prior to any long, bumpy hauls. It might help to minimise the problem by fitting vertical rodholders here rather than the angle type.
To cater for navigators and drivers of varying heights, Yellowfins have an adjustable seat-height system that slides vertically on heavy-duty posts and locks in place with pins. A 100lt icebox slides neatly under here and can be strapped in place.

UNDER THE HAMMER

Under the hammer this 'Fin is pretty smart. The OptiMax certainly fills the bill power wise and you can wring 75kmh (40.5kts) at WOT out of it at 5400rpm. Consuming 74lt/h at this speed is still not bad when you consider that this is equivalent to less than one litre per kilometre travelled - and, best of all, you're not wasting valuable fishing time.
At around 45kmh (24.3kts), the boat cruises happily at a more respectable 26.5lt/h at 3500rpm. If you're into chasing pelagics on lures, you can factor in 5.6lt/h for 9.5kmh (5.1kts) and 1500rpm - and with 250lt under the deck, you'll be in for some big days out on the water.

WHAT WE LIKED

Acres of fishing space
Extremely dry for a centre console
Great ride and stability

NOT SO MUCH

Some rods could get in the way on long hauls
Difficult to clean under walkthrough transom sill

Specifications: Yellowfin 6700 CC

 HOW MUCH?

Price as tested: Not available - check with dealers
Options fitted: Bimini, deckwash, two-tone paint and VHF radio

GENERAL

Material: Plate-alloy; 5mm bottom, 4mm sides
Length overall: 7.44m
Beam: 2.4m
Deadrise: 20°
Weight: 880kg

CAPACITIES

Rec. max. HP: 250hp
Rec. min. HP: 175hp
Rec. max. engine weight: 300kg
Rec. max. load: 930kg
People: 7 (day), 2 (night)
Fuel: 250lt

ENGINE

Make/model: Mercury OptiMax Type: V6 two-stroke
Rated HP: 200hp
Displacement: 3032cc
Gearbox ratio: 1.75:1
Weight: 225kg
Prop: Mercury Mirage Plus 18in

SUPPLIED BY

Yellowfin Boats