16 WATERLINE
DECEMBER 2012
The best of both w If you can’t see yourself disappearing for a long weekend in a trailer boat, you haven’t seen the new Buccaneer hardtop. The 735 Sportsman is the latest from the Hamilton manufacturer with a boatload of innovations. The new Buccaneer made its debut at the recent Tauranga Boat Expo, and this month tasted salt water for the first time. Waterline magazine was there with a camera for the 735’s first outing. The first impression of the 735 is of a classy vessel with great lines. It looks balanced and gracious on the trailer and on the water – not an easy feat to design a hardtop without appearing top heavy. Up close, the clean interior is stunning. The full fibreglass hull liner means a smooth gelcoat finish throughout, even under the floor lockers. The carpet has given way to fixed rubber matting, which ensures an easy clean every time. My grandad’s acid test: Could you see yourself landing a bleeding, thrashing fish onto that swanky cockpit floor? Hell yes, because you know the clean-up is easy, by design. Normally the thought of fish mess in a plush cabin boat of this calibre would make us cringe. But here there’s no fiddly corners to catch scales and debris, no carpet to try to blast stuff out of. Yet the cockpit still felt luxurious and well appointed. The best of both worlds. Up forward is a generous cabin with 2m bunks and complete with small table, which removes to take a fill-in to make a double berth. A full marine toilet hides in its own fully enclosed corner behind the helm station. A small fridge is neatly positioned under the passenger seat, providing very convenient food and beverage storage for those longer trips and weekends away. The cockpit is massive and the feeling of space accentuated by the clean lines, the full fibreglass hull liner which gives every corner a smooth, hassle free feel. Along with the hull liner, which is incorporated into the new stiffening and reinforcing design, there is minimal timber used in the construction. The stringers are now all fibreglass and under floor compartments not used for storage are all closed cell foam filled. Not
only does this provide an extra safety feature, but helps with noise dampening and insulation. Underway, the grunt from the Suzuki 225hp is awe inspiring. The boat is rated to 300hp. I’m not sure why you’d need more than the 225 unless you intended to pull the arms off a waterskier. The hole shot is a seat-pinning experience and the growly V6 sends a tingle up the spine. Yet at idle, you can barely hear the engine running. It purrs like a pussy when its not working, but nudge that throttle and the wolf comes out. The total weight of the 735 on the road is about 2.5 tonnes. It gives the impression of a solid boat when underway and it’s a reassuring feel as the Buccaneer hull punches through the chop. Handling and ride is typically excellent as Buccaneer owners now take for granted. The luxury of a hard top, to escape the buffeting wind and elements, means more boating, because even those not-so-flash days are quite a pleasure under a roof. The hull features a substantial ski flat on the bottom, which you can sense working when the power comes on, to give it a fast lift onto the plane, and maintaining a high, dry ride. The curved glass windscreen with central mounted wiper offers excellent visibility for the skipper, with no pillars in the view. Sliding side windows allow for control of ventilation. The test boat rides on an Enduro trailer, a stunning piece of engineering complete with a hose fitting built into the galvanised beams for fresh water flushing the inside of the trailer components. The list of standard features is impressive and too much to list here, but the chaps at Mastertech are happy to supply a brochure or check out all the features on the website www. mastertech.co.nz Overall this is a stunning, eye catching boat. Look closer and you’ll see more than shiny good looks, but a great performer and interior that is simplified without skimping and loads of features. It’s luxury without the fuss; and performance when you want it. Retail price as tested is around the $160,000 mark, the test boat is offered as a show special at $144,000. By Brian Rogers