Trailerboat Trials By Sam Mossman Marco 700 Sou’ Wester Morrinsville-based Marco Boats has come a long way since aluminium boat-building pioneer Graham Ransom founded the company. I first tested a Marco for this magazine in July 1992 – getting on for twenty years ago. Graham (who had been at the birth of both Fyran and Ramco aluminium boats) was producing small, entry-level tinnies for the fishing market, a market position that he maintained until he retired and sold the company to the Horne family – Dayne and his parents Helen and Bryan – in 2003. While they still make plenty of basic, entry-level fishing ‘tinnies’, Marco Boats has also spread its range of products into more upmarket craft, including the Sou’ Wester range of four models: the 600, 650, 700 and 760 (for details of models and dealers, see www.marcoboats.co.nz). A Quick Genius anchor winch handles the ground-tackle duties. 138 New Zealand Fishing News March 2012 I met up with Marco’s Dayne Horne at Matakana, around an hour north of Auckland, to check out the 700 Sou’ Wester Tick’d Up, owned by another family operation – the Longley Brothers and their dad, Grant. Design and construction The 700 Sou’ Wester is constructed with 5mm bottoms and transom, and 4mm sides, topsides and The boarding platform features a raised section over the stern drive. chequerplate deck. Deadrise at the stern is a modest 17°, chines are downturned, and there are no planing strakes fitted (or needed). Of note is the cool-looking curved transom, which helps accommodate the engine installation. The bottom plates are butted up at the keel line and fully seam-welded inside and out before a keel bar is seam-welded inside, adding stiffness and helping support the deck. Under the deck are six full-length stringers in 5mm plate. Three full bulkheads (including a collision bulkhead in the bow and the transom construction) support the hull laterally, while the addition of partial frames sees the deck supported at roughly 450mm centres. This hull is CPC-approved and the inboard configuration has about 200kg reserve buoyancy. The welding looks strong and competently executed, and the hull has been well faired, as could be seen

by looking along the well-cared-for black gloss paint finish. Power and performance The 700 Sou’ Wester is available in both outboard and sterndrive configurations, with a recommended maximum rating of 225hp. Tick’d Up is powered by a Cummins Mercruiser QSD 2.0-litre, 170hp diesel inboard. This is a compact four-cylinder unit with integrated heat exchanger and exhaust manifold, common-rail fuel system, turbocharger, and seawater aftercooler. The engine installation is set into the transom wall, further minimising its impact on cockpit space. The sterndrive is a Bravo One X leg, which features...

Guide poles and wobble rollers on the trailer make for an easy retrieve. infill fitted, would sleep three at a pinch. Access to the rear of the helm console is through a screw-on plate. Out in the wheelhouse a large dash with backlip and marine-carpet lining offers plenty of room for odds and ends. A Lowrance HDS 10 Sounder/GPS-plotter handles the electronic duties, and a Fusion MS-IP600 sound system is fitted. Other accessories include Lectrotab trim tabs, Protech UFlex hydraulic steering, and Mercury throttle/shift with Smartcraft/VDO gauges. Visibility is good all around through 6mm toughened...

The transom step-through allows easy boarding. The passenger bench seat features a gas cooker underneath the squab and stowage below The helm is comfortable and well laid out. The stern platform is a handy spot to fish from. (L-R) Nick Dobbyn, Glenn Longley, Dayne Horne, and Grant Longley with a few pannies for dinner. wash-down hose is fitted. The transom wall shelters house and start batteries with an isolation switch, and a transom step-through with drop-in door is built into the port side, allowing easy access out onto the boarding platform. The platform is a decent size, with a raised section...