Trade-A-Boat — November 2017

How does it rate?

Average

1 SUITABILITY FOR PURPOSE

2 INNOVATION

3 DESIGN AND LAYOUT

4 QUALITY OF FINISH

5 HANDLING AND RIDE

6 STABILITY AT REST

7 ERGONOMICS

8 STANDARD EQUIPMENT

9 VALUE FOR MONEY

10 X-FACTOR

Northbank 750 HT Outboard

levels of storage shelves around
the sides.
When set up as a vee-berth, there’s
loads of sitting room, and with a
carpet-lined ceiling, it would be a cosy
place to retreat from the weather.
A large cabin hatch gives access to
the bow where a moulded bowsprit
supports your choice of anchor and a
rail helps keep crew on board.
When combined with the high
hardtop and wraparound windows at
the helm deck, there’s a roomy feeling
and space under the roof for the crew
when travelling.
A three-piece tempered glass screen
has a robust construction and a set of
two-speed wipers.
Ahead of the skipper and mounted

“Northbank has

been creating

beautiful and

very seaworthy

models since

1995...”

high on the dash is a large compass,

but most drivers will rely on the 12in

Garmin GPS system to fi nd their way.

Important diagnostic information for

the 250 Honda is displayed on a smaller

Garmin GMI 20 digital screen.

To the right of the navigation screen

are two switch panels for lights and

accessories and on the other side are

the easily reached controls for the

Lectrotab trim tabs.

PLENTY O’ POWER

The 750 HT can be powered right up

to 450hp with a pair of 225s, so the 250

Honda on our test boat is at the lower

end of the range, but she was

no slouch.

Acceleration was impressive and we

saw a wide-open-throttle speed of 38kt

(70kmh) at 6200rpm.

The boat felt happiest and returned

good economy around 4000rpm

at 23kt, consuming 28L/hr for a

theoretical range of 250nm from the

350L tank (with a 10% reserve).

Some may lust after more get-up-

and-go, but the 250 is a good fi t.

The boat likes a bow-down attitude

in rough water, so it doesn’t necessarily

benefi t from extra weight down the

back, which surprised.

While I can see the advantage of a

twin setup for the added bite of two

props in the water, and an easy way to

trim the boat, the performance of the

test setup is sensible.

At trolling speeds, fuel usage was

MAIN The 750 had no trouble in the rough
of Sydney heads.
TOP The lock-up cabin is a nice touch as is
the easy-to-clean fl oor.
RIGHT The dash could be bigger, we think.

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Northbank 750 HT Outboard