H
aines Hunter isn’t
known for doing things
by half, and the proof is
in this fire-breathing,
testosterone-charged
beast on steroids. But you have
to be careful when writing about
the brand because if I were to say
anything adverse, the HH cheer
squad would call out for my blood, so
I always approach a test with care.
No boat elicits more controversy,
more undying loyalty than from the
Hunter hordes. Owners of even the
grottiest, fish-scaled 25-year-old 525
or 600 will bet the house on their rig
outperforming anything else in a
race back from the shelf in a howling
gale. To be fair, much of the support
is warranted, with many genuine
classics emerging from the Hoppers
Crossing factory over the years.
So it was a great deal of
anticipation that we recently
launched the twin 200hp Yamaha
powered 700 Enclosed into the
drink at Botany Bay. The monster
proportions on the trailer promised
an impressive experience, and thededicated fishing layout talked of
generations of angling expertise and
design know-how.
Seeing the boat on its Easytow
alloy trailer for the first time is a bit
of a shock. It’s bloody big. Okay, it
might be shorter than the 760 from
which it is derived, but the decreased
length with the same gunwale height
and enclosed cabin seem to add to
the ginormous impression.THE BUILDER
With the 760 and 675 already in
the Haines Hunter range, you
might wonder why the 700 was
introduced, and it was a question I
later put to company owner, John
Haber. He maintained that it’s all
about offering a complete range
of dedicated fishing platforms to a
customer base demanding bigger
boats for the current mega distances
being travelled. So it has more room
than a 675 – and if you see them
together, the difference is significant.
It also comes in under 3500kg on a
trailer, and the longer 760 struggles
with that when laden with fuel anda full quiver of tackle. Then there’s
the issue of costs, with the new boat
some $40,000 less expensive than its
grander sibling.
Haber explained that the yard’s
full-time naval architect worked on
the design of the new boat to save
as much of the fishing capability
of the 760 without sacrificing any
of its seakeeping prowess. Even so,
for a trailerboat, it still pushes the
boundaries of weight and maxes
out to a street legal 2.5m beam. It’s
tall too, so watch out when you’re
backing it into the garage first time,
because chances are it’s not going to
fit under the roof.
The concept of the 700 wasn’t just
a matter of chopping 600mm from
the cockpit of the 760. Because the
boat is built to survey, it needed to
pass stability tests and go through
computerised handling parameters
before the final new moulds were
commissioned. Part of the design
brief included retaining a self-
draining deck, and with the floor
sitting some 300mm above the
waterline, it was achieved with112 tradeaboat.com.au