Boating New Zealand - July 2018

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way of the deck activity when landing ish.

In the panels on either side, are emergency

kits and storage, ideally suited to all those towed

arrays. Two loor hatches either side of the

engine bay give huge capacity for life-jackets, and

safety gear. A movable upholstered bin ofers

seating and even more ishing gear storage.

he cockpit’s central hatch is for the engine

bay, and lifting it provides easy access to fuel

ilters and electronic what-have-you. Hydraulic

struts take all pressure of lifting and lowering.

To the rear, very solid transom doors swing

open outward and are held that way with

magnetic contacts.

hese are easily removable for landing a

big marlin, as McKenzie and Clement did on

the boat’s maiden voyage. (he engine has an

irresistible ‘attractor’ note in the water, one

might think?)

Around the bottom edge of the teak-topped

gunwales, deep toe cut-outs increase the

apparent size of usable deck, allowing angler

access right to the edge, for thigh support. Blue

lighting around the deck area at night is both

attractive and practical, enhancing night vision

rather than blindness. Underwater lights also

attract ish – and look damn good at anchor.

Game poles are rigged either side and the

inish of the boat is, quite simply, superb. In

the middle of the rear deck is a transom-island,

again covered in ‘working surface’ solid teak,

with two hinges, which lift open to reveal a

deep, live bait tank on the right, and a custom

itted deck barbecue on the left.

here’s a hot and cold shower on the deck,

and a portoino stern with a strong bait-

board, atop strapping stainless mounts. his is

equipped with four rod holders, as well as a pipe

draining ish-guts to the sea.

Behind the sliding sunroof is an almost

invisible solar panel array, perfect for trickle-

charging the batteries, and a Garmin Raydome.

PERFORMANCE

Driving the boat back home to the marina,

I enjoyed playing with the controls and

analysing the engine data, and with the engine

purring along quietly while we talked, I barely

noticed our speed – 27 knots.

For interest’s sake, and in the name of

science, I threw the boat into a tight starboard

loop, there was a fabulous bite in the front as

we pulled round in a stable arc, but at nearly full

lock managed to make the big sternleg cavitate

for a fraction of a second. his was quickly ixed

by trimming the sternleg a little.

Solid power pulls the 5.5-tonne sports boat

up on the plane in seconds. he Humphree X

Series self-leveling trim-tabs system works to

break tension and is something of a revelation

in both the transition to plane, and the auto

correction, made evident as we headed into a

stiish breeze that momentarily lowered the

starboard front quarter on the return home.

For a fairly substantial girl, she can certainly

lift her skirts and ly when pressed. Best speed

is 32 knots.

his cruiser weighs 4.2 tonnes dry and a

touch over 5.5 when fuelled with 650 litres of

diesel and 370 litres of water. She has leveling

tanks and the capacity to hold 105 litres of

black-water as well.

he objective for the Admiral project was to

deliver a boat that encompasses ishing, family,

holidays, entertaining and ofshore capability

in equal measures – in a modern, high quality

coniguration. hese chaps have hit their target

perfectly. BNZ

PRICE AS TESTED

$490,000

MANUFACTURED BY

Admiral Boats

http://www.admiralboatsnz.co.nz

Admiral 10m

Sports Cruiser

loa 10m

beam 3m

deadrise 12.5° at transom

construction hand-laid GRP,

foam core, four stringers, two

bulkheads

engine 260hp Volvo Penta D4,

DPH stern leg, G4 props

fuel 650 litres

water 370 litres

dry weight 4.2 tonnes

dry weight 5.5 tonne

cruising speed 27 knots

max speed 32knots

SPECIFICATIONS

Versatility –

partying, chilling, fishing

Quality

finishes

Ecient cruising

HIGHLIGHTS