Boat review: Southern Alloy Boats XP676HTO

The new 676XP from Southern Alloy Boats has as much appeal for fishers and divers as for family boaters, with the bonus of genuine bluewater ability.

We’re used to good lookers from the South Island manufacturer, usually good in metallic grey or blue, but the new colour scheme of pale grey with contrasting black bow rails and rocket launcher is a refreshing change. The paintwork is complemented by dark grey, high-density neoprene panels on the side decks, foredeck, coamings, transom and

swimstep areas and a well finished interior. The sensibly laid out 676XP is a development of Southern Alloy Boat’s popular XP646. It’s

300mm longer, 100mm wider at the chines for improved stability at rest and has welded strakes to give the hull a little more lift. Southern has modified the chine line on subsequent XP646s to sweep upward a little more towards the bows, to lift them slightly when the boat’s planing.

As a result of the extra length and more beam at the chines, the XP676 has a larger cockpit and more cabin volume than the 646. The HTO label indicates that this is a Hard Top Open version, but enclosed hardtops are also available.

Southern’s latest creation is a chip off the old block but it also breaks the mould. As an evolution of the smaller XP646, it has a strong pedigree and a fresh new look.

64 Boating New Zealand May 2014

Words by John Eichelsheim Photos by Will Calver

freshexpressionHUTCHWILCO

NEW ZEALAND

BOAT SHOW

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hall 3

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“ ”...100mm wider at the chines for

improved stability at rest and has welded strakes to give the hull a little more lift.

The hardtop roof, seat bases and instrument console are resin-infused GRP with a thinly moulded ceiling lining to save weight; the roof is a much thicker laminate for strength. The hardtop cabin and cockpit are lined and carpeted for comfort, with the carpets being easily removed for washing.

NiCE liNESThe Southern XP646 has a good-sized cockpit that’s all business. It feels safe with Southern’s typically high freeboard and wide, neoprene-topped coamings. The flush transom, excellent all-round toe room and the security of the high sides are great fishing features and there’s plenty of rod stowage in through-gunwale aluminium rodholders, the rocket launcher, bait board and cockpit shelves. Useful features include tie-down racks in the cockpit and Frontrunner-lined cockpit shelves. Side pockets further forward under the hardtop offer dry storage options and there’s generous shelving, plus under-berth stowage in the forward cabin. A sliding aluminium cabin door offers lock-up security for high value equipment when the boat’s tied up or on the trailer.

Stability at rest has improved over earlier models while extra-large Southern Boats trim tabs with Lenco actuators do an excellent job of maintaining the boat’s attitude when underway.

Thanks partly to the new paint colour, the interior feels open and spacious. Inside the

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hardtop are comfortable king and queen seats that swivel and adjust fore and aft. No footrests were fitted to the review boat, but these are usually tailored to fit the owner. Additional handholds will also be fitted on the passenger side.

Padded vinyl panels along the gunwales provide a bit of luxury and comfort and there’s a nicely sculpted instrument console, sliding side windows and LED lighting. There’s plenty of console real estate for flush-mounted displays, in this case a 12-inch Raymarine multi-function unit, plus extra for Yamaha digital instruments under the console eyebrow. Black vinyl along the dashboard eliminates glare on the three-pane windscreen, and opening the access hatch behind the instrument panel reveals extremely tidy wiring and labelling.

Without a galley or onboard freshwater, this boat isn’t set up for

Beaut transom

The transom layout of the Southern XP676 works well. A pair of transom lockers provides good dry stowage, and while the batteries are at floor level, they’re fully enclosed by an

aluminium hatch which protects them from salt spray and anything short of a cockpit full of water. Battery switches are outside the locker for ease of access.

There’s a small drop-in transom door for the step-through on the starboard side. The livebait tank and washdown pump are mounted up out of the way under the step-through and there’s room on the port side to slide a 70-litre bin under the livebait tank.

LEFT: The cockpit is roomy and is ideal for fishing. By closing the cuddy doors, it can be sealed off from the interior. ABOVE: The white paint job is a refreshing change from Southern’s usual colour scheme and works well with the hard lines to make the XP676 look striking.

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Marineline New Zealand PO Box 125163, St. Heliers, Auckland 1740

phone: +64 9 575 0922mobile: 021 704 854

e-mail: sales@marineline.co.nz

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overnighting, though it has full length berths with an infill to make a double, plus a plumbed toilet. A gas BBQ or canister cooker, plus a container of two of water, would certainly take care of your basic needs on a weekend away. With 200 litres of fuel carried under the floor, the boat has the range to explore.

SmOOTHly dOES iTThe XP676HTO travels smoothly and handles well. The entry is typically fine and its variable deadrise hull with 5mm bottom plates, modest reverse chines and a 20-degree deadrise at the transom is a soft rider.

This boat seems well suited to Yamaha’s new F200F four-cylinder four-stroke – see sidebar. It’s at the top of the 676’s recommended horsepower range but it’s actually lighter than Yamaha’s 150hp four-stroke. Family Boats has tested both engines on the same boat and reports that the 200hp is quieter and more fuel efficient than the 150hp, as well as providing better performance overall.

Electronic fly-by-wire throttle controls and Yamaha’s new shift dampening system all but eliminate clunking in and out of gear.

TOP and MIDDLE RIGHT: The interior is comfortable and provides a few creature comforts. MIDDLE LEFT and ABOVE RIGHT: The transom contains practical storage lockers and a live-bait tank.

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Southern Boats pride themselves on presenting you with one of the finest handcrafted Alloy boats available today. The team of skilled boat builders, upholsterers and painters based at Southern’s Dunedin manufacturing facility have spent thousands of hours perfecting their craft to bring you a boat with proven performance, handsome good looks and heavy duty durability. Contact us or drop into your local dealer and start making your dream a reality today.

New Yamaha F200F

Yamaha claims its new four-cylinder F200F is the lightest 200hp four-stroke on the market at 227kg – 50kg

lighter than the old model F200C. With its slim-line cowl, the lightweight F200F is ideal for twin engine applications and is an attractive option for boaters wanting more horsepower without more weight or the same horsepower for less weight.

A smooth, quiet, in-line, four-cylinder with Variable Camshaft Timing (VCT) and weight-saving technology throughout, the new engine produces 200hp. Light weight equates to improved fuel-efficiency, as well as better performance so the F200F suits a wider range of boats than heavier V6 engines do.

The new F200F features an improved Reliance Shift Dampener System (SDS) to minimise clunking when engaging forward or reverse gear, as well as new counterbalance

shafts for vibration-free, quiet boating.There’s a 50amp alternator for a 13

percent increase in charge over the outgoing F200C at idle, and the popular Variable Trolling RPM Switch (VTS) system allows fishermen to fine-tune their trolling speeds.

The F200F offers the Y-COP (Yamaha Customer Outboard Protection) anti-theft system and an optional tilt-limiter.

68 Boating New Zealand May 2014

The boat rides fairly level, so vision ahead is excellent, and there’s no perceptible nose-up, nose-down transition onto the plane. As with any hardtop, trim tabs were welcome.

Cruising at 26 knots at 4000rpm, the boat used 27 litres of fuel per hour, and we reached a top speed of 39.5 knots at 5800rpm, burning 75 litres per hour.

BETTEr THAN EvErSouthern Alloy Boats offers looks, specification and performance with excellent build quality. New models have benefited from ongoing development. Incremental improvements to the internal layout, hardtop design, paint and cosmetics, as well little improvements to a hull form that was a good performer anyway, mean the new models like the XP670HTO are the best Southerns yet.

Southern Alloy BoatsXP676HTO➤ loa 6.750m➤ beam 2.45m (2.2m at the

chines) ➤ draft approx 0.4m➤ construction aluminium➤ weight approx 1900kg on

trailer ➤ engine Yamaha F200F four-

stroke outboard ➤ deadrise 20° at transom➤ fuel 200 litres➤ cruising speed 25-30 knots ➤ max speed 40 knots➤ price as reviewed $129,995➤ packages from $110,995➤ manufactured by Southern

Alloy Boats Ltd, Mosgiel, www.southernboats.co.nz

➤ boat supplied by Family Boats Ltd, www.familyboats.co.nz peter@familyboats.co.nz phone 09274 0511

Aluminium trailer

The review boat was supplied on a dual-axle Southern Alloy

Boats aluminium trailer with override brakes on one axle, alloy wheels and zinc-coated leaf spring suspension. The boat is supported on rollers along the keel, pairs of fixed rollers on either side of the trailer and two sets of larger rollers per side at the rear, which help the boat to self-centre on the trailer.

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