Not all centre consoles are built the same. One of those right up there is New Zealand’s McLay 601 Fortress, as BARRY WISEMAN discovered.

REGISTERING a top speed of just over 45 knots, this spacious 6m heavy-duty plate centre console must be one of the best of this type of boat I have been on over the past 20 years.

It’s a brave person who might claim you don’t get wet on a centre console.

In most cases only two people have protection behind the console and windscreen on such vessels, due to the open design.

Passengers standing behind the helm bench seat are likely to cop a spray, and a good skipper will have a couple of wet weather coats in the locker under the helm for those cool and windy days.

On this day we had a good 23-knot north-easterly blowing offshore from Hillarys Boat Harbour and I was prepared, with my shirt front open and ready to hide my camera lens to keep it dry.

Heading west with the wind behind us was fine.

There was a chop on the water, but I could see from the other vessels on the water that heading home would be a different story.

We were bound to cop the spray when we made that 180-degree turn and I was ready to protect my camera on what was likely to be a very bumpy journey into the easterly wind.

After settling in on the bench seat alongside skipper Johny Lupu, from Searano Marine at Malaga, the bow turned north-west.

I gave him the nod, with my camera in the right hand held tight against my torso.

The left hand firmly holding onto the sturdy overhead frame, he opened up the Honda BF 150hp mounted on the transom.

Immediately onto the plane, this unbelievably stable 6m alloy platform took off.

The deep bow rose momentarily and within seconds we levelled out and the McLay 601 Fortress delivered an extremely smooth and stable ride.

Strikingly noticeable, it was a quiet and soft ride. Later, I found out why.

The vessel had not long been loaded off the truck from the east coast so there was no time to fit a windscreen before hitting the water.

However, we found we did not need it.

Despite the gusty wind Johny and I never felt any spray across the bow.

An acute spray rail on the port and starboard bow took care of that. It is highly effective.

The agility of this vessel proved to be a lot of fun, plus there was always that feeling of confidence in the sure-footed stability of the craft.

The New Zealand manufacturer has used 5mm plate on the bottom and 3mm on the sides, with 4mm chequer plate on the deck for extra strength.

With a beam of 2.2m, there’s lots of room for anglers, and space to work crab nets or lobster pots.

Eva high-density foam decking has been used extensively, on the forward casting deck, gunwales, plus marlin boards astern.

I would suggest the chequer plate deck in the cockpit could take some rubber matting to give a bit of comfort underfoot on a day-long fishing trip.

It would also be tougher when managing cray pots as the Eva foam decking can be easily damaged from sharp corners.

Rubber matting is very convenient when washing down, much more so than carpeting if it’s washed down every day as is the case when the whites are running off the west coast each December.

The cockpit and forward casting deck also have dedicated slots cut into the plate for drop-in pedestal seats, three in total for when the family joins dad for a picnic exploration along the coast.

Dedicated anglers will love this craft, I am sure.

The T-top awning throws plenty of shade over the helm and rear deck and there’s room for six rods in the targa bar at the rear of the framework.

More rod holders are welded into the gunwales, plus there’s four more on the bait station mounted on the transom.

Under the cutting board there’s a drawer to take tools and tackle, plus a live bait tank has been installed under the walk-through step on the transom from the port marlin board and boarding ladder.

Also, along the transom there’s a fold-down double lounge plus two lockers, behind which is battery storage and other plumbing access.

The cushioned bench seat at the helm also has storage underneath and a reverse back rest when you want to face the rear deck and dangle a line over the side.

The helm and console are very spacious, with a two-door locker below for that wet weather coat!

There’s plenty of space for safety gear and tackle boxes or an ice cooler.

The review vessel was flush fitted with a Garmin 12-inch monitor sounder/GPS combo, with much more room for extra goodies.

The facia behind the steering wheel held the ignition switch, Honda engine remote controls, GME marine VHF radio, Fusion sound head unit, plus the toggle switch for the Savwinch electric anchoring device mounted on the bow sprit.

A very neat helm arrangement indeed.

The anchor winch is situated in a hinged plate aluminium covered self-draining well on the bow.

Like the whole forward casting deck area, that too uses the foam decking material for safety and comfort if you choose to sit on the side decks.

There’s a good below deck storage well located on the foredeck, directly in front of the console.

Again, there’s a dedicated drop-in slot for a pedestal seat up front.

Access to the front of the vessel is via two steps from the main deck floor, making it an excellent high point for spotting good ground when anchoring up, or casting a lure in the shallows.

The manufacturer, knowing that this design of vessel lends itself to near shore and shallow water operations, has reinforced the keel with a double layer of 5mm plate running the full length, and up both port and starboard sides, several centimetres.

This move has given the aptly named McLay Fortress extra strength rigidity, plus a reassuring peace of mind for the skipper if he wants to run up the beach coming ashore.

It has excellent space around the console and the gunwales in the cockpit area have sturdy grab rails each side.

For those fishing before dawn or after sunset, this McLay 601 Fortress has underwater lighting to attract baitfish and squid.

Handy too when managing the landing net in the dark.

With Honda’s BF 150 drive-by-wire outboard motor bolted on the transom, this easy-to-handle and agile mover gets up to boogie.

You could certainly go for a smaller horsepower engine, however the 150hp is very well matched and with Honda’s economic performance, it’s well worth having that extra power if you can afford it.

Making our run home into that stiff easterly wind, and remembering we had no windscreen fitted yet, the vessel soon levelled out and the spray rails on the bow worked their magic.

We were soon comfortably sitting on 30 knots.

Happy with the ride, Johny applied a little more finger pressure on the digital Honda throttle to touch 45 knots as we got closer to shore and into the lee of the mainland.

While there was a stiff easterly blowing that day, there was little resistance on this vessel due to its low profile and the fact it was still to have its windscreen fitted.

Like so many New Zealand brands, the McLay 601 Fortress CC has little paintwork that can be a problem as years go by on plate aluminium boats.

The exterior sides on the review boat were painted white, while the interior plate has a clear poly coating designed to seal the metal and guard against saltwater corrosion.

Any scratches are easier to treat than two-pack paint.

It also means there’s no hiding faulty workmanship; the finish on this vessel is excellent.

The rig is mounted on a tandem Dunbier trailer and recovery back at the ramp took but a few minutes with drive-on capability if you prefer.

NUTS & BOLTS

MODEL: McLay 601 Fortress Centre Console

LENGTH: 5.95m

BEAM: 2.2m

HP: Honda BF 150hp

FUEL: 170 litres

BOTTOM: 5mm plate

SIDES: 3mm plate

WEIGHT: 600kg approx.

TRAILER: Dunbier tandem C Channel Pro Loader

MANUFACTURER: McLay Boats; Milton, New Zealand

AGENT: Searano Marine; 795 Marshall Road, Malaga; www.searano.com.au; (08) 9248 2242

PRICING: $98,950 as tested

PROS & CONS

PROS

• Wide beam.
• Walk-through transom.
• Full-length 10mm reinforced keel.
• Electric motor plate on bow.
• Large T-top awning.
• Live bait tank.
• Underwater lights.
• Spacious dash.
• Spray rails made this a dry boat on testing day.
• Well matched with the Honda BF150hp motor.

CONS

As mentioned earlier, this is one of the best centre consoles I had been on in many years. Load your fishing gear aboard and you’re ready to hit the water.

My only addition would be to install rubber matting on the very solid chequer plate cockpit deck to guard against burning your feet during our scorching summer days. It’s also tougher than the foam non-skid decking.