DIVE New Zealand Review
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2001
In a class of its own
AQUALITE 535 RV In a class of its own
If you're milking cows or roaring around rounding up the beef - sweating it
out under the heat of a South Island sun - a bloke needs more than a
Speights to look forward to at the end of a hard day's yacker. A better
option would be to hook up your boat onto the four wheel drive and head for
a spot of trout fishing, water-skiing, or pulling a few bugs off the coast.
A great way to finish off a summer's day or as your personal weekend bonus
... naturally a few Speights could come along for the ride!
These thoughts must have wandered through the minds of the blokes running
one of the South Island's oldest and largest manufacting company, which has
been servicing the dairy and meat industries for over 30 years. The Menzies
Group, renowned for their stainless steel fabrications, started
manufacturing the Aqualite aluminium range of pontoon boats about 10 years
ago.
During 1988 they contracted designer Scott Robson to come up with a design
to set a new standard of excellence for pontoon boats. The principle
designer at Velocita Design Limited based in Christchurch, Scott is renowned
for his deep-vee hull designs. His team has achieved numerous awards for
offshore power boat racing, including the design of the only New Zealand
boat to win the Australian offshore championships three times in the 1980s
and the world champs in 1986. Boats constructed to his design have won more
New Zealand offshore power boat races than any other designer. His team
create designs from large 30 metre catamarans to four metre trailer boats.
Because of some boaties' negative impressions of pontoon boats, Scott set
out to design a pontoon boat that reflected a toughness that is
characteristic of all pontoon boats, while incorporating feminine lines that
were appealing to a boaties eye. Scott considers most pontoon boats are
designed around the pontoons first with the hulls hanging off the pontoons
second, so Scott's team design the hull first.
The hull had to be deep vee to handle the rough South Island sea conditions
and also have the ability to get up on the plane with minimal downward
thrust on the throttle. The pontoons were then crafted onto this hull to
create a very stable boat that was pleasing to the boaties' eye. Scott
recently received a great compliment for his tough, elegant, Aqualite design
- `she's a horny looking boat, mate'!
Doug Brown, director of B. O. I. Marine and Outboard Power Equipment in
KawaKawa and I took the 535 RV Aqualite for a rumble off the Tutukaka coast.
The sea was a mish mash of confused slop generated by a slight southeasterly
wind riding on an easterly swell.
The silent four-stroke 90hp Honda had power to spare as it pushed us onto
the plane. The fine entry bow of 35 degrees tapering back to a 21-degree
dead rise at the stern. At 5000 rpm we hit 30 mph. When pushed to 6000 rpm
we smashed along at 40 mph. I was very impressed at how she handled the sea
at these speeds. We never once felt unsafe. To flip a pontoon boat you would
have to really be trying. Fully loaded with dive gear, and a couple of dive
tanks stowed below decks, she would have performed even better. Our model
had lifting strokes fitted, providing that little extra lift which gives you
some extra speed at the top end of the motors rpm range. Naturally these
strokes also give you a slightly noisier ride in moderate seas. Doug's
personal preference is for a bare hull which gives you a less noisy ride
with a slight loss of speed at the motor's top end.
You have to pay special attention to the installation of your depth
sounder's transponder, as problems have been experienced getting correct
readings due to the water turbulence passing under and around the
transponder that is mounted on the stern. She's a fairly dry boat, with the
bulk of the spray being shot away from the boat due to the water being
deflected downwards by the hull configuration where the hull meets the
pontoons. This creates a very wide chine. If you're sitting on the transom
you will get a slight washing, but consider this acceptable when boating in
such sea conditions. The cabling system needed a wee tweak to take out a
little slack, but once you allowed for this, the steering was fine. If the
cheque book allowed, a hydraulic system would be great.
On entering Tutukaka harbour on the way home Doug demonstrated the sharp
turning capabilities of the 535. This baby could dig in and complete a 360
turn within three boat lengths. Back in the Carpark I had the chance to
check out some of the 535s other attributes. The hull is constructed from
4mm marine grade aluminium plate with the pontoons being 2.5mm. Substantial
longitudinal stringers run the length of the hull. These are crossed with
horizontal stringers which, in the cockpit area, are stiffened and
strengthened by welding in miniature bulkheads that create self draining
under storage compartments, ideal for holding a day's catch or
below-the-waterline storage area for two heavy scuba tanks. Fuel can be
carried in either portable tote tanks or a under floor tank can be installed
as an option. As with all boat manufacturers, the list of options and extras
are many and your dreams are only limited by the thickness of your cheque
book. On-board storage is provided by built-in side panels with the
starboard side also accommodating motor and steerage cables. The forward
cabin is not huge, as preference has been given to providing as much cockpit
room as possible because that's where you spend most of your time.
To add that extra touch of class, the steering console is fibreglass and
also acts as an effective insulator for any stray electrical currents that
have the habit of eating holes in aluminium hulls. To combat electrolysis
problems Doug goes to a little extra effort to electrically isolate the
motor from the hull by mounting the motor on a nylon block and the stainless
steel mounting bolts pass through nylon bushes. A great system! Access to
the anchor well is either by walking around the edge of the cabin or through
a perspex cabin hatch. The hatch was the way to go for me as you could
easily reach the anchor and feed the anchor warp over the small bowsprit
while your body remained firmly on board.
The pontoons are D-shaped and have a total of 10 sealed compartments which,
like all aluminium pontoon boats, provides an enormous amount of buoyancy,
stability and safety. Two fully kitted divers siting on one side hardly
changes the angle of the horizon. Large bore, self draining duck bills are
fitted, as well as a bilge pump, to remove any excess water at deck level
and from the bilge.
A folding aluminium frame bimini is filted to the anti-glare perspex
windscreen to add extra protection from the sun and adverse weather
conditions. Various swivel seating options are available with dry storage
underneath. Foot rests are also provided, just another little extra that
makes your boating that much more enjoyable. Besides the normal port and
starboard lighting, a standard extra is a portable/ storageable, anchor and
steaming light pole, to add extra safety when you're boating at night.
The aluminium welding is superb and the builders have added little extras
such as running an edge covering over all aluminium open edges such as
around the storage side pockets. To give the overall appearance a touch of
class, all boats are acid washed and coated with Nyalic.
Aqualite range from models 480 to 648. If you're considering a pontoon boat
because of their seaworthiness and safety characteristics, and also want a
good looking lady hanging off your towball, then take an Aqualite for a test
run. You won't be disappointed.
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