Fyran 695 Pursuit

Our 695 Pursuit was powered with a 150hp Honda four-stroke outboard. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the performance of the whole package. Prior to hitting the water I had thought it may have been slightly underpowered with the 150hp, and was thinking a 175hp would have been a better match. However once on the water, and getting all the speeds and fuel figures sorted out, the numbers were fine. At 6000rpm the 150hp Honda managed to push the 695 Pursuit to 40mph, and using 48.6lph. On our test day we departed Westhaven in central Auckland and headed out to the Rangitoto channel for a quick fish. A few snapper later, we elected to head out around the back of Rangitoto, checking out a few more spots along the way, before circumnavigating the Island and making our way back to Westhaven through the Motuhie channel. Water conditions were perfect, with only a light breeze of about 10-15knots. We found a comfortable and economic cruise speed of about 22mph @ 4000rpm and using 17lph. Given the 200L fuel tank onboard you’re going to have hours of economical boating before needing to refuel. For those who like to venture a little further and to chase things a little bigger, 1500rpm will return around 6.5knots and 3.6lph. I comment on this, as the boat has been designed for those who want to go a little further out come game season and the boat will present itself well as a small game fisher. Add a couple of game poles, a live bait tank and the large cockpit will give you plenty of room to work, bring a fish onboard, or secure it across the back of the full width boarding platform for the trip back to weigh in. Throttle response was good, the 150hp four-stroke managing to push the 695 Pursuit up onto the plane pretty easily. I imagine that with a 175hp or 200hp outboard, the boat would be really responsive and would be quite a sweet rig. The driving position was great, either seated – which allowed you to sit high with a good view for’ard, and was really comfortable with the footrest below. The seating layout gave you adequate room to stand and drive should you wish if the appropriate conditions presented themselves. No side windows, which might have been nice for some extra breeze, but given the open layout of the helm area, come summer time; ventilation shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Easy to launch? Well, I can’t say exactly, this was one of those arrive and go deals as the boat was in dry stack storage. But, from experience and a boat of this size, a tandem axle multi roller trailer would be a must, and you’ll need at least two people to launch and retrieve.

I’ve always said that Fyran and some of the best put together and nicely finished alloy boats on the market, and the 695 Pursuit is no different. As tested, this package was priced at $83,300 and is already fitted with such optional extras as the walk through transom, tread plate floor, and the electronics package. The only thing I would add would be the Burley bucket and plunger, as well as a live bait tank somewhere and you’ll be good to go! I liked the extended hardtop as it gave a little extra protection, the boat had great stability, and huge boarding platform make it ideal for all NZ boating requirements, including water skiing, diving, as well as inshore and offshore fishing.