Hydro Marine’s Hydro 8600 has attracted a lot of interest in Whitianga.
Hydro Marine’s Hydro 8600 has attracted a lot of interest in Whitianga, where this big hardtop is now based. Designed by Che Watt and built by Hydro Marine, in Alexandria, Fade To Grey was launched in 2022, and is powered by twin Yamaha 200s, complete with the Yamaha Helm Master EX Boat Control System. The interior design was by Mike and Maria Hills .
The boat is loaded with extras, which include Zipwake interceptors, Maxwell RC8 anchor winch, Narva Marine LED lighting, U-Dek flooring and Lumishore underwater lighting. The electronics package is impressive, from the Simrad NSS16 evo3s combo 16 MFD to the Simrad halo 20+ radar, and Fusion 770 Stereo.
Construction of the 8.8m long x 2.80m wide hull is tough with 6mm on the running surfaces with 4mm sides. The hull has a 17deg deadrise at the stern and a dry trailerable weight of 3420kg. This is one big boat and designed for bluewater boating anywhere around the NZ coastline. Look for a full review on the Hydro 8600 in the Sept-Oct issue of Alloy Boat Magazine.
