REFINED BUCCANEER 605 EXEED
When Gerry Gerrand at Buccaneer Boats decides to refresh a model and build one for himself, you know it’s going to be good – loaded with all the fruit. Freddy Foote gets aboard the new-look Buccaneer 605 Exeed.
For well over 20 years, Buccaneer’s 605 Exess has been a popular New Zealand–built trailer boat, widely known for being a capable all-rounder, and it shares the proven hull design used across Buccaneer’s mid-size cabin range. It has been designed to suit a wide range of uses — family boating, fishing, cruising, or even occasional overnight trips — making it a strong choice for typical Kiwi boating conditions.
While it isn’t an extreme offshore specialist, it does deliver a wellbalanced blend of comfort, performance, and practicality. This makes it a great “do-everything” boat for people who want reliable family boating and solid fishing capability without moving up to a much larger vessel. Now, with some refinements, a few upgrades, and a whole raft of new technology, we have the new 605 Exeed — and boy, is it good.
Firstly, the colour. Striking, isn’t it? It’s called seafoam green. Buccaneer has always been a little on the experimental side with its gelcoat colours, and this is no different. In the flesh it’s actually quite bright and eye-catching. In fact, we were stopped by three different people who wanted to talk about the boat while we were in the car park at Half Moon Bay, having returned from our test day.
As for the boat itself, the overall hull shape remains familiar, but they have made a collection of thoughtful, incremental changes.
There have been updates to the deck, cabin, and liner mouldings. There is a new transom layout, and there are new seating options too — including the ability to fit a fridge under the base of the portside seat.
Speaking of seats, this boat comes with newly introduced forward-facing swivel captain’s seats with bolsters up front, and lower rear-facing seats with storage underneath. However, you can also opt for traditional pedestal seats, or a more classic King/Queen arrangement.
I liked this seating layout, particularly with the ability for the aft seats to swivel. You could utilise this function if you were trolling some lures, or you were at anchor in a bay and having lunch – giving the ability to face the others onboard.
Across the stern there is a movable bin seat, a standard feature, which provides plenty of seating and storage options for the whole family.
Above, a Targa top provides protection from the sun and can easily be lowered for garage storage or towing to and from the ramp.
In the transom there is a separate locker for battery switches and general storage. To port is a live-bait tank with a window, with a washdown hose tap fitted inside.
A ski pole is fitted, which can also accommodate a bait board.
Side pockets on both sides of the cockpit also house rod racks, and there is a large wet locker under the floor.
Underfoot, a premium Flexiteek package is fitted to this 605; however, other flooring options currently on the market are also available.
Up front there is a traditional cabin, with an infill converting it to a full berth. Though a toilet isn’t fitted on this boat, one can be, and a privacy curtain can also be added.
MERCURY PRO XS POWER
Sitting on the transom is Mercury’s new Pro XS four-stroke outboard — and wow, what a motor.
The Pro XS 175hp is Mercury’s high-performance 3.4-litre V6 four- stroke outboard, designed for strong acceleration, good mid-range torque, and efficient cruising — an ideal package for this 605 where you want a bit of everything.
Weighing around 213–216 kg, it’s relatively light for its power class, making it a great match for mid-sized trailer boats like the 605. It features electronic fuel injection with Mercury’s Advanced Range Optimisation for better fuel economy, along with SmartCraft digital monitoring and modern safety and control systems.
On the water, the 175 Pro XS is known for quick hole-shot performance, confident handling with heavier loads, and strong top-end speed — making it popular for fishing boats, cabin boats, and family runabouts in the 5.5–6.5 m range.
On our test day, with two people aboard and a full load of fuel, we managed an impressive 43 knots at wide-open throttle, 6100 rpm, and 64 L/h.
Pull the throttle back to 23 knots at 3500 rpm, and the Mercury was using just 21 L/h. Combine that with the sizeable 165 L fuel tank, and it gives you a cruising range of around 160 nautical miles. The motor was smooth and quiet, power came on quickly, and mid- range punch was impressive.
The 605 hull is rated for four stroke outboards as small as a 150hp, and as large as a 200hp. So the 175hp PRO XS we saw here is the perfect in-between option and I thought it was ideal. Not too underpowered, not too over powered.
It’s been some years since I’ve been aboard a Buccaneer, and stepping aboard this 605 reminded me just how good the Buccaneer ride is: quiet, dry, and exceptionally comfortable when getting into some of the rougher chop we experienced on our test day.
With some careful driving we kept most of the spray down and stayed relatively dry. The boat is predictable, easy to control, and the addition of the new Humphree Lightning Trim system certainly took all of the guesswork out of trimming the boat.
Underway, the adjustable helm seat and footrest provide a great driving position, either seated or standing, and the windscreen offers adequate protection from the wind.
At the helm, the new-look dashboard centres around a striking 16- inch Garmin MFD, flanked by a sleek Loom-A-Tech switch panel that offers Bluetooth connectivity and customisable colour options.
There is also a Fusion stereo, GME VHF, USB charging ports, and controls for the capstan. Add to that ambient LED cockpit lighting for after dark, along with a floodlight, transom lights, and underwater lights to complete the package.
Fitted to the 605 is the new Humphree Lightning Trim system. The system uses electric interceptors — vertical blades that extend beneath the hull to control lift, pitch, and roll.
Unlike traditional hydraulic trim tabs, these interceptors act directly on the water flow, offering faster response, greater efficiency, and smoother handling.
The system continuously monitors hull motion through gyros and sensors, automatically adjusting the blades to maintain optimal trim. Beyond everyday speed adjustments, it stabilises roll and pitch, compensates for uneven loading, and even manages coordinated turns for safer, more comfortable handling.
The helm-mounted touchscreen interface puts automated functions at your fingertips, from automatic trim to roll damping.
What it does underway is not only keep the boat on an even keel — it also assists when getting out of the hole, allowing the boat to plane much more quickly.
Versatility is one of the 605 Exeed’s strongest qualities, and it has it in spades. It’s equally suited to fishing trips one day, then waterskiing and biscuiting the next.
The 605 has been a staple of Buccaneer’s range (and a popular one at that) for over 20 years. This new version is more modern, more functional, better equipped, and more refined. Perfect?
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA 6.46m
Beam 2.29m
Deadrise 22.5 degree
Trailerable weight 1670kg
HP Range 150-200hp
Fuel Capacity 165L
Test Power Mercury 175 XS
PERFORMANCE DATA
RPM KNOTS LPH LNM
1000 4.5 3.9 0.87
2000 7 10 1.50
3000 18 17 0.95
4000 27 30 1.2
5000 36 48 1.4
6100 43 64 1.5
