BOATING ENJOYMENT
Built on everything the team at Fin Chaser have learned from designing and manufacturing over 50 amphibious fishing boats, the Gen 2 FC700HTA is a melting pot of all the latest innovations in the marine industry. This boat is packed with advanced features, created for avid anglers and their families to ensure a smooth, stable and enjoyable experience on the water.
In a recent issue of PowerBoat magazine, I reported on the plethora of New Zealand amphibious boats and amphibious systems currently available to boating enthusiasts, here in New Zealand and globally.
So, what makes the FC700HTA Gen 2 unique? Before answering that question, let’s first examine why amphibious boats have become so popular. In a nutshell – convenience. But it is more than that, as our day out on the Hauraki Gulf in Fin Chaser’s new craft was to prove.
Serendipitously, on test day, my longtime friend and SCUBA diving instructor of sixty years ago, was visiting from Canada. Gino was keen to join us aboard for our sea trial. With permission from Ross Christensen of Fin Chaser Boats that it would be great to have Gino aboard, early morning saw Ross, Gino, myself and Tim meeting up at the Browns Bay boat ramp on Auckland’s North Shore.
Many older readers (and most readers yet to become older) will sympathise with what I’m about to say. We all love boating, being out on the water, fishing, diving or just recreating on our beautiful coastal seas, lakes and rivers. Problem is, that no matter how well we look after ourselves, the advancing years take their toll and things that were easy to do when we are in our forties to sixties are not quite so easy after spending our ‘three score and ten’ on this planet. When we were younger, launching a 7-metre trailer boat at the local boat ramp; seemed like a walk in the park. Not so for us more “mature” boaties. So, how to continue and expand our boating enjoyment? Simple, an amphibious vessel.
Today, when we raise a glass to toast our three-quarters of a century (or more) of boating pleasure, it is not cheered in the past tense, but in the future vernacular. We sit around the table over dinner with our fellow boating mates and discuss tomorrow’s day out fishing, knowing that all we have to do, is get aboard our amphibious boat parked alongside our coastal home or batch and simply drive it down the beach into the sea and we’re off with no more effort than backing our car out of the garage. By the way, the Gen 2 has an offset and shorter anchor bow roller, ensuring that the boat can fit into a standard 8-meter garage.
At sunrise on test day, despite cloudy weather, but with the temperature rising, Gino and I greeted Ross and Tim, who had arrived from Hamilton with the Gen 2 on its custom trailer outside the Browns Bay Coastguard facility. It is important to keep in mind as you continue reading that Gino is 90. He lives in British Columbia, which is home to a huge Canadian recreational boating population. Although a SCUBA diver and keen boatie all his life, he had scant knowledge of amphibious boats. So, his impressions and his experience out on the water were, for me, to be an unbiased barometer as to whether the FC700HTA fit the bill for people who are keen to continue boating despite advanced years.
Even though Gino is a fit 90-year-old, we all appreciated that he wasn’t going to be jumping aboard and moving around the boat like a 19-year-old. But, at the same time, he made it clear that he didn’t want us pampering him. Albeit, keeping a bit of an eye on him, he was basically looked upon as “one of the boys.” Treating him with due consideration as well as recognising him as a potential customer, Ross explained the features and benefits of the FC700HTA Gen 2 at every opportunity throughout the day. His simple instructions and sales spiel about everything concerning the boat turned out to be of huge benefit for me as well, enhancing my understanding as to why this amphibious craft had that ‘Je ne sais quoi’ quality that other amphibians may not.
Having backed the boat off the custom aluminium FC trailer, Ross parked his rig in the nearby parking lot. Tim prepared the drone for video and still photography to record our day, while Gino and I loaded gear and stowed the fishing rods and other kit aboard the boat. Yep, we planned to do some fishing as well as test the boat!
As anyone who is familiar with amphibious boats will tell you, one of the biggest advantages over conventional trailer boats is that it is just so damned easy to get all sorted out on land beforehand, load the gear and crew and once sorted, simply drive the craft down the beach and into the water.
Gear stowed, captain and crew on board, we set off from Browns Bay beach at low tide on a calm, warm summer morning. Our destinations included fishing spots off Waiheke Island’s north coast and lunch at Charlie Farley’s on Onetangi Beach, before heading back to Browns Bay in the evening. Yeah, I know it’s tough, but someone’s got to do it, right?
THE BOAT:
Some basic facts: The Gen 2 is paired with a Mercury 250 Verado four stroke outboard providing ideal torque and performance for this particular craft. With all new electric steering, reducing amperage draw compared
to electro-hydraulic steering and allowing for plug and play of the integrated Autopilot feature and soon to be released ‘Spot Lock’, providing silky smooth control, both on land and on water.
The Seakeeper Ride Stability System enhances stability by reducing up to 70% of underway pitch and roll, providing a significantly smoother ride. The system automatically adjusts 100 times/second to maintain ideal trim, optimising the running angle of the boat for better fuel efficiency and performance. Additionally, it also features auto levelling, keeping the deck level regardless of weight distribution. In simple terms it is a system that automatically adjusts the heeling angle of your boat during turns for more comfort, increased safety and better performance by utilising a customised ‘Trim Command Curve’ to automatically adjust the boat to match the optimal running angle at any given speed.
By installing Seakeeper, Ross and his professional team have been able to sharpen the entry of the hull with no detrimental effects, but with all the benefits of this system, including a smoother ride with less noise whilst carving through choppy seas and with the confidence to push the Gen 2 through even the biggest waves.
Not content with being able to offer his customers the ultimate fishing machine, Ross decided to fit the simple to use auto deploy Minn Kota Instinct Quest, which includes a more efficient brushless motor and all-new drift mode feature, bringing a new level of performance to advanced GPS anchoring. It is a great addition to the Gen 2, with early testing indicating that the Quest will give the craft up to 4mph just on solar power (ideal conditions required). Additionally, the Minn Kota battery now doubles as the boat’s ‘house battery’ using a 12-36V bi-directional controller, charged by both solar panels on the cabin roof and the alternator, meaning that if you store your boat outside, you’ll never have to charge your boat again. How cool is that?
However, to really appreciate what the Gen 2 is all about, and before I report on our day out on the Hauraki Gulf, there is one more vital component that we need to talk about and that is the Anura Amphibious System. As reported in ‘The 2025 Amphibious Boat Buyers Guide’, Anura is one of three New Zealand manufacturers/suppliers of amphibious systems. The main reason Fin Chaser chose Anura for their Amphibious boats is because of their simplicity. Not only to install on their boats, but for the ease of operation by the boat owner. Quality and reliability are central to Anura’s design philosophy, with all components exposed to harsh saltwater conditions protected by advanced marine-grade coatings and engineered for long term durability.
All Anura Systems (currently six of them) are engineered for intuitive operation and smooth transitions while maintaining the craft’s original handling characteristics, both on water and on land. The Anura Systems are available in both Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Electric Over Hydraulic (EOH) configurations. The Gen 2 is fitted with the S25 ICE System, utilising a Honda four stroke EFI petrol engine, mounted unobtrusively behind the port side passenger seat. Although amphibious boats have been around in New Zealand for over two decades, I’ve come to appreciate that most people don’t really understand how they actually work. So, I asked Darren Leybourne at Anura if he could provide a simple explanation. This straightforward render shows the basic set up, but by checking out the link below, you will see how effortlessly it all works. youtu.be/hqlXdch- Lxw?si=UMbTuBCbpleJKJPc
THE KEY ELEMENTS:
By integrating five key elements, the FC700HTA Gen 2 has evolved to be, as the company claims, “The Ultimate Fishing Machine”.
• A subtly modified FC700 hull and efficient interior design honed over many years of development.
• An Anura S25 amphibious system.
• A perfectly matched Mercury 250 Hp Outboard with electric steering and integrated Autopilot.
• A Seakeeper Ride Stability System.
- A Minn Kota Instinct Quest GPS anchoring unit.
PERFORMANCE:
But how does this boat actually perform? In a word: Brilliantly!
I don’t use this word lightly. With many years of boating under my belt and having been in the marine industry most of my adult life, I’ve become a bit of a cantankerous old bugger when it comes to judging a boat. I also acknowledge that the New Zealand amphibious boat market is filled with choices and that none of the current 17 boat builders would still be in business if they weren’t offering quality vessels with their own unique spin on what their customers want. So, with all this in mind, what impressed me about the Gen 2 on the water and, because this is an amphibious craft, on land as well?
Ease and simplicity of use are the first two big takes that come to mind. But beyond that I was impressed with the overall seaworthiness and handling of the FC700HTA Gen 2 as well as Fin Chaser’s attention to detail in the actual build. But then again, when you are forking out NZD $400,000 (as tested) you can’t be reproached for expecting these five basics.
Launching at Browns Bay beach was effortless and once at sea we set forth to execute our plan to head off towards the NE end of Waiheke Island, get in some fishing, go ashore for lunch at Charley Farlie’s restaurant and return home. “You gotta love it when a plan comes together!”, to quote Hannibal from the A-Team TV series (younger readers, look it up).
Having been out on many different amphibious boats (Fin Chaser’s Centre Console Amphibious, featured in PPB’s January/February 2025 issue being but one of them), I was personally aware of how easy it is to get in and out of the water in this sort of craft. However, when it came to my old buddy, Gino, I realised that for a neophyte, these are truly impressive units. Viewing through another’s eyes is like seeing something for the first time all over again.
Then the epiphany: This craft is even easier to use than some other, similarly easy to use vessels. This is best exemplified by the uncomplicated controls at the uncluttered helm station with only 4 instruments, two controls, 2 switch panels, an up/down anchor switch and a steering wheel.
Once underway, and having received instructions from Ross, I took the helm and put the Gen 2 through her paces. At this point I am going to jump ahead to the week after the Gen 2 sea trials, when Gino and I were fortunate to visit Yellowstone Lodge, about a half hour drive from Waitangi. My friends Nick and Julie, who own this great B&B, have a standard 7-meter
Fin Chaser Hard Top which Nick invited us to spend the day out fishing in the Bay of Islands. Thus, a fortuitous opportunity to compare the ‘standard’ and ‘amphibious’ models.
Concisely put, both boats handled the similar conditions (albeit a bit more of an ocean swell up north) extremely well. No surprises there. However, the amphibious Gen 2 displayed an obvious edge, due to the extra weight of the Anura System combined with the installation of the Seakeeper Ride Stability System, carving through the seas more efficiently and with less “thump” when coming off, or driving through a wave. The Fin Chaser Extended Gunnel combined with large down turned chines provides the ultimate in dryness for everyone on board. The smaller chop is deflected by the chines, while larger waves are quickly turned around and repelled back down towards the water. Reaching the northeastern end of Waiheke Island, we started to encounter large “work ups”, with fish jumping everywhere and gannets diving in a frenzy.
After more than enough snapper and kahawai were tossed into the live bait tank and plentiful bait fish
on ice in the portable chili-bin for the next fishing expedition, it was off to Onetangi Bay for lunch at Charlie Farley’s. As expected, coming ashore on the moderately steep beach with a reasonable swell behind us, was a breeze. And, as always, people on the beach and at the restaurant all stared with curiosity at the FC700HTA Gen 2 driving up the sand and ‘parking’. Amphibious boats, despite their increasing popularity, inevitably arouse interest.
CONCLUSION:
After lunch, nearing Browns Bay, Ross asked Gino if he wanted to drive the boat onto the beach. “Are you sure?” asks Gino. “Of course,” says Ross, “it’s really quite easy.” After receiving instructions on the controls and with Ross’s guidance, Gino smoothly and successfully landed our craft. Ross was so impressed with Gino’s initial performance that he said, “Now, let’s turn around and see how you manage putting it back in the water.” Mission accomplished with aplomb, we briefly shot back out to sea with Gino driving, and then once more back up the beach without a hitch.
Later that evening over dinner at home, Gino summed it up perfectly. “The FC700HTA would be the ideal boat for me to have at my coastal property on Pender Island in British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia”. That kind of says it all, don’t you think?
SPECIFICATIONS
Outboard Mercury 250HP V8 Verado DTS 4 Stroke
Hull Length 7.0m
Beam 2.5m
Deadrise 19 – 40 Deg Variable
Draft 550mm
Tow Weight 3,450kg
Fuel Capacity 280L
Demo Model Price NZD $399,995.00
PERFORMANCE DATA
RPM KNOTS L/h LM/L Range
1000 4.6 4 0.87 322
2000 6.8 10.3 1.51 185.5
3000 10.0 22.2 2.22 126
4000 18 36.2 2.0 140
5000 29.25 51 1.74 161
6000 36 70 1.94 144
