UNDER THE RADAR
Hailing from Napier in the beautiful Hawkes Bay comes a relative newcomer to the industry, Profile Boats. With a growing reputation and having picked up a couple of major industry awards, Freddy Foote takes a look at the Profile 635 HT model.
Designed initially as a safer beach-launching vessel, the Profile range has developed to provide craft from family recreation to seriously good dive and fishing boats, as well as commercial charter vessels. Plus the inherent safety of the unique pontoon design offers superior stability and makes all Profile Boats virtually unsinkable.
Having never known too much about the Profile brand, nor the 635H, I was pretty eager. I had observed the boat at last years Hutchwilco New Zealand boat show, largely due to it’s striking paint scheme. There must have been something special about the boat, as the judges awarded it Aluminium Fishing Boat 6-7m at the 2013 show.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints and Cyclone Luisi bearing down on the North Island, we didn’t get much of an opportunity to get out on the 635H to give it a decent run, but given we think it’s such an awesome looking boat, we thought we’d write about it anyway.
Think Tank
The Profile team set about to build what they describe as the ultimate six-metre plus hardtop – obviously they got it right.
“We gave the guys at the Profile Boats factory and the sales team at Firman’s Marine (the retail arm of Profile Boats) full input into what the boat should have. We think that the blend of ideas came together well, and since its launch it’s become one of our most popular models,” says Firman Marine Sales Manager Steve Butler.
“The 635H is fully CAD designed and is the smallest model in our range to feature our signature toe holds underneath the internal pontoons. It gives anglers a secure footing when dealing with big fish offshore, something other pontoon boats do not have.”
“More than anything else, we wanted the 635H to offer superior fishability. Everything had to be in proportion because a boat’s got to look right and it’s got to be functional as well.”
Some other key design features include a sealed outboard pod, which makes it part of the hull and in doing so extends the buoyancy aft and the overall length to 6.40m. By altering the pod to have no buoyancy, the 635H is officially under the 6 meter threshhold, therefore relaxing some of the survey requirements.
For a boat of its size, the Profile 635H boasts a fairly substantial and a sizeable cockpit. The guys at Firman’s Marine are clearly into their game fishing off the Hawkes Bay coast, and the layout of the 635H makes that very evident.
For game fishing as well as beach launching Profile has included their ‘Wave-Deflector’ the transom turn-back which greatly reduces water slopping in over the transom.
Over in the port corner, a live-bait tank is set into the transom step through and has a viewing window so you can easily check on the condition of your live baits.
There are four-rod holders in the gunwales, while a further seven are located in the rocket launcher above. Add to that another six on the bait station and with a further six rods able to be stowed away in the side-mounted rod racks – rod storage is not an issue on this boat.
Passenger comfort is will looked after via grab rails, which are fitted under the hardtop and along its trailing edges. Looking forward, wipers can be fitted to the large screens as an option, so too can sliding windows and sizeable pockets in the wheelhouse provide extra storage.
At the helm, the dash area is huge, and will easily accommodate a large 10” flush mounted screen, which can be viewed from the cockpit as well.
You get the impression that everything on this boat has been well thought out. At the helm, seating consists of an upholstered bucket seat on a pedestal with a pull out footrest.
Over on the port side the passenger seating consists of a king and queen style seat, with a swivelling bucket seat on top and forward, whilst a modular corner seat faces aft.
As I mentioned, making the best use of space available, the forward seat opens forward, and underneath houses a two-burner gas hob as well as also forming a cutting board worktop. The gas bottle for the stove is housed inside the seating unit.
The aft section of the seating unit is open and has a large 70L ice bin that can slide in and out.
In the cockpit, full length large and wide side shelving is big enough to accommodate dive bottles while LED Strip lighting fitted under the shelves offers some stylish illumination.
Further catch or gear storage space is available via a large underfloor lock in the cockpit floor, is self-draining and has a handy gas stay to keep it open when loading or unloading.
Aft, a massive three-sectioned transom locker provides further storage space, as well as all the onboard systems such as batteries and pumps. Above, another massively large bait station is finished with six rear mounted rod holders.
A feature unique to some Profile models, including the Profile 635H, is the extra wide floor area created by Profile’s unique “toe space” design. Anglers will appreciate this feature when dealing with large fish and the feeling of security it provides by allowing a full width flat floor that extends underneath the side pockets.
Choose Your Power
The 635H has a recommended power range of 130 through to 200hp outboards, meaning you could get one on the water quite easily with a 130hp from $75,495 and it would go just fine. The most popular has been 150hp four-stroke outboards, which give the 635H good all round performance. Power it with a 200hp four-stroke and expect it to hit 50mph, the only down side is the extra cost for the extra 50hp.
Out on the water, a fine entry hull has an 18-degree at the transom, which will cut through the chop whilst a tapered pontoon design will provide the stability. A 5mm hull is standard, although you can opt for 6mm if you want something beefier.
“With Profile selling the 635H consistently since release, “customer feedback has been of total satisfaction, a trend that is consistent with the brand,” says Butler.
“We had one customer order his 635H without even going for a demonstration run beforehand. Once he got it home however, he was rapt with the way it performed particularly the soft ride it gives. They really do perform very well.”
Profile also provides an option with their own aluminium twin-axle braked trailers Weighing in at just 360kg it cuts down on the overall towing weight of the rig.
The Profile 635H we viewed have a very full array of accessories and extras and was indeed a stunning boat. The workmanship and quality of fit-out indeed caught our eye and is a credit to the team at Profile Boats and Firmans Marine.
Key start packages for the 635H start from $75,495 with a 130hp two stroke outboard, through to $91,495 with 200hp four-stroke. Expect to pay in the early to mid $80’s with a 150hp four-stroke depending on the brand.
When the Profile 635H won the 2013 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat of the Show: Aluminium Fishing Boat 6 – 7m award, it was yet another accolade for this highly respected and successful aluminium boat builder.
The Profile 635H is the perfect combination of a strongly built vessel providing comfort and supreme safety, with the serious fisherman very much in mind. The options of the cooker and fold-away cutting bench, plus sink and toilet can make time on the water very pleasant for the whole family.
The safety and stability of the pontoons, combined with the innovative wide deck floor is a feature unique to Profile boats.
Profile Boats specialises in high quality aluminium pontoon boats from 4.65m to 9.40m. Based in Napier, Profile Boats operates in conjunction with Firmans Marine, Profile’s exclusive New Zealand dealer.
TECHNICAL
- Make & model: Profile 635H
- Priced from: $75,495
- Type: Hardtop
- Construction: Aluminium
- LOA: 6.35m
- Beam: 2.30m
- Deadrise: 18 degrees
- Height on trailer: 3m
- Trailerable weight: 1700kg
- Power: Yamaha 200hp
- Propeller: 15”
- Engine capacity: 130-200hp
- Power options: Outboard
- Fuel capacity: 250L
