BLACK BEAUTY
Amphibious boats aren’t anything new on the Kiwi boating landscape, in fact they have been around for around 20-years now, and it’s not uncommon to see them out on the water and on shorelines up and down our coast. Freddy Foote steps aboard the Smuggler Strata 700 Amphibious Centre Console.
Not only is Smuggler Marine one of New Zealand’s leading RIB builders, they have been at the forefront of the amphibious boat market for close to two decades, partnering with New Zealand amphibious system manufacturer Anura to produce a range of RIBs.
The Strata 700 Centre Console Amphibious sits below the flagship 800 model and can be configured into a smaller length such as a 620 and 660 model, whilst still based off the 700 hull.
“The 700 Amphibious centre console is a popular model for us. It’s just that little bit smaller than the bigger 8-metre model, fits a little bit easier in driveways, and in a lot of cases can be garaged quite easily,” says Smuggler Marine Managing Director David Pringle.
“It’s an ideal boat for fishing and diving and well suited for those who have coastal property and easy access to the water.”
“We’ve also built a number to be used as tenders for superyachts. It’s a great option for many yacht owners, as they have the versatility of a RIB and an amphibious boat for exploring.”
Smuggler recently completed a unique custom 700 Amphibious for a superyacht tender. This boat allows a person in a wheelchair to access it either from land or aboard the mothership.
Our test day saw us hit the inner Waitemata Harbour earlier in the year (when the sun was shining!) and exploring the waters around Motuihe Island. Conditions were pretty much perfect for boating, with only a very light chop presenting itself in the channel whilst leaving the inner harbour.
Step aboard, and the layout is a quintessential centre console RIB. In fact, you can quickly forget that the boat has amphibious capabilities.
In the bow area, there is a forward-facing seat with a small sun pad further forward. There is storage space under both as well as a locker under the floor. There are some removable rod holders if you want to utilise this space for fishing. Storage is also available inside the helm console by lifting the backrest for the forward facing bow seat.
Step back towards the helm and cockpit area, the large rigid Targa top above provides plenty of shade while also accommodating a rocket launcher above with storage for up to six rods. A large LED light bar is located on the aft section of the hardtop, providing illumination at night should you need it. There are plenty of handhold positions for passengers to grab onto also while underway.
As seen on the rest of the Smuggler centre console range, removable side clears are located either side of the helm. These easily zip into place and can be utilised in colder conditions to keep wind chill to a minimum.
Seating at the helm is made up of a large bench seat with reversible back rest. The seat base also houses the 40hp combustion engine and hydraulics for the Anura amphibious system.
A traditional console layout is at the helm, albeit with some extra amphibious gadgetry. Sitting in the centre is a large 12” Simrad multifunction display, and should you wish at the time of manufacture, you could specify two 12” screens to work in tandem. As well as the regular digital display from Mercury for the outboard, trim tab controls were also fitted within easy reach. A Fusion stereo provides sound to two sixinch speakers located in the bow area.
When in ‘Amphibious’ mode, a small camera is located up under the hull which points at the front wheel, with the picture feed on the navigation screen on the dash. So when you are navigating in and out of the water, you’re able to view any obstacles you might encounter, rocks etc. This camera also assists when setting and retrieving the auto-anchor, which is deployed from under the tubes. Underway and on land, and depending on ground conditions, you can expect a maximum speed of 10 km/hr with unlimited runtime. A full electric drive system is also available as an option from Anura should you wish.
Across the aft section of the cockpit, there are passenger seats in either corner, as well as locker storage across the stern itself. In the centre sits a bait board, which also incorporates the exhaust outlet for the internal combustion engine.
The entire floor of the 700 was also fitted with the optional U-Dek flooring, which gives a nice, fresh look and is soft underfoot.
POWER A PLENTY
The 700 Amphibious hull is rated for up to 200hp, and this example seen here is powered by a Mercury 200hp V6 – the vast majority of 700 hulls leaving the Smuggler factory leaving with 200hp outboards.
According to Dave Pringle, “The 200hp is the best option for the 700, it delivers the best all-round performance and economy for the owners, and it gives you that extra grunt you need if you are going to load the boat up with passengers of dive gear etc.”
The Mercury 200Hp V6 four stroke delivered a respectable 42 knots @ 5800rpm, burning through 67L/H. Pull that back to a reasonably fast cruise of 29 knots at 4000rpm, and expect to see a fuel burn of 31L/H. All fed from the 175L underfloor fuel tank, giving plenty of range.
Underway the ride was comfortable, smooth and dry. The 23-degree deadrise hull cuts easily through the chop that we encountered on our test day. The drive position was comfortable, with plenty of visibility forward. The response of the Mercury 200hp was more than adequate, and made the boat bit of a rocket.
Our test boat was finished with the ‘Ebony Edition’ spec which sees it with a charcoal black gelcoat for the hull and black tubes. However, if black isn’t your colour there is a wide variety of colour options available from greys, whites etc allowing you to really customise the look of your amphibious Smuggler.
As tested, this example was quite highly optioned and had an on-water (or land!) price of $285,000. It is a very niche type of boat but also an exceptional craft for its purpose.
If this 700 isn’t quite big enough for you, keep an eye out for a new model that’s in development currently, an amphibious 800 SS bowrider with an Electric Over Hydraulic (EOH) power system.
SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer & Model Smuggler Strata 700 CC Amphibious
Price as tested $285,000
Construction GRP/Hypalon
LOA 7.0m
Beam 2.7m
Deadrise 23-degree
Height on wheels 2.8m
Boat weight full of fuel 1620kg
Test Power Mercury F200 Four-stroke
Power Options Outboard
HP Range 200hp-225hp
Fuel Capacity 175L
PERFORMANCE DATA
RPM KNOTS L/h L/NM Range
1000 4.0 4.1 1.100 140
1500 5.5 6.3 1.200 130
2000 7.0 10.7 1.600 98
2500 8.8 15.5 1.800 87
3000 19 18.4 0.970 160
3500 23.5 25 1.100 140
4000 29 31 1.100 140
4500 33 40 1.300 120
5000 36.7 59 1.700 92
5500 40 65 1.700 92
5800 42 67.2 1.600 98
