Winter Adventurer
As one of the country’s premium production trailerboat builders, anytime you get to experience a Tristram, is an experience in itself. It’s been a few years since I was at the helm of a Tristram, so when the new 691 Offshore came across my desk to do a review on, I was instantly interested.
The 691 sits in the middle of Tristram’s Targa-Top range which includes the 581, 641, 691, 701 & 741. Above that are the Offshore Hard-Top models. The collection has an emphasis on fishing, and with this new version, the Tristram team have expanded the options list to enhance fishability and for a more comfortable fishing experience in the winter months.
To go boating in winter, you don’t have to own a hardtop boat. As is the misconception here in New Zealand. The Tristram design team have developed some features and enhancements that with a Targa top style boat such as this, will allow you to maximise your on-water time no matter the season. More on that later.
But how could I experience this functionality and these features properly?
I called Tristram’s General Manager, Kingsley Fink and we began some planning. “How would you like to sample our new 691 Offshore?” he asked. “I think we should do something different… Let’s go boating and go somewhere over a day or two?” “Like where?” “What about a bit of an adventure/road trip? Hit Coromandel one day, catch some fish, then head to Taupo the next day and catch some Trout there to show just how good winter boating can be on the ocean or the lake? “Heck yeah! Let’s do it.”
So, with the plans in motion, we set ourselves a challenge. We had to catch some fish in the saltwater on the Coromandel, then Trout on Lake Taupo. In the middle of winter and to showcase that winter boating can be fantastic in a non-hardtop boat. Of course, fishing can be fickle at the best of times, so no pressure. That’s why it’s called Fishing and not Catching.
With some careful planning, daily contact and eyeing a suitable weather window we were ready to pull the trigger with 24 hours’ notice. With a winter high moving its way across the North Island we hit the go button, and we were off.
One Tuesday in early August, with the Landrover Defender packed, the Tristram in tow, Kingsley Fink, his brother Tristram and myself left Tristram Marine in Hamilton around 8am and headed towards the Coromandel Peninsula, with the destination being Whitianga.
Once we arrived mid-morning, with bait, fishing gear and camera equipment loaded, we headed out of the tranquil Whitianga harbour for a short blast out to Red Mercury Island. Kingsley insisting, he had a spot that had delivered some Snapper the week prior. After about 45 minutes of motoring on a gentle rolling swell and a few stops along the way we arrived at Red Mercury Island, and we may as well have been on Mars.
If Mars had water. Red Mercury Island is the second largest of seven Mercury Islands named by James Cook in 1769. The islands are ringed with boulders and cliffs and have few landing places. Red Mercury is the outermost of the group and was named because of its reddish colouring, which is evident in some of the photos we captured on the day.
The weather was cool and crisp, and we were pretty much the only boat out there.
GARMIN KRAKEN
Kingsley quickly found the spot he’d marked a week prior, and we deployed the Garmin Force Kraken electric trolling motor to keep us on the spot. The berley bag went over the side, and within 10 minutes we had small snapper swimming up the berley trail and circling the boat. Stray lining a few baits, we hooked and released a handful of undersized fish before bigger fish started swimming up the berley trail and our catch bag began to become more populated.
The electric trolling motor mounted on the bow is a new feature for the 691 Offshore – with a number of the units being mounted on larger Tristram hardtop models with great success. The Garmin Force Kraken trolling motor is engineered with a longer shaft (75”) for boats with high freeboards and a pivot-style mount for easy installation in vessels where bow space is limited – a perfect fit for the 691 Offshore.
A few hours fishing, around 10 Snapper landed and into the catch bag, a break for lunch and some more exploring around the barren and wild looking Red Mercury Island, with light getting low, we blasted back to Whitianga for a well-deserved beer.
The next morning, we hit the water again at first light for an early morning photo session, a quick fish and to check a cray pot (installing the optional pot hauler) we had put down the night before, which was unfortunately empty.
With phase one of the adventure complete, the boat was back on the trailer, and we set off for Kinloch at Lake Taupo, roughly a four-hour drive away.
Kinloch is a small settlement on the most northerly bay of Lake Taupō, 20 kilometres by road northwest of Taupō township. The kilometres passed quickly, the Landrover Defender towing the 691 with ease and the Lake was soon in sight.
Having arrived in Kinloch we were greeted by clear blue skies, sunshine and a flat calm lake. Motoring out of the Kinloch Marina and into Whangamata Bay we went out past the headland, to troll some lures. The Kraken deployed, and the trolling speed set along with a heading, we had some lures out in about 40 metres of water and just waited for the inevitable strike. The Kraken is so quiet that we could easily hear the birds in the forest nearby. It certainly wasn’t a bad way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. However, we were all slightly anxious. We needed to catch a trout to complete our mission. It was a seriously long way to drive and to have no luck.
However, that serenity was soon broken with Tristram’s reel screaming into action. Shutting off the Kraken via the portable remote, we retrieved the other lines while Tristram played his fish closer to the boat, successfully netting it and bringing it onboard. A reasonable sized fish, but we elected to release that one back and see if we could hook a bigger one. At that point, the stress was off, we’d caught a Trout, and we may have rewarded ourselves with a cold drink out of the onboard fridge. It was at that point we all realised that none of us had boated on the ocean and a lake on the same day. And the fact that just over six hours ago we were fishing in Whitianga Harbour, and here we were just having caught a trout on Lake Taupo. We trolled for a little while longer, with no success, so we switched methods and decided to do some jigging.
We motored over to Kawakawa Bay, and motored out from the shoreline until we found the drop-off. Deployed the Kraken again, which kept us in place while we jigged some flies off the edge of the drop-off. Sure enough, after about 5 minutes we had our first strike. Only a small fish, but on a light jigging rig it was great fun.
As the sun began to get lower in the sky, and the temperature dropped, we zipped in the removable enclosed wheelhouse clears. Turned on the Diesel Heater, and shortly the helm and cabin area was soon a toasty warm 23 degrees and capable of heating up to 30 degrees if need be. These things are great. On those cold winter mornings when you want to hit the water early, you can turn it on before you leave home, and by the time you get to the ramp, the boat will be toasty and warm.
How good!
THE BOAT
As you step aboard, you’ll notice that low profile walkthroughs are built into both transom corners, with a recessed pull-out boarding ladder in the port side. One neat feature is a step situated in the centre just above the outboard well. This is so you can step across from port to starboard if you need to, if playing a fish for example and you don’t want to get tangled up in the outboard or with your fellow angler. The port side corner features a live bait tank, while an identical compartment on the starboard side features a saltwater wash-down hose or can also be used as a second live bait tank.
A large locker houses batteries and other onboard systems in the centre of the transom, while above is a large bait station with a storage shelf located underneath. The plastic cutting board within the station can be removed and turned over, one side for cutting bait, the other side can be kept cleaner and used for food prep if you choose.
High gunwale thigh padding runs along the upper inside edge of the cockpit sides, and below you’ll find recessed storage racks for rods. Further rod storage sees two rod holders in the coamings, with a further five in the rocket launcher above.
Under the floor, there is a sizeable storage locker which we put a catch bag in for our Snapper. It’s also big enough to handle dive bottles and anything else that’s bulky that you want to secure away.
Seating was made up of a traditional back-to-back King/Queen arrangement all of which was finished in a custom upholstery colour ‘Bahama Tan’. The aft-facing seats lift and provide cavernous storage underneath. The diesel heater is located under the port side seat along with the battery for the Garmin Kraken. Opposite under the helm seat is an Isotherm pull-out drawer fridge. At the helm and the forward-facing passenger seat, you sat nice and elevated with plenty of visibility forward. The windscreen did a great job of deflecting any wind up and over us while underway.
The port side seat lifts forward, and it creates a bench space that can be utilised for food preparation should you wish.
The Targa top above provides great protection, and is truly multi-dimensional. You can zip in forward clears, side clears or the aft enclosure should you wish. What’s more, when you get home, it’s easy to drop down and will enable you to potentially store the boat in a garage or shed.
Underfoot, the cockpit floor was finished in SeaDek, which colour is labelled as ‘Mocha over Storm Grey.’ At the dash there was a Garmin 16” MFD with a 1kw Transducer. Entertainment and audio came via a Fusion Apollo stereo with 4 x 8.8” Signature Series speakers and an amplifier. Add to that there were plenty of storage cubbies and charging for devices.
In the forward cabin, there was a vee berth with plentiful side shelf storage, and an insert to turn it into a full berth should you want to overnight.
PERFORMANCE
Our 691 Offshore test boat was fitted with a Mercury 250hp 4.8L V8 outboard, with the hull rated from 200hp through to 300hp.
With the boat well loaded up with three adults, fishing gear, camera equipment, food and a full load of fuel, the boat performed exceedingly well. We achieved a top speed of 43 knots @ 5850rpm, using 84L/H.
Pull that back to a cruise of 26 knots at 4000rpm, fuel use was 33L/H which gave a range of 150 nautical miles. The fine entry 22-degree hull gives a soft ride. We experienced varying conditions, particularly on the Whitianga leg of the trip. A rolling swell in the morning, then choppy conditions on the return trip home. The 691 just ate it up with ease and we enjoyed a comfortable trip all the way back to Whitianga. The Tristram hulls have always delivered an exceptional ride and performance.
SUMMARY
Overall, a great few days and a fantastic opportunity to spend more time on a boat in different locations and different fisheries. We all love hardtops, and many of us aspire to own a hardtop boat. But not everyone can manage it, factors like cost and size can often limit what we can have. But what Tristram have done here is add in a lot of the ‘hardtop’ functionality into a soft top boat.
Features such as the removable enclosed wheelhouse, the diesel heater, the onboard refrigeration are all features usually associated with larger boats, but by incorporating them into a boat of this size, it’s going to maximise the amount of time you spend on the water, no matter what the season. What’s more, it’s still easily towable at around 2100kg.
The 691 has been a staple of the Tristram range for around 27 years and it just doesn’t age. This latest version will ensure the configuration remains timeless for years to come.
SPECIFICATIONS
Make & Model Tristram Marine 691 Offshore
Type Cabin Targa Top
Construction GRP
LOA 6.9m
Beam 2.48m
Deadrise 22 Degree
Height on trailer 2.3m T-Top Down/2.84m T-Top Up
Trailerable Weight 2100kg
Test Power Mercury 250 V8 Outboard
Power Options Outboard
HP Range 200hp-300hp
Fuel Capacity 235L
PERFORMANCE DATA
RPM KNOTS L/h L/NM Range
1000 4.3 5.2 1.300 160
1500 6 8.2 1.400 150
2000 7.2 12.9 1.800 110
2500 8.9 18.2 2.100 100
3000 13.4 24.5 1.900 110
3500 20 26.1 1.400 150
4000 25.6 33.3 1.400 150
4500 31 44.4 1.500 140
5000 35 52 1.500 140
5500 40.5 75 1.900 110
5850 43 84 2.000 100
