BIG SERIOUS FISHING MACHINE
Text by Barry Thompson
New Zealand alloy boat builders are a masterclass
when it comes to designing and producing alloy hardtops and none more so than Gisborne based White Pointer Boats. With their new 870 WA, their first ever walkaround hardtop, they have taken that concept to another level.
A testimony to White Pointer is that boat #1 is so good, it could easily be boat #10. Rex Briant, MD of White Pointer Boats says at this stage he wouldn’t change anything. The Dash was built for a third-time White Pointer owner, with the 870 being his take on a seriously tough blue water fishing boat with comfortable overnighting amenities. He also wanted the boat to be trailerable. Hence a Dodge Ram was purchased to pull the 4000 kg rig on the road.
“I love the finish and quality of White Pointer Boats and when I sold my last boat I had no hesitation in going back to Rex and his team for my next one. The walkaround just made sense and it’s a fantastic machine, very practical and easy to use”, says owner Greg Froude.
He added that an enjoyable week at the Barrier convinced him,he had made the right choice when it came to staying away in a large trailer boat
“There is no cooker so I use a bait board mounted gas cooker and with the hot, fresh water outdoor shower, internal toilet, plus a big freezer we had everything we needed“, added Greg.
When it comes to fishing The Dash provides all the fishy bits that make it such a dedicated fishing/diving platform. Being a sterndrive powered boat, there is a full width boarding platform with a safety cage all around. This adds great security when fishing in a sloppy sea. There are two drop down ladders that form part of the railing and easily accessed tuna tubes are conveniently placed on either side. If you decide on the outboard option then there are still a pair of platforms either side of the engines and optional cages available. Being one of the higher-sided (900mm) White Pointers, there is enough transom height to allow for a flat boarding platform. Access from the cockpit to the boarding platform is from the starboard-side walk-through with a live bait tank combination and the port-side aft transom has a concealed sink, fresh water hot and cold facility. White Pointer has customised this to suit the customers requirements.
You also have the option of the Pro Sportsman Curved seamless style transom with no boarding platform. The development of this model has come about to satisfy the demands of the purist sports fisherman and also maximises the working space in the enlarged cockpit.
In the centre of the transom is a large bait station complete with rod and knife holders. The bait station can be custom designed to suit your fishing needs. White Pointer can incorporate dive racks under the bait station and also offer fully upholstered seating on top of the engine box. Running below each wide cockpit coaming are long rod storage trays, with optional hinged covers that hide away the clutter, plus rod racks, DC electric reel sockets, a knee operated hand wash and rod /gaff holders. The Dash was also fitted with an optional pot hauler, which clips in place, so can be removed and left at home if you don’t need it on your next trip. These side decks can also be fitted with dive bottle storage that can carry as much as 6 bottles.
Under the U-Dec covered cockpit sole is an extra-large kill tank with a lift-out bin ahead of the engine. A smaller secondary hatch means you don’t have to open the entire floor panel to drop your fish in. While White Pointer refer to it as the Terakihi door for us Aucklanders it’s a snapper door!
OPEN WHEELHOUSE
With the owner adamant he wanted a boat that he could stay overnight in reasonable comfort, White Pointer have added all the necessary mod cons. The wheelhouse features ample seating for the skipper and passengers, a fridge/freezer under the day lounge, sliding side windows, overhead Cule hatches, a large custom dash and LED lighting. Optional diesel fired heaters and hobs/ovens are also popular.
Depending on your preference, the driving position is multi-purpose. Seated, bolstered or standing, you have great visibility, with sliding side windows letting in fresh air ventilation.
A 16” Furuno MFD is flanked by the Zipwake interceptor controls, anchor display and the Volvo Penta Glass Cockpit. With the Idrive leg, the autopilot is an option. Above is a GME VHF and the obligatory Fusion Apollo sound system.
The lockable cuddy cabin comes with a 2m v-berth and infill to make one large berth. There is storage under the squabs and a head under the forward bunk. You can have the entire cabin fully upholstered, so no alloy is shown anywhere.
Rex says there is no standard seating layout in the wheelhouse, it’s all owner’s choice. Greg chose two forward Hi-Tech bucket seats with bin seats aft with storage/freezer beneath. It’s an open wheelhouse, but a full clear back drop can be added to enclose the hard top.
WIDE BULWARKS
The new White Pointer 870 WA is based on the well-proven 8.40m – 8.70m platform with a wide 2.75m beam and a 6mm hull-plate construction. However, the cabin has been borrowed from the 700 Cabin that had the perfect front window styling. The one-piece curved screen has no mullions and uses one huge windscreen wiper.
The roofline remained much the same as the 700, albeit extended. The deeply recessed bulwarks allow safe passage around the wheelhouse to the open bow area. I liked the fact that there is enough toe space provided under the centre cab to turn 180 deg without getting caught up in the alloy structure or tripping over your feet. Handrails on the wheelhouse provide that extra feeling of security.
Aft of each bulwark is a grill and sump, so any water that does run down the side deck is expelled overboard before reaching the cockpit. Another example of White Pointer’s attention to detail.
Once you do get to the foredeck area, there is good fishing space ahead of a large cabin top sunpad. There are rod holders provided in the high bow rails, with popular options including a MinnKota 87 Riptide Terrova trolling motor and a Stressfree NG Maxi drum winch.
One of the key features of any hardtop boat is getting the style and the looks just right. Everything should flow seamlessly as one and not look like an afterthought. With the 870 WA, White Pointer has achieved that to near perfection.
POWER OPTIONS
The Dash is powered by a Volvo Penta D4/320hp with a DPI leg, giving a top speed of 33 knots. At 3300rpm (80% load), we recorded 28.5 knots, using around 44 lph and about a 300nm range. Drop that back to 2800 rpm (74% load) and the cruise speed was a very comfortable 22 knots, with a fuel burn of a conservative 31 lph and a range of more than 320 nm.
When it comes to trolling dead baits or lures, a real feature of this setup is the idrive Volvo leg. This has a super slow creep speed of up to about 2 knots. Outside of this mode the standard drive is around 5 knots at idle.
Fuel burn is a miserly 11-13 lph and you have a range in excess of 300 nm.
I ran the boat in reasonably calm water off Gulf Harbour, Auckland, so it would be fair to say it ran perfectly. However, I have experienced a number of White Pointers over the years and ask anyone who owns one and they will agree that they are exceptional boats in the rough water.
If you are a bit of a petrol head and like the feel and sounds of gears crunching and drives locking into place, then you will not like the Volvo Penta DPI drive. The DPI drive features a hydraulic clutch that ensures silent and smooth shifting, as well as slipping at low engine speeds. The hydraulic clutch, together with electric steering gives an improved joystick docking function. The DPI driveline comes with a Dynamic Positioning System, which automatically maintains a boat’s heading and position, even during strong currents or windy conditions – ideal when preparing for docking or fishing over a canyon.
If you prefer outboards then anything bigger than twin V6 225s is ideal, with the wide beam well capable of taking the twin engines. Rex also suggests that a single Mercury V12 600 Verado or a Yamaha XTO 425 V8 would be great power options.
OVER 600 BOATS
Many features of The Dash are a result of the owner’s input. Rex says that all you see should not be interpreted as standard and should be clarified with White Pointer when designing your ultimate weapon.
“We want to give an owner exactly what they want and so in many ways no two boats are ever exactly the same and that’s what stands us apart from a lot of our competitors” says Rex
Like all White Pointers, you have the option of a painted or unpainted hull and wheelhouse and the boat comes with a ten-year recreational hull warranty. The brainchild of their owner, Rex Briant, the first White Pointer Boat hit the water more than 25 years ago. Every boat since, and that’s over 600 in total, has added to the brand’s reputation for producing ruthless fishing machines of supreme craftsmanship and performance. The 870 Walkaround is no exception.
Specifications
- Model: White Pointer 870 WA
- Priced From: $NZ350,000
- Type: Hardtop
- Construction: Alloy 6mm/4mm
- LOA: 8.70m
- LOH: 8.20m
- Beam: 2.75m
- Trailerable Wgt: 3.1 to 4.0 tonnes
- Power: Volvo Penta D4/ 320hp
- Fuel: 500 litres / 670 litres optional
- Fresh Water: 150 litres
- MFD: Furuno 16 TZ3
- Hatches: Cule
- Flooring: U-Dec
- Interceptors: Zipwake
- Drum Winch: Streefree NG Maxi
- Seats: Hi Tech
- Trolling Motor: MinnKota 87 Riptide Terrova
- Sound System: Fusion Apollo
- VHF: GME
- Power options: Outboard/Sterndrive
- Trailer: White Pointer
White Pointer 870HT / Volvo D4 | ||||
rpm | knots | L/h | L/NM | range (NM) |
700 | 4.8 | 2 | 0.4 | 1080 |
1000 | 5.1 | 4 | 0.7 | 638 |
1200 | 6.6 | 6 | 0.9 | 521 |
1400 | 7.5 | 8 | 1.0 | 450 |
1600 | 8.0 | 11 | 1.4 | 327 |
1800 | 9.0 | 15 | 1.7 | 270 |
2000 | 11.5 | 19 | 1.7 | 272 |
2200 | 13.8 | 22 | 1.6 | 282 |
2400 | 16.5 | 24 | 1.5 | 309 |
2600 | 19.5 | 27 | 1.4 | 325 |
2800 | 22.0 | 31 | 1.4 | 319 |
3000 | 25.0 | 35 | 1.4 | 321 |
3200 | 27.3 | 40 | 1.5 | 307 |
3400 | 29.5 | 47 | 1.6 | 282 |
3600 | 31.5 | 55 | 1.7 | 258 |
3770 | 33.0 | 63 | 1.9 | 236 |
Fuel range is based on 10% reserve of a 500 Litre fuel tank.
