Tristram 741 Offshore

ENGINE PACKAGE
Yamaha four-stroke or Mercury Verado engine options
Hydraulic steering
Yamaha or Mercury flush-mounted digital control box
Yamaha or Mercury digital gauge package

ENDURO TRAILER PACKAGE
Kingsway Enduro tandem axle trailer with ‘Sensor Brake’ system, fresh-water flushing attachments, multi-rollers & reg/WOF
Trailer tie downs
Tristram high-vis propeller bag

DASH & ELECTRONICS
12V Socket
5-spoke stainless steel steering wheel
Bilge pump & fittings (automatic) x 1
Dual batteries with isolating switch
Electric trim tabs with auto-retract & LED indicators
Electric windscreen wiper (self park / driver’s side)
Fire extinguisher
Fusion on-board entertainment with Bluetooth
High gloss black dash with vinyl top lip
Self launching rope chain capstan with anchor docking fairlead
VHF & aerial

LIGHTING
Hardtop mounted all-round white light
LED boarding lights x 2
LED cockpit lights x 2
LED overhead lighting x 4
Port & starboard navigation lights

HULL & DECK
Alloy fuel tank underfloor with fuel filter (270 L / midship)
CAD designed & CNC shaped fibreglass mouldings
Deck cleats x 2 & anchor cleats x 2
Delta anchor, warp 70m & chain 15m
Fibreglass moulded keel
Fresh water tank (100 L)
Full length brass keel strip
Gelcoated hull colour band in black
Large bow rail – stainless steel

HARDTOP
3 facet toughened curved glass windscreen with double mullion supports for superior strength
Ceiling panels for sound absorption in iced-white vinyl
Stainless steel fore-aft grab rails
Hardtop hatches for natural cabin light & ventilation x 2
Moulded top & side flares for wind deflection
Sliding glass side windows
Vertical stainless steel rear grab handles – port & starboard

COCKPIT
Automatic self draining cockpit
Marine carpet from seats forward – recessed & fixed
Rear cockpit pull out shower
Recessed teak cockpit coaming
Recessed telescopic boarding ladder & handle
Side pocket shelf with rod storage
Stainless steel side coaming rod holders x 4
Storage underfloor
Tallon sockets inc drink holders x 2
Transom fish bins x 2

GALLEY
Cutlery, plate & pot draw
Fibreglass moulded sink & tapware
Single gas cooker & gas bottle (AS/NZS 5601 compliant)

CABIN
Cabin light
Cabin shelving/backrest upholstered
Cabin squabs with storage beneath
Foredeck access hatch x 1
Marine carpet – recessed & fixed
Port & starboard cabin windows
Sliding cabin doors with lock
Toilet – Portapotti

SEATING CONFIGURATION & UPHOLSTERY
Premium marine grade vinyl upholstery (owners colour choice)
Port side back-to-back seats with storage beneath
Starboard side back-to-back seats with storage beneath
Side coaming bolsters in owner’s colour choice
Side panel linings for sound absorption in iced-white vinyl
Sliding helm seat

ENDURO TRAILER ACCESSORIES
Balex automatic boat loading system
Electric ‘Superwinch’ on trailer
Spare wheel & bracket
Trailer walkboard
Trailer lock

ELECTRONICS
USB Socket
Compass
CTEK battery charger fitted
GPS/Sounder (up to 16 inch)
House battery upgrade x 2 6V
Windscreen wiper – passenger side

LIGHTING
LED forward facing spotlight on hardtop
LED rear facing floodlight on hardtop
LED cockpit under-coaming (blue strip)
LED hardtop pelmet (white strip)
LED underwater lights x 2 (blue)

FISHING & DIVING
Additional rod holders x 2
Auxiliary bracket
Auxiliary engine
Auxiliary tie bar
Baitboard – fibreglass
Convert fish bin to live bait tank
Dredge boom rod holders 90° x 2
Game poles – Ocean Blue
Insulated catch bag
Rocket launcher – stainless steel
Saltwater deckwash

COVERS
All-over storage cover
Canopy extension incl clears & backdrop
Cockpit road cover & quarter clears
Ice-grit stoneguard

WATERSPORTS
Ski pole

GALLEY
Electric drawer fridge

CABIN
Electric toilet upgrade
V-Berth infill

COCKPIT & ACCESSORIES
Cockpit table with leg
Rear facing hardtop grab handles x 2
Recessed & removable cockpit carpet
SeaDek flooring in cockpit
Tallon accessory mount & cup holder (additional)

Boating New Zealand Magazine

These Hamilton boat builders are known for producing some of the country’s best trailer boats, but as
Sam Stewart discovers, this one is in a league of its own.

Already halfway out the water, and still gaining altitude, things were about to get interesting.

Usually at this point there is a collective widening of eyes from everyone onboard as knees and teeth prepare for impact and the almighty thud that inevitably comes with touchdown.

Sure enough, after we descend from the heavens, Tristram Marine’s new 741 Offshore lands with a ‘bang!’ But it wasn’t the boat that made a noise.

One of the crew onboard had taken it upon themselves to create the sound effects you’d expect to hear when a 7.9-metre fibreglass boat re-enters the water after a quick trip into the stratosphere.

In fact, the crew spent the afternoon of Boating’s test making interpretive noises because coaxing a sound from the 741 proved about as easy as finishing Christmas Day with all the buttons on your pants done up.

Designed for fishing, diving and general extended exploring, the 741 is the first trailer boat produced in New Zealand to be entirely drawn on CAD (Computer Aided Design) software and have her plugs cut on CNC (computer numerically controlled) machines. Simply put, the human eye and hand have been eliminated from the initial foam moulding phase and replaced by robots which cut each line exactly as it’s drawn by the computer.

The result is a boat that’s “perfectly accurate”, and one Tristram’s managing director and designer Lance Fink says he’ll find it hard to beat.

“I’ll never design a better riding seven-metre boat than this. It floats right, it’s good at rest, and goes through water like butter.

“We just have the balance right with the beam in the chine, the stem shape and the planing strakes – I put a lot of work and effort into getting my planing strakes just right.”

No doubt some of you will think you’ve heard that all before and will hear it all again when the next model is launched but topping the 741’s ride will really be a tall order.

Her ‘proper’ fine-entry full bow has eliminated even the smallest sounds you typically get when running in even a slight sea and as mentioned, any hint of slamming or thumping over wakes and waves has to come from the people onboard hamming it up.

The bow works closely with the coved chines to give the 741 a nice amount of lift. Coming off a substantial launch wake we promptly ploughed into another wave but rather than bury the bowsprit, the 741 hauled herself back onto the plane, ready to tackle the next wave.

With spray shooting out the sides and away from the boat, you get the feeling she’s constantly asking for a bigger challenge. At 2300kg, she’s definitely solid enough to take it too.

“No Tristram will ever be the lightest boat on the market, but the weight is strength in the hull and that’s where it belongs and stays,” says Lance. “Having this weight also adds to stability which no other 22-degree vee boat will match.” He admits he was nervous putting a 22-degree deadrise on a hardtop in case it was unstable at rest, but the chines are wide enough and sit in the water so it isn’t a problem.

At the very bottom of the 741’s deep vee you’ll find a small, brass-covered keel. It’s a Tristram trait that keeps the boat on track and prevents any wandering says Lance. “It’s the same principle as an aeroplane having a tail. It’s not new and every trailer boat should have it.”

When cornering, the 741 likes a bit of speed and doesn’t need to be trimmed in too far, so the coved chines can really be leaned on and used for grip and lift. With the keel and straight vee working together, it makes for superb handling.

Trim tabs are standard but it is likely most owners will use them only to counter the wind effect on the hardtop.

Our review 741 is fitted with Yamaha’s new 250hp V6 four-stroke, sitting at the bottom of the power scale which stretches through to 300hp. Owner and dairy farmer Claude de Jongh is based in Kaiaua, on the eastern side of the Firth of Thames, and says for his type of boating it’s ample power. “There are some messy seas around Whitianga and I’m not going to be going flat out,” says Claude. “I prefer just to set a speed and stick with that rather than being on and off the throttles the whole time, and I’d rather have that bottom end power anyway.”

Out of the hole, the 250 Yamaha has a throaty purr which settles to a nice, unobtrusive rumble when the 741 is on the plane, cruising at 3500 revs and doing a comfortable 22 knots (41 km/h).

Her 270-litre underfloor fuel tank gives her a range close to 330km at cruising speed, making trips to the Mercury Islands, Great Barrier and Hen and Chickens easily achievable. However, if fuel consumption is the least of your worries, at full noise you’ll see 41 knots (76km/h) on the speedo.

A two-metre internal beam means six anglers can comfortably throw a line over and a couple of divers could happily don their gear. The interior space has been designed by the youngest Fink, Kingsley, and has more stowage than a container full of cargo shorts.

The cockpit underfloor swallows up to five dive tanks, with more space under the king and queen seats which also house a small fridge on the starboard side and gas hobb to port.

A single deck mould incorporates the dash, seat bases and transom which means finding a seam or join is pretty tough. It’s been said before, and it should be said again, the overall Tristram finish is second-to-none. Finding fault is near impossible and it’s something the Hamilton-based boatbuilders pride themselves on.

Every boat is a compromise, and because the 741 is a fishing and diving platform designed around the cockpit, the cabin has been kept to a minimum. Concealed by lockable double doors, the cabin’s vee berth would accommodate two people overnight and features a portaloo under the forward squabs. In the seated position, someone six-foot (1.98m) tall has
ample headroom.

The 741 is Claude’s first new boat and he decided from the outset “it’s going to have everything in it”. This includes underwater transom lights so he can get piper bait if he’s out at night and blue strip-lights along the cockpit’s built-in side pockets.

Despite being a fishing boat, Claude didn’t want rocket launchers, claiming the four flush-mounted rodholders were sufficient and far easier to deal with than anything on the hardtop. “I’d also need a bigger shed if I had a rocket launcher, and I don’t think Lance will let me keep the boat outside,” he jokes.

Although it’s only natural to be protective over your firstborn, Lance says the 741 is ideal to be kept outside Pauanui, Marsden Point or Whitianga waterway properties.

Our verdict

If you’re in the market for a decent-sized fishing and diving boat, this is simply a case of ‘why wouldn’t you?’ She rides like a dream, looks great, there’s space for Africa, she will come with the fanatical finish Tristram is renowned for, and all for a similar price to many of the other alloy and glass options on the market.