Pursuit of Happiness

Anyone chasing a classy plate alloy craft for some serious offshore fishing would be well advised to check out the new 6.8m Pursuit from Sea Jay.

The fast growing rural city of Bundaberg is probably best known for its rum, however there is another local product which is forging a reputation for itself on the national stage – Sea Jay Boats.

The team at Sea Jay have been building boats at their Bundaberg factory since 1989 and during that time they have developed an extensive range of aluminium craft, ranging from small car toppers to serious offshore capable craft.

Sea Jay have really built a reputation for building some of the most solidly constructed and well finished plate aluminium boats in the country.

Measuring in at 6.8m and weighing in at a fraction under 1300kg, the Pursuit is one serious lump of a boat. Despite its impressive dimensions, it retains a very sporty appearance thanks to its raking bows, low slung cuddy cabin and swept back hard top configuration. Of course the smart paint job, neatly finished welds and very high level of internal finish don’t hurt either.

As the test boat was fitted with a new 225hp Yamaha, this is one boat that has the performance to match its looks. Throwing the throttle back it had the boat leaping onto the plane with a top speed of approximately 72km/h. If that’s not sporty enough for you in a boat of this size, than I don’t know what is!

Unfortunately, there simply wasn’t enough waves or swell to test out the true rough water capabilities of the Pursuit on the test run, however given the design of the bows and a 33.5 degree deadrise (at two thirds of the boat length), I’d be more than surprised if it is not at least as good as its sister ship the Preda King.

To try and find out as much as we could about its rough water handling, we did push the Pursuit hard over what little wave action there was and even this brief experience was enough to convince me that this is one sturdy craft. You could say what we lacked in waves, we compensated for by applying the throttle. When we did manage to get the bows up in the air they landed surprisingly gently and without the usual pounding associated with larger aluminium boats.

There was none of the shuddering often associated with tin boats either and I feel the cuddy cabin/hard top configuration provided additional bracing around the front third of the boat, helping to ‘stiffen’ the area which cops the worst of the impact.

The test boat had quite a few of the optional extras included, as it was soon to be displayed at the Brisbane Boat Show. To keep things simple, I’ve reviewed the boat ‘as is’ and then included a list of what is considered as optional extras (please refer to the fact boxes).

While it has been useful to be able to compare the performance of this boat to Sea Jay’s other recent release, the Preda King, it must be said that when it comes to comfort and protection from the elements, the Pursuit is in a completely different class. For a start, the Preda King is a centre console, while the Pursuit has a cabin that wraps around a fixed hard top to create a very sheltered environment for both driver and passengers.

Looking objectively, while any cabin offers more protection than an exposed centre consol, the Pursuit’s cabin provides only a basic level of comfort. It has twin berths that are spacious enough to accommodate a couple of tallish anglers and there was reasonable head room while seated. It also has a chemical toilet built into the centre of the cabin which would no doubt be appreciated by female crew members, or parents with young children. The test boat even had a sink complete with running freshwater on tap, however it’s not really the sort of living area you would want to be confined in for any more than a couple of nights.

The sleeping facilities were a little modest, but the design and layout of the helm would more than compensate in most people’s eyes. The controls were positioned so that they fell to hand nicely whether standing or seated and gave the skipper a wide field of view.

There were conveniently located foot rests and ‘grab bars’ for both driver and passenger and the steering wheel would not have looked out of place on a European sports car. As we have come to expect with modern four-stroke engines, there was a substantial array of dials and digital gauges providing continuous feedback from the engine.

The test boat also had a top-of-the-range Humminbird sounder fitted and the large display would certainly be appreciated by any dedicated reef fisho.

Despite the Pursuit’s sleek lines and sporty performance, it has obviously been designed primarily as a fishing platform as it has all the things which anglers look for in a hard working boat.

Starting forward, the anchoring arrangements are in keeping with what’s required of a boat of this size. The anchor well was spacious enough to accommodate the sort of ground tackle needed to secure 7m of boat. The test boat also came fitted with a Stress Free anchor winch, which I think would be well worth investing in, especially considering that the boat comes standard with a mounting plate to take the winch anyway. I believe the electric option would be worth the slight extra cost involved to take the hassle out of manual anchoring.

Moving aft, if there’s one thing that every angler needs in a boat it’s open space and the Pursuit has that in spades. The cockpit area has been left completely clear to allow maximum room and several anglers could fish without tripping over each other.

Likewise, there was also plenty of storage place – a necessity for anglers! Substantial side pockets could be found running along both gunnels and these would be ideal to store longer items, such as gaffs or tag poles out of harm’s way. There were also smaller pockets positioned above these (and under the hard top) to take those essential items that are needed on a regular basis during the course of a day’s fishing.

There was plenty of ‘toe room’ in under the side pockets so that anglers can brace themselves against the sides while fighting and landing their quarry. The test boat had a ‘bait station’ mounted over the motor that seemed nice and workable.

There was also no shortage of rod holders either, with several positioned along the back of the bait station, more along each side and a rocket launcher arrangement located at the rear of the hard top. I guess if you have the budget to accommodate a boat of this size, well you’d be more than likely have no trouble filling it with the fishing equipment to match.

Finally, access to the boat was made easy by a folding step ladder at the stern. This combined with walk through transom made getting aboard a simple process, whether on the water or on the trailer. Divers in particular would also appreciate the non-skid transom boarding platform either side of the motor.

The Pursuit is certainly a large and well built craft. Sea Jay make no apologies for the fact that it is quite heavy in comparison to some other boats of a similar size, as that additional weight comes from the extra bracing that goes into its construction. It simply means you are getting a boat which is built to last.

Despite its bulk however, it retains a very sporty feel and it has the good looks to fulfil the role of a family cruiser if required, while still satisfying the needs of more hard core anglers. Admittedly, this comes at a cost. The boat as reviewed, with all the optional extras, including a new trailer and 225hp four-stroke Yamaha will set you back around $110,000.

By trimming back on the extras, it’s possible to get a base model for around $90,000. If that falls within your budget, then there would be no denying that you are getting one hell of a good boat for your money.

Latest Articles

• Noble International: 5.10 CC
  Wayne Kampe August 11
• Pursuit of Happiness
  Dave Magner July 11
• Stacer 459 Barra Pro: Room at the top
  Dan Trotter July 11
• Goldstar Sailfisher Series 6500 White Line
  Wayne Kampe July 11
• KIWI QUALITY PROFILE 545C
  Wayne Kampe July 11
• Surtees 5.8 Gamefisher Hardtop
  Wayne Kampe July 11
• Project Orange Roughie
  Neil Grose July 11
• Catch Bass in the new Hunter
  Steve Morgan July 11
• Value-packed space machine
  Wayne Kampe June 11
• Sleek styling and smooth ride on Moda Marine BV5000
  Wayne Kampe June 11