One of New Zealand’s most well-regarded plate aluminium fishing boat manufacturers for over 30 years, Surtees Boats has also built a cult following with Australian fishos in recent years. We asked Isabell Zitzelsberger, Surtees Marketing and Sales Manager, to share some of the Surtees story.
Can you share some company background?
Surtees Boats began in the early 1990s when our founder, Neil Surtees, a passionate fisherman, designed an aluminium boat for personal use off the Whakatāne coast in New Zealand. The boat’s performance and design caught the attention of locals, and demand quickly grew. As orders increased, Surtees transitioned from crafting a single boat to running a business that now employs over 50 staff and has become New Zealand’s top-selling plate aluminium boat. Surtees is known for exceptional craftsmanship and meticulous welding. This is not only visually impressive but also crucial for safety on the water, ensuring a durable and stable structure that can withstand the challenging conditions faced by fishermen, making every boat built to endure the demands of New Zealand’s rugged coastal waters.
Many of our readers will be familiar with Surtees however for those who aren’t, how would you describe the brand?
Our core tagline is “Built to fish” and this helps shape the company and the products we stand for. You will see this reflected in every aspect of our design and manufacturing processes at Surtees. Our Surtees IQ (or SiQ for short) is the intelligence behind our innovations at Surtees and is a key part of the Surtees difference. SiQ ensures that Surtees stays well ahead of the pack by continuing to improve, fine-tune and innovate our designs and builds. When we’re designing a new model, or if new iterations of our boats are updated, we ask ourselves ‘Is this built to fish?’. If a boat doesn’t fit within our DNA, then we don’t produce it.
Tell us more about how Surtees vessels meet the needs of fishing enthusiasts?
Given “Built to fish” is our ethos, it should be no surprise that we’re always looking at the fishing aspect of our boats and considering design features that assist fishing. For example, we’re always reviewing our storage onboard to ensure this meets the changing tackle needs of our customers. We’re also considering factors like sufficient power points for electronics, for charging phones and electric reels. These are requirements that have evolved for the modern fishing enthusiast. Our boats reflect our rich brand history and all that is great from the past, but we’re also always innovating to meet the needs of modern fishing.
What do boaties love most about Surtees vessels?
When creating our boats we look to our customers, responding to their needs and feedback helps us adapt and improve our designs and finished products. This in turn contributes to our owners having a better experience on the water. Once customers have experienced our boats, we find they keep coming back to Surtees over the years when they’re ready for a vessel upgrade, especially hardcore fisherman.
We also consistently receive positive feedback about the ride. When the chop comes up, Surtees Boats come back to shore easily. At the core of the vessel is the incredible smooth hull, designed around a deep v hull, allowing our boat owners to slice smoothly through choppy conditions. Our boats also have the ability to bring onboard stabilising water ballast, which serves to control the movement when stopping to fish; in effect it steadies the boat and offers even more benefit as you move through certain sea conditions. For skippers, it’s comforting to know that your vessel is so adept in a variety of sea conditions.
New Zealand has a strong reputation when it comes to boat building, particularly offshore vessels. How is Surtees Boats contributing to that legacy?
Designed and built in Kawerau, we employ locals, who hold an intense pride in what they and Surtees produce. A huge amount of satisfaction comes from handcrafting a product that literally makes waves across New Zealand and Australia. Our designs are heavily influenced by customer feedback, we call our community of owners our ‘Surtees Tribe’. It’s a very connected and engaged audience, we listen carefully to them, and their insights help shape how our boats are built to fish. We are happy to accommodate any combinations of motors, as the boats are shipped far and wide throughout Australia and New Zealand. Each region brings a certain type of demand for motors, not to mention servicing options etc. We find our tribe are also very loyal to their preferred motor manufacturers, so we let them maintain that loyalty and pair them with the Surtees model of their choice.
Has your location in the Bay of Plenty influenced Surtees Boats?
We are located on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island and through our formative years, we enjoyed incredible support from the local community, which included many true outdoors enthusiasts. These customers would typically alternate weekends either hunting throughout the mighty East Coast ranges, or pursuing an abundance of seafood off the coast of Whakatāne.
Is there a noticeable difference between the popularity of Surtees models across New Zealand and Australia?
Within the Australian region we are seeing a swing towards centre consoles and folding roofs. This contrasts with the New Zealand market which is dominated by hard tops and enclosed cabins which provide protection in rough conditions. In recent years, the Australian market has grown beyond our expectations, so we’ve developed a growing dealership network across Australia, who all understand our build quality and core customer base.
Can you share some favourite local fishing locations around coast of Whakatāne?
The summer game fishing season creates annual excitement, with Surtees the boat of choice to easily navigate the Whakatāne Heads Bar Crossing. From December through late April, try your luck catching yellow fin, skipjack, albacore tuna, shark and marlin. Year-round fish include snapper, terakihi and kingfish. As the fish will move around with the seasons and as the water temperature changes, if you’re coming over for a fishing trip it’s a good idea to consult with one of the many local fishing charter operators. Let them know what species you are targeting and be open to following the fish, depending on season. We’d recommend allowing at least three days out on the water, this will provide ample time to fish for a few species, and also allows for some boating to take in the spectacular coastline.
Any other local recommendations about places to visit?
Definitely a trip up to the Mōtū River. You can take a walk, or even make enquiries about engaging a guide to take you upriver. It’s a great way to take in the incredible mountains, rugged terrain and abundance of wildlife that prosper in this region.
Model close-up: 575 Workmate Pro
The appropriately named Workmate has been described as the workhorse of the Surtees fleet and for good reason. The Workmate series has been designed with a reduced cabin and larger cockpit to maximise deck space, to cater for fishing enthusiasts and their gear. As you’d expect from Surtees, the Workmate is built to a high standard and boasts great handling and stability. The Workmate is available as either a hard top or with a clever fold-down roof that enables garage storage. Fans of Surtees may be familiar with the Surtees 5.5, and the Surtees 575 Workmate can be considered the new generation of this well-regarded model.
Visit surteesboats.com
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