Collaborative tradition lives on

One 6.25HT's owner got the Allenco team to dispense entirely with cabin berths. Photo / Supplied

One of the joys of building boats in New Zealand is that customers often know exactly what they want.

Moreover, what they want almost certainly differs, in a number of key ways, from what the boatbuilder would prefer to build.

Indeed, we are one of the few countries where the selling of even trailerboats is considered a collaborative process, with the owner selecting the size (and often the make) of the outboard, as well as the electronics package and even (quite often) the colour of the upholstery and trim.

In the US, for example, most trailer boats are sold similar to a car: "There she is, mate; do you want finance and insurance with that?"

Although that custom-build culture is not as strong as it was - most of our custom or semi-custom launch builders have been put to the sword by production-line "take it or leave it" manufacturers like Riviera and Maritimo - it does still exist.

Its healthiest stronghold these days is in the world of aluminium boatbuilding, especially at the larger end of the field. Companies like White Pointer, Bladerunner, Seahouse and McLay (to name just a few) do create specific models but are always happy to adapt (lengthen, shorten, move bulkheads, etc).

Most smaller aluminium boatbuilders, however, tend to operate on the same basis as their GRP counterparts. More manufacturers than boatbuilders, they produce specific models and any customisation occurs at the dealer level and is confined to the type and size of power plant, the choice of electronics and the fitting of extras.

One notable exception to this rule is Matamata-based Allenco Marine. Its latest offering, the Allenco 6.25HT, is a good example.

"It is very much a customised model, as is much of what we do," says Harvey Allen who, with partner Martin Douglas, runs Allenco Marine.

The 6.25HT's owner approached Allenco wanting a "tough and heavy duty, no-nonsense boat" with an unpainted finish.

"Before he came to us, he had thoroughly checked out the alloy boat market and decided we could meet all his requirements," says Douglas.

Nevertheless, before he signed on the dotted line, the prospective owner was sent to Napier for a test run in a similar-sized version. The test run obviously did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm; on his way back north, he called in at the Allenco yard to discuss layouts and options.

The resulting vessel was built with a strong accent on fishing, from the owner's fondness for the gamefish he enjoys chasing out from Tutukaka.

Obvious points of difference are the generous use of LED lighting, the absence of any bunks (the cabin is there solely for stowage), an alloy trailer with a catch hoop for beach launching and retrieving, and a drive-on skid on the trailer.

Although well-appointed cabins, often complete with double berths, are fitted to just about every power trailerboat more than 5m LOA, one does have to wonder how often these are used for anything other than stowage. Very few overnight in a small or mid-sized trailerboat.

The 6.25HT's owner obviously recognised this. He got the Allenco team to dispense entirely with cabin berths and to make provision instead for a brace of large, removable stowage bins. He provided the bins and Allenco built the mounting brackets. The bins are used for stowing tackle.

With all that gear in there, a lockable cabin was obviously a necessity, and Allenco again obliged.

The HT in the boat's model name stands for Hard Top, an increasingly common addition these days to boats of this size. In this case, the owner chose the slightly lower than usual roof height, in part based on the height of his shed entrance.

For the same reason, there is no rocket launcher. Of course the beauty of custom building is that the adding of a launcher unit or the raising of the hard top roof is as easy as making a phone call.

The dash area is simple and unaffected; well-finished, plain aluminium provides flat surfaces in which to mount all the necessary engine gauges, trim tabs, anchor winch controls and the like. There is also room to position one or more large multi-function displays or a selection of smaller stand-alone ones.

The 6.25HT's seating plan is pretty basic, especially within the hard top: there are just the two simple pedestal chairs. Further aft, there is a removable bench seat across the transom. Behind this, three substantial lockers house onboard fuel systems and the batteries.

With a full-width transom (and that seat), there is obviously no place for a walk-through to the quite significant Portofino platform. Again, this is an owner's decision rather than a design one, and changing it is a relatively simple matter.

The 6.25HT has a fairly broad power rating. It can be powered by either single or twin outboards, ranging from 150hp to 225hp, or by a sterndrive. In this case, a 150hp Honda four-stroke outboard, at the bottom end of the power range, has been pressed into service.

The idea was not to create the fastest boat in the marina, more one that would get out to the fishing grounds and then economically troll for hours on end. As a result, the top speed is a modest 32 knots (at 6000rpm) and, at 4500rpm, one cruises between 22 and 23 knots.

In a recent Propeller magazine test out of Tauranga, Freddy Foote encountered choppy, blustery conditions and a big rolling and breaking swell. "We punched the 6.25HT into the water about as fast as we dared," he reports. "Although we took a lot of water over the foredeck and windscreen, the ride was quite soft. There was practically no noise reverberating through the hull and the 6mm alloy hull really came into its own."

It is always reassuring to know the boat has been built well. There's not much doubt with an Allenco: the 6.25HT boasts a 6mm bottom and 5mm sides and decks, all surrounding a full-length girder.

ALLENCO 6.25HT

* LOA: 6.55m

* Hull length: 6.25m

* Beam: 2.25m

* Deadrise: 18 degrees

* Trailerable weight: 2140kg

* Engine capacity: 150-225hp

* Fuel capacity: 280 litres

* Packages from: $79,650