A long options list does not necessarily make a better boat. We look at the features that improve safety, comfort and usability for Kiwi boating.
Walk through a boat show and it is easy to become distracted by options. Larger displays, upgraded upholstery, underwater lights, stereos, extra rod holders and electric everything can quickly turn a relatively simple trailer boat into a considerably more expensive one. Some of those options are worth every dollar, while others may barely be used.
The more useful starting point is where the boat will go and what you want to do when you get there. A family spending summer weekends on Lake Taupō will have different priorities from a crew regularly fishing 20 nautical miles offshore. A boat stored in a suburban garage also presents different challenges from one sitting permanently on a large driveway.
So, when you’re looking at a new or used trailer boat in New Zealand, which features deserve the money?
Boat features to look for start with the hull
Before getting into electronics and accessories, spend some time looking at the boat itself. Hull design influences how a boat rides, handles and behaves at rest, with beam, deadrise, chines, freeboard and weight all playing a part. A deeper vee hull may provide a softer ride through chop, although deadrise is only one part of the equation and every hull involves compromises.
Stability at rest deserves particular attention if you’re buying a fishing boat. Think about what happens when two or three people move to one side to deal with a fish, rather than judging stability while standing alone in the cockpit at the dealership. Cockpit depth and freeboard are worth considering in the same way, especially if children will regularly be aboard.
Have a look at how water leaves the cockpit, the drainage arrangements and bilge pumping system, then simply move around the boat. Can two people pass each other without a shuffle? Can you get forward safely? Are the grab rails where your hand naturally reaches for them? What happens to the available cockpit space when an underfloor locker is open?
These aren’t particularly glamorous features, but they are the ones you’ll notice every time you use the boat.
How big can a trailer boat be in New Zealand?
There isn’t a single maximum boat length for a trailer boat in New Zealand because the road rules apply to the trailer, its load and the overall towing combination.
For most Kiwi trailer boats, 2.55m is the important width figure. NZTA allows a standard light simple trailer and its load to be up to 2.55m wide. A boat wider than this can still be transported, but it moves into New Zealand’s overdimension transport rules and additional requirements may apply.
Length is a little more complicated. A light simple trailer, including its drawbar and everything carried on it, can be up to 12.5m long, although overhang and other dimensional limits also apply. The complete tow vehicle and trailer combination can reach 22m, while the maximum standard height is 4.3m.
In practice, weight is likely to become an issue well before most recreational trailer boats get anywhere near the theoretical length limit. A light trailer has a maximum gross vehicle mass of 3,500kg, including the trailer and everything sitting on it.
This is where published boat weights need some attention. A manufacturer’s dry hull figure doesn’t include everything that eventually ends up travelling down the motorway. Add an outboard, batteries, fuel, anchor and chain, electronics, safety equipment, fishing gear and whatever else normally stays aboard and the difference can run into hundreds of kilograms.
The tow vehicle then needs to match the finished package, not the brochure figure. Check its rated towing capacity along with the towbar and towball ratings, and think about whether you really want to operate near those limits every weekend. A smaller combination that is easy to tow, launch and retrieve may ultimately see a lot more use.
Boat features to look for when coastal fishing
If fishing is the main purpose, start with the cockpit rather than counting rod holders. There needs to be enough room for people to fish without constantly climbing around seats, chilly bins and tackle bags, with sensible places for rods, a landing net, gaff and tackle.
An insulated fish bin or kill tank will be valuable for many fishers, while a livebait tank will sit much higher on the list for some fishing styles than others. A washdown system also starts earning its keep when bait, blood and scales regularly end up on deck.
Weather protection becomes increasingly valuable as the runs get longer and the boating season stretches beyond summer. A hardtop provides shelter from wind, spray and rain and gives electronics and other equipment a permanent home, but it also adds weight, cost, windage and height on the trailer. If the boat has to fit through a garage door, that last measurement can suddenly matter quite a lot. For someone fishing locally in settled summer weather, an open boat with a decent canopy may make more sense.
Communications should be considered alongside the boat’s intended operating area. A fixed VHF radio is a sensible feature for regular coastal boating, but owners also need to understand where VHF coverage becomes patchy. Maritime NZ recommends carrying an emergency beacon as well as VHF. For most trailer boats, a registered EPIRB is the vessel based option, while a waterproof PLB provides another means of raising the alarm.
Fuel capacity needs similar thought. Tank size by itself doesn’t tell you much unless you know the boat’s practical range with its intended engine, a normal load and real sea conditions. Electronics are much the same. A crew regularly heading offshore to fish may make good use of a capable chartplotter and quality sounder, while someone fishing familiar shallow water close to home may get little benefit from the most expensive electronics package on the options sheet.
Boat features to look for on lakes
Lake boating shifts some of those priorities. If the boat will mainly carry family and friends, seating, shade, storage and easy access to the water may be more useful than a high end sounder or a cockpit covered in rod holders.
Look closely at where everyone actually sits while the boat is underway. A boat advertised for six people might provide six places to perch while sitting quietly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean six people have comfortable, supportive seats when running through chop.
A good bimini or canopy can make a big difference during a long summer day, but check what happens when it’s up. It needs to provide useful shade without getting in the way every time someone moves around the cockpit. The same practical test applies at the stern. If swimming is part of the day, the boarding ladder should be easy to deploy and use from the water, while a decent swim platform can make getting aboard considerably easier for children and less mobile passengers.
For waterskiing, wakeboarding or towing inflatables, look at the towing arrangement and how people move around the stern. Gear also has to go somewhere once it’s not being used, which brings storage back into the equation.
Nor should a lake boat be selected on the assumption that freshwater means flat water. Taupō, Wakatipu and Wanaka can quickly develop short, steep chop and exposed conditions, and the run home can be very different from the run out. Hull capability, communications, lifejackets and weather awareness remain just as relevant.
Storage is one of the most valuable boat features
An empty boat in a showroom can look enormous, but that space disappears surprisingly quickly once the family comes aboard with lifejackets, wet weather gear, food, towels, tackle boxes, fenders, mooring lines, dive gear and chilly bins.
Good storage is therefore worth looking at closely. Underfloor lockers, side shelves, dry compartments and dedicated spaces for long items such as rods, boat hooks and landing nets keep gear out of the cockpit without making it difficult to reach.
Lifejacket storage is particularly important. Every person aboard needs a correctly sized lifejacket and, when they’re not being worn, they need to be immediately available. A locker might look enormous at the dealership, but it’s not much use for lifejackets if you have to move three bags and a chilly bin to get into it.
Also check where wet gear goes and whether those lockers drain. An anchor warp or set of dive fins shouldn’t have to share space with clothing, phones and other items that need to stay dry. A small dry locker around the helm for phones, wallets and keys can be more useful over the life of the boat than plenty of far more expensive extras.
Don’t overlook the helm
The helm is another area best judged by actually using it rather than looking at it. Sit in the driver’s seat, then stand up and check the view in both positions. A windscreen edge directly across your line of sight gets annoying quickly, as does a throttle that requires an awkward reach or switches hidden behind the steering wheel.
Check the view astern and, on a hardtop boat, look at ventilation. Opening side windows or roof hatches make a substantial difference on hot days, particularly at low speed when there is little airflow through the cabin.
Dashboard space is worth considering even if you don’t plan to load the boat with electronics immediately. Modern chartplotters have become larger, and some helms designed around smaller displays leave few sensible options when it comes time to upgrade.
What you’re after is a helm where the skipper can see properly, reach everything easily and operate the equipment without spending unnecessary time looking away from the water.
The trailer is part of the boat
The trailer is easy to treat as whatever happens to be sitting underneath the boat when you buy it, but for a trailer boat owner it’s part of the package every time the boat leaves home.
Corrosion protection deserves attention if the trailer will regularly see saltwater. Hot dip galvanised steel remains common, while aluminium is another option. The hull support system also needs to suit the boat, rather than simply looking impressive underneath it.
Multi roller trailers can make launching and retrieval easier, particularly at tidal ramps where water depth varies. Bunk systems provide broad hull support and can work well at ramps where the trailer can be backed sufficiently deep. For larger and heavier boats, tandem axle trailers can offer better load distribution and towing behaviour.
Look over the winch, coupling, safety chain or cable, jockey wheel, bearings, tyres and lights. A spare wheel is well worth carrying, but only if the jack and wheel brace required to fit it are also somewhere in the vehicle.
Most importantly, think about the ramps you actually use. A trailer that works beautifully on a steep, sheltered concrete ramp may be far less convenient at a shallow tidal ramp. If you normally launch alone, ease of retrieval should sit fairly high on the list of buying considerations.
Buy features for your boating
There is no single options list that suits every trailer boat. An offshore fisho may get good value from spending on communications, electronics, fuel capacity, weather protection and cockpit layout, while a family spending weekends on the lakes may be much happier putting the same money into seating, shade, storage and a good boarding ladder.
Someone who regularly launches alone may value trailer design and an electric anchor winch more than either group. Even where the boat is stored can change the decision, particularly once hardtop height, overall trailer length and tow vehicle size are taken into account.
Whenever possible, take a sea trial before buying. Don’t spend the whole time standing beside the dealer at the helm. Sit in the passenger seats, move around the cockpit, try the controls and see what happens when the boat encounters some chop. If you’re likely to launch and retrieve it yourself, seeing how that process works is useful too.
The features worth paying for are ultimately the ones you’ll use. If they make the sort of boating you already do easier, safer or more comfortable, they belong much higher on the list than something impressive that will spend most of its life switched off.
