Centre console configurations have never achieved significant market penetration in New Zealand, despite their relative popularity in other parts of the world. So when invited to test the "fishability" of the prototype Atomix CC820, well, it’s a tough job but someone had to do it.
– Norman Holtzhausen reports.

Real fishing tests require real people, so we called together a team of the boys from the office to help. This included experienced fishos plus a couple of newbies who’d never seen a boat before.

Six of us met down at the boat ramp on a cloudy but calm autumn Auckland day. Atomix Boats owner Joseph Clapp was joining us for the day, clearly ready to make notes of what changes, if any, were necessary to make this boat even more suitable for its intended purpose.

Putting the gear on board, the boat quickly demonstrated the amount of space available as our bags, jackets, gear and bait all but disappeared. The small cabin that dominates the centre of the boat contains that vital ingredient for family trips, an electric toilet. The cabin’s also an ideal storage area for bags and chilly bins.

Loose items were packed into a spacious dry storage area under the large forward seat. The hatch to this compartment proved too small to be practical, and Clapp made a note to rectify this as soon as the boat was back in the yard.

Clear of the harbour restricted area, we opened the throttle - what a ride

Fishing rods were stashed in one of the numerous rod holders fitted around the boat, or into the horizontal rod holders recessed in either gunwale. Clapp’s been impressed with the Tallon range of boat fittings, and has fitted a tallon system rod holder on the rear of the engine cover. He plans to fit a row of the Tallon universal "receiver" units all the way down the boat as a standard feature. The owner can then fit whatever accessories he requires for the day – rod holders, drink holder, dive bottle holders, biatboard or accessory holders.

 
The boat’s fitted with a Volvo Penta V8 petrol engine and Volvo stern leg. This combination delivers 270hp, and a 280-litre fuel tank offers an extended range. Other engine options are available, including an inboard V6 petrol, inboard diesel and various outboard configurations.

Clear of the harbour’s restricted area, we opened the throttle – what a ride! At 30 knots over the usual Auckland harbour chop we hardly felt the seell, with the deep-vee huyll easily slicing through the chop. Spray was ept well out from the boat, and even powering through a few big swells (which got us airborne) produced no spray on the occupants.

We quickly powered past Tiritiri, pausing only briefly to catch a couple of livebaits under a small workup of birds. It’s a soft ride with no thumping, and with the trim tabs we were able to level out the ride as members of the party moved around.

In deference to the newbies on board, we didn’t push the boat, but it’s certainly capable of going significantly faster. A sight "tenderness" to people moving about was in part due to the over-large trim tabs, another feature Clapp will be rectifying. Arriving at Flat Rock just off Kawau Island, we soon had a livie out under a balloon.

Unfortunately this prototype boat had been hurriedly finished for the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show and the electronics weren’t fully connected. The lack of a depth sounder sounder made finding the right spot on the rock difficult, but the fully automatic winch took all the pain out of raising and lowering the anchor a couple of times.

Then it was down to serious fishing. Six people standing on the down-current side of a boat could be expected to cause a disconcerting lean, but the Atomix remained well within safe levels. We were able to stand side by side with space to spare, and never felt concerned about the boat’s angle. Even an annoying side-on swell (wind opposing tide) caused little problem. Tangles were rare thanks to the space between lines, though a kahawai on one line would no doubt have been interesting.

 
Sadly, the fish were not biting and a swell was starting to build, so after a lunch break, we headed in closer to Kawau for some snapper. We drift-fished fairly close to the rocks, but once again results were patchy, so we headed back to Auckland to try a few places closer to home.

We headed back across what was now quite a significant swell. This was the only time that spray was a problem, as the 15-20 knot wind coming directly from the side repeatedly ble spray onto those on the windward side. the optional hardtop and clears, or alternative bimini top with clears, would have kept us much drier. Luckily we were well prepared and donned waterproof jackets until we reached Tiri channel and could again proceed downwind.

We tried a few more spots until we got onto a patch of good fish and collected a feed. Back at the remp the boat was loaded on to a locally-built DMV trailer. Clapp has elected to provide the boats with the DMV trailers, despite having a factory in China that also manufactures trailers. He has found that the hassles of local regulations, plus the trust that Kiwis place on well-known brands, more than offsets the higher cost.

This style of boat has definite promise for New Zealand conditions. Some minor accessories need to be added, and the Tallon system is the ideal way to deal with these. The addition of a hardtop or bimini plus clears is all that is needed to make this the ultimate day fishing boat.

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 Trade A Boat – Atomix CC820 Boat Review (3.7MB PDF)