McLay rises to challenge

Bold graphics mark the 690 as coming from Steve McLay, whose quest for improvement is evident in the fittings. Photo / Supplied

Milton's Steve McLay is, as are many of our finest boatbuilders, a man never quite completely satisfied with his latest models, probably thinking: "How can I make that better?"

It is easy, based in high-energy Auckland, heart of the marine industry, to think that this is also our creative centre, the place where most of our clever new ideas germinate

Not so. Some of this country's best marine innovations have come from some of our remotest corners and McLay Boats is an example.

In boatbuilding terms, they don't come much more remote than McLay. Their base, Milton, is a town of just 2000 people, 50km south of Dunedin.

Yet that isolation has not proved any sort of brake on creative ideas. In the early years of the company, founder Steve McLay painted his boats in wild colours - at a time when most manufacturers were content to offer theirs in bare, unpainted aluminium.

McLay was also an early exponent of the hardtop and one of the first to ensure that they looked like an integral part of the boat, not a boxy add-on. Today, the company reaps the benefits of that foresight, producing one of the largest production ranges of hardtop aluminium trailer boats on the market. Their hardtop range has also proven to be their best seller.

McLay's latest burst of creativity was unveiled at last year's New Zealand Boat Show in Auckland, with fish-motif hull graphics that instantly grab the eye and create something of a personal signature for every boat.

These graphics packages are not cheap at about $5000 each but they have proved very popular.

McLay's commitment to continual improvement has not been limited to just improving the look and wow factor of his boats.

The 690 is a replacement for the company's previously best-selling model, the McLay 680. However, it is far more than a slightly stretched version of its predecessor.

It is slightly wider, higher in the topsides and comes with a raised cockpit sole (flooring), allowing McLay to fit a larger fuel tank, up from 170 litres to 200 litres, an underfloor "kill tank" and provision for a fresh water tank - and to do all this without compromising buoyancy.

The 690 also owes a lot to its bigger sibling, the 735S, an inboard/stern drive version of the new model. In fact, just about everything from the cockpit forward is the same on both boats.

Under water, the hull of the 680 and that of its successor are very similar, although the 680 is 80mm wider. The two pressed strakes either side of its hull have been halved in profile to provide a softer ride at speed.

The raised floor has also required an extra internal stringer either side of the 5mm hull and the weight has increased over the 680 by 200kg.

The first impression of the 690 is that designer McLay has divided the boat into three distinct areas and dealt with each individually.

The exterior is graphically painted with cod leaping over the topsides.

In the cockpit, the look is far more utilitarian: the aluminium is brushed but otherwise left bare and there is no doubt this is a working area. In the wheelhouse or hardtop there is barely a trace of aluminium to be found and every surface is fabric-lined or carpeted.

McLay has avoided the temptation to insert a full height bulkhead between the cabin from the wheelhouse and this has resulted in a very spacious feel.

This specialist fishing boat will also be comfortable for overnighting. There is a huge 2m "crash pad" in the cabin, a head, a freshwater pump and a small refrigerator. This last was an optional extra and, as with most aluminium boatbuilders, McLay does offer a high degree of customisation.

There is plenty of seating in the wheelhouse, perhaps an indication that this particular model is destined to work in often chilly southern climes. There is also plenty of dry stowage space and a dash with space enough for both a 12 inch display screen and the various engine, windlass and DC controls likely to be required. Back in the cockpit there is little doubt that this is a working area.

Forward there are a couple of bin seats, one with a removable fish bin, the other for storage.

These are great places to sit when under way and, thanks to the overhang of the wheelhouse roof, reasonably protected from the weather.

Between the seats is a very deep wet locker and the cockpit side tray. The lockers are large enough to stow dive tanks.

There are coaming shelves for short rods and various other fishing bits and pieces.

The rocket launcher on the hardtop takes eight rods, all within reasonable reach.

The transom area has been refined. Either side of the central bait station, mounted above twin lockers, are twin steps to the boarding platform. The port side houses a live-bait tank.

The boarding area is surrounded by a railing cage or pushpit, complete with drop-down ladders on both sides. Fitted with a Mercury 175hp Pro XS OptiMax outboard swinging a 15 inch Mirage propeller, the 690 hit a top speed of 32 knots at 5500rpm. Cruising at 4000rpm delivered 22 knots while a few extra revs (up to 4500rpm), saw the 680 cruising at a respectable 25 knots.

At last year's Hutchwilco-sponsored boat show the 690 won the the Boat of the Show - Alumiunium Fishing Boat 6m to 7m Award.

McLay 690

LOA: 7.2m

LOH: 6.95m

Beam: 2.35m

Construction: 5mm/4mm aluminium alloy

Transom deadrise: 18 degrees

On-trailer weight: 2100kg (dry)

Engine capacity: 150-275hp

Power options: Outboard/sterndrive

Fuel capacity: 200 litres

Priced from: $89,000 (with a Mercury 200EFI)

Price as described: $114,487

Want to know more?
Check out Barry Thompson's review of the McLay 690 Cruiser Hardtop in the July-August issue of Pacific Powerboat magazine.