With miles of pristine coastline, rivers and lakes it's no wonder fishing is one of New Zealand's most popular recreational pastimes. In a country full of folk who love to fish, it’s not surprising that the benchmark and expectations of a fishing boat are set pretty high. So, with the tough New Zealand fishing critic in mind, where better to design and build a boat than right here at home in New Zealand by a team of passionate fishermen and engineers.
Surtees are New Zealand’s top-selling plate aluminium boat built by highly trained staff. Surtees boats have proven to be incredibly popular and are recognised by fishermen all over the world for their quality, safety, stability and practical features.
Surtees, built to fish.
ET Talks about Surtees
As someone who’s spent a lifetime exploring Australia’s wildest coastlines and chasing trophy fish in the toughest conditions, I’ve come to rely on gear that’s built to perform. That’s why I choose Surtees – and why my weapon of choice for Escape Fishing with ET is the Surtees 7m Game Fisher.
This boat is an absolute machine. Built in New Zealand, Surtees boats are known for their rugged construction, smart design, and serious fishability – and the 7m Game Fisher has proven itself time and time again in all kinds of conditions, from calm bays to offshore swells.
One of the standout features is the ultra-smooth ride. The Surtees hull is legendary – the deep V design cuts through chop effortlessly, while the Anti-Roll™ ballast system gives you incredible stability when you’re at rest. Whether I’m fishing wide off the reef, navigating bar crossings, or filming long days on the water, I know I’m in safe hands with this rig.
The layout is a dream for anglers – a massive open deck, live bait tank, kill tanks, tuna tubes, and plenty of rod storage. There’s heaps of dry storage too, plus a well-protected hardtop with a lockable cabin. That secure cabin space is a game-changer when you’re storing camera gear, valuables, or even bunking down overnight. It gives me the confidence to leave the boat set up and ready, even when we’re staying on land overnight.
We’ve also outfitted the boat with Garmin electronics, giving me crystal-clear sonar, high-precision GPS, and a full suite of navigation and fishing tech that makes finding and staying on the fish easier than ever. Whether I’m sounding up reef edges or navigating pre-dawn runs, Garmin helps get the job done.
Safety is another huge factor. Surtees builds every hull with 6 fully sealed buoyancy compartments, and they back their boats with a 10-year hull warranty. That gives me real peace of mind when we’re filming hundreds of miles from the nearest ramp.
If you’ve seen the show, you’ve seen this boat in action – handling the rough stuff, helping us land monster GTs, marlin, coral trout, you name it. It’s more than just a filming platform – it’s a serious bluewater fishing machine.
For anyone who loves fishing and wants a boat that’ll go the distance, I can’t recommend the Surtees 7m Game Fisher highly enough. It’s got the performance, the build quality, and the features that all anglers need.
