REDHOT Marine in Seaview, Lower Hutt, where I met up with owner and manager Simon Guard, was my destination to review a new Extreme 795 Game King.
Our review day was special for Simon. He was celebrating REDHOT Marine’s 13th birthday, as well as recently being awarded Yamaha Service Dealer of the Year, 2024. Simon is a successful powerboat racer who uses his experience expertly setting up boats for customers at his dealership.
Test day had dawned wet and windy, so we first took some time inside to look over the new Extreme 795 Game King and discuss several new features Simon had requested from Extreme Boats.
In terms of layout, Extreme had incorporated a new central live bait tank, a new wheelhouse design with enclosed rear doors and a window; and a flexible internal layout with a drop-down table and expanded upholstery options.
On the power and control side, the key words from Simon were “Integration and Automation”. The boat is fitted with a Vetus bow thruster integrated with Yamaha’s single outboard Helm Master EX system. It also had the Seakeeper Ride vessel attitude control system, which is a fully automated pitch and roll vessel stabilisation system.
The Seakeeper Ride system consisted of a rotational tab bonded to the transom on either side, each making up to 100 adjustments per second. The manufacturer claims that it takes away up to 70% of pitch and roll while the boat’s underway.
Simon was full of praise for the system saying, “It does work, and while there’s some videos of it online, they really understate how good it actually is. We wanted to properly showcase the system using the 795 since, for 90% of our customers, this 8m boat is going to give them everything they need and nothing they don’t.”
I was also keen to try out the Seakeeper on the water.
Also on the transom was a TM265 low/high 1kW chirp transducer, which Simon explained performs well in shallow water, but also tracks the bottom down to a depth of 1500m. On the starboard side was a RVM100 3D transducer, which takes care of standard high chirp as well as sidescan, downscan and 3D imaging.
Big block V6
The boat is powered by a new Yamaha F350 4.3-litre V6 outboard, which Simon explained “is essentially an evolution of Yamaha’s F300 4.2-litre engine. We [Yamaha] obviously had a gap in the market with nothing around that 350hp mark, so it was much needed for vessels like this. Now we have it and it performs extremely well – very economical and obviously it integrates with Yamaha’s Helm Master.”
The Game King 795 is a large boat and one key requirement for Simon was to keep the package under 3.5 tonnes so that towing was practical for customers wanting to do longer trips.
To help achieve this, it rides on a triple-axle Alloy-Tech trailer, braked on all three axles using a Credo electric over hydraulic system. The trailer includes an electric winch with a remote control for easy launching and retrieval.
Clean rigging
The transom of the boat is very clean, a benefit of Yamaha’s digital electric steering which only requires one rigging hose between the transom and the motor. On the port side is a gate which becomes a drop-down boarding ladder, and on the starboard side a swing gate allows access for pull through a large game fish, or easy gear transfer from a dinghy. The gates’ heavy-duty nylon catches were exceptionally smooth to operate.
Big volume, versatile layout
New to this Extreme is the central bait tank, which is nicely curved on the sides, allowing easy passage through the drop down transom doors. The bait tank has good volume and a central drop in divider.
The 795 has a beam of 2.8m, and there is lot of storage low down underneath the central bait tank and walkthrough. Simon explained: “It gives us is plenty of room for batteries – on this boat we have three batteries, one house, one start and one for the bow thruster. We also have the bow thruster controls in one of the lockers and access to our bilge area and all our pumps.”
The bow thruster control provides all the intelligent links to the Yamaha system, as well as controlling charging for its own battery.
Convenient knee operated external handwashers on both sides of the cockpit are great when you have your hands covered in squid or pilchard goo.
One of the most noticeable new features of this boat is the rear bulkhead/divider enclosing the wheelhouse. I asked Simon how the design came about.
“So, with boats this size, we get a lot of people who want an open boat and some who want a closed boat, but most of them want both! So, what the guys at Extreme have come up with is a folding, heavy-duty wheelhouse wall. On the starboard side we have our aluminium bifold door and on the port side we have our electric window. We can fully enclose the cabin, or we can open it right up, or have it somewhere in between.”
The framing is robust to ensure no rattling or shaking in rough sea conditions and the fit of the dropdown port window to the door seal is also nice and snug. An enclosed cabin is great for noise reduction and keeping you warm, but this design provides the flexibility to also open fully on warm days or when sitting at anchor. Speaking of reduced noise, this Extreme has 8mm thick aluminium bottom plates and sound insulating paint underfloor to reduce ambient noise levels to well below normal for aluminium boats.
Stepping inside the cabin, there is good headroom, sturdy overhead grab rails and two roof hatches to provide ventilation. To starboard behind the helm is the galley and sink with a 12V Isotherm fridge underneath. There is no cooker fitted currently, as Simon explained.
“A lot of our customers prefer to cook outside the cabin on the baitboard, in which case they can use a portable cooker. If the weather is bad, there is space for the portable cooker on the benchtop.”
There is an option of a diesel benchtop cooker that would also double up as a diesel heater to keep the cabin warm in the winter, no doubt an option South Island customers might consider.
On the port side is a flexible dinette layout with a drop-down table able to form an extra bunk, a reversible front seat back, and two-tone upholstery. All the drawers and storage areas are carpet lined.
Extreme has extended its offering when it comes to upholstery. “On this boat we’ve chosen a two-tone natural colour, making the boat feel airy and big, while also classing it up a bit from our standard greys and blacks,” explained Simon. “All Extreme dealers have the colour palettes from which customers can choose their preferred colours.”
With the 795’s wide hull, there is good accommodation up forward comprising a big double berth. The berth’s centre squabs are removable to access the toilet. The cabin is all carpet lined, with good storage shelves and forward access through to the anchor winch locker should that be needed.
The helm console has lots of space. Simon wanted to keep the dashboard area clean and ergonomic, which he has achieved. It’s fitted with the Raymarine Axiom Pro 2, a 16-inch MFD, matched with a Cyclone open array radar. There is Yamaha’s CL5 touchscreen gauge for engine management, standard switch panels, electric steering, the bow thruster toggle, a binnacle remote and Helm Master joystick completing the control and navigation suite.
I found the helm seat comfortable with its fold down arm and all the vessel’s controls falling nicely to hand.
On the water
We launched at Seaview into a 15 to 20-knot southerly blowing in from Cook Strait. There was a good half metre of chop on top of the swells through which to put the boat through its paces.
It became immediately clear the boat has ample power from the 350hp Yamaha to effortlessly power through the seaway. Simon demonstrated the Seakeeper Ride system by switching it off and on while we were underway. When I was driving the difference was immediate and pronounced. Fore and aft pitch over the short waves was immediately significantly reduced while zooming across the harbour in a cross-sea, the system automatically made adjustments so that the boat remained level and flat. It was great too when someone suddenly changed sides on the boat – there was no change in trim.
Due to the sea state, we didn’t try running at full speed, but Simon reported a top speed of 42.6 knots during prior testing and a fuel consumption of 1.8 litres per nautical miles at cruising speed (25 knots). At 28.6 knots in rough water, we were using 2.4 litres per nm.
Coming back into the marina we tested the integrated bow thruster in conjunction with the Yamaha EX system. Literally with a twist of the joystick we could spin the boat on the spot, providing great maneuverability in a tight space. This was very impressive for an 8m boat with a single outboard and would certainly give you lots of confidence when berthing.
The system also has all the standard Helm Master EX functions including Fishpoint Bow and Fishpoint Stern – they just work that much better with an integrated bowthruster, the bow thruster moving the bow and the outboard the rear.
The Yamaha binnacle is all digital for shifting and throttle and very smooth to operate. You’re not crunching in and out of gear, since the shifting speed is all taken care of by the digital throttle. It’s nice to see the push-button start/stop and power switches are all integrated into the binnacle.
Summary
The 795 Game King is a superbly built, its builders also having paid great attention to the detail. It has also been very well set up by the team at REDHOT Marine.
A number of changes were incorporated in this boat to make it more suitable for a wider range of conditions. The lock-up cabin, for instance, keeps excessive noise and the weather out while maintaining a comfortable inside temperature and – as is always the case with Extreme boats – the 795’s big cockpit is great for fishing and families.
Performance-wise, the new 350hp Yamaha, plus the Helm Master EX with bow thruster and Seakeeper Ride integration, make a big difference. Coming across the harbour in a cross sea, the outboard’s sure power combined with Seakeeper system’s constant automatic adjustments ably controlling pitch and roll, ensured a relaxed and comfortable ride.
Customers will appreciate such a large, well-made, versatile trailer boat, one that’s fun and easy to operate – this boat is currently for sale. It’s great to see technology and good design working together to make boating easier.
