Photos by - Alison Kuiter

Bear's Best Boat Tests

The Northbank success story keeps rolling on! Their flagship 750 hard top has been rightfully recognised as a true bluewater warrior and is fast becoming a classic Australian hull. The Northbank reputation grows daily, not only for their terrific range of fibreglass boats but for the strong support of a good, homegrown Australian company and dealers.

Northbank only offers their 750 hulls with a hard top but with different factory options for single engine or twin rig transom for outboards and single stern drives. But to take a further leap of faith, Northbank now offers the package with an optional enclosed, lockable cabin that just makes plain sense for security in storage and mooring scenarios but also for those of us in southern climates that regularly travel long distances in almost frozen conditions.

But then, matching this terrific new offering with the might and power of a gutsy Mercury 300HP V8 4-stroke 4.6 litre V8 sets up a match made in nautical Utopia.

White 300HP V8 Mercury Packs a Punch

The 750HT has a vast working deck area and unparalleled offshore credentials, especially at sea chasing billfish

This was far from my first outing in a 750, having driven them with both Volvo Penta and Mercury diesels, Suzuki’s and now the glory of the big black Merc – except this one was white to match the boat. (I’m still getting my head around white Mercs). While this one still needed some fine tuning, she felt and sounded terrific on the water, portraying that “strait shooter” attitude that provides confidence in the hull from the moment you board.

I reckon you can feel the quality in the heavy fibreglass layup. There are no synthetic tricks or artificial attempts at weight saving here. Her old school construction recognises that there’s a perfect weight to each hull and just making them lighter for the sake of towing has been the downfall of many good hulls for their opposition.

Seaworthy Traditions

Northbank boats boast many seaworthy traditions and a host of fishing essentials including a rocket launcher

In a previous review, I said, “Northbank boats are honest, down to earth, strong, beautifully manufactured, and very seaworthy craft built with the old-time fibreglass traditions of more is better!”

The last review I did with the 750 was with the Mercury 270HP, 3 litre, turbo and after-cooled, V6 diesel engine coupled with a Bravo 3X SeaCore counter rotating propeller sterndrive. I still say this package was the most impressive for serious offshore specialists. Yet it still has the stigma of a sterndrive having the engine inside the hull and the drive outside. Let’s face it: Aussies love outboards, and the rest of the world has caught on and is now embracing our lust, especially with the fuel-efficient developments of our modern high horsepower engines.

The glass sliding windows on the newly designed cabin combine well with the enclosed rear hardtop

The balance of the craft has that discernible 750 hull attitude that sits straight and true with very little bow rise no matter how much trim you apply. The instantaneous raw power of the big Merc was arousing, to say the least, with absolutely no lag on acceleration. She erupted out of the hole evenly and without any surprise power bands through the entire speed range. The faster we went, the better the Merc loved it – and so did we!

We powered up in a fair chop to 68 kph at 6000 RPM, where she was extremely miserly for a 300 returning 84 Lph with two on board and a full load, but I couldn’t help the feeling that she’s got quite a bit more in her with some prop and engine height tuning. We throttled back to a speedy offshore speed of 45 kph (24 knots) at 4500 RPM, where she travelled with conviction using only 51 Lph returning a realistic range of around 150 nautical miles (280 km) from the standard 350 litre in-built fuel tank with 10% reserve.

What I can’t describe in figures is a certain feeling of solid confidence that only comes from a strong, well-balanced layup combined with practical design. There’s no frills, instead just a dependable seafarer with deep freeboard, huge work area, plenty of storage, a traditional yet very workable engine well and transom, plus a well-proportioned cabin that is large enough for an overnighter or to store all of those offshore necessities.

Cabin, Dash & Accessories

The dashboard can accommodate large screen electronics, plus there's an ergonomic dash layout with bulkhead foot rails

The hardtop offers maximised protection from all climate conditions, cold and hot. But to now offer the security of a full lock-up cabin with sliding rear doors, makes a house a home. Our demonstration unit had already been delivered to a customer that keeps it in a pen at Melbourne’s Martha Cove but raises it out of the water when not in use with an inflatable unit.  She was fitted with a full array of goodies including Stress Free anchor winch, electric toilet under the V-berth, bunk infills, 2x Simrad and 1x Raymarine multi-function screens for all the electronic bells and whistles, including radar and Flir night vision.

The dash is well set up, and full but not cluttered with the Mercury Vessel View digital gauge systems, recessed side mount binnacle control, VHF, axillary plugs, switch gear, winch controls, refreshment holder, trim tab controls, and an attractive stainless steel steering wheel with spin knob for easy control of the hydraulic steering. There’s terrific visibility with the big windscreens and opening side windows plus wipers and plenty of ventilation.

Whilst I am not usually a pedestal seat devotee, usually preferring the solid dependability and added function of seat boxes, the Axis compression seating with thickly upholstered skipper-style seats were comfortable and totally appropriate. There’s a stainless footrest each side, a moulded glovebox, passenger side 'Jesus bar' and the internals feature neat carpet trims offsetting the polar white gelcoat finishes. I really liked the roller shutter that secures the V-berth entry for added security, and the volume of the larger sleeping area.

Deck Me Out

Four gunwale hand rails, deep freeboard, side pockets and a convertible workstation with live bait tank

One of the terrific features of the 750HT is the massive 5 square metres of usable deck room plus the deep freeboard (1 metre) that keeps you and your passengers safe and secure when the going gets rough. This one had an optional side door entry that comes in very handy for boarding and departing, and with a bit of luck, will make landing or releasing that large pelagic much easier.

There’s a terrific array of deck features such as recessed grab rails, large side pockets, underfloor storage with well positioned stainless rod holders, live bait tank with viewing window and rear door access. The full beam fold-up rear seat is quite simple in style and is exceptionally practical, providing added seating and keeping all of the plumbing, pumping, bilge and electrical well out of harm’s way.

The Wrap

So to wrap it up you might ask, what is it I like about the Northbank 750 Enclosed Hard Top? Well, the answer is quite simply just about everything – this is my kind of boat!

The flagship of the Northbank range suits trailerable, wet or dry storage

Specifications

Length overall: 7.37m
Beam: 2.45m

Weight: 1750kg (dry- hull only)

Fuel capacity: 350L (standard)

Water capacity: nil

Power:  Mercury 300HP V8 4-stroke 4.6 litre V8

The boat for this test was supplied by Melbourne Marine Centre.

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