This VeTus-Maxwell brighT blue Mclay 690 cruiser hardTop is

desTined To be a showcase noT only for VeTus-Maxwell, buT also

for iTs builder, Mclay boaTs. in The firsT of a Two-parT series

barry ThoMpson looks aT whaT Makes This 690 so differenT froM

all Those ThaT haVe gone before iT. in parT Two he will experience

jusT how good a plaTforM iT is as a serious diVing and fishing boaT.

SHOW & TELLWhen Ron Czerniak, sales manager for Vetus-Maxwell Indo-Asia, went looking for a suitable promotional boat to showcase some of the wide-ranging products offered by the company, he had some reasonably firm criteria. It had to be Kiwi made, it needed to be around 7m, a hardtop for weather protection, aluminium construction, have a big cockpit and suitable layout for diving and fishing and had to have the style and flair that would properly portray the Vetus-Maxwell

brand. It also had to have the space to fit what he considered appropriate products for a trailer boat from the Vetus-Maxwell catalogue! It also had to be a boat designed for fishing and diving, both particular passions of Ron and co-owner Peter Teensma, and it also needed to be a weekender. Once you start looking at all the Vetus options aboard you can see why the McLay 690 is such a practical and well-suited boat for the tasks required of it.When we tested the McLay 690 Cruiser hardtop

a whole heap of upgrades and they all seem to have worked well.“Since that first boat we have made very few changes, as the feedback we have had from our customers is that the boat’s just about perfect for what they require”, says designer and builder Steve McLay.Winner of the Aluminium Fishing Boat, 6 - 7 metres category, in the 2011 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat show, the McLay 690 Cruiser Hardtop is one of ten boats in the McLay

after last year’s Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show, we knew it was going to be a success, but we didn’t envisage by quite how much. Since the show, Milton based McLay Boats has delivered six 690 Cruiser HTs, with this very special one in the Vetus-Maxwell colours being number six.The layout of the Vetus-Maxwell boat is very much standard and follows the proven design of a large enclosed wheelhouse and forward cabin, plus a big workable cockpit. From its predecessor, the McLay 680, the 690 received

Hardtop Cruiser Series, which ranges from the 6.1m/600 through to the all-new 11m/1100 Walkaround.

Vetus-Maxwell PackageHowever, the difference in this boat over all other 690s, is the equipment list. As the intention was always to set the boat up as a sort of waterborne showroom, albeit for products that are both practical and applicable for trailer boats, there is hardly a space left that

hasn’t been fitted out with a Vetus-Maxwell product. This boat is loaded! There are over 50 Vetus or Maxwell branded products on the boat and while Ron admits they could have put more on he didn’t want to ‘overkill’ the McLay with items that were not really appropriate.The main aim of this boat is to dispel the mis-conception that Vetus products are really only suitable for boats over about 10 metres. As Ron explained, and as this new Vetus-Maxwell boat shows, there is a plethora of Vetus products that

Vetus-Maxwell chose the Mclay 690ht to showcase soMe of the wide-ranging products offered by the coMpany.

powered by a Mercury Verado 225, the Vetus-Maxwell 690ht runs to around 45 Mph.

the cockpit has been set up for fishing and diVing.

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hardtop like the McLay 690 is subject to, I can see this being a great advantage getting on a trailer in difficult sea and wind conditions at the ramp, especially if you are short handed. This particular model is the smallest in the Vetus thruster range and comes with a 110mm wide tunnel, weighs just 10kg and really doesn’t take up much space. Overhead a Vetus Z50 manual spotlight on the wheelhouse cabin top can be hand operated from inside and either side you’ll find a pair of Vetus mushroom air ventilators. These are great because even when fully open they do not allow any water ingress. That is until you start taking ‘greenies’ over the cabin top! Then just wind them closed.Forward in the cabin there is a Vetus electric pump head under the forward berth and this is connected to a self contained 60-litre capacity

Vetus waste water holding tank system. The toilet will macerate the contents and evacuate it in about 7 secs. An exhaust fan in the cabin helps expel any excess odours and a draw curtain offers privacy. Any smells from the holding tank are absorbed by the Vetus "No Smell” filter unit.Another really interesting addition that can be found in the boat is Vetus SDP sound deadening material from the chine to keel in the forward sections of the boat. Construction is two layers of polyurethane foam sandwiching a 4mm anti-reverberation slab and is designed to both absorb noise and insulate the vibrations. This is a great product in a big alloy boat. According to Ron it virtually eliminates any slap noise while underway or at rest. I’ll comment when I get to try the boat out in the next issue.Inside the wheelhouse there are pair of Vetus

should be of serious interest to the boat builder and the end user of any trailer boat.Starting at the bow you have the Maxwell MaxSet 10kg anchor, Vetus stainless steel bollard, and Maxwell RC8 rope/chain windlass, controlled by the Maxwell AA560 auto anchor controller/counter installed inside on the helm station dash.The foredeck has been fitted with a new Vetus Magnus 5151 hatch (previously sold as the Maxwell Offshore); the windscreens have Vetus wipers which come complete with a Vetus mul-tifunction helm station control and freshwater washing kits. Even the stainless cleats and deck filler caps for the freshwater and sewage discharge are from Vetus..“We were conscious that the items we fitted were in keeping with the size of the boat and I feel that there is nothing on-board that shouldn’t be there”, said Ron.This reasoning extends right through to the Vetus BOW25 model bow thruster, which some would say is hardly necessary on a trailer boat. However, knowing the windage factor a big

seats complete with adjustable bases so they can be transformed into bolsters. They are mounted on adjustable pedestals with gas filled cylinders and have full height and fore/aft adjustment.There is a complete self-contained 60-litre Vetus fresh water tank system under the forward centre section of the cockpit sole, just ahead of the 200 litre fuel tank. This comes complete with its own pump and even a tank level sensor and is filled from a deck filler on the starboard side. A dash mounted Vetus ultrasonic level sensor allows you to monitor all your tankage on board, be it fuel, water or waste. Interestingly, all water and fuel hoses on the boat are stamped with the Vetus brand.Outside, there’s still more from the Vetus range, with an adjustable cockpit table and removable pedestal, coaming rubbing strake, plus twin Vetus AGM 161Ah batteries and a battery splitter switch in the rear transom locker. Even the stainless steel deck hardware is all Vetus, as is the glued-down antiskid tread around the side decks.A neat item is the Vetus anti-splash back unit, Splash Stop, which is fitted in the fuel line to totally avoid any spillage while filling the fuel tank. Vetus filters are also used in the fuel system.

McLay ExperienceThe Vetus-Maxwell McLay 690 is powered by a Mercury Verado 225 which features the SmartCraft Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) engine control system and Verado's exclusive electro-hydraulic power steering system which eliminates steering torque while delivering a precise steering feel. More on that in part 2, next issue.Over the years I have had many occasions to run a variety of McLay boats in extreme sea conditions, so I can say in confidence that in the rough or smooth, they certainly do the business and the bigger they get the better they are.While we had not yet been for a run in the boat when I wrote this first part of the two-part article, Ron informed me that during trials just prior to the boat show, they had seen around 45mph on the speedo. In Part 2 (Sept-Oct issue) we conclude the article after a few days away diving and fishing, when we get to experience the boat and all the Vetus products first hand.

Technical DataModel: McLay690CruiserHardtopBuilder: McLayBoatsPricedFrom: $NZ89,000(Mercury200EFI)Type: HardtopConstruction: 5mm/4mmaluminiumalloyLOA: 7.20mLOH: 6.95mBeam: 2.35mTransomDeadrise: 18degreesTrailerableWeight: 2100kg(dry)EngineCapacity: 150-275hpPowerOptions: Outboard/sterndriveFuelCapacity: 200litresEngine: MercuryVerado225Trailer: Toko

Notable Non Vetus Features on Test BoatLowranceHDS10MFD,UnidenUM380VHF,FusionIP600,Mercury225hpVerado.

the bow thruster at work.

seating in the wheelhouse is proVided with twin adjustable helM seats on gas pedestals.

a Vetus anti-splash back unit, splash stop, is fitted in the fuel line to totally aVoid any spillage while filling the fuel tank.

twin Vetus agM 161ah batteries and a battery splitter switch are fitted in the rear transoM locker.

the 60-litre capacity Vetus waste water holding tank systeM will Macerate the contents and eVacuate it in about 7 secs.

all the deck hardware is out of the Vetus range.

the boat would not be coMplete without a Maxwell Maxset 10kg anchor, Vetus stainless steel bollard, and Maxwell rc8 rope/chain windlass.

the electric Marine toilet coMes with an easy to use electronic control panel.

a 60-litre Vetus fresh water tank systeM coMes coMplete with its own puMp and eVen a tank leVel sensor.

the cabin top features twin Vetus MushrooM Vents, a powerful Vetus spotlight and a helM station oVerhead hatch.

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