Why we kept coming back to the Fi-Glass Warrior

The first time Boating New Zealand reviewed the Fi-Glass Warrior, the conditions were poor enough to question the decision to leave the dock. As the 2006 report recorded:

“We should not have ventured beyond the Westhaven Marina breakwater, but pushed on under the Auckland Harbour Bridge and into the upper-harbour. It was tough going and a case of picking our way through the worst of the seas. The boats, however, handled the conditions well, shouldering aside the worst of the seas in a predictable and comforting way.”

Between 2006 and 2013, the Fi-Glass Warrior appeared in our pages another four times. The Warrior has been a successful model for Fi-Glass; our readers were asking about it, and so it remained relevant over the years.

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At 6.4 metres overall, the Warrior sits in a size range that continues to work for New Zealand boating. From our vantage point on the river in Whangamatā, plenty of boats of that size pass by. It’s large enough to fit the family while being easy to launch and retrieve.

The hull is a deep vee planing design with a fine forward entry and planing strakes. In 2006, while we ran with modest horsepower by today’s standards, the Warrior lifted onto the plane cleanly, with little bow rise and no need to work trim aggressively to settle the hull. Later reviews, conducted with heavier four-stroke outboards we recorded much the same running angle and steering feel.

The Warrior tracks cleanly through turns and holds its line when hit by waves at an angle. In the harbour test, we picked a conservative paths through the worst of the chop, and the hull stayed predictable.

The Fi-Glass Warrior remains on Fi-Glass’ website today. The layout has changed little across the years: the cockpit remains open and functional, with working space prioritised over fixed furniture. The cabin continues to provide usable vee berths and dry storage, along with a forward hatch that simplified anchor handling. These are practical, usable boats.

Across seven years of testing, the Warrior kept returning because it continued to offer a familiar, predictable platform in real conditions. For anyone considering a mid-sized trailer boat, the archive provides a useful starting point, and if the opportunity arises to run one on the water, it is a boat worth taking the time to drive.

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