It was Wade Gerrand’s 50th birthday the day we reviewed the new Buccaneer 635 Exeed. Coincidentally, it had also been 50 years since Wade’s father, Gerry Gerrand, started Buccaneer Boats, a proud family-owned business building GRP trailer boats, making it a double celebration.
The first 635 left the Hamilton factory way back in the early 2000s, using the same hull as the company’s popular 2008 Billfisher model, and it’s been in production ever since, its enduring appeal a testament to sound design and excellent build quality.
The latest 635 Exeed introduces several upgrades, which should ensure the model remains relevant for many more years to come.
The review boat was presented in a lovely Ocean Mist blue, one of several hull colour options the factory offers. The interior is finished to Buccaneer’s usual high standard, with ivory and dark-grey dimple vinyl seats in the cockpit and plush blue fabric upholstery in the forward cabin. The cockpit sole is covered in storm-grey over steel-grey Boatdek, which is also used on the cockpit coaming. The floor covering complements the titanium gelcoat of the cockpit liner (other gelcoat colour options are available), as well as the grey powder-coated windscreen surround and grabrail. Windscreens are glass by Taylormade, supplied by Sandbrooks.
The Exeed is designed primarily as a day boat. It features a stainless steel and canvas Bimini for shade and shelter, with clears providing spray and rain protection in bad weather. There’s a chemical toilet under the squab between the v-berths, with an infill to create a generous double berth, and an Engel fridge under the passenger seat, so overnighting is quite feasible, especially with the clears fitted. The bimini top folds down to make garaging easier and Buccaneer recommends removing the canvas before trailering the boat for long distances or at speed.
On first seeing the boat, I immediately noticed the new, wider opening between the cockpit and front cabin. This is just one of the changes made to the new deck mould, which also includes
a revised dash console. Previously the 635 had a curved dash pad and an enclosed bulkhead with a sliding door to access the fore cabin. The new design makes the whole boat, but especially the cabin, feel spacious and airy. It also allows you to stand up in the companionway with your feet inside the cabin footwell.
Up forward, that sense of space is enhanced by a large foredeck hatch which, along with the wide bulkhead opening, floods the cabin with natural light. The hatch provides easy access to the bow, anchor locker and ground tackle, which comprises a Maxwell RC 6 capstan, stainless steel fairlead, a Maxset 4 stainless-steel anchor, and a chain and rope rode. Shelves, also serving as backrests when seated, wrap around the cabin, and there’s useful stowage under the seat squabs.
Different interior layout options are offered, depending on trim level and customer preference, but the review boat featured pedestal bucket seats on moulded GRP bases with integrated rear-facing seats on both sides of the boat. There’s generous dry storage in the seat bases, accessed by lifting the hinged rear seats, and more storage inside the removable transom seat/bin, which can be left at home if more cockpit space is desired. A large underfloor wet locker aft accommodates bulky or wet items, while cockpit side shelves provide additional stowage, especially for longer items.
Rod racks fitted under the gunwales can accommodate all but the longest of fishing rods, there’s rod stowage on the bimini rocket launcher, four stainless-steel through-gunwale rod holders for trolling, and four handy bait station rod holders. A pair of angled rod holders on the sides of the bimini frame are a Buccaneer signature, perfect for trolling, whether for trout or marine game fish.
The bait station is a deluxe moulded GRP unit from Fibertech but Buccaneer also offers a more basic stainless steel and PVC model from Manta. A transom locker houses the battery and switches, with space left over for general storage, all protected from the elements. The live bait tank is under the port side walkthrough, which has the washdown outlet inside it and now features a window for monitoring the baits. The boarding ladder is also to port, and the boat has a cockpit floodlight. As is usual with Buccaneer boats, the bait station must be removed to drop in the stainless-steel ski-pole.
One of the attractions of this model is its versatility. The cockpit is large enough for fishing and diving or enjoying water toys and fun times with the family, even with this seating arrangement. The cockpit’s high sides provide security for young children and good thigh support for anglers.
A 200hp V6 Mercury in Warm Fusion White bolted to the transom perfectly matches the Buccaneer’s Ivory gelcoat. It runs a 19-inch Vengeance three-bladed stainless-steel propeller, but Wade says Buccaneer usually opt for a four-bladed prop if they fit a larger 250hp V8 engine to the boat. He explains that the extra transom lift it provides compensates for the V8’s added weight. The 635 also performs well with a 150hp outboard.
The 200hp Mercury imparts strong performance, even with four adults aboard. Throttle response is crisp and hole shots are snappy, aided by the Lenco Pro-Control fully automatic trim tab system fitted to the test boat. This was my first time with Lenco’s latest, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s very responsive and fast-acting and the perfect solution for boats like the Buccaneer which have transom designs that can’t accommodate interrupter-style trim systems.
The system keeps the hull level, improves stability, compensates for shifting loads onboard, reduces bow lift and maintains an efficient running attitude whatever the sea conditions without any additional input from the helmsman, but can also be manually operated.
Comfortable cruise speed was anywhere between 20 and 25 knots, and we noted a fuel burn of 20 litres per hour at 3500rpm/25.5 knots. Top speed was 43 knots, the Mercury drinking 55 litres per hour at full throttle. The Buccaneer 635 Exeed carries 240 litres of fuel in an aluminium tank under the floor forward of the wet locker aft, so there’s plenty of range for offshore work and weekending.
The rig was a notably quiet runner. Engine noise is fairly muted, and the Bimini top doesn’t reflect engine noise the way a hardtop does, but the foam filled hull is also a contributing factor. Buccaneer fills the voids between the hull and hull liner with closed cell foam which also adds stiffness to the structure.
The 635 is a relatively deep-vee design with a 21-degree deadrise at the transom, so trim tabs are almost mandatory. As noted, Lenco’s new high-speed Pro-Control trim tab system is a great match for the hull, which feels very assured underway and delivers an excellent ride and easy, predictable handling. This was always a great hull and that hasn’t changed with the latest update.
The updated helm console now boasts the same dash as Buccaneer’s Eldorado and Billfisher models. Not only does this make sense from a manufacturing efficiency point of view, but it also means there’s now enough real estate for today’s large screen electronic displays. The test boat features a 16-inch Garmin MFD, which along with displaying GPS chart-plotter and fishfinder/depth sounder inputs, can also display the engine and fuel data in full screen or multiple split-screen modes. Buccaneer has noticed a move away from traditional separate analogue or digital gauges, says Wade, but notes that many customers still like them for their ease of use – no need to scroll through MFD menus when, with a glance, you can see what you need on a dedicated gauge. Consequently, this boat has a pair of Mercury SmartCraft gauges almost at eye level above the MFD.
While the Garmin MFD takes up most of the dash’s real estate, there’s still room on the console for a compact Lumitech eight-switch switch panel, Lenco trim tab control unit off to the right, Maxwell anchor control, and VHF radio and Fusion stereo head units
flush-mounted low down in the console. A handy moulded shelf/cubby with a couple of drink holders on the passenger side is another new feature.
This boat benefits from Mercury’s latest electronic throttle and shift, but not Mercury’s electric steering, utilising Seastar hydraulic steering instead. That said, steering is light and responsive, complementing the hull’s fine handling characteristics.
The review boat was carried on a premium, braked, dual-axle, multi-roller, galvanised steel trailer by DMW. Featuring alloy wheels, plus a spare, Boatdek non-slip on the mudguards, and a centre walkway for dry feet when hooking up the boat for retrieval, the trailer’s optimised for this hull. All up towing weight is approximately 1840kg.
Buccaneer Boats has been building high-quality GRP trailer boats for Kiwi families for 50 years. The latest Buccaneer 635 Exeed is an excellent example of why the company has been successful for so long and built up such a loyal customer base. Buccaneer Boats’ customers often span generations of the same family, just like the company itself.
Happy 50th birthday Buccaneer Boats (and Wade Gerrand too).
