Yellowfin 7400 with Twin Suzuki 115hp 4 Stroke

by Steve Morgan •

It’s fair to say the John Stav from JV Marine loves his Yellowfin boats. In fact, there’s a full range of the hulls in stock in the JV Marine yards. Built in the Telwater factory in South East Queensland, the northern boat is eminently suitable for taking on nasty southern seas.

“This is the last boat you’ll buy,” John said as we discussed the rig that he brought down to the ramp at Patterson Lakes for testing.

And being in the business nearly 40 years means that John knows his stuff. As it happens, he also knows every second person at the ramp, and has sold a boat to them at some stage.

At first sight of the Yellowfin, there’s no denying that it’s an impressive rig. Painted gloss black and powered by twin 115hp 4-stroke Suzuki outboards, it sits atop an I-beam Quintrex trailer, manufactured in the same facility as the boat.

Fitted with Telwater’s Catch and Release system, it’s entirely possible to launch and retrieve this boat single-handed – especially in a facility like Launching Way.

The twin Suzukis push along the 7.4m boat – which has a hull dry weight of nearly 1300kg – along at 30km/h with an economy of just under 2km per litre burned.

Comfortable helm chairs provide superior comfort to the captain and passenger.

Side pocket mounted vertical rod storage is becoming increasingly popular in boats we test. You can never have too much rod storage, or indeed, too many rods!

Adjustable rod holders on the hard top make loading rods easier. The LED lighting does the same for any fishing after dark.

JV’s additions of the snapper rod racks really tick the boxes for local applications. Imagine how many PPB snapper have hit the decks of JV Marine boats over the last 40 years!

The author is a big fan of accessible batteries and connections. If something goes sideways at sea, you need to be able to troubleshoot it without dismantling your boat.

Plenty of room for live baits here. You won’t find many boats of this size that lack the capacity for a day’s worth of livies.

The transom door is equally at home loading passengers or game fish. Both are good.

Even with the deceptive wide-angle lens, the bunks are long enough for you to stretch out and have a quick snooze between red-hot fishing sessions.

Comfortable helm chairs provide superior comfort to the captain and passenger.

Want all the options? The Yellowfin’s dash can hold them. Note the engine gauge mounting box above the flush mounted 12” Simrad. Even the steering wheel looks schmick.

Taking three or four mates and all fishing comfortably is eminently possible in this Yellowfin. Check out that fishing space.

Even with the hard top configuration, the 7.4m Yellowfin has miles of room in the cockpit. All the rails remain unpainted to disguise any wear and tear.

The Yellowfin definitely banked into turns and made full use of its waterline length.

With John Stav at the helm from JV Marine, it was like being chauffeured around Port Phillip Bay by boating royalty.

Over the years, I haven’t tested that many twin-outboard craft. Each time I do, though, I marvel at how a lightly loaded engine is ridiculously economical. And the figures from the test craft are pretty impressive. The twin Suzukis push along the 7.4m boat – which has a hull dry weight of nearly 1300kg – along at 30km/h with an economy of just under 2km per litre burned. That’s both engines combined. 3000RPM was the best observed cruising speed.

The Yellowfin’s ride is a little different from most boats I’ve tested, too. I expect a hull to get up and ride on its rear chines while cruising. The waterline length of this boat makes it near-impossible and the Quintrex uses nearly all of its 7.3m bow to transom length as a planning surface. Minor weight distribution issues are resolved with tweaks of the trim tabs, and as long as you’re not expecting a 100km/h ride, then you’ll get there economically and in comfort.

Given the 250L underfloor fuel tank, the Yellowfin boasts nearly 500km of range at the economical cruising speed. I assume that this is plenty for most weekend applications, even if they involve trolling for tuna for the entire weekend.

The helm seems to have been built for comfort. The seats attest to that, and we loved the fact that you can flush-mount a 12” display and still have room for all of your other gauges – like trim tabs, anchor winch and lighting controls, as well as the necessary switch panels and digital engine gauges.

JV Marine have fitted this test boat with rod holders and accessories that complement the Port Phillip Bay style of fishing. There’s plenty of rod storage (for when they’re in or out of the water) and lots of practical room to get rigged, baited and to deal with the catch.

As tested, this Yellowfin will set you back just under $130,000 to hitch it up and drive it home. However, packages with fewer bells and whistles come in at less than $100K.

For more information you can visit www.jvmarine.com.au, or like them on Facebook at JV Marine World. Alternatively, you can just drop into JV’s yards at Braeside or Laverton. You know they’ll have the full range in stock!

Specifications
Length: (bow-transom) 7.3m
Length: (overall) 7.6m
Length: (on trailer) 8.93m
Height: (on trailer) 2.92m
Beam: 2.40m
Depth: 1.25m
Bottom: 6mm
Sides: 4mm
Transom: 5mm
Max hp: 250
Hull weight: 1265kg
Capacity: 7 persons

Performance
Speed Overall
RPM km/h km/L
Idle 9 3.8
1000 10 2.0
2000 20 1.8
3000 30 1.9
4000 40 1.5
5000 52 1.0
* Fitted with 21” propellers