VEITCH 27
VEITCH 27 HARDTOP
The Veitch 27 Hardtop has a 2.5m beam and 25.5 degrees at the transom. The aggressive dead-rise extends right up into the bow at more than 50 degrees, complemented by a large flare. Roger says it’s more of a wedge than a traditional Carolina flare. “I wanted to create more buoyancy in the top section of the boat to keep the bow up when diving into big swells. It keeps things pretty dry, particularly running down sea.
“We really compensated (for the large dead-rise) with wide, rounded-out reverse chines,” Roger continues. “They sit low in the water and give the boat a great sense of stability at rest and at speed. A lot of water is working its way up to those chines and back down. You can feel it work. The chines also help it turn on rails. It’s fast and predictable around corners.”
VEITCH 27 IMAGE GALLERY
HANDLING
Handling is also fine-tuned with twin ballast tanks in the keel: 240L aft, 210L forward. Two Jabsco pumps push 54L a minute. “It gives you the ability to change the characteristics of the ride in different conditions,” Roger says. “You can make it ride how you want.”
TRANSOM
As a large modern game boat, the Veitch 27 has been designed to go backwards in a hurry — for chasing game fish. The transom features a step akin to a swim-end on a barge. It’s integrated as one piece with big round corners.
HELM
Roger wanted a big dash with no digital displays in front of the windscreen. It was really important to start using all the latest technology and get glass bridges in the boat without it being in the way when you’re actually trying to see to drive the thing.
CABIN
Roger says the cabin is a design feature. “It was really important to make the inside of the cab as spacious as possible. The oven-baked ceramic glass, attaches directly to the hardtop without the need for aluminium frames.”
GAME-FISHING
Roger tapped some of the local gun fishos on the shoulder and included some clever game-fishing touches in the cabin. Behind the driver’s seat there’s a fridge, sink and chopping board. It is also somewhere you can rig baits in bad weather.
ACCESSIBILITY
There’s great accessibility to the cockpit for getting on and off the boat and bringing in big fish. A big dive door on the starboard side and a transom door give you a lot of flexibility to take a leak and move stuff on and off the boat.