ONE MAN'S BOAT

In the past few years my fishing developed from an all consuming pastime, through a life threatening addiction, to the point where in order to stave off the cravings I decided to become a freshwater guide. At the point of this decision, my wife agreed that it was a good idea to make a few dollars out of something that I was going to be doing anyway.

My first point of call was to select a boat, get it built to survey and everything from there should be easy. This is where I realised how persistent a fishing guide must be. It isn’t the stress of catching fish for the clients, but getting a boat passed into NSW survey requirements.

I started looking through catalogues and websites of the major aluminium boat manufacturers and found several hull designs that would be suitable. Upon speaking with these companies I quickly became aware that they were not overly interested in pulling their workers off the production line to build a ‘one-off’ boat that would comply with survey standard. The smaller manufacturers were more than willing to build a custom boat, however the hull cost was way bigger than the budget I had for the entire business.

A quick Google search produced several leads on small boats operating commercially in NSW waters. I scanned through them to find that most of these boats were significantly bigger than the 4.0m-4.3m ‘barra’ or ‘bream’ type craft I was looking for. I then found an article written by Steve Williamson of Jindabyne, where he discussed the merits of his 4.1m Polycraft charter boat. Some more web surfing and I was on the Polycraft website and not long after I was on the phone to Steve Cooper at Polycraft. The 4.1m Challenger looked like it could suit my needs and yes, they could build the boat to NSW specifications.

The trouble was that the Polycraft factory is in Bundaberg, I am in Wagga Wagga and my nearest dealer was in Sydney. Despite the geographical dilemma, I ordered the boat through Yabbie Marine in southern Sydney (whose experience in dealing with NSW Maritime proved invaluable) and after three months, I made the five hour drive to Sydney to pick up my new boat.

The boat as a bare hull took some getting used to. This was the first time I had laid eyes on a Polycraft and as the entire boat was the same colour with no carpet, engine or fittings to soften the intensity of the regal-blue. It didn’t take long for a similarity to be drawn between my glowing new boat and the Sesame Street muppet ‘Grover’ of the same colour.

Whilst waiting for my boat to be built, I had plenty of time to educate myself on the standards and equipment required to pass survey. Many phone calls and emails were passed between NSW Maritime and myself in an effort to ensure that I was making the right decisions in fitting my boat out. I even downloaded and read most of the 800 odd pages of the USL (Uniform Shipping Laws) Code for which my boat must comply.

Before the first hole was drilled in the hull, I sat down with Craig Harris from Wagga Marine and we planned what we could do with the boat to balance survey compliance and what I needed in a working charter boat.

Looking at the bare hull, the Polycraft has two large storage bins under the front deck and two rear storage bins. The rear bins were already filled with foam flotation and sealed shut as part of the required buoyancy, which meant that we needed somewhere to put the fuel tanks, cranking battery and my 150Ah deep cycle battery. The front two bins were unable to be used for fuel and batteries as one was reserved for life jackets/safety gear and the other was to be used as an esky/live well.

The central deck area (floor) on the bare boat is large and we chose to sacrifice deck space to create spacious front and rear casting decks. The front deck needed to be robust, but we didn’t want to add excess weight. We removed the poly hatch covers (which are very heavy for their size) and Wagga Marine manufactured an aluminium framework to provide a solid base for a ply deck. The deck was extended rearward by the width of the deep cycle battery which allowed swivel seats to be mounted on top and created a casting deck that can easily accommodate two anglers.

We chose to secure the front two hatches with Velcro rather than hinges to reduce the chance of tripping or burning bare skin on a metal hinge heated up by the sun (A lot of summer days in the Riverina are over 40 degrees). With limited storage space available, we positioned custom built drawers under the front deck either side of the deep cycle battery which I use to house lures, tools, sunscreen and other items needed quick to hand. The drawers are secured in position with a strip of velcro cross the back (another good idea from Wagga Marine) which stops them from slipping out when the power is wound on.

Similar to the front deck, the extension of the rear deck served multiple purposes. NSW Maritime requirements for custom built or underfloor fuel tanks are very stringent and it was far easier (and significantly cheaper) to use ‘off the shelf’ plastic tanks. We didn’t want to encroach very far into my already reduced floor space, so Craig and I scoured boating catalogues to find the narrowest fuel tanks available. A pair of skinny 25L plastic tanks were located on the floor on either side of the rear storage bins. Central to these fuel tanks we located the switch panel with fuses, isolation switches for both batteries, a fuel cut-off switch, a 12V outlet, and a panel of switches for the accessories.

Maritime indicated that the fuel tanks shouldn’t be enclosed, and as such we didn’t add a cover in front of the tanks. This makes it easy to monitor fuel levels and is simpler for filling. I can also jam a few more lure boxes in the space on top of the fuel tanks (you can never have enough lures in the boat).

The width of the rear deck allowed the drivers seat to be mounted further forward which is a more comfortable driving position given the long tiller of my engine.

In order to secure the deep cycle battery and the fuel tanks, and to give a fully flat floor, we added a carpeted plywood deck on top of the poly flooring.

The 4.1 Challenger has a massive engine well which was ideal for locating the cranking battery. An aluminium sheet was bent to shape and mounted to one side of the engine well as a shelf for the battery, with enough room underneath so that the electric bilge pump can be serviced. On top of the engine well another ply hatch was added (slightly recessed) so that pliers, lures, cameras, de-snaggers and other loose items don’t roll about the rear casting deck or end up on the floor when travelling.

For the main engine, I chose a tiller steer Honda 40hp with electric start and gas assist tilt. The huge numbers of snags, rapids and sand bars in the waterways I fish require that I have an engine that will ‘give’ when bumping logs and enable a quick change to shallow water drive. Choosing a four-stroke was a no-brainer as they are super smooth, miserly on fuel and quiet.

The original 13” pitch Honda propeller was replaced with a 12” pitch to enable the boat to get on the plane quicker (A set of fins was also added). The 12” improved performance for one client, but still took too long to plane with two, so I moved to a Solas 11” pitch stainless propeller which squirts the boat on the plane. Top end speed isn’t a priority in snaggy water whereas it’s important to get the boat up and planing to avoid snags and sandbanks.

To take care of still water trolling and casting options, I fitted a wireless 55lb Motorguide electric motor. The ability to steer the boat from anywhere with a tiny remote hanging off a pocket or belt is a technological marvel. Even my young children manoeuvre the boat expertly within minutes. Full points go to whoever invented wireless technology.

With the basic structure and layout of the boat completed, we started adding in the sundry equipment required for a commercial vessel. The 4.5kg fire extinguisher fitted perfectly on top of the opposite gunnel to the electric motor. The 5000L/hr manual bilge pump was screwed to the rear deck behind the driver seat, whilst the life ring is yet to find a permanent home. It’s an awkward size and shape and tends to be placed in a differing location depending on the days activities.

Other equipment including the foam filled coastal life jackets, self igniting buoy light, air horn, fire bucket, flares, torch, and a first aid kit, fills one of the storage bins under the casting deck.

For night fishing options, a set of National Maritime Safety Committee approved navigation lights were fitted. The stern lamp is a standard one metre pole light, but the port and starboard lamps are chunky items and look slightly out of place, but they work.

The big anchor well of the 4.1 Challenger was barely enough to hold the required 4kg anchor, three metres of 8mm chain and fifty metres of 10mm rope. An anchor this size is overkill for a river which averages about two metres in depth and is barely fifty metres wide, but rules are rules and I must comply.

The amount and type of equipment required for a small charter boat operating in calm waters is extreme. The USL code was written with large vessels in mind and whilst some allowances have been made for small vessels, the process of fitting out a 4.1m vessel and having it approved for commercial use is not simple and patience is required.

Aside from all the work involved in getting the boat inspected and passed into NSW survey, the boat itself (thanks to Wagga Marine) is a hard core fishing machine. I am not soft on my boats and regularly put the craft in harms way in order to get the perfect position for next cast. For me it is all about the fish and the boat is a means to get you close to them. The Polycraft 4.1 does this with aplomb. It will take heavy knocks without denting or cracking and being plastic it is very easy to maintain its ‘brand new’ appearance so that it can keep catching the eye of potential new clients.

I had my reservations about poly boats, stemming mainly from the fact that I had never been in one, but after logging up many hours, I am a convert. For someone like me who spends so much time in my boat, it’s comforting not to worry about the hardware, so I can concentrate on catching fish.

In my opinion the key features that stand this boat out from other aluminium boats that I have owned and fished from, is the stability and smooth, quiet ride. With clients on board who may not be boat savvy, it’s comforting to know that if we are all on one side of the boat that the boat remains safe and surprisingly level. Add the benefit of being able to hold a conversation at wide open throttle and you have a ‘people friendly’ unit.

The only drawback I note is that they are a heavy boat (especially so in NSW survey configuration) and you need to bolt on the maximum horsepower to get the hull to perform.

A Polycraft wasn’t my first choice, as a plastic boat just didn’t seem right, and had my budget been greater I naively would have been fishing out of a custom built aluminium hull, but once acquainted with my 4.1 Challenger I couldn’t be happier.

© Jamin Forbes June 2007