MYSTIQUE II NO MYTHS ABOUT BY KEITH INGRAM A
fter starting fishing at the age of 12 in what was at the time the smallest registered fishing boat in New Zealand, Paul Reinke has stuck true to his industry and the life as a fisherman.
From paua diving to set netting and then crayfishing, the Kaikoura coast on the South Island has been good for Paul and his family as he became attuned to the vagaries of the weather and the challenges of working a rugged coastline open to the Pacific and the Southern Oceans.
When Paul and Fay looked to upgrade their existing fishing vessel, the Mystique, they turned again to Q-West Boatbuilders, who built and delivered the traditional 12m monohull with shaft drive 14 years ago. The Mystique has now been sold to a fisherman working Wellington's southern coast and continues to give excellent service. Teknicraft was contracted to design a 14m crayfishing boat to operate out of their home base at Kaikoura, which does not
have suitable mooring facilities. The boat would be launched and recovered on a trailer and stowed on land overnight. The reason for the upgrade was to keep pace with technology. The couple were keen on HamiltonJet's blueArrow waterjet propulsion system for operational manoeuvrability. The extra length would give them more deck space and more space in the saloon for extra creature comforts. Built by Q-West of marine grade alloy plate, the Mystique II's hull follows on from the traditional mono-hull planing form with a deep forefoot to give wave penetration and a soft entry before flattening out as the load-carrying form travels aft and out to the chines.
Her hull has added strength to cope with life as a heavy boat that will be hauled daily onto a trailer with up to four bins of quality rock lobster and/or cray pots on her deck. A small boarding platform aft protects the waterjets below and doubles as a handy place to get down on if the jet units become
VIP.S85 16 Professional Skipper January/February 2012
