The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/91629
One of the 1000kg live cray wells Looking aft, note the clean wash on's one would expect on a commercial vessel. Outside, the working deck area offers 20 square metres of deck space for pots and deck stowage, and hello, as with every short cray boat to crib, that extra pot stowage on deck has been fitted with an alloy Tauranga tuck. Below the cockpit sole are two underfloor cray wells holding 1000 litres of water aside, plus the one tonne bait and fish icebox. Also under the floors are the 1600 litre fuel tanks, with both tanks equally divided to feed the Cummins QSB5.9 500hp Quantam series marine diesel driving the ZF 311A 2.1 gearbox coupled to a Diverse Engineering drive chain, spinning a 28x26 four bladed bronze propeller. Of note, the large rudder blade extends just proud of the transom giving a tight turning circle. The advantage of 2:1 gearbox allows for slow speeds and manoeuvrability, while still being able to cruise at service speeds with a full load of gear. But it is the fuel pinching economy that has impressed Allan the most. With a service speed of 15.5 knots at 2000rpm fuel burn, that is 27 litres per hour and 1.1 litre per hour at idle. If he needs to get a scurry up, top speed is 22 knots at 2600rpm and Truby King carries a full load at 20 knots comfortably. Allan advises that the Truby King "is a machine". On an average fishing day ranging 40 to 45nm, the vessel will average 115 litres a day and that's even when he is stoking it to catch the tide on the bar coming home. The vessel has only had two days off since launching and when compared to the Marlborough 28 jet boat, where you're continually steering all day, the toggle steering leaves him feeling so fresh after a day's fishing he's ready to go and do something (energetic)… "far too much information" for us we said! In talking with Allan, his fishing operation is pretty well in tune with the mix of working 170 cray pots and 30 cod pots a day. That allows him to bleed, trunk and chill the red cod on ice and use the heads and gut for fresh cray bait, a favourite food for the local rock lobsters. Once landed, both the rock lobster and red cod because of their high quality, command top prices. The boat has proven to be an excellent sea boat on the bar and out on the coast. In general discussion about the economics and current trends in the fishing industry, Allan suggests that he was concerned for the future, especially when building a family business for his sons. Fishing is tough at the best of times and to step up into a new boat was a big call, especially with the high fluctuating prices of Annual Catch Entitlement for quota. "Its 14 Professional Skipper November/December 2012 bloody hard for the young ones to get into fishing" said Allan, especially when there is no certainty. "The cost of leasing quota is just ripping the guts out of the industry". The quota owners are just gobbling up all the spare cash and this is not available to the fisherman for repairs and maintenance and or vessel replacements. I have said it before and will say it again, the quota owners need to step up and assist with modernising the fishing fleet and they need to stop bleeding their lifeblood dry. With a modern fleet comes improved efficiencies and better returns in the long term. At some stage either the fishermen or their boats will die, and with no boats or fishermen to catch the quota the quota owner's asset will become worthless. It's worth thinking about. The toggle steering leaves him feeling so fresh after a day's fishing he's ready to go and do something. In closing, the original design concepts coupled with the experience of a traditional boat building team, have combined to build a modern, efficient cray boat at an affordable price. Yes, this is a lot of boat for the money, so much so that Allan does not want to see any sisters working along side of him. This would have to be a pretty good testament to this new but respected older class of vessel, which is seeing a revival in the commercial fleet as a functional, no nonsense commercial fishing boat, designed for inshore fishing and potting in our near shore and coastal waters. SPECIFICATIONS Designer: LOA: LWL: Beam: Draft: Engine: Gear Box: Service speed: Price as commissioned. Bob Salthouse 10.8m 9m 4.2m 1.1m Cummins QSB5.9 Quantam engine series – 500hp ZF 311A 2:1 15.5knots at 2000rpm $350,000 including gst