Imports Fail To Get A Look In
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday May 28, 1993
The five category winners for the 1993 Australian Boating Industry Association/Modern Boating Boats of the Year awards were announced this week, and again Queensland leads the way, taking out all four powerboat sections.
The Gold Coast boat builder Lindsay Fry, the man behind the Seafarer range, claimed an unprecedented double for powerboats under 5.1 metres (Seafarer V-Sea) and powerboats, 5.1-7 metres (Seafarer Victory/Vermont).
Equally unprecedented was the win by Riviera Marine Manufacturing, Australia's premier big boat builder, in the over 10-metre category - for the third year in succession - with its all-new 36-footer, hailed by the judges as'a yardstick in Australian sports cruiser design".
The Gold Coast notched award No. 4 with the superb 30-foot Black Watch, a classic sportfishing machine, getting the vote in the 7-10 metre category.
To break the domination, the Sailcraft section was won by the Adelaide-based Austral Yachts with its trailable 26-foot Austral 8 Clubman.
The judges, Modern Boating staff Mark Rothfield (editor), David Lockwood(associate editor) and David Toyer (powerboat editor), assessed 75 boats, 11 of them imports, before making their final selections.
The fact that the imports, most of them high-profile name brands from the US, could not win a single category, is high praise for the local industry.
The judges commented that the chosen five "reflected the very best features in design, construction and innovation".
On June 17, at a function at Middle Harbour Yacht Club, one of the five will be named Caltex Boat of the Year.
I have thoroughly tested three of the five, both Seafarers and the Riviera, and have been aboard the Black Watch sportfish for a close inspection.
In case you are curious as to why the winner of the 5.1 to 7-metre winner was named as the Victory/Vermont, it is in fact two different models based on the same 5.99-metre hull.
Simply put, the Victory is the more spartan or fishing version of the craft, while the Vermont offers a luxurious interior fitout, putting it in the playboy runabout class.
In either form, the Seafarer is destined to become an Australian boating classic.
Already a classic, in fact, a boating icon, is the little Seafarer V-Sea, possibly the best and certainly the most popular small fibreglass boat ever produced.
More than 2,100 have been sold, and in a market as small as the Australian boating market is, that is absolutely astonishing.
Originally only 4.87 metres, the all-new five-metre V-Sea is a better boat entirely. In fact Ron Calcutt, editor of Australian Powerboat and a noted offshore fisherman, rates the boat as "good enough to seriously challenge many hulls up to 5.5 metres".
When I tested this particular craft, it was powered by a 70hp Johnson outboard, and I found it to be a brilliant performer in both calm and choppy waters.
As for the Victory/Vermont, it is a sterling craft, big, beamy and a stable performer which, when powered by the 150hp Johnson FastStrike outboard, offers a true bluewater package able to mix it with tough offshore conditions.
But when it comes to handling offshore conditions, few craft in the world can take it with the aplomb of the magnificent Black Watch 30.
Built by Dave Stephens under licence from the United States builder, the Black Watch boasts a performing, sea-kindly hull designed by Raymond Hunt.
Powered by a pair of Fiat marine diesels, it can cruise easily at 25 knots, and has been timed at an incredible 36.2 knots, nearly 65km/h, with the dual 300hp engines.
Unfortunately, Black Watch does not yet have a Sydney distributor, but the company is working it.
At the recent Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Black Watch unveiled its latest boat, a tough little 21-footer which the fishing lure designer/manufacturer Peter Pakula hailed as "the best small boat I've ever been offshore in". Already there have been four sales.
As for the winner of the big boat category, what more can be said about this successful Labrador-based builder? Not only is it the most dominant force in Australian recreational cruiser design and construction, Riviera is fast becoming an equally big name overseas.
Its high-tech production line is delivering a boat every six working days, but according to the chief executive, Bill Barry-Cotter, seven out of 10 boats are destined for dealers around the world, from Dusseldorf, Germany, to San Jose, Puerto Rico.
Like the 33', 39' and 42' Rivieras, the 36' follows the modern, yet traditional styling typical of an offshore convertible-style game cruiser.
The boat I tested was powered by a pair of 300hp Cummins marine diesels, yet such is the craft's hull shape and overall design, it performs almost as well with a pair of 250hp engines. With luxury accommodation in two separate cabins, a huge saloon and a comfortable, yet efficient flying bridge, the Riviera emerged a clear winner in its class.
Don't bet against Riviera making it four in a row next year with its new 48-footer. Although hull No. 1 is still in production, six of these, ranging in price from $495,000 to $600,000, have already been sold |
Unfortunately, I know little about the sailboat winner, the Austral 8 Clubman, but hope to evaluate it thoroughly as soon as possible.
Designed by the Sydney-based, expatriate American designer Scott Jutson, the Austral has been in development for a couple of years and, according to those in the know, combines excellent performance with accommodation more than adequate for comfortable family cruising.
To date, its only NSW dealer is Sailaway, based at Lake Macquarie, but the company is considering a Sydney distributor.
For further information on the award winners, contact: Webbe Marine, Sutherland, (02 521 7944) re Seafarer; Lee Dillon Marine, Rushcutters Bay, (02 363 0000) Riviera; Black Watch, (075 78 3988); Sailaway, Lake Macquarie, (049 45 9499) Austral 8 Clubman.
For information regarding the Boat of the Year award night, contact the Boating Industry Association of NSW on (02) 438 2077.
© 1993 Sydney Morning Herald