Most Appealing Sailboat
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday October 27, 1995
The Austral Clubman 8, from Adelaide's Austral Yachts, offers innovation, performance and value for money - in spades. BOB WONDERS reports.
A MANUFACTURER does not win an Australian Boat of the Year award by sending in a specified number of cornflakes box tops. There's a lot more to it than that.
The awards, hosted by Modern Boating magazine, have a tough judging panel which looks at every aspect of every craft presented for evaluation for the top honour in Australian boating.
One of the categories is Sailboat of the Year, meaning a yacht which offers innovation, performance and value for money - in spades.
Last year, the hands-down victor was a South Australian-built, trailable, Category 3 keel boat, the Austral Clubman 8, from Adelaide's Austral Yachts.
Since then, Austral Yachts has done some good things with the basic boat, and it is now available in three different models, the Club Sport, Club Adventurer and the top-of-the-line Club Classic.
Major differences between the three configurations centre on the level of fitout and factory options employed. The Club Sport is the basic boat, the Adventurer offers such add-ons as carpeted saloon, teak cockpit seats and flooring, single icebox and interior and navigation lights. At the top of the scale, the Classic is beautifully fitted out, even including leather bunk cushions and backrests, liberal use of teak and birch trimmings, dual batteries with 12-volt outlet, spray dodger and bimini and a 9.9 hp, four-stroke outboard with electric start.
Although initially marketed as a family-style cruiser, the Clubman 8 hull and its fractional sloop rig have proved themselves in competition, winning a number of important Category 3 keel boat events under its IMS rating.
Another Clubman, Dr Feelgood, won the trailable yacht championships in Melbourne last year, while two Queensland-owned boats have shown out, Pass The Salt, finishing second overall in the Royal Queensland Yacht Club's series races, and Do It Easier, taking a second placing in the trailable yacht championships held at Mooloolaba.
The all-GRP (glass reinforced plastic) Clubman 8 is a good-looking craft, carrying a healthy 32 square metres of sail.
Importantly, it performs well in varied weather conditions - all its 450 kg of ballast carried in the keel.
Despite its relatively small dimensions, the design has been proved in rough weather.
One boat, Wild Card, in what was its maiden race, was hammered by 41-knot winds off Adelaide, but still managed to finish third over the line, beaten only by much larger keelboats.
Despite these excellent performances, however, those with no intention of becoming involved with the hurly-burly of competitive sailing will still find the Clubman 8 a most appealing sailboat.
The designers have really done their homework in creating the delightful little sloop, which offers accommodations above and beyond what you would reasonably expect in a tiller-steered, 8.150-metre (26ft 7in) hull.
Convertible berths in the main saloon, a surprisingly spacious galley, with stove, sink and 50 litres of fresh water (excluding the Club Sport) and room for a Porta Potti (marine toilet in the Classic).
Needless to say, the boats vary considerably in price; the Club Sport retails at $49,900; the Club Adventurer is $64,000; the Club Classic comes in at $78,000.
As I pointed out, the factory options included with the Club Classic are extensive.
They include VHF Seaphone, AM/FM stereo system, electric winch fitted to a Mackay 2001 trailer, complete with mesh walkway, compass, dual iceboxes, tinted perspex hatches, stainless steel pushpit, pulpit, stanchions and swim ladder electric keel winch and additions to the sail wardrobe in the shape of a number one genoa and a storm jib.
All in all, an impressive trailer sailer, a worthy winner of an Australian Boat of the Year award.
Unfortunately Austral Yachts does not have a Sydney dealer, but the Clubman will be on display at the Port Stephens Regional Boat Show being held at d'Albora Marinas, Nelson Bay, November 17-19.
SPECIFICATIONS
Clubman 8
LOA: 8.150-metres
Beam: 2.450-metres
Draft: .230-metres (keel up), 1.830-metres (keel down).
Ballast: 450kg
Displacement: 1200kg
Towing weight: 1900kg
Price: From $49,900.
For further information, contact Austral Yachts, South Australia, (08) 384 5487.
© 1995 Sydney Morning Herald