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By
DAVID LOCKWOOD
13 March 2006
Autumn. Brisk mornings. Heavy dew. Falling leaves. Hot days and cool
afternoons. A different wind pattern, with the first offshore breezes
blowing from the frosty hills. Yet water that’s still warm. Dip the
toes and you may want to dive in. Take one last swim before weighing
anchor and you’ll probably need to reach for a hot deck shower.
It’s funny what a difference a few less degrees and
some shorter days make to our thinking. When it comes to boating, we
start thinking about pulling up the covers. Yet others like me will
savour our time spent on less-crowded waterways and embrace the internal
comforts of our boats some more.
Where we were craving sports boats, open boats,
bowriders and runabouts, we’re now starting to think about a cuddy
cabin for protection, a hardtop or wheelhouse in which to escape the
biting winds, perhaps a pilothouse or, if you want to range from Hobart
down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Dover, perhaps a Huon pine yacht
complete with a pot-belly stove.
Thankfully, in the realms of new boats there is a
diverse range of what I call all-seasons craft. From trailerable tinnies
to fibreglass runabouts, sportscruisers to passagemakers, and bluewater
cruising yachts, the cool-season boatbuyer is well catered for.
Come late-May at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show, the
first boat show in the national show circuit running through winter, a
whole raft of new-season and all-season boats will be revealed. The
prospective boatbuyer would do well to consider some of the better
cool-weather boating styles before parting with their hard-earned.
Starting at grassroots level, there’s not a lot you
can do to weatherproof an open tinnie, dory or small sailing dinghy. The
key thing here is to wear appropriate safety gear, an inflatable
lifejacket for example, and clothing that ward off the cold. And keep
right up-to-date with weather reports. Autumn changes can be sudden and
brisk.
But there are ways to extend the comfort of your
runabout and evergreen bowrider using canopies and covers and, in cold
climates, clear side curtains. Not all canopies are the same, however,
so compare their framework - the best canopies are mounted on stainless
steel snapout frames and often they fold back where they’re stowed out
of the way in the engine bay. And do shop around if you plan to add
aftermarket covers to your boat. The old adage ‘you get what you pay
for’ applies.
On the bowrider front, look for a clip-on cover over
the bow-seating area that effectively converts the craft into a
runabout. Upmarket bowriders also have a wind dam that you can use to
block off the companionway through which a biting breeze otherwise
whistles up your trouser leg. With a bow cover, canopy and wind-dam your
bowrider is weatherproofed for winter.
But for all-season’s boating it’s hard to go past
the half-cabin cruiser or, if you want to maximise cockpit space for
fishing, the cuddy cabin. Just about all major boat manufacturers make
them, but the surviving Australian boatbuilders best understand local
conditions. And those in southern states make the coolest cool-weather
boats.
If you’re shopping for a new all-seasons family
cruiser consider the fibreglass trailerboats from Whittley and Streaker
and the aluminium alternatives from Savage, Stacer and Quintrex. Oh, and
Kiwi boatbuilder Stabicraft makes some great wild weather boats that
even include heating inside the cabin.
Streaker’s co-founder Leon Savage said the new
Streaker 585 Sportscruiser (pictured) caters to a broad range of boating
enthusiasts who wish to enjoy an extended period of time on the water in
comfort and safety. Among the features are a big cabin with Porta Potti,
roomy vee-berth that converts to a double bed, cockpit sink and stove,
and camper covers in the event of bad weather or an overnight stay.
Conversely, most American boaters store their craft
for the winter and, as such, they remain mostly open craft. But look to
Europe and you’ll find a smarter range of cute cabin cruisers with
diesel motors. While they aren’t trailerable, the 20-odd footers from
French boatbuilders Arvor, Beneteau and Ocquetau are easily managed,
well suited to swinging on a mooring somewhere, and warm in winter.
Move into the realms of sportscruisers and you might
expect cool-season comforts below decks. Above decks, you will need to
pull the canopy across and perhaps even leave the camper covers in
place. Having said that, be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide, an
odourless gas expelled from petrol-powered engines, which can be sucked
back aboard and threaten the cooped-up powerboater.
Yet I’m increasingly finding the world’s biggest
boatbuilders are answering our call for more comforts and weather
protection on sportscruisers these days. Fully moulded hardtops -
certainly a more permanent solution than a billowing canopy - have
become de rigueur and with reverse cycle air conditioning you have
climate control at your fingertips. Australia’s largest boatbuilder,
Riviera has the answer in its new Sport Yacht range. Autumn, winter,
with the right boat, no worries.
lockwood@intercoast.com.au
AT-A-GLANCE
Streaker 585 Sportscruiser
Package Price: $66,750 w/ 150hp four-stroke Yamaha outboard, hydraulic
steering, all cruising gear including windlass, dual-axle trailer,
electronics, sound system, safety gear, registrations and more.
Hull Length: 5.85 metres
Towing Length: 6.80 metres (including motor and trailer)
Beam: 2.49 metres
Deadrise: 20°
Weight: 1900kg (boat/motor/trailer)
Fuel: 145 litres subfloor
Freshwater: 57 litres
Power: Maximum 175hp
Transon Height: XL shaft
Rated Load: Six adults
Warranty: Five-year structural hull
Details: For more information on the new Streaker 585 Sportscruiser see
www.streakerboats.com.au, phone (03) 9729 8288
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Marque Publishing Company
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