Trade-A-Boat 496 2017

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YOU CAN’T BEAT GOOD DESIGN – BUT YOU CAN KEEP UPDATING IT

STORY JOHN WILLIS

Deep Vee 340

‘W

hat’s old

is new

again.’

This

saying

is particularly relevant to

the marine industry where

so many current hero

boats are evolutions from

past innovative designs,

particularly from the hectic

American racing scene of

the 1950s and 60s.

Black Watch Boats were

designed by the famous

Raymond C Hunt and his

associates, including the

likes of Dick Bertram. Their

offerings included famous

brands such as Grady White,

Viking and a great many

special forces-style boats.

Black Watch was a US

company and its 30ft

moulds were purchased

under a licensing agreement

for Australia by David

and Beverley Stephens

in the late 1980s. They

employed naval architects

to update the designs and

construction techniques,

then set to work expanding

the range to include the

26 and 30ft Express and

Flybridge, plus the 34ft and

eventually the 40ft of 1997.

Architect and partner both

in Black Watch and Deep

Vee Trevor Mainwaring

remodelled the BW36

and new BW50 at the

closing stages of the 20th

century. The BW 40 hit the

mark for its gamefishing

audience and Black Watch

claimed “it outperformed

and outclassed its major

competitors”.

The company was

eventually purchased in

part by Australian boating

and fishing personality

Graham McCloy (currently

CEO of Queensland’s Game

& Leisure Boats).

“Somewhere in the early

2000s we employed Martin

Lewis, the former production

manager at Riviera, to get

things moving. I could

certainly sell the boats but

I needed Martin to build

them,” Graham explained.

A production facility was

set up in Chinderah, NSW,

on the Tweed River but

only a few years later, in

December 2004, the 26,

30 and 34ft moulds were

sold to a new company,

Deep Vee Marine. The new

owners changed the model

designations to the Deep

Vee 260, Deep Vee 280, Deep

Vee 310 and the largest in

the fleet, the Deep Vee 340,

adding greater freeboard,

allowing flat cockpits

without the engine humps.

Then Trailer Boat editor

David Granville said: “The

cockpit on the Deep Vee

340 is purpose-built for

70 tradeaboat.com.au