56 Boating New Zealand
oday the aphorism’s usually ofered by some snide
git with the all charm of a dropped pie, and frankly,
I totally disagree. If you can convince me that money
can’t buy happiness, I’ll eat my shorts.
But why the hell would I start a boat review with
some crap homily about dosh? Well, to be honest,
you’ll have to be a bit cashed-up to own a boat like this one, and it would
help to have it moored in the playground that is Pauanui. Of course,
to achieve this will require dedication. But why the hell do we work for
40 years – if not to get to the point where your money can buy you
happiness? You get my drift?
Anyway... I arrive early to meet the happy owner of the boat for review
at a beautiful house nestled in the enclave of a coastal waterway. here
are sun-soaked views over to the pointy wooded hills of kids’ fairy tales,
mist-wreathed valleys behind, and gleaming mirrored waters beckoning
out front. Breathtaking.
It feels as close to actual paradise as success in life and work can deliver.
Only the occasional helicopter, or light plane landing at the nearby airstrip
breaks the early morning calm. Clutching a cofee I wander down the front
steps towards the dock and take in the sight of the gleaming BRIG Eagle 10.
She is long and low and pretty. he big 65cm diameter Hypalon tubes
running the length of both sides gleam darkly in contrast to the white of
the hull, terminating at the transom in twin, glowing Yamaha 300hp four-
strokes. Good lord – quickish then. And surprising.
he BRIG name was born round 25 years ago from the Russian space
programme and when the big political change occurred, they took that
space technology and turned it to good use in hull hydrodynamics and
boat building. Today BRIG is Europe’s largest RIB supplier, and annually
delivers thousands of vessels around the globe – including to Downunder.
Ten metres is a goodly length for a RIB and the boat is in proportion,
so it plays tricks on your eyes and it’s not till you see someone standing at
the helm that you grasp its true size. here are plans to ofer the EagleT
The Eagle
“Money can’t buy happiness” is an
aphorism attributed to 18th century
French philosopher Jean-Jacques
Rousseau. But it’s been bastardised over
the years. What he actually wrote was
“Money buys everything except morality
and citizens” – but then he wasn’t around
in the age of Facebook, was he?