T
he popularity of
catamarans in Australia
is high, and our love of
tinnies is a given.
But while there are
a handful of twin-hull fibreglass
models from which to choose, when
it comes to alloy, we seem restricted
to the more substantial offerings of
brands such as Sailfish or custom
builds.
It’s not like local builders haven’t
tried.
Webster had a good run with its
funky line of cats, before hitting the
financial doldrums and floundering
a few years back, despite having a
brand that filled demand and found
support amongst local fisherfolk.
My own involvement with cats
goes back to my first offshore
boat – a 3.8m Markham Whaler
which impressed with its load
carrying capacity, fishing room and,
thankfully – as it turned out – its
unsinkability if you forget to put the
bungs in.
So, having an appreciation for twin
hull designs, it stirred my interest
when I heard that Jason Graham
from Aussie Boat Sales ACT and NSW
had struck a deal with New Zealand’sBlackdog Cat to distribute the brand
on the East Coast.SINGULAR BEAUTY
Following the success of a small
tiller-steered surf cat 10 years ago,
Blackdog has now grown to offer a
range of “... pontoon boats to access
remote locations for fishing, diving
and hunting.”
The 6.3m Walkthrough Hard Top
on test is the longest model, and
when he saw it, Graham recognised
its potential to fill a gap in the Aussie
boat scene.
W hen I arrived at the Pittwater
ramp for our review, Graham told me
the over-engineered construction
and the beauty of the welds
throughout the boat impressed him.
He further offered that when he
went for a ride, it became clear he
was on a winner.
But if beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, Graham’s eye must be a
little skewed.
While the welds are in fact
supreme, and it does look over-
engineered, this boat is seriously
ugly.
And don’t just take my word for
it – there was a Labrador at the ramp94 tradeaboat.com.au