HALF-CENTURY OF EXPERIENCE
Over the past 50 years or more I have chased
everything from coastal sportfish to hard-core offshore
gamefish in boats ranging from 4 to 18m, while using
tackle ranging from 1kg to 60kg line class. I fished
hard and took the sport and my boat designing very
seriously, winning many gamefishing tournaments and
achieving several Australian records in the process.
In 1979 I created a ground-breaking series of
boats under the original Yellowfin Boats brand,
subsequently sold and substantially modified. These
were revolutionary walk-around fishing platforms
and in a short time we sold more than 60 of them in
sizes from 5.5m plate-alloy sportfishing rigs to 12m
flybridge game cruisers. However, some years back I
retired from the boat-building industry to pursue other
business interests.WHY SO BADLY DESIGNED?
I am now re-entering the boat-building industry after
becoming frustrated by the lack of fishability in most
of the current boats on the Australian market.
There is no question that most boats on the market
today are well manufactured by quality craftsmen,
but the great majority of their boats lack functionality,
making it difficult for anglers and crews to perform at
their best. It seems that the boat designers of today
spend very little time offshore actually fishing – or in
some cases, none at all. While their boats may look
sleek and well made, in reality the layout design often
makes it more difficult rather than easier to pursue
serious gamefishing.
My designs have been heavily influenced by the time
I spent at sea fishing solo, in which I was forced to
find, hook, play, wire and subsequently tag and release
all the gamefish myself. This process, performed
hundreds of times over, demanded layout efficiency. As
a result, I have developed strong views on sportfishing
boat design, reinforcing the need for mobility and
accessibility, without the typical obstructions that
regularly lead to lost fish in the end-game.
In future articles I’ll detail the concepts and
development of my cutting-edge new boats from
concept to completion. This will help give you an
understanding of what can be achieved with modern
technology, as well as key design elements that make
fishing boats perform to their best.YOU DESERVE BETTER
I get very upset about many of the so-called sport or
gamefish boats currently being sold for big money.
I believe the main reason these brands survive and
sell their boats is that there are few good alternatives
available, and that buyers are easily led astray
because they don’t realise what they’re not getting.
Many experienced anglers wind up buying boats that
don’t suit their needs. The layouts of these boats are
not conducive to efficient gamefishing practices, and
their running costs are far higher than is possible with
today’s advanced designs, materials and technology.
Thankfully for the big-boat buyers, there are some
very competent custom boat-builders working in the
Australian industry. Designer-craftsmen like David
Pleysier, Peter O’Brien and Barry Martin have produced
many classic one-off boats in
recent decades.LEARNING FROM
EXPERIENCE
I started fishing just after I could
walk, coached by my father
and grandfather who were keen
fishermen. As soon as I could drive I
got my first boat – a 4.2m Savage with
a 40hp Johnson outboard. It wasn’t
long before I was heading offshore
over the southern Queensland river
mouth bars chasing fish like spotted
mackerel.
As an early member of the
Brisbane Sport Fishing Club, I
began ranging further afield to
chase marlin and sailfish. This
required a bigger boat, so IWayne’s initial Yellowfin
Boats design was a
5.5m plate-aluminium
centre-console.
Economical to run with
a 115hp outboard, it
proved a very popular
sportfishing rig. Most
importantly, its design
enabled an angler to
easily reach the far
corners of the transom,
and to effectively fish
all around the boat
with continuous thigh
support. The pictured
boat is the prototype,
with subsequent builds
made without the
unnecessary bowrail.“With today’s technology
you can power your boat
with far less horsepower
and run it with substantial
savings in fuel costs.”
Wayne learnt his
craft through a long
road of trial and
error. His second
boat was this 5.8m
fibreglass Haines
Hunter with a 175hp
outboard. Although
performing well
through rough seas,
Wayne found this
rig expensive to
run and severely
restricted fishing
functionality through
its layout and gunnel
obstacles. He did,
however, catch this
outstanding Spanish
mackerel on 3kg
tackle from it."My designs
have been
heavily
influenced
by the time I
spent at sea
fishing solo."
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A revolution in gamefishing boat design