upgraded to a 5.8m Haines Hunter half-cabin with
a 175hp outboard. It was a heavy glass boat that
consumed a lot of fuel on a big day out, and I soon
discovered that half-cabins aren’t good for lure casting
or chasing fish going forwards.
My next boat was an open 5.5m Shark Cat with
twin 115hp outboards. Although this rig was very
fashionable at the time, it was another heavy glass
boat and was unable to carry enough fuel for a big
day offshore even with additional fuel tanks built in. I
also discovered that while twin-hulls are very good for
bar crossings and running across a bumpy sea, they
have too many limitations to be an ideal gamefishing
platform.
FORCED TO MAKE MY OWN
With each boat bought, I not only learnt more about
the necessary features for fully functional sport and
gamefishing, but also the limitations of the craft
found on the general market. Frustratingly, I could
find nothing that met my requirements, so in 1979 I
designed my own: the 5.5m (18ft) Yellowfin plate-alloy
centre-console, which I fitted with a 115hp outboard.
Finally I had a boat that served the purpose, a
magic sportfishing platform with unmatched fishing
efficiency and running economy. I doubt whether
any other boats of this size have accounted for as
many tournament wins, national records and tagged
gamefish as my original Yellowfin.
The launch of my Yellowfin was well received among
the experienced local sportfishing fraternity and the
subsequent demand led me to form a company and
start producing them commercially. Once the top
anglers started buying them the orders escalated
rapidly. While most were the same as my original
boat, we also built quite a few 6m centre-cabins with
twin 70hp outboards. The Queensland Government’s
Department of Harbours and Marine also bought five.
Soon there were Yellowfin plate-alloy boats spread
from Darwin to Bermagui.
Another chapter in my boat-building education was
the construction of a 11.9m twin-screw fibreglass
flybridge cruiser named Warrigal, built specifically
for my offshore tournament fishing. Although she
was pretty similar to many of the Cairns custom
gameboats of the era, she was very stable and
accounted for a host of tournament wins and several
world records for our team.
DESIGN FOR GAMEFISHING
Despite the huge advances in boat-building materials
and technology over the past 40 years, I believe the
design and functionality of production sportfishing
boats has actually gone backwards.
While running the Yellowfin Boats business, I learnt
that five fundamental principles are required to
achieve optimum fishing efficiency, together with the
lowest possible running costs.
The factors determining a practical and economical
sportfishing boat include:
Building materials
Fibreglass has long passed its use-by date as a boat-
building material, especially for trailerboats. It is
too heavy for starters, yet many production boats –
particularly of American origin – still use this material.
I suspect this is because fibreglass doesn’t require
skilled labour, therefore saving staff costs. Americans
also have cheaper fuel, so perhaps they can afford
to run the substantial horsepower required to push a
heavy boat across the water – but we certainly don’t
want to!
Plate-alloy was an innovation when I used to build
my Yellowfin trailerboats. Back then it was the
most suitable medium, being far lighter than glass
and stronger than the thin pressed alloy boats of
that era, which would often crack after constant
offshore use. While a host of fabricators turned into
boatbuilders overnight and tried to copy my concept,
it seemed that none of them actually understood the
functionality behind my design.
The current crop of alloy boats seems to follow
the same misguided theme, adding more and more
gimmicks and perceived creature comforts, while at the
same time straying farther and further away from the
functionality that serious anglers really need. In fact,
most of these boats are an inefficient obstacle course.
Modern technology now offers lighter and more
advanced composite constructions, and together
with the latest naval architecture it is possible to
design a smoother-running hull that requires far less
horsepower and fuel to perform.Hull design
To achieve optimum performance, the hull below the
water line must be carefully shaped with just the right
degree of V throughout.Top: Wayne’s next
rig was this 5.5m
Shark Cat, which he
found performed well
in rough water but
with its deep-slicing
hulls and twin 115hp
outboards proved
very expensive to
run. Its layout made
following fish around
the transom difficult,
and the cockpit
restricted anglers to
just the rear of the
boat, limiting fishing
functionality.
Above: The 20-foot
(6m) Yellowfin
centre-cabin
soon gathered an
ardent following
among experienced
Australian anglers
who recognised its
many benefits. With
full thigh support
all around the boat,
a low bowrail that
enabled casting
or pumping a rod,
plus transom corner
access it proved to
be a very effective
fishing design – and
provided a cabin plus
plenty of storage.bluewatermag.com.au 57A revolution in gamefishing boat design