AMDAC 50

Unlike some fly-by-nighters, the history of the Precision 50 is well catalogued. Beginning life some 20 years ago, the West Coaster was purpose-built for longliners, craypot haulers and other commercial operators. It performed such duties with all the enthusiasm of a table of holiday-makers sitting down to a seafood platter. When word got out the public came knocking on the door.

So the Phil Curran crayboat hull became the foundation for an up-market recreational boat. The Precision 50 cruiser, we all know, was ahead of its day. Sleekly styled, with a luxury fitout, relatively high-tech construction of foam-cored hull and deck, the boat still cuts the mustard at gamefishing tournaments today.

In NSW, for example, Precision 50s such as Outrageous, Odd Bod (now Yackatoon) and Miramar can be found at conventions, on the waterways, and out at sea carrying paying passengers virtually every day of the week.

Mick Tess, the skipper on charterboat Yackatoon in Sydney, says: "I've had five different boats over 25 years, including a 24ft Shark Cat, 34ft Randell, 41ft Steber and 50ft Precision. But the Precision just handles the seas so well - it's very dry and stable.

"In the harbour, for example, if I sat next to a police boat they would just drift past while we sat there. It's got a full-length keel, tracks well downsea and chops through the waves. We run at 12-14kt into a big headsea and it does it safely.

"The boat is inspected every year by Waterways and there are no problems. Originally it had twin 525hp Rolls Royce engines and it would do a GPS-genuine 32kt. Back then, when it was called Odd Bod, it was the fastest boat around and used to leave Paul Caughlin's boat (Cresta 46, Kanahoee) in its wake.

"It also left Big Buddy behind. But then, when it blew the motors up, we put in twin Detroit 6V92s. Yackatoon now does 28kt, but there's nothing I would buy that I would sell Yackatoon for.

"I'll probably throw a hundred (grand) at it soon for respray and general refurbishment. This will give me a new boat in return," explains Tess before heading to sea for another of his routine tour of duties chasing marlin off Sydney.

BACK WITH A VENGEANCE
No wonder Australian Marine in Tomago near Newcastle has re-released the Precision 50 with a few smart changes to the hull, a whole new hardtop and a tres sexy interior befitting of a spread in some glossy magazine or book on New York apartments.

Now that it is employing more than 100 staff, AMDAC appears to be achieving the kind of attention to detail consistent with a world-class custom boatyard. Certainly, the AMDAC 50 I looked at is the company's best-finished boat yet - partly as a result of having sufficient time to build to its expectations.

Mike Garrett, who runs AMDAC, says the 50 hull is the one he loves most. He should know. "My affection for the 50 stems from two seasons of cray fishing on the West Coast. I was aboard a commercial version off Geraldton. We'd go out in nightmare stuff and the hull always brought us back safely," he says.

The changes to the AMDAC 50 start from the water up. Whereas the original Precision 50s had a foam-cored hull and deck, the new AMDAC version is solid fibreglass below the waterline. Why? In short, some of the early Precisions popped their decks and needed repair.

On top of the solid-glass bottom, the hull has a signature AMDAC knuckle added just below the gunwale. According to Garrett, this removes some of the bluffness from the bow, while further benefiting the dryness of the ride.

Above the waterline, the hull and superstructure are foam cored. It's not the water-absorbing foam of old, but rather the superior Klegecell and Airex varieties.

Engineering has been improved to the point where the engineroom is a veritable showroom of stainless steel. Without in any way compromising its fishability, the new AMDAC 50 also has an extra 1500mm of saloon space.

This makes for a more open interior, one that lends itself better to liveaboarding and long-range cruising, as well as entertaining. Capable of all these things, the first AMDAC 50 out of the mould was built to 2C and 1E USL Survey that permits it to take 12+2 offshore or 30 inshore.

The boat was also built to a new fire standard that apparently enraptured NSW Waterways. On top of this, the hull and deck are bonded to create a monocoque structure. Topped with a thick strip of stainless, the boat is a single unit that should remain that way for decades to come.

EXACTING REQUIREMENTS
An experienced boat owner, the Sydney-based owner of AMDAC's new 50 came from a family-owned Mariner 43 and had either owned or spent time on boats ranging from a Bertram 42 to a Southern Cross. He designed, somewhat sensibly, his new boat in cahoots with his wife and Rosa Garrett from AMDAC.

The new, as yet unnamed AMDAC 50 had a wonderful, truly wonderful, New York penthouse look. Light rock maple wood and brushed stainless, Italian lighting, opal-blue leather lounges, cream-coloured sisal carpet, cream headliner with timber slats and jade-coloured roman blinds were a picture of good taste.

As testimony to build-quality, the joinery, stainless fittings and leather lounges were all made in-house. Imported fittings include the Dutch cork floor in the cockpit, the exquisite lighting kit, Miele appliances and German hinges and catches. But just about everything else - every wonderful curved elbow, rail or stainless furnishing - was custom-made.

The boat's open-plan layout is almost delightfully minimalist. There is a separate dinette that can seat up to six and a built-in wet bar to starboard, an L-shaped lounge to port, the mandatory entertainment system, airconditioning and designer fittings.

Attention to detail shines in such things as the custom wineglass racks designed around the glasses to make sure they are held in place; the special wine rack designed to hold a mixed dozen reds and whites; the lights that switch on in the cupboards when opened; and the special timber CD holder...

Despite such creature comforts, the AMDAC 50 is built to go to sea.

Nothing will move or shift down below. Apparently, an American who owns two well-known brands of gameboat in Florida, marvelled at this fact after he tagged alone during some serious seatrialing offshore.

ALL THE ACCOUTREMENTS
Forward on the port side of the saloon, set down three steps behind a servery or bar, which has smooth curves and solid rock maple finish, is a b-i-g U-shaped galley. It was designed, like the rest of the interior. That is, by AMDAC's full-time 'space architect'.

AMDAC designs the interior using a sophisticated 3D software program. This way, you can create images of the boat and 'move' through them as though walking through the real thing. This explains why headroom is at least 2.1m throughout and the companionways are oversized.

Among the things that stand out in the galley are deep storage spaces, a utility cabinet for appliances - that has an internal fan to keep cool, strategically-positioned rails and fiddles, a domestic-sized fridge and sink, stainless microwave, Miele two-burner electric cooktop, blue/white speckled Corian benchtops and lots and lots of handy drawers.

Courtesy lights lead down from the galley to the 50's accommodation - two cabins with an en suite bathroom and dayhead. Naturally, they continue the 'apartment' theme.

The guests cabin to starboard has top-and-tailed bunks each 1.85m long, custom Posturepedic mattresses, curved headliners and facias, plenty of drawers with sea-lock catches and designer reading lamps.

The dayhead to port was designed, says Garrett, as much as a bathroom. It has a huge circular mirror set in a blue frame, with curvaceous mouldings and cabinetry, designer fittings and Lectrasan loo.

But for indulgence turn to the owner's cabin in the bow. It has a huge 2.1m long queen-sized island berth with custom mattress and a bedhead against which two pillows can be placed end-to-end (in other words, the bed is not pinched).

The walls of the cabin have been brought in, shaped if you like, so access to the bed doesn't require climbing steep steps either side.

The en suite, meanwhile, has a huge shower with frosted Plexiglass screen, Lectrasan loo, automatic extractor fan and designer fittings from toothbrush to toilet-roll holders. Smooth mouldings mean low maintenance.

I also liked the full and fabulously-lined hanging lockers, extra-wide companionways with domestic-sized doors, designer door handles, four separate airconditioning units (servicing the saloon, cabins and enclosed bridge), solid joinery with dove-tailed joints... And the consistent approach. Designed front to back, the AMDAC 50 is a production boat with a true custom interior. As Garrett points out, AMDAC are boat users building a boat, not just boat builders. I might add they are also first-rate interior decorators. Of all the swish new cruisers I've come across lately, this is my favourite.

DRIVING STATIONS
Up top, the 50 has an enclosed bridge reminiscent of its bigger AMDAC sisterships. The ladder has been changed so as to function more like a staircase, while the bridge overhang features a second station for easier parking at the marina or backing down on fish.

Inside the bridge, which is big enough for six people, airconditioning keeps you comfortable, the helmseat is an indulgent pneumatic and hydraulic affair, while the crew is comforted by a bar fridge and lounge.

A smart touch is the dedicated locker for the boat's six operating manuals. Naturally, the boat also had a full spread of electronics. However, if there is a criticism to be levelled at the boat, I thought its dash was a bit, well, 'plain Jane'.

Down below, the fore and aft decks on the AMDAC 50 are traced by heavy-duty stainless rubbing strips and graced with first-rate stainless fittings. Other nice touches include the drains on the flybridge to stop drips, the separate lockable hatches holding fuel and water fillers and the ease of access around the cabin superstructure.

Covering boards are 300mm wide (up from 200mm), there are rails around the superstructure and a sturdy bowrail, while the windows are moulded into recesses to ensure no drips inside.

The engine-venting system includes intakes under the brow, dorades, veins and a chimney for a salt-free environment. Unlike the old 50, the engineroom is a model of engineering excellence. Access is superb through a hatch in the cockpit.

All the stainless work - and stainless has been used generously for plumbing, steering, exhaust elbows and piping - has been done in-house.

There are special non-burn hoses on the outlets, screw-fitted pipes so you can disconnect them if needs be, a magnetic sight gauge from Germany for the fueltank, vented battery boxes, through-hull fittings only for the generator and grey/black water tanks, checker-plate alloy flooring and a soft-mounted 16kVa Onan.

A potential American client who owns a Jim Smith and a Buddy Davis - both pretty sportsfishers - was so impressed with the stainless work he took samples back home to show the local boat builders how it's done.

Other engineering details include PSS shaft seals, a fire-retarding system, two-pack walls for wipe-down cleaning, invertor, four Crusair units whose condensation flows through the grey-water outlet, big pumps and stainless hot-water system.

A tour around the deck, meanwhile, reveals oversized hawsepipes, dedicated storage hatches, deckwash and hot/cold deck shower, electric barbecue, big marlin door (inward opening if you opt to have the boarding platform) and enough floor space to mount a chair and do battle with granders.

The small sink unit, located under the bridge steps, I'd like to see expanded. Serious fishers will no doubt customise the cockpit so it includes bait freezers, a rocket launcher off the bridge overhang, heavy-duty rodholders, chair and a livebait tank.

GIN AND BEAR IT
In its favour, the AMDAC 50 will appeal as much to gamefishers as gin guzzlers. With this in mind, we put to sea off Port Stephens in conditions probably not that far removed from a typical hellish day in the Wild West.

Fitted with twin Volvo 610hp electronically-controlled diesels with four-blade props, the AMDAC 50 isn't the fastest 50 around largely because it displaces a hefty 26,000kg thanks to its solid-glass bottom. But compared with the old Precision, which weighs in 18,000-20,000kg, it feels more solid.

The boat also exhibited a willingness to jump onto the plane. At 1800rpm we were trucking down Port Stephens at a useful 17.6kt on the GPS. According to Garrett, the ensuing trip back from The Anchorage to its new home at Sylvania Waters in Sydney's south took five hours and less than 600lt of diesel.

Average cruise speed is said to be 21kt at 1900rpm, with a top-end of just under 25 at 2250rpm. During my trials, the boat speed was affected by a strong tide and wind, yet we returned a very comfortable speed (one where you won't spill the drinks) of 21kt at 2200rpm.

Original seatrials were conducted in strong northeast winds, with a 2.5m swell. Garrett, who repeats his catchphrase about loving the 50, says the boat ate it up. I didn't gauge a feeling for its seaworthiness during a fleeting tour of Tomaree headland, other than to say the boat is definitely dry in the enclosed bridge.

Importantly, you can see the starboard corner of the boat from the bridge, wipers ensure you have a clear view ahead, and the dead-wood keel seems to keep the hull on track. Though there was some rocking and rollicking at trolling speeds when side-on to the swell, it wasn't alarming.

Subsequent manoeuvrability tests proved the hull would be a good thing for fishing. The EDC units didn't exhibit too much lag, while the throttles had an acceptable amount of feel between gears.

But don't take it from me. The AMDAC 50 has a long history of seaworthiness behind it. Add a world-class finish, a custom layout, engineering to die for and a hardtop with airconditioning - it's hard not to be impressed.

The American guy with the Jim Smith and the Davis who tagged along on a seatrial apparently came away convinced the AMDAC 50 is a better seaboat than them both. Indeed, with a new office in America, AMDAC could yet cut a swathe overseas if the reputation of its 50 gets out.