Assegai Marine 40 Custom

"Well, mate," said Steve Haygarth in that drawl peculiar to professional skippers who have seen it all before. "It's like this - a 150kg line-burner got me. It just surfed down a big swell and smacked the transom. Now we've got our first hole in the boat."

"A battle scar, a souvenir after just two weeks on the water," I respond enviously, trying to lend a sympathetic ear.

"Yeh, mate. That makes it seven fish in two weeks, all three species - striped, black and blue. The two blues went 140 and 150kg. Most of the fish came from the Car Park."

The Car Park? Apparently, it's the new name for the traffic-ridden Canyons off Port Stephens, he tells me, where the gamefishing has been so hotly contested this season that one fish could well count as six.

But Captain Haygarth, or Hoggie as he's known affectionately from Cairns to his home port of Broken Bay, is the talk of the waterfront for other reasons.

Though something of a marlin magnet in his own right, his new celebrity status has as much to do with the machine beneath his feet as what's lurking out the back, ready to pounce.

Indeed, The Force is something to be reckoned with, a way-cool boat with bowl-'em-over good looks and traditional go-anywhere seaworthiness, offering a lifestyle probably well beyond all of us who are reading this now.

From Assegai Marine's shed in Brisbane's industrial south, this flash 40ft Australian-made mini Merrit-come-Rybovich is formed from wood, wrapped in plastic, tough as nails, and designed with a bit of nip-and-tuck tumblehome and a crushing sheerline to woo lookers on land and at sea.

DOING IT TOUGH
But the truth is The Force doesn't have so much of a hole in it as a scratch. Built from strip-planked cedar sheathed in epoxy and triaxial glass, it would take more than a rampaging 150kg blue marlin to bring this new boat unstuck.

Barry Martin, the 'architect' of The Force, which is Assegai Marine's fifth gameboat, prides himself on his boats' strengths. The Force is made to USL 2B survey, which is good for up to 100nm to sea.

Martin uses a 18mm cedar core and, with the grain of the timber running fore and aft and stringers virtually every 45cm, the resulting hull is as stiff as a board. Not to mention having inherent sound-deadening.

It took just over 12 months to build The Force.

"You can tell them I had a secret love affair building it. It was my own design," Martin says before returning to boat number six, a 55ft sportsfisher he's putting together for Cobra Charters. It's expected to do 40kt with twin 1050hp V12 MANs.

Employing five full time staff, Martin's gameboats are not the cheapest around. But they are handcrafted, custom built and made to the exacting requirements of their owners.

These are boats that everyone says are the best they ever had. And boats which other seasoned skippers and big-game anglers drool over.

Those who know Hoggie shake their head in disbelief. He's got the gig of the century driving this boat.

DISTILLED LINES
Pure and simple is the layout. The remarkably wide cockpit, designed by Hoggie, boasts everything you need to land big fish but none of the paraphernalia made for hooking fishermen.

Fully teak lined, the cockpit is surrounded by doubly wide teak coamings in which just four heavy-duty rod holders are through-mounted. There is a mid-mounted custom Orca chair from which your rod tips clear the coamings, side hawse-pipes which keep the peripheries clean, and Reelax poles with custom bases.

The cockpit sole is cambered so any water which makes it aboard - and you can expect some when Haygarth is backing up - flows to the side-scuppers hidden behind teak grates. On the outside of the hull, a KISS (keep it simple stupid) rubber flap stops water gushing back inside, while extra-big trim tabs have been built into the transom, along with a big skid-pad for the sounder.

The marlin door is of biblical proportions and there is a simple in-floor livebait tank which constantly recirculates water through holes cut into its undersides. There's no plumbing to worry about - more pure and simple sensibility.

A hidden breather system feeds the huge lazarette, while there are neat side lockers that, on the port side, contain PVC tubes for stowing tag poles and gaff handles, shore power connections, fire extinguisher, engine -shut-off systems, and a freshwater pump.

The starboard locker has a bilge and fuel filter filler system. Even small details such as keeping the deck filler off the coamings contributes to the unadulterated look of The Force. In short, there's nothing to foul lines, catch the wireman or get in the way of putting that fish in the boat.

During my daytrip cruising south to Sydney from Port Stephens, I found this boat's cockpit fridge/freezers - each the size of a tomb - just wonderful places to perch and watch the lures working astern. Stationed under the generous flybridge overhang, shaded and protected by ambient spray, these are angler-friendly impromptu seats as much as homes for bait and fillets. They can be adjusted from fridges to freezers simply by tweaking the thermostats.

ENGINEERING TOUCHES
The actual refrigeration units are, like the hot-water heater and $8500-worth of gel-cell batteries, contained in a separate service centre alongside the engine room. Instead of a generator, Haygarth went for an 80-amp alternator to charge the house battery banks and an XXXXL inverter. Aside from less weight, this also makes for less servicing. Pure and simple.

And if you're wondering why there's so little smoke and no soot along the wooden transom, check out the trick exhaust system. With pong boxes and custom-made elbows giving a 45° exit, exhaust is left behind on The Force.

Engine room access is through the step into the saloon floor, and the motors can be lifted out without reaching for a jigsaw. To meet survey requirements, there are four bulkheads and, for purely practical reasons, the saloon door is centrally-mounted on nylon slides and wide enough to take frequent traffic.

Deck hardware is also built to last. While the stainless cleats and bow rail look sturdy enough, what isn't so obvious is that they are all fixed to hidden backing plates so there are no external bolts. It's no surprise, given the attention to detail this boat exhibits, to find out that virtually all the hardware (even hinges) are the handiwork of Assegai's Mr Martin.

Moving around The Force is like jumping around one of those inflatable castles they have at school fetes. It's virtually impossible to hurt yourself, which ensures crew comfort and confidence at sea.

Add cockpit coamings that come in at the top of your thighs so you can lock yourself in, non-slip teak floors, a system of discreet but strategically-placed handrails so you can reach the foredeck while doing 20kt offshore, and you have one of the safest of gameboats with excellent rough-weather form.

INSIDE COMFORT
Realising that fishing boats should have more than just fortifications, Assegai Marine has allotted its 40-footer a wonderful amount of space in each of its cabins, a comfortable head and a saloon in which you can seriously recline.

Coupled with a classic finish that sees predominantly wood tones offset by royal-blue leather upholstery, the boat is both comfortable and classy inside. Once through the wide saloon door, mahogany joinery stands out from foam-backed white wall liners and a simple adhesive white headliner. The floor has mahogany mixed with an ash-wood inlay.

To port is a dinette around which four people can sit on lounges atop storage and comfortably do dinner during tournaments. This converts to a double berth if, for whatever reason, you need that much accommodation.

The lounge opposite also converts to a single and pullman berth.

The idea with the saloon furniture is that it all lifts out to reveal storage and is fully removable so you're left with nothing but two carpeted platforms. These then lift on hydraulic rams to give the best access to the boat's engines this side of the QE2.

The whole procedure takes around one minute a side, and could even be done at sea, if required. Apparently, the Caterpillar serviceman yelled an enthusiastic "Y-E-S" when he saw the engine-room access.

Other nice touches include wooden handrails and Lees rod-storage clips on the saloon ceiling.

JUST DESSERTS
Forget soup kitchens and overdone galleys made for nothing but boat shows. The Force has a neat little food-prep station where you can brace yourself and turn-out a meal mid-ocean on that September passage to Cairns.

On the starboard side, L-shaped mahogany bench tops surround a two-burner stove and oven running off gas bottles kept on the bridge for venting. There's a sink, drawers for cutlery, pantry space and cupboards aplenty for hiding the dirty pots and pans when the owner lobs.

To port and opposite is another image service area. The big stainless fridge and deep freezer can be easily accessed, the mandatory convection/microwave is nearby, along with an entertainment centre including television and VCR that can be seen from the lounges.

A big part of the saloon's styling comes from the hip windows, which have some reverse sheer in the lower edge to help give the boat go-fast lines. The windows are leak-proof, big enough to draw in plenty of light, and there are sufficient hatches for fresh air, though airconditioning would be nice.

ROOM WITHIN A ROOM
Two things stand out about the accommodation on The Force - the room and, well, the room. Oh, and did anyone mention the amount of room?

Three steps from the saloon, the big master cabin on the starboard side has a nice big double berth, hanging locker, cupboards and shelves, plus storage beneath the bunk. Though there's only one hatch, ventilation is said to be okay.

Opposite, the port-side head has a LectraSan loo, exhaust fan, cupboards, a home-sized sink, and wipe-down white fibreglass walls.

Headroom under the shower is at least 190cm, with virtually that much in the forepeak cabin as well.

Here, the vee-berth and bunk have been made for the Australian physique, being long and wide without compromising the amount of storage for personals and clothing in the surrounding shelves.

The finish in the cabins is somewhere between utilitarian and interior decorator. There's white headliner above, royal-blue carpet below, mahogany furniture in between, custom-cut blue linen, and even a neat master bedhead with a billfish insignia.

THE CAPTAIN'S STATION
Flybridge access is up 'crew-only' ladder over the starboard-side fridge. The first thing to grab your attention is the beautiful retro-looking wheel with anodised aluminium spokes, contrasting wonderfully with the mahogany facia for the Cats' gauges.

The next thing to impress are the flip-away electronics - Raytheon 24nm radar, V850 dual-frequency sounder, Navionics GeoNav LCD GPS chartplotter (it comes highly recommended), and Coursemaster 600 autopilot.

Virtually the entire electronics kit folds away into lockers that allow you to hose out the bridge and leave the boat unattended, knowing the electronics are hidden from thieving eyes.

Above, a radio box hangs under heavy-duty polished aluminium framework used for the bimini top and the rear rocket launcher. There are teak steps, Vibak clears and lounges alongside and ahead of the console.

Along with the single helm chair, the bridge can easily take four bodies. However, like many serious charterboats, this is the domain of the skipper and, occasionally, the deckie looking for signs of fish life on a quiet day at sea.

HOME ON THE RANGE
The Force comes into its own when you decide to leave port. The rougher the better and, as Hoggie says, the more time you spend on the boat the more impressed you will be.

He was going past 35s like they were standing still on the way back from Port Stephens after the recent Interclub. Indeed, the boat travels unflappably into a head-sea at around 20kt.

But as luck would have it our trip to Sydney was in picture-perfect seas, with a light nor-easter up our tail and barely a metre-high wave to surf. Later in the day, The Force tracked down swells at 20kt-plus without getting off line.

Running twin 3208TA 435hp Caterpillar engines, the boat turned out a top-speed of 26.5kt fully laden. That is, carrying virtually 2100lt of fuel split between the main tank and the 800 litre transfer tank forward near the bow.

Spend time on this warped hull and you'll be impressed with the way it crushes the sea, using its sharp forefoot and big shoulders to turn down the spray, all the while conveying incredible stability from the massive down-turned chines that run well aft.

Some might say that a 22kt cruise or even 19kt just isn't fast enough. But those who go to sea for a living argue that cruising in absolute comfort beats a rabid bash out to the Shelf any day. And if you want thrills, you could always learn to drive the boat backwards like Hoggie.

Riding the throttles, he had The Force lifting its transom on top of its wake, surfing back down the waves, doing a GPS-verified 7.4kt just to show how well this boat can chase fish. Fitted with 507 gearboxes with 1.7:1 gear ratios and four-blade Ternbridge props on 2 1/4 inch shafts, the boat is built for aggressive driving. Read Hoggie.

The little black marlin which clubbed the two flatlines during our test, and the big blue which kissed the transom in Port Stephens, prove that The Force is loved by both fish and fishermen.

It is just the sweetest thing on bronze wheels. Even the marlin think so. Not that anyone's complaining, mind you. A few battle scars are flashed proudly in this game, and on The Force there are doubtless many more to come.

May I suggest those without the wherewithal to buy a Force of their own, at least charter this boat with Captain Haygarth for a day. There are most definitely worse ways to travel and few better ways to go gamefishing.

RUNAWAY TRAIN

The Force is equipped with the engines of my choice, twin Caterpillar 3208TA 435hp V-eights, for one irrefutable reason - reliability. More than any other, this is the quality which turns professional charterboat operators and long-range gamefishermen to the Caterpillar stable.

Skipper Haygarth says the decision was really that simple. He'd been running 3208TAs previously in a Bertram 35 charterboat by the same name and never did they falter. What better endorsement is there?

While some opponents may suggest these motors are a tad smoky, noisy, even old technology compared with the new computer-injected marine diesel engines, no-one can say with a grain of integrity that a 3208TA isn't a motor of trust.

Fact is, once a 3208TA Caterpillar engine has been warmed up it's like a runaway train, hard to stop, clean running and smooth. Moreover, these motors have a wonderful, fish-raising note that works like a pied piper in bringing in the billfish.

Coupled with a world-wide servicing infrastructure - even the cane farmer in Queensland can service them with one hand tied behind his back - and lots of midrange torque from a 10.4lt block, here you have a motor ideally suited to ocean fishing.

Doing 22-24kt on The Force, which is optimum cruising speed, you can cross virtually any sea in comfort and the Cats are just purring along.

Flat out, they don't even appear to be working hard, while there is no discernible engine lag from trolling to planing speed.

With a few tricks thrown in these 3208TA Caterpillars are even better. Haygarth had special 45° exhaust outlets made up to keep his transom clean as a whistle, and pull-out furniture in the saloon so he can remove the floor in a jiffy to reveal the world's biggest '40-foot' engine room.

The Caterpillar man's "oohs and aahs" speak volumes about the great set-up on The Force. The motors just love to work and are so easy to work on... Not that you will ever need to, mind you. ....David Lockwood

RUNAWAY TRAIN

The Force isn't the only stand-out custom sportsfisher to hit the water recently. David Granville chased down another very special 40-footer exclusively for BlueWater.

If you've spent any time around gameboats, names like Pannawonica, Cervantes, Sea Strike, Broadbill, Pacemaker, Kamari, Spirit of Brisbane, Mauna Kea and Inkwazi are sure to get your attention. These craft are some of the finest gamefishing vessels ever to ply our waters.

And while they vary in age and size, they have one thing in common. They are all from the drawing board of renowned designer, David Pleysier.

Pleysier's work has long been considered at the forefront of gameboat design. He has a reputation for consistently producing strong, lightweight, dry, fast and frugal vessels.

The latest Pleysier creation is a magnificent 40-footer christened Shakara.

Launched in July 1998, Shakara has been built primarily for billfish charter work like its predecessors. It is owned and operated by Bob Brookes, a skipper with a long affiliation with Pleysiers, having run Pacemaker from '89 to '96 - the last two years as an owner/ operator after purchasing the boat from his brother.

When it came time to upgrade, Brookes looked at all the production line vessels but decided that it was a Pleysier or nothing, describing the craft as "the Rolls Royce of boats".

Of course such craft aren't cheap, but according to Brookes, like all custom-built vessels the satisfaction of being able to absolutely personalise the craft is priceless.

Given Brookes' high praise for Pacemaker it is not surprising that Shakara has many similar features to the 33-footer. Of course, having the extra length to play with meant many additional features could be added, however the general layout is the same. Brookes also paid close attention to two previous Pleysier 40s - Kamari and Spirit of Brisbane - when deciding on the final fitout of Shakara.

Essentially, he has picked the eyes out of three of Australia's finest gameboats.

There is no Pleysier factory as such. David designs the boat, draws the plans and, if built within the vicinity of his Gold Coast home, will also supervise the construction. In Shakara's case, Brookes rented a shed and hired local tradesmen to work under Pleysier's supervision.

Shakara took approximately 12 months to complete and ended up with a pricetag of around $600,000.

At first glance it does not look like a classic Pleysier. While the tried and proven hull remains the same, the superstructure looks much more modern, with smooth flowing lines and wraparound tinted 'screen.

To the untrained eye Shakara looks like a typical GRP hull, however it is actually triple diagonal planked cedar with E-glass sheathing.

With a loaded weight of 7250kg including 1050lt of fuel and 400lt of water, Shakara is commendably light.

Twin 355hp Cummins engines driving through Twin Disc 5061A boxes yield a notable top speed of 35.3kt at 3100rpm, while at a 2400rpm cruise burning a mere 50lt/hr, the GPS registers 26kt.

An incredible amount of thought has gone into the craft's layout. Every corner on the boat has a softly radiused curve to it. There are no sharp corners or edges on the entire vessel.

The flybridge is clean and uncluttered with all electronics within easy reach and view of the helm seat. When standing, facing aft, a full unrestricted view of the cockpit is available and single lever controls are perfectly positioned for backing down.

Simplicity and function are the themes behind Shakara's interior. The forward cabin sports a large island berth and ample storage space. Aft of the forward cabin on the starboard side is a bathroom with toilet, shower and wash basin. On the port side is the galley with fridge, microwave oven and gas stove. The main saloon area incorporates a convertible U-shaped dinette on the starboard side and sofa/pullman on the port side.

The cockpit area finds lift-up engine boxes on each side. Padded and still protected by the bridge overhang these are comfortable rest spots on those slow days at sea.

The cockpit itself is once again clean and uncluttered. Transom corners are radiused both on the gunwale and below the waterline. Cleats are recessed and accessed through the covering board. A heavy duty stainless steel pedestal allows the use of a 130lb chair or light tackle rocket launcher. A large livebait tank is built in to the transom and Shakara also sports a large 240 volt underfloor freezer .

Although built as a charter vessel, the Brookes family love to fish on Shakara. Bob, wife Junee and son Ian are regular visitors to the tournament podium. In fact, the Shakara crew won the first tournament it fished, the Bribie Island Tournament of Champions back in January. Since Shakara's launch the Brookes family has already racked up a number of pending Queensland, Australian and World records.

I must admit I stepped off Shakara truly impressed. This is a first-class gamefishing vessel in every sense of the word and a credit to David Pleysier, Bob Brookes and the tradesmen who built it.

Bob and Junee Brookes can be contacted at Ability Fishing Charters, tel/fax (07) 3203 8099.