Black Watch 30 Flybridge

There are several ways to convince yourself you need a Black Watch boat: For long-range cruising, they are wonderfully economical; For weekending, they have room to burn; And for tight-spot parking they are a snap to drive; But for gamefishing, they have few equals.

While Black Watch intends to broaden its appeal with family boaters, these robust craft will always be most at home on the deep-blue sea. There you can you really experience their giant-killer performance. Even the petite 26-footer packs a fair punch.

These are sentiments shared by the good many operators of the Australian-made boats. Accomplished skipper, George Williams, who runs the 34-footer Outlaw in Sydney, came from a 44-footer but loves his new 34's simplicity even more.

"You don't need anything else. Stability is really surprising and you can head out in remotely fishable seas without drama. We mix it with the big boys knowing our boat does the same thing, but at a discounted price," he says.

Others assert there isn't a better light-tackle gamefisher on the local market. Skipper Paul Whelan on Devil's Pride has turned his 34 into a champion ultralight and saltwater flyfishing platform in recent seasons, with 2kg and world fly records on his boat in Port Stephens.

Black Watch's reborn 30-footer follows in these footsteps. But perhaps more than any other model, this is the best drive. You can jack it back as hard as you like and the hull will lift up and shunt to where you want it. Then throw the throttles forward and the boat will jump clean out of the water. Before you know it you're coasting along at a slippery 25kt.

SMOOTHING THINGS OVER
But now the nimble Black Watch 30 just got a whole lot better. Where its interior was previously a convergence of cabinetry, it is now one big moulded insert; Where engine access was tight, there are now fantastic hatches; And where you had a boat that was easy to maintain, you now have one that is better again.

With less components the new Black Watch 30 is tougher, too. Construction of the hull and deck is hand-laid balsa-cored glass, with glassed in stringers encapsulated in resin, and a through-bolted hull and deck.

But the hardware is the same robust stuff as always. All the seacocks are chrome bronze, the fittings oversized and through-bolted, and the amount of deck gear on the base 30-footer tallies up to quite a list.

You get a sweeping bowrail with lifeline, deep moulded anchor well, bow-roller on a bowsprit, aluminium rubbing strip, polished-alloy cleats, freshwater deck filler, and anchor capstan as standard.

Access around the cabin superstructure and 19ft Taylor Marine outrigger poles with finely engineered bases is helped along by handrails and toerails built into the deck. The testboat also had optional equipment: fender baskets and a spotlight.

Naturally, the new fully-moulded, self-draining cockpit is designed with ocean activities in mind. A huge playpen, the cockpit has teak coamings, padded bolsters, and a shoe-stopping grade of non-skid.

In the aft corners, big fairleads lead to chrome-brass cleats with stainless rubbing pads to stop rope chafe. Four heavy-duty rodholders are through- bolted in the gunwales, and there is a base built into the floor for a heavy-duty gamechair.

In the cockpit floor are four hinged hatches leading to a livebait well with pump and plumbing, two fish or bait storage wells and a lazarette, where the steering gear can be serviced. There's also a tuna or marlin door cut into the transom.

With the motors hidden in engine boxes, the weight is kept low in the boat and stability benefits. The engine boxes, with hinged lids and padded cushions, convert into comfy dayseats shaded by the bridge overhang.

SALOON CHANGES
Access to the forward section of the donks is a big improvement. The aft seat of the dinette to port and the aft section of the galley benchtop on the starboard side both lift back to reveal the motors. With sound-proofing added, the Volvo-powered boat is quiet.

Electrical demands are taken care of efficiently by an underfloor battery bank with invertor. Onboard hot water - from twin 136 litre tanks - is created by a heat exchanger. All of which is simple stuff that works and requires next to no maintenance.

Step inside and two things become apparent: the fully-moulded white liner makes the new 30 a much cleaner and brighter boat; yet the good things such as headroom, a separate bathroom, and lots of accommodation in the bow remain intact.

To port, the dinette, which can seat four people for breakfast around a teak-laminate table, converts into a double berth should extra crew choose to stay aboard. During the day, the nearby storage for lure bags, magazines, and mobiles will come in handy.

Opposite the dinette is a classy little galley. It's fashioned from moulded Grannicote and has concealed amenities such as a two-burner stove, upper and lower storage hatches, 12/240V fridge, and sink with hot/cold running water.

Though the main saloon windows are fixed - no water leaks in this boat - there is an opening hatch in the forward cabin and the small aft quarter windows that slide open. Further comfort comes from a carpeted floor, lined ceiling and 12-volt lighting.

Everything forward of the separate enclosed head, just in front of the galley, is the same as a Black Watch 34. Fully moulded, the head has a manual toilet, towel rail and mirror, vanity with sink and cupboard, holding tank, and handheld shower leading to an automatic sump pump. There is also an air vent.

But what I really liked was the accommodation in the bow. Like a rumpus room, the 30-footer's entire forward cabin is taken-up by a big padded mattress on which you can kick back (obvious TV mounting spot nearby) and snooze till the ratchets wake you up.

FLYBRIDGE COMFORTS
Everything is in proportion and functional on Black Watch's 30. Tying in with the boat's lines yet big enough to take three people in comfort, the flybridge is a case in point. While it's nice and roomy, it's also steady.

For fishing purpose, the single helm seat lets you drive the boat comfortably in reverse. While there is the option of twin helm seats, future 30s will have one of the two small aft-facing seats beside the console converted into a bench seat with an icebox.

As it stands the flybridge floor is carpeted, there are instrument and seat covers included, and the custom bimini top with clears provides protection.

The dash is a good size for mounted electronics, too.

The big improvements to the Black Watch 30 come with the addition of a fully-moulded interior, but the boat's biggest attraction will always be the wheel.

Instead of the standard twin 230hp Yanmars, this 30 had Volvo KAMD 44P EDC 260hp rockets. Top-end came in around 30kt and the cruise speed was a smart 24-25kt. (Rumour has it the next 30 to go to Sydney sports twin 300hp Yanmar 6LPs!) All the while the boat brushed aside the waves and danced its way to sea.

With single-lever controls and electronic management on the motors, you could pretty much do what you want. But with superchargers on the engines, improved with a new silencing kit, you should expect plenty of dash.

Add the fact you can troll from sun-up to sundown for under 200lt a day and you're pretty close to the ideal mid-sized, highly-mobile gamefisher.

Sure, you can take the 30 out cruising, with the family, to faraway places. But whatever you do make sure your take your Black Watch to sea, throttle back, throw a spread of lures into the water, and get ready to run 'em down from the bridge - hard!

Then, and only then, will you see what all the fuss is about.