Bluewater Gamefisher Reel Chase

Jim Dalling stands proudly on the flybridge of his new boat... and rightly so! Reel Chase is one of the most visually striking gameboats to hit the water Down Under, and has created waves of anticipation among the Aussie gamefishing fleet.

It's that kind of boat, with classic flowing lines drawn by an artist and engineered to complement the motion of the ocean.

While the finishing touches were being applied at a cosmopolitan Gold Coast marina, Reel Chase was the standout among a galaxy of showboats drawing admiring praise from boat-owners and non-boaties alike. Passers-by couldn't help themselves, swarming the gleaming new craft like gannets around a school of pilchards.

The most outstanding feature is the massive flare of the bow, flowing into the mahogany varnished sheerline which drops into a Rybovich-style hip, capping off a superbly efficient teak-trimmed cockpit. It's a looker!

THE PROJECT
The Reel Chase project began in 1997 when Queensland gamefishing identity Bob Gilmour embarked on a mission to the United States in search of inspiration. Gilmour fashioned ideas obtained in the US into a concept which naval architect Ron Clubb drew to form the 'perfect' gamefishing boat. Reel Chase was built with the specific aim of fishing for giant black marlin off the Far North Queensland coast.

Gameboats that have evolved in the Florida region of the US are indeed magnificent boats - the custom boatbuilding yards of Merritt and Rybovich have developed hulls which function well in the areas typically smooth seas and oceans. Waters that are relatively free from large swell.

These shallow deadrise hull forms, however, would not be practical in Australasia's offshore waters.

Further north along the US east coast, the state of Carolina offers rougher seas which are more consistent with those experienced on Australia's east coast. A community of Carolina gamefishermen and boatbuilders developed (through necessity) a design which could handle typically rough seas and swell. Through evolution, success and failure, a fundamental design feature developed.

The bow flare transformed into an extreme bow flare, now known almost universally as a Carolina flare.

The best attributes of these designs have been incorporated in the hull configuration of Reel Chase.

CUT TO THE CHASE
BlueWater's seatrial was undertaken during perfect Gold Coast weather. Smooth seas and small swell were the order of the day, although the usual collection of watercraft creating wash provided a hint of the vessel's handling ability.

For example a basic roll test indicated a comfortable roll period of about seven seconds, with sufficient form stability to readily return to the upright position. A high tower often draws remarks that a vessel appears top heavy, however, there is ample reserve factored into stability calculations when the tower is included as part of the original concept and drawings.

Given that BlueWater's seatrial was not necessarily a fair indication of the performance of Reel Chase, Jim was questioned at length, having already delivered Reel Chase from Townsville to the Gold Coast some weeks earlier.

During the delivery and after a few weeks fishing the Cape Bowling Green grounds, Jim encountered typical short sharp seas associated with Queensland's prevailing southeasterly winds.

Jim reported that in headwinds up to 30kt the vessel performed exceptionally well, using the fine entry and reserve buoyancy of the flared bow to gently shed the seas without any evidence of creating other vices.

He also noted that Reel Chase trolls comfortably at various speeds of 5-8kt, leaving a beautiful clean wake. The five-blade Teinbridge propellers stirred up enough turbulence to simulate the disturbance created by a bait school.

As the revs are wound up, Reel Chase rises smoothly and evenly to a planing attitude. No trim tabs are required due to the efficiency of the hull form and the balance of the design and components.

With a cruising speed of 27kt and a top speed of 35kt from the Detroit V-12 powerplants, any design defects would have significantly magnified themselves.

At 35kt, one would not expect any exceptional performance with regard to tight turns - it's not designed for a slalom racetrack. Nonetheless, Reel Chase leans comfortably into turns with little cavitation.

It's equally at home in its 'reel' role. Indeed, a backing-down demonstration by Capt Dalling was impressive.

Backing-down hard, Reel Chase showed no undue tendency to bury its transom and with more than adequate power, manoeuvring was responsive without requiring the use of rudders. With the rudders used in conjunction with the engines, additional response speed is available when tight manoeuvres are required with a fish on the wire.

SOLID FOUNDATIONS
Reel Chase is constructed to comply with Queensland survey regulations (currently classed under the category 2C for Queensland offshore waters to 50nm). The hull structure itself being built to the USL (Uniform Shipping Laws) code accepted as a standard throughout Australia for commercial vessels.

Townsville shipwright Alan Christian built the hull using solid FRP below the waterline, with divinicell H80 sandwich construction in the topsides.

Interior fitout and machinery installation, as well as the stainless steel marlin/tuna tower, were all fitted to the boat in Townsville.

When standing on the flybridge of Reel Chase the skipper feels like being in command of an aircraft carrier, such is the clean and expansive foredeck area. In fact it is not unrealistic to visualise the foredeck of Reel Chase being used as a helipad!

The anchor, anchor chain, warps and fenders are neatly concealed in a locker below the deck, ensuring smooth clean lines are retained.

First impression of the flybridge is one of uncluttered spaciousness. The clean and polished bulkheads are finished in immaculate two-pack paint, with varnished and raw teak trims to add a nautical flavour.

In locked-down mode, the only equipment visible is a steering wheel and main engine controls. An unobtrusive, compact overhead console stores VHF and HF radios as well as an autopilot. However, with the press of a button it's open sesame as the forward section of the console lifts to reveal an impressive electronics package supplied and fitted by Chris Jones of Navigation Dynamics in Townsville.

There's all the equipment and instrumentation required to run a functional and efficient fishing machine.

Main engine readouts in a digital format supply performance and operational data for the 12V92 Detroit diesels. They also offer a synchronisation capability as well as a low-idle function which effectively shutsdown six of each mill's 12 cylinders - reducing the idle revolutions from 600 to 520rpm.

The low-idle function offers the similar advantages to trolling valves. As Reel Chase still trucks along at a speed of 5.5kt in this mode, it is an essential manoeuvring aid when transiting through moored craft and marinas.

Floscan fuel management gauges measure fuel consumption and provide a record of voyage consumption. However, at full noise, glancing at the Floscans can be a little horrifying! Is 400lt/hr enough to scare off your average boating enthusiast?

Two daylight viewing LCD computer screens are in clear view of the skipper. One runs the electronic charting program and integrated GPS. The program also performs automatic logbook recording of the vessel's movements and machinery functions, as well as keeping records for a planned maintenance program.

The equipment also enables Jim to send and receive his emails while at sea. No more crackling, scratchy, single sideband static along the Ribbon Reefs.

Electronics are consistent with a vessel of this calibre - including Furuno 48nm radar, dual-frequency Koden 3000W sounder, and proving this is a serious fishing machine and not just a showboat, a commercial-grade Wesmar HD800 scanning colour sonar.

These sonars have full audio enhancement of sonar pings so that return target echoes can be heard before they are detected visually on the screen.

Not only is the sonar a fishfinding device, but it can be an invaluable tool when navigating reef anchorages in those typical late returns after extended battles into the darkness. As many experienced skippers will testify, blind faith in GPS and combination chartplotters have led to embarrassing tangles with reef.

The lofty marlin/tuna tower built by Custom Stainless Steel on the Gold Coast is another work of art. The polished 316 stainless steel tower consumed more than 300m of 1.6mm wall diameter tube, and weighs in a little under 300kg.

The tower has steering and throttle controls, a repeater for the sonar, a stand-alone Furuno 582L daylight display colour sounder, and a Raychart plotter and GPS. Most importantly, though, is a view that would make a frigate bird jealous.

Tuna towers give the skipper a bonus bird's-eye perspective when looking deep-down for those large shadows rising to the baits. Experienced skippers also value eyeball navigation through reef passes above any electronic navigation aid.

The outriggers manufactured by Lees Tackle and imported from the United States incorporate multiple spreaders to ensure the outriggers remain stiff. Large baits can therefore be dragged relatively smoothly, and not jerked uncontrollably out of the water.

THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION
The cockpit of Reel Chase is a deckie's dream come true. Indeed, deckhand Ben Bright will have no excuses when it comes to having top quality baits ready, including up to four live tuna in the gunwale-mounted tuna tubes.

The covering boards are thoughtfully designed to permit barnacle-like holding power for gaffmen and for anglers to securely lock their knees underneath. The height of the covering boards above the waterline is not excessive, again allowing accurate tag shots and easy release of tagged fish.

Standing central in the cockpit is a top-of-the-range Murray Brothers fighting chair fashioned in teak and polished stainless steel. These same chairs are used to fish for giant bluefin tuna off the US east coast, where tackle is often upgraded to the non-regulation 200lb line class - testament that the chair is more than capable of standing up to giant tackle-busting black marlin.

The forward end of the cockpit provides access to the saloon deckhouse via a four-riser stair. The steps can be lifted to deliver clear access to the engineroom.

At the bottom of the steps is a cofferdam that houses fuel-filling ports - a very tidy set-up that has several advantages.

Authorities are becoming less tolerant of even small fuel overflows and spills and heavy penalties can be imposed on offenders. This set-up contains minor spills within the cofferdam, enabling easy mopping up.

The forward starboard corner of the cockpit contains an enormous freezer. Specifically designed for use as a bait freezer for the Cairns season, there is little chance that Reel Chase will run short of bait. At a guess the freezer would accommodate a bait school and a half of scad, as well as a substantial quantity of the desirable scaly mackerel and tuna.

The covering boards and cockpit coamings are furniture-like finished planks of solid teak. Minimal rodholders intrude through the beautiful timber.

The tuna tubes themselves are capable of holding four live tuna, or for light-tackle work the inserts can be removed and an adequate supply of slimey mackerel or the likes will happily swim laps of the radiussed tanks.

On the port forward corner is the deckie's rigging station. Enough workspace for the fish surgeon to perform his magical art of training dead fish to swim while concealing 16/0 hooks into their bellies.

The most significant innovation within the cockpit is the drain well, fitted central in the aft end of the cockpit. For many years gameboat owners and operators have struggled with survey authorities over freeing ports, or devices for relieving the cockpit of excess water. Obviously with gameboats going backwards more than forwards when fighting fish, cockpits are prone to filling with water, which creates the potential danger of progressive flooding into the hull.

Reel Chase uses a system similar to a concept used by US boatbuilders, where all deck scuppers and drains dump into a drain well. Water simply exits this drain well deep below the transom. It makes a lot of sense.

Reel Chase has large rectangular channels running the entire length of the hull (internally below the gunwale). These hollow stringers drain all discharges (other than main engine and auxiliary) into the cockpit drain well, which in turn goes overboard. Non-return valves are strategically fitted as a precaution.

BUSINESS-LIKE BELOW
Stepping into the deck saloon, one is greeted with an open and comfortable layout.

To port is a large radiussed settee with seating for eight and a timber saloon table complete with a beautiful inlaid timber marlin set into the saloon table - an eye-catcher for gamefishermen.

Trimmings are in a fashionable hard-wearing fabric consistent with the current crop of showboats, yet adequate to handle the rigourous life of wet and salty fishermen. Mixes of timber and fabric trims that are easy on the eye, and easy to work with in a charter operation. Two single loose chairs are on the starboard-side of the saloon.

Entertainment systems, including television, VCR and CD stereo, are secured for seagoing life and cleverly concealed behind timber screens when not in use. All cupboards have concealed latches, leaving the entire saloon clean and smooth.

Forward of the saloon is a functional U-shaped galley with microwave, 240V hotplates, oven and day fridge.

Below the galley (through a deck hatch) is a hold, including a large fridge and freezer with more than adequate storage for the five to seven-day trips for which Reel Chase is designed. The starboard-side of the hold features a secure storeroom for heavy-tackle rods and reels, spare equipment and tackle.

Below and forward of the saloon are guest and crew cabins in a conventional four-cabin layout. All are airconditioned and comfortably, but practically, fitted out. Finishes include wipe-clean two-pack paint, and padded vinyl on bulkheads and deckheads. Aqua-blue carpets offset the white surfaces.

Forward is the crews' quarters, two under and over single bunks with locker storage, and forward bulkhead door.

To starboard and aft of the forcastle cabin is a twin guests' cabin consisting of two single bunks.

Further aft is the owner's or VIP cabin featuring another two single under and overhead bunks.

To port is the skipper's cabin, including a single bunk and computer workstation. Jim's cabin has a door in the forward bulkhead opening into a skipper's ensuite comprising shower and toilet.

Adjacent to this there are two more heads. The day toilet is forward, and there's another toilet and shower for use by the charters.

Shower cubicles are moulded white fibreglass, while the toilets are Electrosan computer-controlled dunnies -chosen as they comply with Sydney Harbour guidelines.

THE HEART OF THE BEAST
New boat enginerooms are always impressive - shiny and clean, with plenty of polished stainless, freshly painted fueltanks, no rust, no oil weeps and no oily bilges. In this respect, Reel Chase's engineroom is not unlike most other new boat set-ups.

It carries the bilge pumping manifold and firefighting and extinguishing systems required by survey regulations. The firefighting system comprises a Mistex pressurised freshwater system, and ventilation is supplied by engine vents in hull topsides and vents in the eyebrows on the forward side of the flybridge.

The twin 12V92 Detroit diesels have sufficient access space for routine services and maintenance. A 16kVa Onan generator provides the power for equipment, as does a 2.6kW inverter. Ancillary pumps in the form of five Davey pool pumps through 25mm lines supply the tuna tubes and cooling for refrigeration. These are all conveniently accessible.

Sufficient spares for operation in remote locations are carried. However, like most gamefishing boats, major work will require the services of a shoreside workshop facility.

As you can see, Reel Chase is one very special boat. While its US heritage is unmistakable, the end result is a credit to the Aussie shipwrights who built it.