Fish bites: Fury launches a 6.6-metre centre console

Fury revealed the new boat, named the Smuggler 660, as a “true blue water performer” featuring a cuddy cabin tucked in underneath what looks like a canvas-covered stainless steel bimini.

However, the West Australian boat builder has also revealed it will build a centre console version of the boat named the Fury Smuggler 660 CC.

The dual-width centre console, with the helm to starboard, features a similar T-top design to the cuddy cab. It has a low-set wheel sitting beneath a tall blacked-out dash that’s large enough to house a couple of multifunction screens.

The 6.6-metre boats are the smallest in the Fury line-up. It launched its first boat, the Fury 282 Centre Console, in 2008.

Marine Rescue NSW says it has now delivered 103 new or refurbished vessels worth a combined $25 million to the units under its wings.

“Our boats are purpose-designed and built for units' local operating conditions, whether that's offshore, on hazardous coastal bars, or like Marine Rescue Merimbula, ducking under low traffic bridges,” it said.

Marine Rescue Merimbula recently took delivery of MB20, a 6.8-metre Yamba Welding and Engineering-built high-speed rescue craft that has a folding soft-top that allows it to pass under a road bridge to access Merimbula Lake.

The new boat allows Marine Rescue Merimbula to escort disabled boats back into the lake.

NSW has cautioned Victorians heading up to the Murray River for a Melbourne Cup holiday escape to check their safety gear complies with NSW requirements.

NSW authorities will kick off Operation Precious Cargo this weekend that will check boats for safety gear and ensure they are carrying the right safety equipment, as well as looking after people being towed behind boats.

Victorians are reminded that riding a jet ski between sunrise and sunset in NSW is prohibited. In Victoria, jet skis can be used in the dark as long as they have appropriate lighting.

Jet skiers are also reminded that while any Victorian with a jet ski endorsement on their boat licence can sit behind and supervise an unlicensed driver, under NSW laws anyone operating a jet ski must have a licence.

Melbourne’s rush back onto the water after tight 5km travel limits were extended to 25km proved a headache for a new traffic management contractor taking over at one of the state’s busiest boat ramps.

The Patterson River boat ramp, on Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne’s south, is busy at the best of times, but with the travel restriction lifting at 11.59pm on Tuesday, by 3am the ramp’s car park was full to overflowing, with a flood of complaints about cars parked “inappropriately”.

The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, which owns the ramp, said it had met with the new contractor “to discuss last week’s situation and help them adapt traffic management processes as needed, including an earlier start time this weekend, to ensure all users can enjoy the boat ramp safely”.

DELWP warned that Melbourne’s coastline and waterways would experience “unprecedented visitor numbers” over summer as more Victorians seek holiday experiences at home due to COVID-19 restrictions.