HAINES HUNTER PROJECT BOAT (PT 4): A 445R runabout conversion to a centre console

The day had come to drop the stripped-back Haines Hunter 445 to the builder, Gippsland Lakes Shipwright Services, and its expert owner and shipwright Daniel Leonti. I pulled into his factory on a Saturday morning with my humble little tub and we began thrashing out the rebuild. Things were about to get real...

From where I live on the Mornington Peninsula, it was a three-hour drive to Gippsland Lakes Shipwright Services in Bairnsdale. This little pocket of Eastern Victoria is home to Bass Strait Boats (Bairnsdale), Whitepointer boats (Cann River) and Cootacraft (Mallacoota). Together, this triumvirate produces the largest concentration of commercial-style fishing trailerboats in the State and, well, country.

Leonti is respected part of the local scene. He has done work for customers owning all of these brands and more, as well as several of the older school Haines Hunter and Edencraft boats. His skills are first rate, having worked on a diverse flotilla including super maxi racing yachts, go-fast speedboats up to 77ft, and old cruisers synonymous with the Gippsland Lakes area.

From custom builds, to rebuilds and modifications in fiberglass and timber, Leonti is in his element. He wasted no time hearing my plans and was super responsive and engaged along the way. We spent a couple hours sitting on the deck going over the plans, drawings and considerations.

The juggling act involved fulfilling my needs and expectations for fishing, while still keeping the boat looking aesthetically pleasing. There were challenges like increasing the freeboard, while still trying to avoid the deck moulding looking overly high and ungainly. But with a detailed drawing and images, we quickly aligned our expectations.

The emphasis was on taking our time, as the finished product’s quality was a key objective. In this regard, my boat was in good hands…

We initially decided to raise the deck height to create a minimum 600ml of freeboard to give a sense of added safety. Yet we didn’t want the boat to look ridiculous, so care was taken with the sheerline.

With a sub-5 metre hull, there is a minimal amount of wiggle room, so space utilisation was needed to land all my fishing features.

The upshot was that I left the boat with Leonti feeling confident and comfortable. The next step was for him to digest what we had spoken about and cost up the project.

FLOOR PLANS
- Cutting in, removing the floor, transom, making the pod extension
If ever you’re looking at a boat rebuild with a third party, brief them about all facets of that rebuild and provide a detailed drawing. Ask questions, no matter how silly, to avoid “the otherwise unspoken” risks. Don’t pull any punches and say what you mean straight off the bat!  

The first thing that Leonti did was make sure the boat was level in all directions.  Then he removed all the remaining fittings, cut the deck/hull join, removed the top deck — which on these hulls just pops off — and braced and propped the hull up for support so that the floor could be cut out.

I wanted to increase the internal fishing area and do away with the engine well. By achieving a flat back transom, water ingress would be diminished. This was a problem with the low profile of the old splash well in the original 445s.

Next, the floor was removed, the hull extension was marked up, and a mould was created for that hull extension. The hull now measured around 4.85m.

(Note to the prospective DIYers: the tools needed to cut out the rot are a 5in grinder/cut-off wheel, reciprocating saw, pry bars, hammers, circular saw, jigsaw, laminating tools and rollers.)

Having cut everything back we got a look at the available space and assessed the area we had to work with to fit the fuel tank and position the underfloor plumbing. We also needed to run an electrical conduit for the wiring throughout the boat.

I had initially wanted a 60-70 litre underfloor fuel tank amidships in the hull, putting the weight where you want it, and by moving the fuel and its weight from the transom I could wrestle back some room above deck.

GLASSING IN THE STRINGERS
- Glassing in the stringers, building the casting deck, replacing the fuel tank and more
The stringers were replaced with fiberglass stringers that the builder moulded. Leonti also suggested fitting two more stringers than what the boat had originally, he also made and installed a fiberglass keel.  

He fitted a full-length tank floor made out of high-density foam and fiberglass which runs from the casting deck bulkhead all the way to the transom. The available internal dimensions allowed a fuel tank with a capacity of 90 litres, exceeding my request by some 20 litres, What a bonus!

This also resulted in another bonus — a 120 litre underfloor kill tank and room aft of it for a sump, which will house two bilge pumps and a live bait tank pump.

The casting deck was a stepped configuration, with a wide insulated live well that could hold a 20kg tuna or a couple large kingfish or, alternatively, keep bream alive when tournament angling .

Two storage compartments butted up against the anchor well section for additional gear storage.   

High-density foam: This is used to save weight, it has excellent rigidity and strength. This was used for the tank floor and anchor well and also for the internal lockers of the casting platform. It’s a good product to use in areas likes a bilge where it could get wet because it can’t rot or deteriorate in water.

Fiberglass chop strand mat: This was used because it’s a good bulking material and was the main material in fiberglass construction. Woven rovings are made up of continuous strands of fiberglass running 90 degrees to each other. It’s a good reinforcing material when used in-between layers of chop strand mat to add stiffness and strength.

Double bias cloth: Consists of finer fiberglass strands running 45/45 degrees to each other which makes it much easier to shape around tighter corners. It offers greater strength than woven rovings and is easier to use.

MAKING THE NEW DECK
- Time for the top deck mould
Once the old deck was removed, the builder called me to confirm the amount of freeboard I wanted and the need for things like: the gunwale width for fitting rod holders; and the anchor well size and its set up/positioning. It needed to be big enough to house an anchor winch and ensure easy access.

Aft storage bins and a centre live bait tank needed to be incorporated into the transom, a significant difference to the earlier designed boats. All this was taken into account with the new deck design.

The boat was levelled and the builder cut a set of temporary frames out of plywood then set them at heights along the gunwale. Once they were set up, he strip-planked them in foam, which is easily shaped and sanded before being fibre-glassed.  The builder then screened the whole thing in fairing compound.

Once sanded, the new deck will be ready to be finished in gelcoat. When this is realised, the rebuild is at a stage where the new deck and all the temporary frames can be removed and then the internals of the deck can be completed.

At this point, the new boat is really taking shape and it feels much bigger than its original size. The casting deck and hull extension give the boat added depth and fishability. I only inspected the boat twice during its progress, but received pictures of the progress and discussed everything along the way.  

Finally the new 445 or, is that, 485, is born. Now it’s time to put it all together and finish off the job. Here are some tips from my rebuild to date…

FIVE HAINES HUNTER REBUILD TIPS
>> Always have a clear plan of what you want to achieve out of the finished build so that the finished project meets your practical needs.
>> Openly share your thoughts and ideas with the builder and be prepared for feedback as there might be limitations to what is feasible.
>> Have a Plan B in case your idea is not workable, so you don’t delay the project and you can give the builder clarity.
>> Set a budget, but always expect the worst when working on an older boat because its condition can be an unknown.
>> Spend time researching other builds, research boats for sale on the market, and ask as many questions as you can along the way.

Check out some 300 Haines Hunter boats listed for sale on our sites with this Haines Hunter search. And if you want to sell an old rig, ads for boats up to $7500 are free on our sites.