Markham Dominator Island River

Island holiday

It has been some time since we have had a run in one of the Markham Marine models of powered catamarans and with the weather more suited to barefoot skiing on Moreton Bay the rough stuff will have to be left for another day. Having run in various models of Dominators from this company over the past eight years you can rest assured that they can handle abominable sea conditions as we found out on a wind swept Nelson Bay at Port Stephens in a Canyon Runner.

The Island Runner has come to be due to the interest shown by couples looking for a boat that is capable of short-term liveaboard accommodation. Based on the same hull as other seven-metre Dominators such as the Canyon Runner, Markham Marine have set about dressing up the top side to appease the increasing numbers of boaters looking at overnight capability.

MAKEOVER
The cuddy windscreen has been changed to a hardtop cab with three hardened glass panes, two with two-speed wipers and freshwater wash jets. Large sliding side windows can be opened from each end making the funnelling of breeze more effective.

Tunnel hull boats usually have an issue with the amount of headroom in the cabin and that on offer in the Island Runner is enough to climb into the double berth that runs across the beam.

Toward the aperture that leads to it the berth base folds up revealing steps that lead down into the port-side hull in which a head is installed. This facility is capable of being pumped to a waste tank for emptying dockside or macerated and pumped to sea. The tank is fixed in place well back in this hull which alleviates any trim issues on the port bow if it were full. With no stowage space under the berth, boxes of possessions could be stored in the hull forward of the holding tank. A full cabin width stowage pocket extends across the beam of the forward end of the cabin which has a sliding door with a lock down hatch for security when the boat is unattended.

HELM GIZMOS
A console above the helm extends across the cabin roof to hold radios and other equipment as required. At the helm, multiple fascias hold instruments neatly and a blank section of the dashboard is large enough to hold a 10-inch screen chart plotter/depth sounder. The helm is mounted on a fibreglass module fixed to the hull side and an Engel fridge is mounted in the end of it. Aft of this, another module fixed to the hull liner contained the livebait tank under the cushioned and hinged lid. The space between the two modules may have a table installed over it and used for dining, although only a single adult would fit here. The table is removable and may be installed on the end of the galley making for further dining or increased food preparation space.

This galley is fixed against the port-side of the cabin and consists of a long module with the passenger seat mounted on the forward end. This seat hinges forward and rests against the cabin bulkhead revealing bench space underneath. The sink is large with hot and cold taps, although hot water is not plumbed to it. The single methylated spirits burner is aft of this and both are recessed in the black marble look-a-like cabinet top and secreted under flush mounted lids. A sturdy guardrail surrounds the sink and cooker. There is ample stowage in this module for condiments and utensils.

Sidepockets feature in the carpeted cockpit and there are no hatches in the deck for fish killtanks or wet gear stowage.

On the transom bulkhead, a battery compartment features either side of the motor walkthrough gang plank. A single seat is attached to the face of each hatch door and they are easily removed for fishing or access to the batteries, the isolation switches for which are situated externally.

There is a sturdy guardrail on each side of the gangway between the 150hp Hondas, and the endrail unclips and lowers as a diving ladder.

Where the gangway mould meets the transom is poorly finished, with a large gap evident between the two sections that are fixed together with a bracket. This could do with a tidy up.

In the top of the transom bulkhead are two hatches opening to shallow tackle compartments.

Considering the manufacturer's quest for practicality, some modification to the tackle hatches to make one of them the livebait tank and utilising the current position of the tank for some other purpose would make sense.

The engine wells for each motor are spacious. The fuel filter/separator is easily accessed along with the deck wash in its own receptacle for the concertina hose.

ON THE WATER
This boat has an independent hydraulic ram for each engine as well as counter rotating propellers. At the helm, it is effortless to handle in slow and fast tight turns.

While many multihulls lean outwards when cornering, Markham Marine has got it right with this hull which leans over nicely in tight cornering making for comfortable stability for passengers who do not have to brace against excessive inertia.

The power plants are well suited to the rig and with 440lt of fuel in two tanks you can expect long range capability with the economy offered by the four-strokes.

The best we could do on the day was stir up our own wake and with some chop nearly a metre high after tight turns, the Island Runner barely noticed them when riding over at all angles. Reversing is positive and, with scuppers closed, you can push hard astern and have good steering port to starboard when backing down on fish without swamping the cockpit. On the throttle, a comfortable cruise speed is 50kmh at 3800rpm and opened up we reached 70kmh at 5400rpm.

In the towing department, you will need a LandCruiser or Nissan Patrol with the appropriate tow kit to get this rig on the tar.

HIGHS

LOWS