Oliver Royale 4300

There was a sense of accomplishment in seeing this day come to a close. We'd just crossed the wide, somewhat wild, blue yonder for an 80nm passage from Sydney to Port Stephens. It was a voyage in the true sense of the word.

The wind was whistling from the south at 25kts, the waves were standing up to three metres tall and, with white spume spilling down their steep faces, roaring like Jonah Lomu in full stride, we had come through unscathed and managed to somehow keep our lunches down.

Luckily, the great walls of water were behind us. And our boat, a new Oliver Royale 4300 from New Zealand, relished the opportunity to surf for virtually the entire distance north.

What's more we had modern-day electronics to guide us. So we sat back and merely observed as satellites, radar and autopilot did all the hard work, steering hands-free along a more direct route than any old salt could manage.

This was a passage that provided plenty to see, but it was an eye-opener for other reasons, too.

Within 40 minutes, somewhere down off Broken Bay, a 50m Navy boat charged across for a closer look at us, crossing our stern but unable to maintain our fast clip of 23kts.

Such was the efficiency of this hull in a following sea that it instilled a greater sense of confidence that I'd have in many deeper-veed boats.

No matter what you did, the Oliver Royale would run true without nose-diving or broaching, which is terribly important when you're hanging a leak off the back holding onto a cleat as great waves hover above you.

FROM THE LOMU MOULD
Oliver Royale is a household name, like sheep called Patsy and a footballer named Lomu (though not together) in New Zealand. In fact, Willie O (for Oliver, that is) began building wooden cruisers back in the late 1930s.

As testimony to their honesty and integrity, there are still several classic Oliver gamefishing boats plying the Bay of Islands and Bay of Plenty today. They are those same trustworthy gameboats with the pinched lines and wooden hulls which have seen more striped marlin in their time than Zane Grey.

More than half a century and two generations on, the Oliver name is still going strong and, like the All Blacks, it's attempting to make some inroads into our gameboat line-up this year.

With the best boat-building materials and technology at hand, Oliver has produced a strong ball carrier that will take some tackling.

The 4300 has a totally balsa-cored fibreglass hull and deck with two watertight bulkheads, engine bearers and numerous stiffeners glassed to the hull. In other words, this is a stiff, sound, strong, slippery and remarkably silent boat.

Though the deadrise isn't as great as many local cruisers, it worked in our favour running with the waves. A dead-wood keel also kept the hull on track, while very pronounced, hard chines around the bow for lift, and some flare in the top sides, ensured we remained dry.

Efficiency is the word which most springs to mind about this hull. With twin 350hp Cummins diesel engines, top speed was 32kts. But, you can cruise contently at 23kts at 2300rpm using 75lt per hour for both motors.

WITH FLAIR IN THE SIDE
Though many Kiwi powerboats look dated, this boat has a remarkable set of mouldings, perhaps more akin to something from the world-class local yachting arm.

The proportions of the hull to deck and cockpit to cabin were, no matter which way you looked at it, pleasing to the eye.

The mouldings were also blemish, dimple and bump-free. In fact, the curves were executed with all the deftness of a long-family tradition of proud boatbuilders, as though they had been finely honed over time rather than punched out.

When you open and close the hatches in the cockpit they do so snugly, without rattling and without too much gap between their lid and the bin.

This is a small point but it counts for plenty when you've invested six figures in a boat.

Ensuring wide acceptance, the Oliver Royale 4300 cuts across several user groups, and in different parts of the world, without upsetting any of them.

While it has obvious applications for gamefishing - with one version decked out for the job currently running around Papua New Guinea - it makes a wonderful passage-maker for cruising with family and friends between long days raising fish at sea.

Built into the transom, for example, is a big bait bin with cutting board and a sink with a handheld shower. But you wouldn't know they were there once their well-fitting lids are closed. And while a big boarding platform comes standard, it harbours a giant live-bait tank and is somewhere to through-mount a berley bucket.

If you were serious about your gamefishing, the transom door could be beefed up, the marlin board could be omitted and the transom-hung rudders could be hung further forward.

Oliver Royale is open to suggestions and caters for individual needs, including offering several different layouts of this boat.

This flexibility is one of its marketing strengths.

ROOM FOR A SCRUM
The cockpit is b-i-g with room to pack down the forward eight. It has storage space and scope for extra fuel and water tanks below deck. There is room for gaffs, tail ropes and tagpoles in the side pockets, and for rodholders in the wide coamings.

Deck fittings are sturdy, though the cleats are above deck and there could be greater cut-away around the cockpit for your feet.

Access to the foredeck is along wide bulwarks, backed by a high bowrail and a cabin top rail. These let you swing around the outrigger poles, and the journey forward is reassuring.

Though a rubber duckie sat on a cradle on the foredeck, you can carry it without hindering the anchoring or mooring duties of the bowman.

A neat touch was the icebox on the starboard side whose teak lid was made low and wide enough to create an informal seat. In fact, this seat shaded by the overhang, was safe and comfortable enough to travel on at sea.

There was also plenty of room for another seat here - a gamechair, that is.

A BRIDGE WITH A DIFFERENCE
There were aspects of the flybridge which I would change - and apparently the factory already has the moulds and are only too happy to oblige.

I'd go for a full-width dash with twin pedestal seats. We had an island console, which was great for the skipper, but not so good for the mate.

It did, however, offer plenty of room for flush-mounting electronics and the seats from Reelax were comfortable.

I'd also prefer higher lounges than the recumbent ones either side of the console. Though they were terrifically comfortable, and they kept the centre of gravity usefully low, one didn't get as great a view of the ocean as on higher, traditional bench seats. The hatch up could also be a wee bit bigger.

Reclining along the way, I did see wheeling shearwaters hooking into the wind, but travelling no more deftly across the waves. Inshore, east of Tuggerah Lake, a pod of little Pacific dolphins cavorted under our bow, but they, too, appeared unable to keep pace with us.

Further on, a fleet of sea butterflies launches from the waves and wings its way to another more peaceful crest. They are flying fish, which bigger fish such as marlin and tuna rather fancy eating. We feed a lure astern and troll for an hour, hooking something which shakes free before we can claim it ours.

Up ahead, Newcastle is a hive of inactivity. We count at least two dozen 60,000-plus tonne ships at anchor, floating well above their plimsoll lines in readiness of loads of Hunter coal. Fortunately we don't have to queue up to berth and refuel in Newcastle.

We moor at the jetties alongside The Brewers, next to the city train station, where there is a number of eateries with outside dining under umbrellas. Lunch and refreshments are taken onboard and I learn that a new 200-berth marina has just been approved for the waterfront.

INSIDE THE CABIN
Here, the saloon proves its worth. It's unconventional in that the galley is aft, though that makes for better servicing of guests in the cockpit through its own sliding glass servery door which also helps ventilate a great big lamp-chop fry-up.

To this end, the one-person U-shaped galley had a two-burner electric stove (which didn't rely on Auckland electricity but shore power or a generator), a microwave, sink with hot and cold water and ample laminated bench and cupboard space.

There was a long single lounge opposite a big U-shaped dinette, the seating being sufficient for six without overcrowding. The interior layout can be changed, with plans for up to 10 people, though this twin-cabin version with galley aft had some merit.

The finish was excellent in parts such as the champagne headliner and cupboard joinery, and again wherever there were mouldings, such as in the massive head with headroom. I caught a glimpse of marine vinyl wall coverings which didn't quite butt-up, though the leather lounges and carpet looked smart in what's become a classic teal colour.

Engines access was better than expected under the saloon floor, while the lower helm station was well presented on the one big moulded console. Accommodation was in two separate cabins, one to starboard with a double bunk and single above, and a forepeak cabin with a traditional island berth.

There was no shortage of storage and hanging space, and there was more than enough room to hang around inside without getting in people's way.

A PASSAGE TO SYDNEY
Within minutes of setting off from Newcastle, the wreck of Sygna, Australia's largest shipwreck, stands as a grave reminder of the low pressure system which swept through Newcastle in 1974 and delivered winds up to 185kmh. But Stockton Beach is interesting for other reasons.

There are 30km of wind-blown sand dunes extending up to 30m above sea level. The sand, which creeps at up to 10m a year, is deemed a renewable resource. The grade is finer the further you head north and sand from up at Anna Bay has been exported to Hawaii to create postcard perfect gold beaches, and to Japan and Korea to make precious bunkers in golf courses.

Stockton Bight reminds of a scene from Lawrence of Arabia where the desert meets the sea. Only they are four-wheelers not four-legged stallions charging over the dunes. With shallow water working against the north-south current, it's a particularly rough patch of water. But in just an hour from Newcastle we round Fingal Head and are skirting the towering cliffs of Tomaree, slipping along a glassy Port Stephens for a berth at The Anchorage.

The passage out of Sydney has taken, with a big lunch stop, about six hours. It seems fitting to celebrate at Merretts restaurant in The Anchorage with a deep bowl of bouillabaisse filled with fresh local seafood in an oceanic broth. It's a big, succulent dish for $28.

Contented, I drift off into a deep sleep in a luxurious loft suite which overlooks our boat on the marina.

The following morning, following a healthy breakfast of cool tropical fruits and the hot selection, a cute little de Havilland Beaver seaplane touches down at the hotel. It manages to get off the water with me aboard and we are soon tracing a wonderfully scenic path back down the coast.

All I can say is thank heavens we didn't end up shipwrecked like the Sygna. From my side of the plane I count 14 sharks ranging from hammerheads to bronze whalers) and one big, bad mother cruising all alone.

PASSAGE OF PLAY
But coming from Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, there is little chance of the Oliver Royale not completing its passage.

The new 4300 has a bulletproof hull and the build quality is impressive. There is room aboard for a family of four to six, for entertaining with up to a dozen, and for cruising the coast or luring marlin with at least six salty mates.

We reached Port Stephens on about $350 of fuel, none the worse for wear and ready to go gamefishing the next day. Which, given the chance, I would have done with all the conviction of Jonah Lomu heading for the corner post.

Box Story: A 'FISHIER' OLIVER

My Dream confirmed the Oliver Royale's fish-raising ability at last month's AIBT and NSW Interclub at Port Stephens, but as mentioned in bouillabaisse fan Dave Lockwood's main text, there's one Oliver 4300 on the water Down Under that is altogether a fishier machine than the Sydney-based testboat, My Dream.

Southport-based for part of the year but equally at home in PNG waters, Omen is an example of the Kiwi company's 'fishing spec' 4300.

Owned by the Brisbane-based Henry family, Omen has been fishing southern Queensland waters since late last year with plenty of success.

The vessel differs from My Dream in a number of key areas, not least the addition of a Reelax gamechair to the spacious cockpit.

Attesting to the company's ability to tailor interior layout to owners' needs, Omen has a no-nonsense, easy-to-maintain interior still finished in the rich American Oak that Oliver loves.

The layout includes V-berth style bunks up forward (the upper converts to a double transverse berth) and a portside master cabin with double berth.

With no lower helm station (though the Raytheon electronics include a repeater for the autopilot) there's extra lounging room and locker-style storage in the saloon.

The flybridge too is customised, with an additional lounge, a console-mounted cooler and a child-friendly ladder hatch.

In the cockpit, the Henrys have chosen to dispense with the teak that graces My Dream and have added an extra freezer/bait fridge to the starboard side under the flybridge ladder. Unchanged are the starboard side vertical rod storage locker, transom-mounted bait station and marlin door.

Omen is powered by twin 315 Cummins in lieu of My Dream's 370s and delivers a top speed close to 30kts. The smaller mills offer ample urge and there's still an easy 20kt cruise available at just over 2200rpm. It should be noted that the 4300 is supplied in New Zealand with powerplants as small as 250hp.

Built to USL code survey 2C, Omen also boasts extra fuel and water befitting its owners' long distance fishing aspirations. Thanks to an extra 400lt of fuel (for a total capacity of 1600lt) and a temporary 400lt bladder tank, the vessel was able to run non-stop from Cairns to Port Moresby unaided.

While time prevented yours truly from fishing Omen, it owners are (unsurprisingly) delighted with its fish-raising and fighting performance.

Now, with Oliver 5000 and 3000s on the horizon, it'd be a brave man that would bet the farm against these sportsfishing Kiwis catching on... Mike Sinclair