Precision 70SF

They were big around the time that Prime Minister Bob Hawke was at his jocular best, when he declared any boss who made their employees work on the day Australia won the America's Cup a mug.

In those heady days, Precisions were the popular powerboats for big businessmen and big game operators alike. And there were plenty of both swanning about at the time.

The idea for this Precision, however, was spawned some time later - even after visionary Paul Keating finally had the reigns in his hands and was extolling the virtues of J-curves and a recession we had to have.

Only now, as little Johnny Howard steers the economy to new heights of confidence, has Precision launched back into the recreational big-boat market - and with something of a boom.

Indeed, it's glorious new couple-of-a-million-dollar 70-footer is a gameboat that offers something for all parties... Including quite some party aboard.

PERFORMANCE AND PIZZAZZ
Based on a patrol boat hull built for tackling the wild West Australian Coast, the big 70-foot Precision combines high-speed go-get-'em seaworthiness with the kind of cool comforts and fine artistry you'd expect to find in... Well, the Prime Minister's residence.

Step inside and your silk socks glide across a rich-red planked Jarrah wood floor, past African mahogany furniture and a dining table set for six, opposite a gourmet galley, to the piece de resistance - a cabinet with antique crystal glasses and bone china heirlooms held in place by magnets so they won't clink and crash at sea.

Head below to the bedrooms and you'll find plush imported fabrics, marble floored ensuites with gold taps, full-length mirrors and a full-size laundry, air conditioning and a mind-blowing music system that's adjustable from all three cabins.

There is everything you'd expect and more in this 50 tonne gameboat - a vessel which has the legs to run wide and the class to mix it with the most discerning modern-day big business set.

VALUE FOR MONEY
Available from just under $2.0m, the West Australian-made Precision 70 Sportfish is the biggest production boat in this country.

It's big money, but it is smart buying. Due to the weak Aussie dollar, you'd have to spend more than $3m to land a 65-foot Hatteras here, while a Buddy Davis or Merit in survey would stand you in around $4m.

Buy a Precision 70 SportFish and not only are you keeping your money at home, getting a boat in full 2C survey and with local warranties, but you'll land a chic boat which can cut it at Pier 66, Fort Lauderdale, where the world's biggest names in big gameboats reside.

FILLING THE GAP
The name Precision is no stranger to local gameboat buyers, of course.

A force in the 1980s in performance cruisers ranging from 13.6 to 17m, and supported by the popular, if workmanlike, Randell range at the time, it has returned for one reason alone: to meet the needs of a market getting interested in glorious big gameboats again.

Apparently owners of 52-footers, the biggest production gameboats from the likes of Southern Cross, Riviera and Steber, have been wanting a bigger boat for some time. After years of making mainly commercial vessels during 'The Recession', Precision has relaunched its badge on something which will keep the big gameboat crowd as happy as a tax deduction.

With the new Precision 70 you get an interior finished to suit exactly your tastes, but unlike a custom boat you save money by sharing tooling costs - which are the moulds used to create Lady Janine, the first 70, owned by businessman Trevor Rowe.

Rowe came from a Precision 40 and a Southern Cross 52 and has been waiting in limbo for something other than an imported motoryacht to which to step up. He prefers, in the US vernacular, a 'convertible' gameboat, which has been designed for outside living and high-tailing it offshore.

Launched in Sydney under a fountain of French champagne, with well-dressed caterers and even smarter canapes, Lady Janine is founded on a hull created by world renown naval architect Phil Curran for "high-speed patrol work."

The monohedron design has a Divinycell superstructure above the waterline but solid glass for the running surfaces, with a box section grid stringer system to prevent flex.

The lines retain that distinctive Precision look, and flow, unlike some production boats with ugly reverse-angled bridges.

While the 50 calibre guns don't come standard and there aren't the dog kennels which grace the patrolboats, Lady Janine enjoys the same ride from the same wave-piercing hull. That hull is fast, sleek and sharp up front, with less flare and windage than most recreational-only designs.

The beam runs to a useful 5.63m yet the widest part of the hull is near the owner's amidships stateroom. And as the flybridge is fully enclosed with wipers and air conditioning, getting wet isn't part of the offshore equation.

A WAY IN A BRIDGE
From an enclosed bridge with pneumatic suspended, leather-faced helm chair, the full-time skipper of Lady Janine, Cameron Grey, has a daunting array of electronics to deal with. There are electronic engine controls and a joystick for the 40hp bow thruster, which is useful for spinning the boat while chasing fish as well as docking. But then come the screens... lots of them.

There is an OceanVision navigation system which features continuous-scrolling of AUS charts to cover wherever you are cruising.

It's wired to a portable infrared keyboard with built-in mouse so the skipper can walk around and dial in new waypoints.

There's a 72nm Furuno radar interfaced with a GPS, a Saura autopilot and compass, giant deep-water sounder, a weatherfax, Inmarsat sat phone, Differential GPS, remote spotlight, three radio bands, electric fuel-monitoring system, automatic fire system, digital water temperature gauge, wind gauge, colour TV... and a bar fridge - stocked with Corona beers, no less.

The most interesting screen is that of the onboard video system, which switches from engine room to bow and stern views of the boat. You can watch anglers and crew fight a fish and later download the footage to the TV/video in the saloon. The crew plans to add a 'marlin cam' and splice the footage with that from the surveillance camera.

The flybridge has seating for ten on lounges and, with the door closed, it's as quiet as a gameboat could ever be. Additional seating will be added to the aft deck of the flybridge, as it's a great perch with a clear view of the cockpit and wake.

A big rocket launcher and lockers in the flybridge hold the Ian Miller tackle.

A second helm station with electronic engine controls and bow-thruster joystick is located upon this deck outside the flybridge, while a third station is found in the cockpit. Climb up a half-dozen stainless rungs from the bridge and you'll find a capacious tower with electronic repeaters, separate primary DGPS and sounder, and electric helm steering - also with the bow thruster controls.

With the best view of the boat, the tower station is the place to drive the Lady Janine in tight spots. There is storage for binoculars and charts, and a drink holder, of course.

DECK FEATURES
The foredeck is easily accessed along wide gunwales backed by lots of handrails along the cabin sides. The bow rail is high and safe for survey, but it's also stylish. The stainless steel bow-line guides and the bollard are beautifully made - almost sculpture - while the anchor-winch is a trusty Aussie Muir brand.

There is a huge storage locker under the foredeck, which can be converted to crew quarters and accessed from the forward guest cabin as an emergency escape route.

The air intakes for the engines are along the leading edge of the flybridge where it meets the foredeck. They are three-stage, patrolboat technology with a dorade system, humidity controllers, huge fans and membranes to keep salt and water out of the engine room, which is itself easily accessed via the cockpit.

On the foredeck is the latest Sea-Doo XP PWC and a NZ-built rigid-bottom inflatable - 5.5m long, with a centre console, underfloor tank and 60hp Mercury outboard. Both can be lowered singlehanded on a Davco hydraulic davit in a matter of minutes.

BIG BEAR PIT
The Precision 70 would be a joy to fish stand-up style in a multiple hook-up situation, since there's just so much elbow room in the cockpit.

It will be a stretch from the Orca gamechair to the corners of the cockpit, however. As the coamings are smooth and radiused, with solid stainless hawse pipes and big horn cleats, and a serious stainless rubbing strip at water level, lines shouldn't get damaged or fouled.

Features of the cockpit include Reelax rod holders, twin tackle lockers, a solid stainless steel barbecue (what good Aussie-built boat is without its barbecue?) a large eutectic fridge, separate icemaker, a livebait tank and sink, cutting board, acrylic drink holders, huge deck wash -more like a fire hose - hand-held sweatwater shower, gaff and tagpole storage in side lockers, step lights, the Orca chair, a marlin door, and a marlin board which was way too big.

Companionways on either side of the cockpit lead to a mezzanine level with lots of wonderfully welded, beautifully bent and fabricated stainless steel rails. There is an outside crew toilet to starboard and an Italian-styled ladder with big oval steps and a spiral stainless spine leading to the flybridge.

INSIDE OUT
Lady Janine is described as "a gameboat for the men which meets the desire of partners for a motoryacht." The finish really is remarkable, beginning with an compact Dutch cork deck which is impervious to everything from diesel and oil to fish blood and Bollinger. The cork is apparently as tough-wearing as teak, softer under foot, but significantly lighter in weight.

Any weight savings made with the deck are lost elsewhere, however. To meet 2C survey, the stainless tubing is necessarily thick, though it's more the forest of Jarrah and quarry of marble inside which weighs most.

The owner's wife, Janine, desired a separate dining area, a proper galley, a big cabin amidships where there was no slop from waves and a finish that was straight out the pages of Showboats.

The husband wanted gamefishing to remain an important part of the design specifications. They each got what they wanted and then some.

Lady Janine's interior is truly a work of fine Australian craftsmanship. The saloon isn't huge but it's perfectly sumptuous with a big lounge to port and loose lounge chairs opposite. The furniture has pegs on its legs to lock it into place in the Jarrah floor. There is a huge entertainment centre to starboard, with one of the latest oversized plasma televisions screens.

Step up and you can't miss the Makore (African Mahogany) dining table - a full-size six-seater with silver candle holders and Wedgwood settings - flanked by the family crystal in the cabinet and a genuine old wooden handrail at the other end.

Opposite is the galley, a U-shaped design with Jenn-Air fridge/freezer with icemaker, Miele convection/microwave oven and hot plates, Blanco dishwasher and enough bar and bench space to keep the fussiest caterers quiet.

Slip down below and the forward guests cabin beckons in the bow with a queen-size bed finished in a high-quality cream-leaf patterned fabric with delicate jade accents, valued at $500-$600 per metre. Matching roll and scatter cushions, mahogany wardrobes, a wooden floor and halogen lighting create a picture of opulence.

The other guests - or kids/crew - cabin, just forward of amidships, has two single berths with fitted bedspreads in a coffee-coloured and royal red diamond fabric.

The bathroom for both cabins is on the starboard side, and it has a huge shower, marble floor, mahogany toilet seat and gold fittings.

The companionway back aft to the owner's cabin was decorated with original paintings depicting scenes of indulgence, painted by a WA artist, June Smith. And as soon as you step down, and past the laundry with separate Miele washer and drier, the lavishness returns.

The master cabin is amidships, full-width, surrounded by mahogany wardrobes with full-length mirrors, a huge mahogany book case, separate two-person dresser, miles of drawers, and both television and drinks cabinets.

The king-size bed had a gold leaf and royal blue bedspread, shimmering under indirect halogen lighting.

Stately is the word to describe the interior.

ON THE WATER
Had it not been for the heavy interior and unbreakable engineering, the Precision 70 would probably run closer to 40 than 33kt top speed.

The builders say that up to eight tonnes(!!!) can be saved by choosing a differed fit-out, though 33kt is fast.

While a big deadwood keel keeps the hull on track, the Lady Janine is also fitted with Naiad Hydraulic Stabilisers which operate off gyro sensors.

They cut out at 21kt, but when you're travelling slower than that the stabilisers have a noticeable, quite incredible effect.

Gone are the days of trolling and rolling at sea. The 70-footer is steadfast, crossing the swells side-on.

"After trying them, you wouldn't build a large gameboat without stabilisers," affirmed skipper, Grey.

Powered by twin Detroit 1,450hp V-16 diesel motors, Lady Janine is exciting to drive. It gets up to planing speeds quickly, but takes longer to wind right out to its top speed.

Off Sydney Heads, it felt comfortable cruising across a lazy 1.5m swell at 2100rpm and 24.6kts - but then it was just as comfortable doing 28kt.

Either way, 50 tonnes is a lot of boat to move and the twin V16 1,450hp Detroit Series 3 DDEC engines - which have a fully automatic monitoring system - are far from excessive.

With 8000lt of diesel from which to draw, the boat's range is 850nm at 12kts - double that with no speed penalty on one engine. At 20kt, the motors use 300lt per hour.

And all this while ploughing out to sea with the crystal still firmly fixed in the antique cabinet in the saloon. If for no other reason, the Precision marks a great moment in Australian ingenuity and big-boat building ability.

It's not everyday you get your greasy mits on somebody's brand-new $2.7m gameboat. It's even rarer that you receive an open invitation to come back and fish the vessel with the gamefishing-mad owner.

It sort of underlines the fact, however, that beneath the undoubted glitz and glamour of the Lady Janine is a workable - and by the time you read this, working - gameboat.

The big Precision's owner is adamant that the boat be a gamefisher first, and pleasure boat second.

It has been designed for true open ocean performance and the ability to fish far far flung waters. The sort of waters we all should fish at some time in our angling lives. It's no surprise then, that the Solomons and other such locales are on the Lady Janine's itinerary.

But can a $2.7m gameboat ever really be considered good value? Getting down to tin tacks, that sort or money will buy you two Blackwatch 40s, two Riviera 36s, a Steber 1050 and still leave you with change!

In this case the answer is a definite yes. The Precision 70SF is a world class vessel. For a US-built equivalent you can start counting at $4m. Perhaps that's why Precision already has orders for two more!

The Lady Janine will be fishing a number of the larger tournaments up the east coast of Australia in 1998.

She'll be hard to miss. And well worth a look... Mike Sinclair