Primal Craft launches alloy plate boat range

Primal Craft founder Jason Carroll, who has based the new range on boats he last built two decades ago, told boatsales.com.au he wanted Primal Craft to become “the Ferrari of offshore fishing boats”.

The range will launch with 6.9- and 7.9-metre hardtops, 5.2- and 5.7-metre centre consoles, and a 6.5-metre Pro model aimed at commercial fishers. All boats will feature 5mm plate bottoms with the option to step up to 6.0mm, 4.0mm sides and floor, and 6.0mm alloy for the floor subframe, and will be built to survey – including full flotation foam throughout.

Carroll said he believed the time was right to launch a premium boat brand.

“There’s a lot of boatie and fishos out there looking for this sort of thing,” he said. “When we build a boat we’ll do the whole fit-out including the electronics the buyer wants.”

The entire Primal Craft range, including the 7.9-metre hardtop, will be legally trailerable. Top-end boats can still be towed by a trade ute, with even the smaller models able to be towed by a mid-size family car.

The boats will all be built to take big horsepower to help get the deep-vee hull up knot the plane. Sharp, wide chines help with stability both on the move and at rest.

Carroll said the bigger hardtop was a true offshore boat with a cuddy large enough to offer proper full-length berths for overnighting.

The boats can come as full boat, motor and trailer packages and are potentially equipped with everything from fridges to fish boxes, with the P52CC centre console expected to start from around $65,000 fitted with a 115hp outboard engine and sitting on a trailer built by Primal Craft’s sister company, Grove Marine Fabrication.

A Primal Craft P65 Pro in survey and fitted with a 125hp outboard engine and on a trailer should start from around $125,000, while a hard-topped P69HT range-topper fitted with a 250hp outboard engine and sitting on a trailer is expected to cost from around $145,000.

All prices depend on the level of customisation owners will seek, including the electronics – some of the keener fishers are happy to spend big on this ticket alone. Carroll said Primal had already arranged to have engines in stock to fit to boats should customers struggle to find their own.

Primal Craft’s logo is a swordfish. Carroll said everyone who had seen it liked the look, and he was already being asked for merchandise featuring it.

The first boat, a P65 Pro, is already in build with work on a centre console and enclosed hardtop expected to start next week.

Carroll said Primal planned to always have three boats in its Port Macquarie showroom so that potential buyers could step aboard and go out on a sea trial to see if it lived up to expectations.

Once built, the boats are expected to go on a roadshow to Sydney and Brisbane where potential customers will be able to experience them first-hand.

Model: Primal Craft P65 Pro
Length overall: 7.2m
Waterline length: 5.56m
Beam: 2.45m
Draft: 0.33m
Weight: 1386kg (dry)/156kg (wet)
Alloy: 6.0mm (hull)/4.0mm (sides)
Engine: 250hp (std)
Engine weight: 275kg
Fuel: 200L
Passengers: 7

Model: Primal Craft P69HT
Length overall: 7.5m
Waterline length: 6.9m
Beam: 2.4m
Draft: 0.4m
Weight: 1727kg (dry)/2050kg (wet)
Alloy: 6.0mm (hull)/4.0mm (sides)
Engine: 250hp (std)
Engine weight: 275kg
Fuel: 300L
Water: 100L
Passengers: 7