Rob chooses AMM
Brisbane angler makes a big move and looks for the right boatWhen Brisbane fisherman Rob was offered the opportunity to manage a manganese mining operation on Groote Eylandt, he quickly phoned a few contacts in the region and asked them about the best vessel for him and his family of wife Michaela and three young sons.
"Back came the response; something around six to seven metres with plenty of fishing room and a cabin for the family," Rob said.
"I began some research on the internet and very quickly came to Australian Master Marine."
"The Brisbane Boat Show was on around the same time, so I went to the show and had a look – I placed an order a week later." Rob ordered an Australian Master Marine plate alloy Tournament 7000.
Rob did not hold back on the options: twin Suzuki 150hp outboards with digital controls, two 300-litre fuel tanks, a slightly wider cabin, extended hardtop, Garmin 8012 flush mount with CHIRP module, LED lighting, Stress Free electric anchor winch, sunshade awnings and a hull storage locker along with a raft of other features.
"It arrived on a trailer on a barge from Darwin," he said. "We towed it home, gave it once-over and we were on the water the next weekend."
"It’s very easy to drive – it took a little while to get used to the twin outboards, particularly around the boat ramp and while sight fishing around the rocks, but there were no issues whatsoever.
"The build quality is worth noting – there are a lot of big boats on Groote Eylandt and I think AMM sits at the top end of the build quality," Rob said.
"I notice that when we’ve been on the water in a lot of other people’s boats, they don’t compare in terms of the ride. The Tournament is a heavier boat and I think the hull design helps the ride quite a lot as well.
"There are quite a few AMM’s up here – probably an unusually high proportion of them on the island, so they have got quite a good reputation.
"If we go to the (Australian) mainland, it’s about a 60 nautical mile one way trip and that’s if you can drive as straight a line as you can.
"This weekend, we might perhaps do around 300km - that will get us over and back and around a few islands. Most trips would probably be around 100km – we go out in the morning and come back at night.
"There’s fishing all the way around Groote and then you can fish the islands between Groote and the mainland, as well as the mainland. It doesn’t matter which direction you go, you can find fish pretty easily."
In the first five months of having his Tournament 7000 on Groote Eylandt, Rob and his family have put 120 hours on the engines.
For more information go to: www.http://australianmastermarine.com.au
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
