Brownie's Boats

Money well spent

Whoever coined the phrase that boats are nothing more than "Holes in the water you throw money into", was partially correct.  Most boats can cost you plenty to buy, use and maintain.   Particularly, if like me, you have taste for custom built game fishing boats, classic wooden motor cruisers and top of the range aluminium centre consoles and like to keep them maintained at the level I do.  However, the phrase doesn't take into consideration the enjoyable hours spent on them and for me, the money was well spent.

	The first boat I purchased when I returned to Queensland in 1984 after working in Sydney for more than 10 years, was a 32 foot Cresta game fishing charter boat.  She was originally called "Cordon Bleu" by her original owner Arthur Prince, later renamed "Karma", when owned by game fishing skipper Bob Jones, "Eyewitness News", when I purchased her and later "Seven News" when I changed stations from Channel 10 to Channel 7.  The poor little girl had more names than a credit card fraudster, but she did raise fish and I spent thousands of hours on her game fishing for black marlin and sailfish off Cape Moreton and Point Lookout and for blue marlin on the continental shelf.  I sold her in 1988.
In late 1988, I launched a new 40 foot custom built cold moulded plywood game fishing boat called "Spirit of Brisbane".  She was built in partnership with the late Barry Paul, who at the time was chairman of the Kern Corporation and was very interested in developing Brisbane as a world class blue marlin fishing destination.  Barrys' subsequent ill health and the demise of Kern Corporation in the wash-up of the 1987 stock market crash necessitated the sale of "Spirit of Brisbane" and we parted company in 1991.  She spent some time in North Queensland and currently is in Japan being used for what she was built for, game fishing.
	I purchased the "Margaret C", a 37 foot classic wooden Moreton Bay motor boat in 1996 to be used as a research and hosting vessel for the Coastwatch half hour program.  She was ideal for work in Moreton Bay having a shallow draft of 1 metre.  I did a complete major refit on the old girl and restored her to an almost new condition. In 2001 I no longer had any use for her as a hosting vessel for the Coastwatch show as I no longer produced the program. I wasn't using her enough, so I sold her to somebody who will look after this classic example of a Moreton Bay sharpie and use her to her full potential. I was sad to part with her, but she is in good hands.
A boat I bought in 1992 and owned until a few years ago, was my 6.4 metre Sport Fish Centre Console. Constructed of plate aluminium it was an ideal boat for shooting video of fishing action due to the all round access. The Sport Fish handled rough sea conditions excellently and was a great versatile boat. Powered by a V6 175hp Yamaha two stroke outboard, it had a top speed of 40 knots at 5400rpm and cruised economically and comfortably at 23 knots at 3200rpm. Sport Fish boats are now called Noble Boats and Rob Noble and his family do a great job building them.  I don't currently own a boat, but still spend time on the water driving marlin boats for private owners