They call this a lobster boat in Australia, but it doesn’t bring to mind the typical Down East version of a traditional lobster boat – a Calvin Beal, for example, or a Lowell Brothers, a Wilbur. A Jarvis Newman? Don’t think so.
The new 85-foot Holdfast from Dongara Marina in Western Australia is billed as the largest high-speed lobster boat in Oz, and at a cruising speed of 18.5 knots and a top speed of 23.5 knots that may well be true. What seems beyond doubt is that it’s big and it’s designed to catch a lot of lobsters and get them back to port in a hurry.
Holdfast is a serious fishing boat, on any continent. It holds 2,113 gallons of fuel and it’s powered by twin 911-hp Yanmar diesels. The lobster holding tanks have a massive 6.2 tons capacity, so the catch will be big, and fresh. The boat has a crew of 12.
What’s particularly interesting is that the pilothouse is built with resin-infused composite, instead of fiberglass of aluminum. (The hull is aluminum.) The idea is that the composite saves weight (and contributes to a lower CG), and it has better sound insulation and is easier to maintain than fiberglass or aluminum. And it holds some serious electronics: Two 42-inch MFDs, for example, with Furuno radar, AIS and sounder, plus a Simrad autopilot. Read more:
https://www.marinelink.com/news/australias-highspeed436698
