Geraldton, Australia-based David Perham is the latest operator from the Western Rock Lobster fishery to order a new lobster boat from Dongara Marine.
The 22.4-metre Southerly Designs monohull will, like other recent fishing and pilot boat newbuilds, combine an aluminium hull and composite superstructure.
Dongara Marine has overall project responsibility for the vessel and is currently in the process of fitting out the hull, which recently arrived in Port Denison after being fabricated in Geraldton by Peter Ellis's team at Xtreme Marine. This includes all the main machinery as well as the many mechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems that go in to a modern lobster boat.
It has already completed manufacture of the resin-infused composite wheelhouse structure, which is also now in the fitout stage.
Once the wheelhouse and hull fitout stages are complete the superstructure will be lifted onto the hull just prior to the new boat's launch, which is scheduled for April 2020.
The new boat will replace Perham's current vessel, the 18-metre Natural Selection, which was built in 1994. Twin 662kW (900hp) main engines will be installed on the new vessel, which will drive fixed pitch props via ZF gearboxes. This is expected to give a maximum speed of around 23 knots and 17 knots cruise.
The new boat will have capacity for 90 baskets of lobsters in live tanks, 7,000 litres of fuel and 800 litres of fresh water.
