Hi guys , i came across this awesome story and just letting folks know as i dont know how to post you tube links, great story with references to early days abalone industry, early days footage of sharkcat racing( bruceharris), and some great bar crossings of sharkcat and coota craft ....its a must view.
Yeah its brilliant worth the watch for sure.
I watched this the other week scary stuff those whites they cant just reach out and feel your all bones they need to take a bite haha
cootacraft...great,great boats ..but they are purpose built for pro users and those who believe they are...!
My wife watched it and saw Grant Shorland in his hood-attached wetsuit on the boat, said, ' that could be you"--he sorta looks like I did back then, parked on the gunwale of an ab boat having a breather after a bag-filling session. But I was doing it in South Oz,not Victoria.
the intro gives me goosebumps with the haunting hoooauuuoo sound , but yes a nice video, theres another part i think to it his son launchs the coota of a green wave with some serious air time, but when you hear them using garden hoses and other rough equipment , you gotta shake your head but it was like that back in those days, they were making good coin back then when most people wouldnt know what they were. If anybody needed to know how a sharkcat went through bars well this is the guy to ask, love seeing all that silver detail on the merc cowling, thanks for putting it up Davidson.
I'm just never impressed with all this airtime that The Captain seems so obsessed with--any f*ckwit can get a boat airborne. I guess it's down to how well they land--that mag certainly has a deep vee obsession. I do like this one
The Villian looks like a beast, cuts across a lumpy, although quite small sea, very nicely. I'd like to see it in a real sea, may not be able to use that speed. Boats of that style are really just aimed at the go-fast mob and divers, IMO, people who don't have to sit in them all day rolling around, or having them heel alarmingly with three blokes trying to mange a big billfish on one side. I was a spearo myself, you tend to get out there, hit a spot or two, then come home. Don't even care if ride is dry or not, just want to get out and back , fast as possible.
Great thing about boats is everything is a trade off and everyones priorities are different and not one suits all.
Deep V stability is not always as poor as some make out. If weight stays underwater level they can really dig into a sea. The number of times I have been out in a Sea Devil with 200l ballast plus a lot of fibreglass down low along with a flat bottomed ali boat of similar size and my so called unstable deep vee would be moving around half as much as the 'stable' ali boat.
However they don't like weight up high. Put a big heavy cab plus rocket launcher/rods/electronics etc up high and they will bob around more.
I like to keep things simple, like an open boat, water and wind in face go fast to fishing/diving spots (makes getting there half the fun). Well set up deep v's are great for this. Not as good for trolling all day or sitting around with sideways slop.
Each to their own. There is no right or wrong just personal preference.
We were camping at an isolated spot a bit over 30kms west of Mallacoota a few years back. A sharkcat came roaring around the headland, not sure if it was twin 250's on the back, but it was absolutely eating the ugly chop for breakfast. They headed around the bay and took aim at the 100 metre gap between the rocky islands off the beach and the shore, which is waist deep much of the tide. I'm pretty sure it was ab fisho's from Mallacoota, probably Grant Shorland's son.
Watching them hammer full noise through their own backyard, despite the conditions, was a sight to behold.
Last edited by MikeyS; 22-06-2018 at 01:42 PM. Reason: typo
This was the one i watched the other week
the Bad boy hull ...1.1 tonne from the chines down. WOW
Quote" lm Grant shorland and im a abalone diver, from malacoota and i love the ocean and getting on the piss"un qoute ......thats funny as hell, tell you what you gotta have a nerve to go dive every day, knowing you could end up in toothys mouth.
Captain very much is for those deep V lads. i agree with what your saying, its a bit old to see the same old same old smashing over waves and drinking. but it sells them magazines.. I love working and designing any kind of boat wit h clients... but i must say my eyes roll back in my head when a clients request is a wave breaker and grab bar only. lol
When u have that much dough rolling in from your own business you need something to numb the thoughts of the Whites lol
i have never seen a White or a Mako but i tell u now i would absolutely shit my pants if i did, 5.5m shark and your in a boat less than the sharks length u gotta think... lol, and these guys are in the drink with them bloody crazy...