Ski-Boat May 2018 by Angler Publications

CONTENTS

May/June 2018 Volume 34 Number 3 COVER: ’TAIL FOR THE TAKING Stuart Lacon-Allin with a solid 34kg yellowtail caught off Three Kings Islands, New Zealand. Photo by Roy Skea, Jigstar Africa

FEATURES

Monster Mamas Part 2: The nitty gritty of catching Barrier Reef granders — by Ryan Williamson

Eureka! Finding solutions to your offshore craft problems

Boat Test: Explorer 510 CC A comfortable, stable entry-level craft — by Heinrich Kleyn

Taming ’Tail 22

How we do it South Coast-style — by Adrian Dela Hunt

Getting the Best Fresh Fish Flesh Tips from the pro on making the most of your catch — by Erwin Bursik

What a Wahoo! Shelly Beach produces a record-worthy fish — Sven Appelt

Homegrown Talent Getting to know Craig Bertram Smith

Fish Galore Makaira takes home the Rosebowl — by Mark Cockcroft

Fishing Expedition Exploring the pristine waters of Papua New Guinea — by Peter Furber

Powering Forward Mercury introduces new V-6 FourStroke outboard lineup

DEPARTMENTS 8 38 41 43 65

Editorial — by Erwin Bursik SADSAA News Subscribe and WIN! Kingfisher Awards Reel Kids

48 67 70 72 73 74

Mercury Junior Anglers Marketplace, Smalls &Ad Index Business Classifieds Charters & Destinations Directory Rapala Lip — Last Word from the Ladies

The official magazine of the South African Deep Sea Angling Association

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Publisher: Erwin Bursik Editor: Sheena Carnie Advertising Executive: Mark Wilson Editorial Assistant: Vahini Pillay Advertising Consultant: Joan Wilson Accountant: Jane Harvey Boat Tests: Heinrich Kleyn Contributors: Sven Appelt, Erwin Bursik, Mark Cockcroft, Adrian Dela Hunt, Peter Furber, Heinrich Kleyn and Ryan Williamson. ADVERTISING – NATIONAL SALES: Angler Publications Mark Wilson cell: 073 748 6107 Joan Wilson (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 ADVERTISING – Gauteng & Mpumalanga: Lyn Adams — 083 588 0217 Publishers: Angler Publications cc PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 Telephone: (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 Fax: (031) 572-7891 e-mail: angler@mags.co.za Subscriptions to SKI-BOAT: R180 per annum (six issues). New subscriptions and renewals: SKI-BOAT Subscriptions Department, PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016. Telephone: (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 Fax: (031) 572-7891 • e-mail: jane@mags.co.za • Through www.africanangler.com, or • E-zine through <www.issuu.com> Reproduction: Hirt & Carter, Durban Printer: Robprint (Pty) Ltd, Durban Full production is done in-house by Angler Publications & Promotions on Apple Macintosh software and hardware for output directly to plate. SKI-BOAT Magazine, ISSN 0258-7297, is published six times a year by Angler Publications & Promotions cc, Reg. No. CK 88/05863/23, and is distributed by RNA, as well as directly by the publishers to retail stores throughout South Africa. • Copyright of all material is expressly reserved and nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without the permission of the publishers. • While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this magazine, the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions or errors or their consequences. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers, the managing editor, editor, editorial staff or the South African Deep Sea Angling Association.

8 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

EDITORIAL

SURRENDER TO THE FISHING BUG

HE proverbial fishing bug — a chip that spirals up the genetic helix to appear in some as a virus that has no medical antidote. It’s a bug that cannot be denied or controlled. Anglers are born, not made, and those displaying that inclination should be nurtured so that the embryo of interest produces a lifetime of pleasure and, in some of us, an unrelenting obsession! A grandfather, father and young son recently chartered a craft to spend the day ultra-light tackle fishing in the shallow water close to the Erwin Bursik Durban harbour entrance. It was a day characPublisher terised by an abundance of fish and much excitement, a day when the vast majority of fish were released. A prime example of the fishing bug gene flowing through three generations. I have little doubt that the social media reports which resulted from this day out invoked many happy memories of other anglers’ own fishing experiences, where that minute gene kicked in and how it was nurtured. Indeed, when the bug bites it is, in most cases, there for life and often compels the “victim” to pursue this obsession from the time he’s a toddler fishing in a rock pool or stream to the day he graduates to hunting the largest fish in the open ocean. In my instance this story rocketed me back to targeting gilly minkies in a vlei in the “ou Transvaal”, pinkies in rock pools off Brighton Beach and a lifelong passion for catching any type of fish in any watery environment I have been able to access. Numerous photographs of young boys and girls displaying their first or biggest fish cross my desk, and I study each and every one in detail because I simply adrore the unbridled expressions of joy and excitement. In each of these kids one can witness the effects of the bite of the Fishing Bug. For me the greatest inhibiting factor of forward propulsion of all young anglers is a lack of opportunity. The opportunity to simply go fishing is often hindered by parental reluctance if the parents are not anglers themselves, or the severe demands modern schooling has on recreational time over and above compulsory sport that unfortunately excludes angling. When it comes to my personal experience, it took me 17 years of rock hopping and beach fishing to “crack the nod” and get a ride on Les Buckler’s S44 Jackpot, an opportunity that changed my life and one for which I am eternally grateful. Whilst many of us old timers may consider it a bit of a bind taking kids to sea, I believe it is not only essential to the growth of our sport, but also provides unimaginable joy to those who make the effort. The satisfaction of witnessing a kid catch a nice fish is hugely rewarding, and that single gesture may well be the trigger that sets the child on the path to a lifelong passion for angling. With the onset of autumn come cooler weather conditions and an abundance of gamefish along the entire southern African coastline — both provide a great incentive to heed the call of “the bug” and go fishing. Go on and surrender to the call of the ocean.

Erwin Bursik

TOP CATCHES

YELLOWFIN CLUB RECORDS TUMBLE OFF KZN

HE Shelly Beach Ski-Boat Club yellowfin tuna record of 52kg was smashed on 31 March when Nitro, an Ace Glider 630, beached with a 100.7kg yellowfin tuna caught by skipper Nicky Momberg. Nicky was on a roll and the following day he caught another monster yellowfin tuna of 77kg. Catching two of these giants in two days proves that these big fish are out there waiting for those who are prepared to fish over the 1 000m contour. Nicky says the really big fish was caught on 80 lb tackle while trolling a black and purple Pulsator Marlin Magnet lure.

RICHARDS BAY’S FIRST GRANDER BLUE MARLIN T last the quest to catch a grander off Richards Bay has been achieved! On 2 April 2018 Marius Botha hooked this beauty while fishing aboard Jacques van Wyks’s LeeCat Express 800, Rough Rider. The 484.5kg (1 066 lb) marlin was hooked on 130 lb standup gear when it took a Marlin Magic Ruckus lure off the right short line while the guys were fishing off Dawson in 1 300m of water. It required a phenomenal effort from Marius to land the grander which was not going to give an inch. The fight lasted two hours and fifteen minutes.

TALK TO US If you catch a noteworthy fish that you think the deep sea angling community would be interested in reading about, send the details to us at <sheena@mags.co.za> and don’t forget to enter for a Kingfisher Award. SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 9

TACTICS

By Ryan Williamson

HE old saying “you learn more with your eyes and ears than you will ever learn with your mouth” is as true today as it was a couple of hundred years ago when first advocated. In my article in the March 2018 issue of SKI-BOAT I intimated that one of the main aims of my trip to work the deck of Top Shot in the vicinity of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef was to learn, and learn from one of the best skippers on The Reef — Captain Ross Finlayson. My eyes and ears worked overtime during my two month stint on Top Shot, and all I did was ask hundreds of questions. I very seldom opened my mouth to say “but in South Africa or Cape Verde we do this or that”, as all that did was waste time that could have been spent assimilating knowledge discussing a topic that had less than nothing to do with fishing for grander black marlin. I’m sure South African marlin anglers also want more than a story and photos of The Reef’s big mamas. After all, in the modern world of digital technology such stories abound and are available at the touch of a button. What is not easily available is a South African marlin fisherman’s findings in the way of technique and tackle application and

10 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

how those can be adapted for use in South African waters in order to improve one’s experience and — hopefully — hook-ups. This article should serve to convey that information and answer some of the questions I’ve been asked since the last article. BAIT PREPARATION I’ve had many questions about the photographs of the rigged baits, so let me

expand on that a bit. Yes, every bait fish is gutted before being rigged and the gills are totally removed. Thereafter the entire belly section is cross-stitched from the anal fin towards the head, using heavy waxed thread, to ensure the water ingress is limited and wash through is eliminated. This stitching ends after it closes the bait fish’s gills. The final closing of the gills and the bait’s mouth is done with 80 lb Dacron which is then secured very firmly to the hook being used. All baits are held in a large freezer that has a stock of frozen baits in case the fresh bait caught during the morning’s bait fishing is not the right size or type or sufficient for the day’s marlin fishing. Good baits are crucial to the boat’s success. Ross is pedantic regarding the type and size of bait as well as the way they are rigged and stored. On an average day at least 20 baits were used. TRACE MAKE-UP As I stated in the previous article, only 18/0 and 20/0 Mustad circle hooks are used. Nothing else. The hook points are also continually tested for sharpness. The selected hook is attached to the 400 lb galvanised wire single strand trace using the familiar Haywire Twist,

but modified as follows. A reasonably large initial loop through the hook eye then 20 — yes, 20 — twist turns before being finished off with eight tight twists. These last twists ensure that the wire is close up against the previous twists. (See pic alongside.) Each galvanised trace is 30ft long, and at the top end is a loop created by the same Haywire Twist of 20 + 8 turns detailed above. This trace is attached to the double line by means of a ball bearing swivel with a “pigtail” clip. The ball bearing swivel is attached to the double line with a Claw Knot, using three or four turns to create the claw. LINE AND LEADERS No wind on leaders are used because 30ft of galvanised wire is used almost exclusively. To conform to IGFA rules a double line of under 10ft is used. We use a Bimini Twist to create the double line for the main 130 lb line. Most reels used are loaded with 600 metres of 130 lb class Dacron and a top shot of 130 lb mono. This top shot is regularly changed after tussling with a very large marlin. Braid backing is not popular as skippers like the drag provided by having a lot of Dacron backing in the water during a fight.

TROLLING PATTERNS AND SONAR MARKING OF MARLIN Without doubt it was this aspect of how the Aussies target their big marlin

that fascinated me most during my sojourn on The Reef. All the boat captains, and Ross in particular, were absolutely fastidious about their game plan when targeting these fish. To start with, bear in mind the weather conditions that have to be faced. At the time of year that the big mamas come close inshore to breed, it’s the height of Australia’s monsoon season and the wind blows almost perpetually between 15 and 25 knots. When you consider that’s over a 2- to 3 knot south to north current, you’ll understand that it provides some very rough conditions. Calm days are few and far between. Add to this the close proximity to the reef edge — 40 to 50 metres — and you get some idea of the tricky conditions in which the captains troll. Factors that affect the trolling pattern are: • Baitfish working; • Marlin showing up on one’s sounder; • The captain’s knowledge and liking for a very specific area where he has caught fish over the years; • The accepted fact that bait swim better in a down sea and that a more consistent SOW is achieved by quartering the prevailing sea and swells.

PART II:The nitty gritty of catching Barrier Reef granders SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 11

When a captain decides to stay in a particular area he needs to sacrifice some of the above niceties to work his way south against the wind and current. If necessary during the move in position or in the event of a move to a different area, baits will be lifted so speed can be increased and no valuable effective trolling time is wasted in areas where baits are not working properly. Another factor that could cause a captain to move is if too many other craft are fishing the chosen area. Fishing The Reef is not like fishing off Sodwana where the boats spread out far and wide; off The Reef the fishable area is very close to the coral reef and that affects both fishability and manoeuvrability. The perennial problem of trolling for marlin is speed. Forget the so-called recommended spreads for lures and/or bait, that is just theoretical. What really counts is the speed at which the baits or lures are working the water. On the reef I noted that all that counted was speed over water (SOW). Ross certainly didn’t set a course on autopilot, set the throttles at only say 1 800rpm and sit back and relax, he worked his direction and speed all day to ensure the baits behind Top Shot were being pulled exactly to his liking. Standing at the transom watching the baits swim, it was a revelation to me the way Ross managed to get the bait swimming so perfectly no matter how the wind and sea were affecting Top Shot. Note: Bait requires a constant velocity which should average around six knots. THE HOOK-UP AND FIGHT On Top Shot, after a fish has been raised, has taken the bait and has commenced swallowing it, the two other lines are cleared very quickly (this is easy when only three lines are in the water) and Ross stops the boat. He doesn’t want the hooked fish that has taken the bait to be distracted by either of the two other baits still darting about if the boat is still moving while they are being retrieved. As explained in the previous article, once the fish is hooked the angler will drop the drag setting from 20kg to 10kg to be able to get into the fighting chair and clip in. On a small fish (200to 300 lb) the drag is left at 10kg. On a bigger fish the angler increases drag to 20kg and the backing-up would commence. This continues until the crew had a shot at grabbing the leader. If a big fish starts to sound the 20kg drag is retained until the fish is approximately 100 metres below the surface, then the drag is reduced to 10kg, and the fish is allowed to take another 50

Note, this is the basic trolling pattern, but bait- or bird activity and sounder marks will be worked with a much tighter track.

SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 13

metres of line before Ross stops the boat. With the subsequent loss of tension the fish feels encouraged to come to the surface to shake off the annoying attachment it feels in its mouth. When the marlin is near the surface, drag is increased to 25kg and backing up at speed commences. The captain uses the belly drag of line to keep tension on the fish while allowing the angler to wind as the boat gets closer. The backing up sequence is repeated time and again until the fish is within 30 metres of the boat, then, at the end of the fight, the drag is upped to 30kg to help get a leader shot. According to Ross, a fight with a very big fish requires a combination of mental attitude and experience. Remember that a 1 000 lb marlin cannot be dragged to the boat, she has to be coaxed to swim towards it. Therefore, most importantly don’t increase the drag, actually reduce it, because the more you increase the drag the deeper the marlin will go. When backing up, never follow the marlin’s tail when the fish is still deep. If you do that she wins, because you cannot pull from the marlin’s tail. You have to get the craft into a position that will enable you to pull the marlin from its head. LEADERING At this stage we two deckies would be up against the transom all gloved up and pumping with excitement as this was the time we really got into the thick of the action. The two of us took turns in taking the leader when it came close enough to take a leader shot. With fish up to about 900 lb Ross often allowed us to

play with the fish on the leader. It’s great fun, lots of excitement and certainly got us wiring proficiently for when we had to battle a really big fish. After the first wrap is taken on the leader the angler drops the drag to 10kg. As no wind-on is used, the swivel has to be wound right up to the top of the rod and be held there by the angler either until the leader is dropped overboard if the crew cannot hold it and the fight has to continue, or until the leaderman has control of the line. Once the leaderman has good control of the fish the other deckie will cut the wire near the swivel and keep on cutting lengths of wire as the leaderman takes wrap after wrap, getting the fish as close as possible to the boat to enable the wire leader to be cut off as close to the fish’s mouth as is feasible. The reason they cut the wire trace like this is that it’s dangerous to have long retrieved lengths of wire trace lying around the deck and this has resulted in many accidents on The Reef, some fatal. While leadering a wire trace of single strand galvanised wire the leaderman has to make three wraps rather than the two we use when leadering nylon traces. Getting the extra turn is not easy, but it prevents the wire from slipping and over tightening around one’s gloved hand. Indeed, it’s a very exciting time on the boat, but there’s no room for mistakes. The flaying of arms and gloved hands as the trace is being taken is amazing to the onlooker but deadly serious to the deckie. I sure learnt a huge amount about leadering during my time on Top Shot.

Good gloves are essential when you’re leadering big fish. 14 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

GAFFING A GRANDER At the outset I must stress that taking a fish over 1 000 lb is a lifelong dream of many marlin anglers and therefore the final decision to boat or not to boat a huge marlin is up to the angler/client. The boat captains that fish the area strongly recommend releasing all marlin, including those over 900 lb. Only those well over the grander mark are taken and more often than not even these big fish are released. This being said, the very few occasions on which I witnessed big fish being landed and when I was involved in gaffing and leadering fish like that reaffirmed for me that the task requires more skill than one imagines. When Captain Ross is convinced that a fish will make the mark and the client wants it weighed, four big flying gaffs (always loaded on the boat) are placed in specific positions on the fish deck and the gaff ropes are shackled to the base of the fighting chair. After that the deck is completely cleared and the other two rods, leaders and baits are stowed. When one deckie takes the leader and has the fish in gaffing range the other deckie places the first gaff deep into the fish’s top shoulder and the gaff handle is released as soon as is practical. The restraining rope is then cleated to a transom cleat. During this procedure the wireman never lets go of the leader and has to control the fish’s head until a second gaff is in place at the back of the shoulder. Only then does the wireman release the wire and deploy the third gaff — usually in the underside of the fish. By this time the skipper will come down from the fly bridge and, if necessary, make use of the fourth gaff. The ropes on the gaffs are then all cleated off. Very few of these craft have marlin or boarding platforms off the transom, but they do have very big marlin doors. Once the fish is properly gaffed the hard grunt and grind commences to get the fish out of the water and onto the deck. Big fish that are landed have to be taken to a mothership — if one is in the area — that has specialised scales to measure the weight of a hanging fish for a good 30 minutes. The computer calculates the mean weight which has proved to be 100% accurate. The alternative is to have it weighed in Cooktown, Cairns or Lizard Island, whichever is the closest. In conclusion, I have the utmost respect and admiration for all the skippers and crews of the fleet that target the huge marlin off the Australian Great Barrier Reef, having now experienced the 2017 season on Top Shot. I rate their skills to be the pinnacle of the sport of big game angling.

TROUBLESHOOTING

EUREKA! Finding solutions to your offshore craft problems

By SKI-BOAT Reporter

RUSTRATION knows no bounds when you’re on the beach, at the harbour slip or, worst of all, out at sea, and something goes wrong with your rig and your day’s fishing comes to a standstill. Unlike with a motor vehicle where one has a curb to pull up to and the AA, the cops or a mate to call for help, with a boat it’s you, the skipper, who carries the can and has to make a plan. Whilst there is no substitute for the professionals, it’s useful to gather as much knowledge as possible to enable you to figure out what’s wrong — and possibly even fix the problem when something goes wrong with your craft. We at SKI-BOAT see a need for boaters and professionals to pass on info and tips to enable other skippers to overcome problems — or prevent a problem from happening in the first place. We therefore ask you, the skippers out there, to submit tip ideas and/or rebuttals to us for publication. No doubt many of you have had to call out the professionals to sort out a problem on your boat only to discover that it was really something quite simple that you could have fixed quite easily (and cheaply) on your own. Help other anglers and skippers avoid such situations by sharing your hints and tips. You can email your information to <sheena@mags.co.za> with “Troubleshooting” in the subject line. They don’t need to be long, but if at all possible please add a photo to help readers understand what you’re talking about. Two problems have recently been brought to our notice and they will form the basis for this ongoing feature.

SONAR MALFUNCTION Problem: Following five years of perfect operation the sonar started “playing up” with weak showings even in fairly shallow water, and eventually it kept losing bottom signal. This caused frustration second to none, and a number of ruined days at sea eventuated.

PETROL STARVATION Problem: Motors are only running on idle and don’t thrust when the throttles are pushed forward. This often happens when craft are over five years old. Cause: Scale build up in the fuel lines or deterioration of the fuel lines’ inner wall can gradually form a blockage of the fuel pipe and fuel filter. Although there are many theories out there, the cause is largely unknown but this is a cautionary warning to inspect your fuel lines and filters to ensure this “cholesterol” build up is not clogging your motors’ arteries.

Cause: The “through hull” transducer may not be fully submerged in antifreeze. This skipper undertook a fact-gathering exercise with both the agents and boat manufacturer and a 20 minute job

followed. Sure enough the anti-freeze level was very low. A simple top up and refitting of the transducer into the “cup” that’s epoxied to the hull, produced a perfect picture on the sonar screen.

• Email your troubleshooting solutions to <sheena@mags.co.za> with “Troubleshooting” in the subject line. SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 17

BOAT TEST

by Yamaha

Tested by Heinrich Kleyn

HE last time I tested an Explorer 510 was in 2010 and that was after Grantly Read changed it to a centre console craft. Eight years later I was walking around at Natal Caravans and Marine in Pinetown looking for a caravan when I saw an interesting looking Explorer 510 standing on the showroom floor. My first impression was that it’s different from many of the boats that have been on the market for a number of years now. My wife and I were still staring at it when Bill Harrison came across to greet us. We had a short discussion about the Explorer and I suggested that Bill arrange for a boat test. The very next day he called to set a date, and a week

18 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

later I met up with Bill and Geoff from Natal Caravans and Marine along with Erwin Bursik who was there to take the photos. It’s always reassuring to work alongside Erwin because we have been doing boat tests together for such a long time that I can read his hand signals from a mile away. When I arrived at the Natal Rod and SPECIFICATIONS Length – 5.1m Beam – 2.1m Hull weight – 450kg Recommended power – 2 x 40-70hp or 1 x 90-130hp (2-strokes) or 2 x 4060hp or 1 x 80-115hp (4-strokes) Power as tested: 2 x 70hp 2-strokes Buoyancy – Hull is fully foam filled

Reel Club at 6am on the Wednesday morning the photo boat was already in the water as was the Explorer 510, with Geoff and his daughter behind the steering. CONDITIONS Weather conditions always play an important role in the test of any boat because if the sea conditions are too flat then you can’t properly judge how the boat will perform in rough sea conditions. I prefer doing a test in slightly rough conditions because it gives me a true reflection of how the hull will perform on flat water as well as in rough sea conditions. It also makes it easier for me to get the boat to perform and get some nice photos taken. On this occasion we selected the test day specifically because we

thought we would get a break in the weather and a little bit of sunshine, but that was not the case. At first I thought it was just the change in tides that was churning up the water at the harbour mouth, but we soon realised a fair to strong north-easterly wind was blowing. It felt like we were inside a washing machine, but the silver lining was that we could thoroughly test the boatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in poor conditions. PERFORMANCE The test boat was fitted with 2 x 70hp two-stroke Yamaha engines. Personally I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a little overpowered, but I prefer a boat to be overpowered rather than underpowered. The hydraulic steering between the engines makes it easy to steer and the side-mount cable controls worked well.

The difference between the Explorer that I tested in 2010 and this one is that the new model is slightly heavier and had two Yamahas fitted whereas the 2010 model was only fitted with a single engine. The gunnels have been redesigned and raised to twice their original height at the back. The new boat looks very different from the older model and I found it to be much more comfortable. The higher gunnels are comfortable to lean against and if you want to sit on the side of the boat you barely have to bend your knees to sit or get up. When it comes to performance the hull behaviour is more or less the same as the older model, but I would say that the new boat is drier at the back, largely because the higher gunnels at the transom prevent the spray and mist from

coming over. With the two 70hp two-stroke Yamahas on her stern she is very alive, from pull away from a dead standstill position to a sharp turn either left or right. With that amount of power it would be an absolute pleasure to do surf launching with her and she reacts ver y well when you have to turn between swells and pull away. Considering the power on her stern one could expect some cavitation on the turns, but she handled it very well. We all experience cavitation sometimes, but when it happens you need to look at the circumstances and what caused the cavitation. In these rough conditions she handled the oncoming swells very well, although we obviously could not expect to race at full throttle into the swells. SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ 19

Running with the swells was a different story. As she is a monohull, one would expect that she might broach, but that did not happen even when I ran her at full throttle. Here the big secret is your weight distribution. I made all three of my passengers sit at

the back, and the Explorer 510 ran like a well-oiled machine. When we ran side-on to the swell there was no indication of any broaching either. This truly is a very well balanced boat for deep sea fishing. One would think that making the

gunnels higher might affect the boatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance, but it did not. The boat did not become top heavy and, in my opinion, I would say that she rides smoother because of a little bit more weight at the back. She is certainly drier at the back than she was before.

SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ 21

LAYOUT The Explorer’s layout is one of the things that attracted me to this boat in the first place. As I already mentioned, the aft gunnels are higher than before and I really liked that. There is also a walkthrough on the right side of the boat between the gunnel and the transom. In the transom they have fitted a livebait well that can be used as either for that purpose or as a cooler box. At the back, against the transom, they have fitted a luxurious seat that houses the two batteries with plenty more storage space underneath. In front of this seat they have fitted the spacious fish hatch in the deck. I’m sure that a nice 15- to 20kg ’cuda would fit in easily. In the middle of the boat between the transom seat and the centre console there is a storage hatch. It has been cleverly designed with a seat on top, and the back rest can go either on the front of the seat or the back of the seat. The centre console is very nicely designed and will easily accommodate all the electronics you need and the steering. You will be able to fit the life 22 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

jackets, food and other items inside the console, and if you take the clips off the bottom of the console and swing the unit forward, you’ll find the petrol hatch hidden in the deck beneath the console. This is great when it comes to weight distribution around the boat. With the fuel hidden away neatly in the centre of the boat, basically in line with the deck, it makes it easy to move other weight all over the boat to make sure it’s well balanced. These are all things that need to be considered when you’re boating in rough sea conditions. The way you balance the boat will change depending on whether you have a following sea or an oncoming sea. This layout just makes it easier to adapt to your sea conditions if necessary. Moving towards the bow, there’s a hatch in front of the centre console that could be used for a fish hatch. In the front there’s also a comfortable seat where a crew member can relax when conditions allow for it. Underneath that seat there’s still more storage space. In the bow you’ll find a spacious anchor hatch for your anchor and anchor rope.

In general this is a well thought out new design that Yamaha has come up with. These days there’s not much more that can be changed on our deep sea boats, so it all boils down to who puts in the extra effort to make small changes to their hulls to make the craft safer and more comfortable for us as fishermen. CONCLUSION Once again Grant Read has come forward to make small changes to a boat that has been on the market for some time, but those tweaks are making a big difference. This is a true indication that Grant and Yamaha are prepared to go the extra mile for their clients. As with all the boats designed by Grant, the quality is of the highest standard. This is one of the better entry level boats that I have seen in the market for a long time. Although she looks a little bit heavy and bulky she is not; in short, she provides a very comfortable, stable and dry ride. Well done to Grant and Yamaha. For more details or to arrange a demo ride please contact Bill Harrison at Natal Caravans and Marine.

TACTICS

How we do it South Coast-style

IN the sport of offshore angling the development of young anglers is not only essential to the long term future of the sport, but it also affords the older doyens of the sport the pleasure of watching these young guns come through the ranks with the irrepressible joy of youth. This is certainly true for those who have watched both Adrian Dela Hunt and Peter John Botha (junior) develop over the last six to eight years from “deck rats” to the highly accomplished competition anglers they are today. Yes, they have had incredible opportunities and tuition over this period, but they have also developed their own skills and ideas and, above all, put these into action out on the ocean unsupervised by adults. Simply put, they play the game on their own out of Shelly Beach and have produced some incredible results. It is for this reason that SKI-BOAT magazine is encouraging Adrian and PJ junior, who skippers his dad’s boat, Watt 4, to expose not only their accomplishments to our readers, but also to share the tactics and tackle they use. We hope this will inspire other up-and-coming anglers and also give the older anglers the pleasure of reading about the youngsters’ exploits and perhaps teach the old dogs some new tricks. By Adrian Dela Hunt

ITH the onset of the winter months we start to run into the back breaking yellowtail, one of our favourite species to target on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast. Taming these violent, full-of-attitude fish takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but that just makes our successes that much sweeter. Thinking about these fish reminds me of an outing we had in September 2017. We heard there were a few geelbek around at a well known “brick” (reef) off Shelly Beach and hatched a plan to target them. The night before our trip we sat in the garage doing some tackle preparation. We planned to have a spell of bottomfishing in the morning then some tuna fishing on Protea Banks in the afternoon. Peter-John Botha, Wesley Pauls and I sat making up some traces that night and hit the sack early to prepare for a long day’s fishing. We were awake the following morning at 3.30am and packed the Cobra Cat 630 (Watt 4) in record breaking time. The boys were keen! When we arrived at the launch site a

light westerly wind was blowing but we knew it wouldn’t last for long so we shot out and darted to the bait marks off the Port Shepstone river mouth and filled up with some lovely bait. Finally we arrived at the mark and stopped the boat to check the current. Conditions were perfect — 1.8 knots of north to south current and a 10-15 knot westerly, to hold us up nicely into the current. Without wasting time we baited up for the first down and did a sound around the brick to find the fish. What greeted us was scary! A huge red ball (see image alongside) was looking us in the eyes and it was sitting high off the brick. I looked at Peter John and he just smiled at me, then I shook my head, walked over to my rod and cut off my trace. The plan had just changed — Kendall rounds weren’t going to do the trick for the showing that just burnt holes into my eyes! Peter John and I let our lines down first, and as he hit the bottom I watched his line go slack before he started winding. He soon caught up with the fish and his Natal ski was half mooning. “Yep,” he shouted,“it’s yellowtail!” While watching him having a good wrestle I felt three familiar nods on my SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 27

TYPICAL YELLOWTAIL TRACE

leader

3-way swivel

1m hook snoot 9/0 Mustad Hoodlum

1.2m swivel snoot 3-way swivel 1.2m sinker snoot

1m hook snoot 9/0 Mustad Hoodlum

16 oz sinker

Left: Another day, another great catch of reef fish by PJ Botha (junior) and Adrian Dela Hunt. line and wound in as fast as I could, then I held on for dear life! They were big, aggressive fish and they only had one mission — to do their best to reef us. The fish had me on the gunnel but I wasn’t going to give any backwinds on my Scarborough. PJ was in the same situation. Eventually, after some back- breaking work we landed our fish and, to our surprise, were both double up! After a few minutes’ rest and a couple of bottles of water, we were back at it. This time I was “tight” first and PJ followed. Once again both were proper fish and they were punishing us. I had a proper hiding on the KP which involved lots of backwinds and holding on for dear life, then closing my eyes while waiting for the rod to snap or the handle on the reel to break with bits of fibreglass flying everywhere. Yep it was a good old hiding from a yellowtail! We managed to land the two fish — both in the 17-20kg range — after hugging the “mikstok” during the fight. We were grateful to land them because fish in that range often give you a right hook and an upper cut and say “Cheers, lakka and bye” before reefing you in 0.2 seconds.

28 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

As with most species-specific fishing the conditions have to be perfect for them. For yellowtail you want a north to south current. Key target areas will be big pinnacles and wrecks. We often drift over the bricks for these fish. TACKLE FOR ’TAIL Line: 150 lb braid connected to the leader by an FG knot Leader: 1.6mm mono (5m long) Hook snoots: 1.2mm mono (1m long) Swivel snoots: 1.2mm mono (1.2m long) Sinker snoots: 50 lb mono (1.2m longer than your bottom hook) Hooks: 2x 9/0 Mustad hoodlums. Sinker: 16 oz Bait: Chokka, sardine, mackerel (dead or alive), maasbanker or bonnie fillet. Jigging with vertical jigs is another way to catch these fish when they are sitting very high off the brick and after a reaction bite. The bite on jig is hard and intense, so hold on tight! If you want to be punished, go target a tail.

30 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

TECHNIQUES

By Erwin Bursik

INCE time immemorial human-kind has relied very heavily on fish flesh as a source of protein. Fish â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether from rivers or the ocean â&#x20AC;&#x201D; was arguably the most accessible form of protein to the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population. The worldwide tonnage of fish harvested is immense, indicating that it still forms a large part of both human and animal protein intake. To us recreational anglers the sport side of catching fish is paramount, and yet when the fish ends up in the creel or cold box it takes on a completely new aspect as it becomes an important food source. This raw material will later be turned into prime quality food that is relished for its taste and nutritional value. In short itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an extremely important health food. Whilst a great deal has been written about how good it is for you to eat fish and the amount of protein, amino acids and vitamins it contains, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very little out there telling us how to ensure that recreational fish is preserved to make certain that the valuable

flesh retains both its nutritional value as well as its often delicate taste. A number of articles have appeared in SKI-BOAT over the years about the handling and treatment of recreational fish, yet even today we often see photographs of magnificent fish lying on hot beach sand or lying in a fish hatch awash with blood and slime for many hours at sea. This poor treatment along with the bruising caused by the craft’s pounding on the long return run home reduces the standard of the flesh of the fish caught to less than 50% of prime condition. Daryl (picured below) and Brett Bartho are not only avid sport anglers, but also owners of a fresh fish shop and supply business in Durban North. They are renowned for their extremely fresh and well-presented fish and agreed to show SKI-BOAT readers how to best look after their catch at sea and the best way to process that catch to obtain top quality — and quantity — fish pieces for preparing at home. First and foremost the Bartho brothers insist that the following steps be taken after bringing a gamefish alongside one’s craft: If possible leader and tail a fish to bring it aboard. If this is not possible and the fish needs to be gaffed it must

be gaffed in the head of the fish. This aspect avoids internal bleeding as well as flesh bruising and flesh maceration of the area surrounding the gaff’s penetration of the fish’s flesh. Then comes the all-important preservation of the fish while it lies in the fish hatch for the rest of the time at sea. They recommend that a slurry of ice cubes or flaked ice be mixed with a limited amount of seawater and the fish be placed in this mix. Ice blocks alone do not seem to produce the same level of cold penetration as the ice slurry. The more ice one carries the better, and it’s also advisable to distribute one’s catch between fish hatches. This enables the catch to cool down a lot quicker and also avoids bruising when the fish bounce on top of each other during the ride home. The Bartho brothers prefer to use a large purpose-made cool bag (see photo opposite) instead of the craft’s fish hatch as they have found this better preserves the fish flesh. The use of frozen two litre milk bottles is popular, but as Daryl says, a fish lying on top of these only gets cold on the area where it touches the frozen bottles and there’s not overall cooling of the entire fish’s body. For the photo shoot we used a 19kg ’cuda that had been

GETTING A FRESHLY CAUGHT ’CUDA READY FOR THE PAN ...

32 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

The Bartho brothers use these purpose-made cooler bags to store fish on the boat. The ice slurry keeps the whole fish cold.

SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ 33

Fresh ’cuda fillets that are skinned and then vacuum-packed will last in the freezer for up to eight months.

These fillets with the skin on are ideal for the braai.

The last bits of ’cuda flesh are used to make fish cakes.

caught that morning and was perfectly handled and held till late afternoon in ice slurry. It produced ’cuda fillets that were of absolutely magnificent condition. The fillets shown in the accompanying photographs were cool, firm and glistening after filleting and ready for packaging. A few slices of the fish were also prepared sashimi style for tasting. Outstanding. Daryl set about extracting these fillets using a style of filleting I have never seen before. To avoid excessive handling he doesn’t remove the skin first before the actual filleting of the flesh, but operates with surgical precision working on a roughly 15cm section at a time. Using a sharp, heavy bladed knife he initially cross cuts one side of the fillet, working from the tail section towards the head. Working on this smallish section he was able to very easily and quickly remove it leaving virtually no flesh on the bone. Next he showed the importance of the long, flexible, wide-bladed and very sharp special filleting knife which they stock when he carefully trimmed the fillet off the skin leaving only the blood meat of the lateral line attached to the skin. These two perfect fillets were subsequently sectioned into four or five serving pieces for vacuum packing. As pernickety as Daryl was, I was surprised how quickly he turned these two entire fillets of the big ’cuda into beautifully presented punnets of fresh ’cuda fillets.

By filleting the same way but leaving the skin on yet still removing the blood line, Daryl sections the fillet into much thicker slices. These he sells for the braai. When it comes to cooking these one starts by placing the fillets skin down over the hot coals, then basting and turning until the fish is practically cooked through. Plate and serve. Daryl maintains this is the nicest piece of fish you will ever eat. Finally, using a dessert spoon, he scraped what I construed to be the well filleted skeleton and ended up with a good pile of white fish — about 500g — which is used for fish cakes. Study the photographs and you will admit, as I did, that this is certainly the way to fillet a ’cuda perfectly. A last bit of advice from the Bartho brothers was that if you intend freezing your ’cuda fillets you should remove the skin, then the fillets will hold for up to eight months in a domestic freezer without being affected by the oily taste that emanates from the skin. In saying that, the fillets would have to be vacuum packed and not just be put into a plastic bag in the freezer. When we travel to Moçambique, for instance, I take along my Verimark portable vacuum packaging machine which has proved to be very practical. Wthout doubt, this fastidious preparation of well cared for fish fillets will ensure the fillets retain their taste and texture.

34 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

PRESIDENT’S REPORT Phillip Marx, SADSAA President

38 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

MILESTONE in the long history of SADSAA has officially been reached — the SADSAA Administrative Office was opened on 1 March 2018 at 4 Joseph Avenue in Glen Anil, Durban North. I recently visited the new office to personally welcome Kim Hook and Zimasa Meth who have been charged with the many functions required to keep SADSAA’s administrative functions running smoothly. This office primarily serves to channel Certificate of Competency applications from the provinces to the South African Marine Safety Association (SAMSA) and send issued original COC Skipper’s Tickets back to the provinces to which they pertain. Both ladies are realigning the functions they used to do for SADSAA and will soon have assessed the systems on hand and have decided what is necessary to streamline this office’s service to members. Please afford your help to Kim and Zee (pictured, left) and be aware that contact with this office is only to be via the SADSAA Provincial structure. All provinces have the necessary contact details and these details will be updated when the landline and PO Box numbers become available. Kim and Zee are very much part of SADSAA, but if they can’t provide the answers you seek please note that there are many dedicated SADSAA and provincial officials whose contact details were published in the March/April 2018 issue of SKI-BOAT, who can be contacted for additional help. SADSAA’s National Council Meeting will be held in Johannesburg on 15 June 2018 and will be followed by the Annual General Meeting. All the provincial structures have been formally notified and it is their duty to inform all the clubs and members. It is my opinion that the dramatic upheaval of the 2014/2015 period during which SADSAA experienced significant legal interference as well as fraud pertaining to the Safety CoC Applications is behind us. We have been sailing in relatively calm seas for the last year, for which I am extremely grateful. In this context I need to place on record the immense amount of work which has been undertaken by all those involved in SADSAA’s Safety portfolio. In addition, SADSAA’s Action Committee and the entire Council of Provincial Executives have pulled together, not only working well with each other, but also, most importantly of all, bringing back the harmony that existed in SADSAA prior to our annus horribilis of 2014/15. In the run up to the 2018 Annual General Meeting on 15/16 June 2018 this harmony is expected to carry through as it appears that the national office bearers as well as provincial delegates will largely stay the same. This, together with SADSAA’s stable financial situation, will surely result in the “calm waters” persisting for the twelve months ahead. In the meantime, tight lines!

2019 SPORTFISHING WORLD GAMES — IN SA

ADSAA is thrilled to announce that the right to host the 2019 Sportfishing World Games has been awarded to South Africa. This event encompasses every facet of angling from bank angling to offshore big game fishing and promises to be the largest and most prestigious event in the realms of angling that has ever taken place in South Africa. As the dates for this event clashed with the 2019 EFSA World Championship which was due to be fished out of Richards Bay, SADSAA has decided to host the World Games at Sodwana Bay and has invited the EFSA teams to compete in the event. The last time a large international event was hosted from Sodwana Bay was in 2004 when 25 teams participated in the FIPS-M Championship. It was a wonderful time of fishing and friendship and some of the scenes from that event are shown below. The opening ceremony for the 2019 Sportfishing World Games will take place on Saturday 9 Februar y in Johannesburg where all the teams from every discipline

SADSAA CONTACTS: Email: <info@sadsaa.co.za> Website: <www.sadsaa.co.za>

representing countries from all over the world will meet for the largest angling event to have been held in South Africa. After the opening ceremony the anglers involved in all the different disciplines of angling will move to the relevant venues — in our case Sodwana Bay — to host their respective top level events, SADSAA anticipates an international contingent of 30 teams each fishing three days, trolling for game- and billfish off this magnificent venue. We’re excited to provide the participating teams with the experience of surf launching and fishing in untamed waters. Hosting the 2019 Sportfishing World Games will allow SADSAA to field a Protea and a SADSAA team, giving six of our top anglers the opportunity of fishing for their country in this prestigious event. NOTE: Qualified skippers who own craft over 7 metres in length which are fully rigged for billfishing, and who are conversant with launching at Sodwana Bay, and who would like to be considered to take part in this event should contact SADSAA President Phillip Marx for more details.

READERS’ QUERIES SADSAA’s President, Phillip Marx, has undertaken to answer a limited number of readers’ queries regarding SADSAA in each issue. If you have a question you would like answered, email him on <president@sadsaa.co.za>. SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 39

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FREE DIGITAL E-ZINE ON WWW.ISSUU.COM SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 41

Kingfisher Award Application Form I hereby apply for the Kingfisher Award in the category:

Meritorious Fish

Outsanding Catch

Tick the appropriate box and supply us with the following information. Please remember to print clearly.

Applicant’s Details: Name: ................................................... Address: ............................................... ............................................................... ............................................................... Code: .................................................... Tel No: ................................................... E-mail: ............................................................... Club (if member): .................................. ............................................................... I, the undersigned, agree to abide by the rules of this award. Signature: .............................................. Meritorious Fish Species: ................................................ Weight: .................................................. Date of Capture: .................................... Where Caught: ...................................... Skipper's Name: .................................... Outstanding catch Category applied for (tick appropriate box): 3:1

5:1

7:1

10:1

Species: ................................................ Weight: .................................................. Line class: ............................................. Date of Capture: .................................... Where Caught: ...................................... Skipper's Name: .................................... Digital emailed photographs should be high-resolution.

42 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

YOUR favourite offshore angling magazine, SKI-BOAT, in conjunction with The Kingfisher and the South African Deep Sea Angling Association, is proud to offer all South African ski-boaters the unique opportunity to win awards for excellence in angling. All deep sea anglers who achieve laid down standards of excellence will be entitled to apply for the KINGFISHER AWARD. Upon ratification by a panel of adjudicators, the angler will receive a handsome digital certificate, suitably inscribed. The Kingfisher Award will be made for fish caught in two sections: 1) The Kingfisher Award - Meritorious Fish To satisfy the requirements for this award, anglers are required to catch a fish included in the list detailed hereunder, equal to or better than the nominated weight. Tackle used is of no consideration here, the RULES: 1) There is no restriction on the number of awards which can be applied for. 2) Award applicants must submit a photograph of the relevant fish with the application form, preferably a photograph of the angler holding the fish. 3) SKI-BOAT reserves the right to use the photograph as it sees fit. 4) Entries must be on the official form which is included in all issues of the magazine. 5) Entires must be received within 45 days of capture. 6) Certificates awarded will be as follows: Meritorious Fish - Gold Outstanding Catch 3:1 - Bronze; 5:1 and 7:1 - Silver; 10:1 - Gold 7) No witnesses of the catch are required. The award is made in the true spirit of sportsmanship and relies on the integrity of the angler to make a just claim. 8) A selection of award winners’ names will be announced in future issues of SKIBOAT, along with relevant photographs. 9) Award applicants should allow 30-45 days for processing of applications. 10) There is no charge for Kingfisher Awards.

fish's weight being the main criterion. The different eligible fish and their corresponding minimum nominated weights are as per the list below. A gold digital certificate will be awarded for this achievement. Complementing this section is the second award category: 2) Kingfisher Award - Outstanding Catch To satisfy the requirements for this award, anglers can catch any recognised fish and the weight of that fish must equal or exceed certain laid down fish weight:line class ratios. Awards will be made in the following ratio categories: 3:1 – Bronze Award 5:1 – Silver Award 7:1 – Silver Award 10:1 – Gold Award. Applies to IGFA line class 1kg , 2kg, 4kg, 6kg, 10kg, 15kg, 24kg, 37kg and 60kg.

SPECIES: Barracuda Dorado Kingfish (Ignobilis) Garrick (Leervis) King Mackerel (’Cuda) Black Marlin Blue Marlin Striped Marlin Prodigal Son Sailfish (Pacific) Spearfish (Longbill) Spearfish (Shortbill) Tuna (Big Eye) Tuna (Longfin) Tuna (Yellowfin) Wahoo Yellowtail

NOMINATED WEIGHT: 15kg 12kg 20kg 12kg 15kg 100kg 100kg 60kg 15kg 25kg 20kg 20kg 30kg 25kg 50kg 15kg 15kg

RELEASED BILLFISH AND GT (Ignobilis) KINGFISH With the strong trend towards releasing these and other fish, we have decided to amend the Kingfisher Award rules to provide for acknowledgement of all released fish. All we need is a photo of the fish being released or prior to release (e.g. GT held on boat) and the approximate weight of the fish which should fall in line with the stipulated weights set out above. In line with this trend we will not be carrying photographs on the Kingfisher Award Page of any of the billfish species nor GTs other than those that are released.

Submit application to: Kingfisher Awards, PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 or email angler@mags.co.za

TOP CATCHES

By Sven Appelt

ISHING off Shelly Beach over the Christmas period had been fruitful with some nice catches coming out and plenty of dorado. Late December/early January is normally a time where one can just hook-up-and-go, but the weather was not playing ball. Fortunately on New Year’s Day there was a break in the weather and we pounced at the opportunity. Having had a safe and early launch, my dad and I decided we’d head north of the Mzimkhulu River. The livebait marks were thick with bait and within ten minutes we had a full livewell, then we headed even further north to Sea Park. The water temperature was in the low 20s, something we consider too cold for dorado which usually prefer a water temp around the 25°C mark, but nevertheless we pushed on hoping it would warm up. We drifted the backline for close to two-and-a-half hours with no luck so we decided to change tactics, bringing in our lines and heading for Protea Banks. We setup our normal strategy for drifting the banks: three trap sticks, one down-rigged mackerel with an 8 oz sinker to set it near the bottom, another down-rigged with a 4 oz sinker so that it would sit roughly in the midwater, and another livey attached to a f loat for any dorries that may have been roaming around the reef. I popped as we drifted to try and entice any nearby tuna into an epic explosion that we all love witnessing. We drifted the reef several times with no luck. It was a tough day! Scratching our heads, my dad and I had to come up with a new plan. We decided to put out some konas and troll to the continental shelf to try and pick up a dorado or two. Our spread consisted of four small Williamson dorado catcher konas — two bright colours (one being pink) and two darker colours — set at various distances behind the boat. We also had a fifth rod with another six-inch pink kona with a wire hook set that I’d found at the bottom of our kona bag and which I set as a Hong Kong line. SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 45

Shelly Beach is unique in the sense that the continental shelf is only about 15km offshore and about 4km deep off Protea Banks, making it relatively easy to fish given the right conditions. Fortunately for us conditions were perfect — a warm day with little wind and a small swell — enabling us to venture to the drop-off. Shortly after arriving at the drop-off we realised the water temperature was just above 26°C — a massive difference compared to the backline. We’d been 46 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

trolling the continental shelf for about an hour with no luck, so I decided to catch up on some sleep. Shortly after getting comfortable, the boat erupted into chaos — Murphy’s law of course. Just as we’d trolled over the northern side of Diepgat (an area where the contour lines merge to form a hole in the continental shelf) the four small konas went; we’d just gone through a shoal of skipjack tuna. My dad and I managed to bring in two of the skipjack, but as my dad was about to boat

his skipjack a massive dark bar with electric-blue stripes rose from the abyss. With a flash of silver the blue ocean was quickly stained with blood; the skipjack had been sliced in two with no effort. My dad and I couldn’t believe what we were seeing. The sheer size of this fish was incredible! The wahoo lingered like a brute, not moving and ready to pounce on any innocent soul. Adrenaline pumping, we forgot about the other skipjacks that were on and our focus turned to this massive fish less than two metres from us. We hadn’t planned on this so we had no rods with wire traces at the ready. My dad quickly grabbed one of our chumming sticks and put on a livey hoping the circle hook would stick him in the corner of the mouth. As we watched, the brute engulfed the remaining hooked skipjack and then turned its attention to the squirming and panicked livey, engulfing it in milliseconds! Our eyes were the size of cricket balls. My dad slowly tightened up the drag ... he was on! The fish took off, peeling line from the Tiagra 30W like an unstoppable freight train. The line was disappearing fast and I was preparing to chase down the fish when suddenly the line went slack. Our hearts sank. Disheartened by the loss of this massive fish I slowly began to reset the spread. I brought in the remaining two small konas — one of which had been bitten clean off half way up the line — and was bringing in the Hong Kong when I saw something following it. The wahoo had returned. My adrenaline began to pump again and I reeled as fast as I could to entice the wahoo to take the lure, then I watched as the big fish swallowed the kona. I did the only thing I could do — hold on — as the fish took off 300m of line within a few seconds. I was amazed at it’s speed and strength. After a 20 minute fight I finally managed to get the fish under the boat. Once again we were in awe and not a single word was spoken, but I could feel the pressure. What if I lost this fish? The silence was broken as soon as my dad gaffed the fish. We both burst into screams of joy and happiness, unable to comprehend the size of the fish as it lay motionless in the water. After wrestling it onto the deck we were finally able to fully grasp the size of the brute and we continued our celebrations with high-fives and more screaming. After beaching we scurried to try and find a scale to weigh the magnificent fish. Thanks to the help of PJ Botha we established that the brute weighed in at 36kg — tie with the South African record. This is a fish I will never forget.

PEOPLE

By SKI-BOAT Reporter

ECOMING a full-time artist is no easy task, let alone for someone who specialises in wildlife and fish fine art. There is no better person to ask about this than South African artist, Craig Bertram Smith. At 41 years of age, Craig is no amateur artist. His intense passion for all nature, but particularly ocean life, has led him to a career where he can express this passion in realistic fine detail on canvas. His annual family trips to the Eastern Cape Wild Coast with his father and brother triggered a fascination for fishing and the ocean from a very young age. He would spend hours “doodling” at school, sketching various species of fish and sharks. Craig’s unique talent was quickly noticed by his teachers, who encouraged him to explore his artistic flair. Although his father would’ve preferred him to follow a more academic and corporate career path, Craig was determined to follow his dream. After his studies at the University of Johannesburg Craig

48 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

went on to work as a graphic designer. This brought in a steady income, and he spent whatever free time he had sketching and painting, over the years building up a reputation for his fishing art. With artists such as Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders and Don Ray as inspiration, Craig worked tirelessly at perfecting his skill. Craig has a keen eye for fine detail and painting realistic images, and interest in his artwork quickly increased, with Craig soon taking on commission orders in his private capacity. In 2010 he made the decision to become a full-time professional artist. Orders continued to come in as customers enjoyed his process of doing detailed preliminary drawings before starting the painting process, giving a visual explanation of the concept as well as the look and feel of the client’s requests. The convenience of this pre-painting stage for client and artist, was to have the concept confirmed before going ahead to the painting phase. Since making the leap into the world as a full-time artist, Craig has experienced the freedom of pursuing his dream and has never looked back.

SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 â&#x20AC;¢ 49

50 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

His work has resulted in a huge demand locally and abroad and articles on his art have been published in various magazines and books, including being on the cover of the International Game Fish Association journal on two occasions. His art appears in homes, hotels, boardrooms and on boats and has been commissioned by clients from all over the world. With most of his paintings having been sold, the high demand saw a large selection of his images being made available as high resolution canvas giclée prints, in open and limited edition. The limited edition prints are signed and numbered and are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. More recently Craig’s art has become a recognised brand with his very popular CBS Clothing range. The clothing is a high quality, fully dye-sublimated product offering a range of long- and short-sleeve shirts, board shorts and caps. The clothing features some of his most popular artworks in the designs. Clients often choose to personalise their shirts with logos and names which are then printed into the design, nullifying the need for embroidery or extra printing. Fishing clubs and recreational fishing groups have their shirts personalised as well. The CBS gear caters for all aspects of fishing from flyfishing to saltwater offshore disciplines. The clothing offers unique designs that are crack- and fade resistant due to the nature of the printing, and the fabric is UV protective, comfortable and cool. Through all that Craig has experienced and the opportuni-

ties he has received, the fantastic places visited and people met, he is always reminded of the reasons for his commitment to painting these majestic animals. His passion and focus remain on portraying the underwater world in all its beauty and mystery, to elicit reverence and a deep appreciation of the wilderness — untouched and unspoiled — and to give the viewer an alternate perspective from the animal’s point of view. For Craig, capturing the fish’s essence has become ever more important as he realises afresh how fragile our world really is. Our ocean is under increasing pressure as we see creatures vanishing before our eyes. He strives to portray the creatures and their habitats as they should look without the threat of industry, and that makes his research and sketch studies even more important in preparation for his paintings. Every aspect of each animal is uniquely designed and needs careful observation to portray their character as accurately as possible. The results yield artworks that are rich in detail and context. Ultimately Craig’s greatest hope is that through his paintings he can inspire an appreciation for wildlife and for people to take individual responsibility for our oceans, and in doing so encouraging each of us to play our part in protecting an essential natural asset. If you are interested in seeing more of Craig’s original art, prints, clothing and other products, feel free to contact him on 083 519 7969, email <craig@wildlifeartist.co.za>, or visit <www.craigbertramsmith.co.za>.

SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 51

X-RATED! The X-28 Walk Around by X-Boats

The X-32 Walk Around

COMPETITIONS

by Mark Cockcroft

HE 38th edition of the Southern Gauteng Deep Sea Angling Interclub was held at St Lucia in Northern KZN from 5 to 9 March 2018. This annual competition is all about friendships and camaraderie fostered over the years between the six SGDSAA clubs, but ultimately it all boils down to the bragging rights bestowed on the club that wins the coveted Rosebowl trophy. This year Nomads Game Fishing Club, celebrating its golden jubilee, elected St Lucia as the venue and, in collaboration with St Lucia Ski-Boat Club, hosted a safe and exciting competition that included four days of hard but rewarding fishing. Competitions of this nature do not simply happen, so at the outset I would like to thank iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Ezemvelo-KZN Wildlife for granting us permission to host the tournament in their jurisdiction. Thank you also to the Nomads committee for organising another great competition, in particular Tyron Gruar the tournament director and of course our sponsors. There are many individuals who contributed, but I would like to single out our headline sponsors Land Rover East Rand, Hollard Insurance and Rowlin Insurance Brokers for their generous contributions to the competition and the sport as a whole. The decision to host the Rosebowl at St Lucia was hatched by a number of Nomads members who had fished various competitions at St Lucia during the 2017 season. They were most impressed by the organisation of the club and its well-run clubhouse and beach control. Needless to say we were not disappointed. From Oom Piet on the beach to the ladies at the bar, big competitions seem like second nature to Johan Engelbrecht, Johan Lange and the St Lucia committee.

Right: Trevor Mosley was very happy with his â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cuda and yellowfin tuna. SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ 53

Most of the competitors elected the “all meals included” option to avoid buying and cooking for themselves and were treated to generously proportioned meals and better than a lot of Johannesburg restaurants. I would be remiss not to mention that prize-giving was scheduled for 7pm on Friday night, but due to a blow out it was decided to bring this forward to lunch time Friday. St Lucia club again stepped up to the plate and served the delicious sheep on the spit five hours earlier than originally planned. Well done guys. Although the committee members were keen, getting support from the zone for St Lucia as a competition venue was not all plain sailing and it did require considerable convincing to get anglers to participate. For many this was the first time they had launched at St Lucia, and as it’s an open sea launch there were some apprehensive skippers. Nonetheless on day one, 39 boats lined up on the beach to represent their clubs. As luck would have it, day one presented us with a light wind but a somewhat unfriendly surf that had skippers scanning the waves with knots in their stomachs. The organisers were called some creative names, but with a little patience, the skilled timing of Wiseman the tractor driver and a safetynever- goes-on-vacation attitude, all but two boats in the fleet launched and returned safely. The surf conditions improved for the next three days, and by the end of the week there were no gripes about the launch. One skipper even thanked me for arranging the competition in tough but not unsafe conditions, saying I helped him finally grow a pair. In fact, the most serious complaint about the competition as a whole was that the organisers did not take into account the number of speed humps between Matubatuba and St Lucia. Left: This is one of the 14 fish caught by young Michael Gruar. 54 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

Over the four days fished, approximately 1.2 tons of fish were weighed, with all billfish being released. Species caught included ’cuda which were prolific but small, some reasonably sized yellowfin, a nice GT, a few cobia, wahoo and three sailfish. The most meritorious of the gamefish (on points) was a 17kg yellowfin tuna caught by Trevor Mosley on Hooker, a 17.4kg cobia caught by Ryan Canny, a 97cm approximately 16.2kg ignobilis kingfish (GT) caught by Dion Wilmans, a 17kg wahoo caught by Wade Martin and a notable 15.4kg yellowfin tuna caught by Jonathan Eloff a junior angler. However the X factor that sorted the men from the boys was the marlin. Mitchell Moore on Naughty Buoy kept Nomads in the hunt with a black marlin on 10kg tackle, but then Makaira’s Sebastian Hendriks and Jason Nielson each caught a blue marlin from Mitsu-fishi to give their club the edge. The three top boats were Father Time, Mitsu-fishi and Nauti Buoy. The top anglers were: Mitchell Moore, Sebastian Hendriks and Jason Nielson. The scoreboard that really counts ended as follows: 1. Makaira . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226.08 pts 2.TSC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196.11 pts 3. Nomads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119.42 pts 4. ERBFC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85.85 pts 5. Guinjata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.27 pts 6.Albatross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.16 pts Thank you to all the anglers for their participation and well done Makaira. Good luck to TSC who is tasked with arranging next year’s Rosebowl. Right: Richard Mosley and Mike Koch show off a couple of decent fish.

SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 55

PLACES

By Peter Furber

HAD been researching trips to Papua New Guinea and Luke Wyrstaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outfit Rock Expeditions for some time before I booked my trip with them for the first two weeks of February this year. The major attrac56 â&#x20AC;˘ SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

tion about the destination and the outfitter was the isolation and the fact that they offered an expedition not a fishing trip/holiday. I have travelled to and fished at many destinations including the Amazon basin, Nicaragua, Oman, Sudan and Gabon, and two of the attributes I

seek are isolation and remoteness. The feeling that you are one of a few people to fish that area excites me. Rock Expeditions delivers exactly that. If you are looking for comfort and being waited on, this is not the trip for you. If you are looking for adventure in a remote location with unrivalled beau-

ty, this is a must do trip! Getting to Papua New Guinea (PNG) from South Africa is a fair mission. I f lew via Dubai to Brisbane, where I spent two nights with an old school friend and did some catching up. I then flew to Port Moresby where I met up with my fishing buddy Neil

Waddell who had travelled from New Zealand. We stayed at The Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby which was great. In the morning we f lew to Misima Island where we were met by Luke, his team and the third angler, Bob Daly. Bob is a well known angler from America. He has a very impressive

résumé, being one of the pioneer fishermen who ventured into the jungles of Brazil in search of giant peacock bass. He has concentrated mainly on fresh water and is now starting to test his skills in the salt. He too is a fan of expeditions, not fishing holidays. After all the introductions we went SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 57

Luke Wyrsta with a rosy jobfish.

Bob shows off a decent GT — one of many caught.

58 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

Bob Daly with the remains of a doggie.

Neil Waddell was chuffed with his bluefin trevally.

to the local supermarket (similar to a rural spaza shop) and bought some beer and local rum — Warrior Rum which certainly has a kick. We then boarded three pangas loaded with all our supplies for the next eight days and started travelling into the open ocean. En route to our destination we passed a few isolated islands. One of the spectacles of PNG is you have the traditional sand/palm islands and then you have the volcanic islands rising out of the sea with sheer cliffs and dense foliage, ringed with coral reefs in the clearest water I have ever seen. This creates a spectacular vista. We arrived at our first island stop — Mwanewa — after a fairly wet twohour boat ride. The island is about 800m long and 300m wide and has a resident population of about three families. Their village is on the opposite side of the island to where we stayed. On Mwanewa we had a hut to sleep in with camping mattresses on the floor and there was a freshwater tank where limited water was available for a rinse off only. All washing was done in the sea. The ocean was crystal clear with soft coral beaches, and you couldn’t ask for a better bathroom. The “kitchen” consisted of a fire and a table. The meals were made up of homemade doughnuts and jam for breakfast, noodles for lunch and fish and fried banana chips or pasta for dinner. Drinks were limited to about two beers and two cokes a day and then lots of water. There was no electricity apart from a small generator which was used to provide lighting and to charge cameras. The area has no cell phone coverage but Luke has a satellite phone which is used for emergencies and weather updates. THE FISHING Target species were GTs, dogtooth tuna and the elusive Napoleon wrasse. The usual suspects like giant bluefin trevally, coral trout, bohar snappers and ’cuda were there in numbers. We didn’t target any, but all the pelagic species are there as well. All fishing is with lures, with anglers operating off the pangas. We fished the first three days in the vicinity of the first camp where there was endless water and numerous reefs to fish. The current in these areas is insane! I have never ever seen a current like that, and as a result of the strong flow the fish are extremely fit and test your back properly. On the first day we were popping towards the reef as usual when I decided to throw away from the reef into the boiling current. Second pop, bang and the rod was nearly ripped from my hands. My Stella 1 400 loaded with 80 lb braid and a 2mm leader was SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 59

Papua New Guinea’s waters teem with a multitude of different species.

The author’s dream come true — carefully releasing a beautiful Napoleon wrasse in pristine ocean waters.

60 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

Camps on the Papua New Guinea islands were very basic — perfect for a fishing expedition.

This is the way to end a day — with a monster ’cuda.

The numerous rocky islands create a spectacular vista as you fish the rich waters.

screaming. The initial run peeled off my line at breakneck speed. I fought the fish for about 30 minutes then I thought I had it, but unfortunately only landed the head of a doggie. At first I thought it had been taken by sharks, but on closer inspection we saw the bites were too ragged and we concluded it was taxed by another dogtooth tuna. We caught a variety of species that day, and everything there seems to be oversized and on steroids. The following day I fished with Bob and Luke and early in the day Bob caught two decent GTs on a Sebille popper. I was using a new Amberjack popper from Jigstar which I cast onto the shallow area on the reef; second pop and splash, bang, I was tight. The fish didn’t feel big, and I thought it was a bluefin so I horsed it a bit. As it came over the edge of the reef it suddenly woke up and once again the Stella was screaming. Luke and I looked at each other and said, “What the hell?” Suddenly everyone was concentrating, positioning the boat and shouting instructions while I was just holding on, retrieving line whenever I could. This was a big fish! Slowly I gained ground and finally a shadow appeared. Luke was in the correct position and shouted,“Napoleon!” I think I nearly wet my pants. I have been after one of these magnificent beasts for years. For me the true mark of professionalism of an outfit is how they handle the fish. Well Luke was absolutely amazing. He briefed us on what was going to happen before the fish was loaded. The deck was washed down and water was going to be poured onto the fish the whole time it was out of the water. My heart was in my throat at this stage because we were fishing barbless (compulsory) and my dream fish was still in the water. Finally the fish was loaded and placed on the wet deck, the hook was popped out and the fish was hydrated. While we were setting up for a maximum of five photos, the skipper was steering the boat to shallow water. Straight after the photos were taken I jumped into the water and the fish was passed to me. Luke also got in and a few more photos were taken with the fish in the water. This magnificent animal was then released to swim and maraud the reefs of PNG once more. My trip was made. After another day fishing in the vicinity of the first camp, the pangas were once again loaded and we set off for a 70km trip to another island called Panarairai. Luke had spent a lot of time researching currents, drop offs and other aspects to identify the best fishing areas. The entire area was so expansive and so isolated that on the entire eight-day trip we did not see SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 61

Papua New Guinea’s remote situation means the islands are pristine and the waters we visited are only fished about three weeks a year. anyone else fishing. The reefs are as virgin as you can get, and Luke says there are a maximum of four recreational fishing charters operating in PNG. We did not see any commercial fishing of any form while we were there. The second island had no facilities at all and a tarpaulin was erected over some trees and dead branches for our shelter. There we slept on the beach with the boats moored right in front of us. How much more do you need? We fished various atolls and drop offs for the next four days catching a variety of fish. As with all angling, you work for your fish and have hot and cold spells, but when it’s hot, it’s really hot. According to Luke, this area is only fished for about three weeks out of an entire year. It is pristine. I don’t know many places on earth like that. The crew that came up with us were amazing and helped whenever possible, and they all spoke English which was a great help. We travelled a great deal over the eight days and ran 62 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

out two 44 gallon drums of petrol. Eventually we sadly had to break camp and head back to the first island. I fished with Bob and Luke again on the last day. I was jigging with a Stella 20 000, 100 lb braid and a Blue Rose rod when I went vas. I thought I had hooked the bottom as I couldn’t lift the rod at all, then suddenly the bottom started to move. Unfortunately this story didn’t end well; ater a solid 45 minute fight, applying as much pressure as I could muster, I was spooled, but that just means I have to go back. What a way to end a trip, with the fish showing us who is boss! The last night was spent reminiscing about the trip over a few beers and rum. If you are into adventure, angling, isolation and untouched beauty, this is a must do trip. • For further details contact Luke on <info@rockexpeditions.com> or contact the author on +27 82 654 4553.

MY FIRST DEEP SEA FISH by Hennie Botha (10)

T last it was the December holidays — that meant fun in the sun and my first deep sea fishing trip! My dad, who has been out to sea a few times already, decided that my brother and I could go along with him this time around. Boy was I excited — and scared too. Nothing could prepare me for my first deep sea fishing trip. On 24 December we arrived at the Shelley Beach Skiboat Club; there were boats and tractors everywhere I looked and the excitement levels started rising. We soon met our skipper and fellow crew members and got in line to go out to the big blue sea. By 6am we were on the water. We started off trolling, hoping to catch some gamefish but our luck was out due to the spring tide and the effect that had on the ocean. Eventually we had a bite but it got away… the sound of the reel running “Zzzzzzz...” was stuck in my head! Next we set off to a reef where we were going to try for bottomfish. Now I was really excited; everyone talks

about the big fish they have caught while bottomfishing and finally it was my chance! Not knowing what to expect, my dad said I must just listen to the gilly (the boat assistant) and that he would help me. I wanted “my line” down first. Before long it felt like there was something on the end of the line — or was my hook just stuck on something? It was all new to me. “Help,” I shouted, “this thing is going to pull me in!” The gilly immediately came across to help me. He was nearly as excited as I was; he also knew it was a big one! When we eventually got the fish on the boat I was over the moon to see my first big sea fish. It was a red stumpnose and weighed about 7.5kg. We then set off back to shore, and that was also a great experience, riding the waves with the water splashing in our faces. Mom was the first one there when we beached and wanted to know who had caught the biggest fish. It was me! I am so grateful to both my parents for the experience and can’t wait for our next deep sea fishing trip — dad is already busy planning it0.

SKI-BOAT magazine, in conjunction with Mercury, is proud to offer all junior deep sea anglers the opportunity to win awards for excellence in angling. If you are 16 years old or younger and you submit a photo of yourself and the fish you caught, you will receive a handsome certificate suitably inscribed confirming the catch. And there’s more ... Once a year the names of all junior anglers whos photographs appeared on the Mercury Junior Angler page will be included in a lucky draw and the winner will receive, courtesy of Mercury, a fantastic prize of a 2.5hp outboard motor. All you need to do is send us a photograph of yourself and your catch, together with the following details: • Your name address, telephone number and date of birth • Species and weight of the fish you caught • Line class used • Date and place fish was caught • Boat and skipper’s name All entries should be sent to : Mercury Junior Angler SKI-BOAT magazine PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 or email your entry to <angler@mags.co.za>. There is no restriction on the number of awards that can be applied for, and SKI-BOAT magazine reserves the right to use the photographs as it sees fit. A selection of five award winners will appear in each issue of SKI-BOAT magazine. Junior anglers, Mercury and SKI-BOAT magazine acknowledge that you hold the future of our sport in your hands. Here’s your chance to show us what you can do!

66 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

MARKETPLACE

Mercury introduces new V-6 FourStroke outboard lineup

ERCURY Marine, the world leader in marine propulsion and technology introduced its new V-6 FourStroke outboard family and the expansion of its SeaPro commercial line at the 2018 Miami International Boat Show. The new engine family, which builds on the success of Mercury’s 75-150hp FourStroke outboards, features 175hp, 200hp and 225hp FourStroke outboards and a V-6 200hp SeaPro commercial outboard. The new Mercury FourStroke and SeaPro outboards are built on Mercury’s new 3.4-litre V-6 platform, which is designed to be powerful, light, compact and fuel-efficient. The new V-6 engines are precision engineered from skeg to cowl. “This new platform will position Mercury to advance product leadership in the 175-225hp outboard category, and deliver across the board on consumer needs,” said John Pfeifer, Mercury Marine president. “These new outboards address recreational and commercial applications, and strengthen our core product lineup by building on the success of our recent programs and delivering on the requirements of our global customers.” The 3.4L V-6 employs a large-displacement, naturally aspirated powerhead and proven mid-section and drive-system designs.These outboards are exceptionally versatile, offering the option of hydraulic or power steering, black or white cowls and a significantly lower boat well intrusion than the current product. In addition they offer digital controls, analogue or digital instruments and a variety of accent panel colors. This versatility makes the new V-6 an ideal engine for repower applications. “These outboards set a new benchmark in the marine industry,” said Pfeifer. “They are the quietest, lightest, smoothest, quickest and most fuel-efficient engines we have produced in this range.” For a large displacement four-stroke engine the new V6 is exceptionally light weight at only 215kg — the lightest in its class and 16kg lighter than their current product in this range. Lean and mean, the 3.4L V-6 FourStroke boasts Mercury’s best acceleration and, at cruise speed, it

produces 20% more torque than the closest four-cylinder competitor. Fuel efficiency is also unmatched, with the new 3.4L V-6 FourStroke calibrated to maximise fuel economy at cruise, yielding an advantage of up to a 15 percent compared to the closest four-cylinder competitor. Other innovations that further differentiate the 3.4L V-6: • A top cowl service door that provides easy oil check and fill (if needed) without removing the cowl, making routine maintenance easier than ever before; • Idle charge battery-management capability that protects against consumers draining batteries while operating multiple electronic devices, and best-in-class net charging output of 20 Amp at 650rpm; • Adaptive Speed Control that maintains RPM regardless of load or condition changes, improving the driving experience. “This is a great addition to the portfolio, ” said Martin Bass, EMEA Mercury Marine president. “These engines are light and quiet; to have a V-6 that’s lighter than a four-cylinder is incredible.” With its performance-inspired dual overhead cam (quad cam) and four-valve design, the engine will reach higher speeds, faster. In addition, this outboard is the only one of its kind that maintains rpm regardless of load or condition changes and provides a “sportier” feel to the driver. At cruise and at WOT, the new four-stroke outboards take advantage of Mercury’s proprietary “Advanced Range Optimization” (ARO) calibration to generate greater fuel efficiency than the engine it is replacing and the closest four-cylinder competitor. In addition to Mercury’s legendary black engines, this new lineup offers white engines for the 200hp and 225hp outboards. For the first time, Mercury will also offer four accent panel colors plus readyfor-paint panels for personalisation. The new FourStrokes will be available to the South African market in the coming months, so watch this space. For further information please contact Craig Gutteridge at Rutherford Marine on 011 878-2600 or visit the Mercur y website <www.mercurymarine.com>. SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 69

MARKETPLACE

RUTHERFORD MOVING FORWARD!

UTHERFORD, a wholly owned subsidiary of JSE-listed Hudaco Trading (Pty) Ltd, has relocated its Johannesburg headquarters to stunning new premises in City Deep. “Due to continued support from our broad customer base, we have outgrown the premises that we have occupied for several decades,” said Martin Peterson, Rutherford CEO. The new facility has been refurbished to suit the specific needs of the four divisions, each one a leader in its category. The move was carefully orchestated and seamlessly executed over the December period, minimising the disruption to customers. Established in 1998, Rutherford’s marine division has sole

distribution rights for the Mercury range of outboards engines and MerCruiser inboards, along with an extensive range of related accessories. The new premises have been customised to include a state-of-the-art workshop, training facility, a test tank and installation bays for their boat programme, all of which will add value to Rutherford’s existing and developing dealer network. Rutherford currently has three other divisions, namely Makita Industrial Power Tools, FTS Fasteners and Fittings and VI Instruments — suppliers of various brands of surveying equipment. For further information phone (011) 878-2600.

Z-CRAFT KINGCATS HAVE A NEW HOME

B Marine Services, a successful yacht/boat building and repair company based in Richards Bay recently moved into a large factory facility to cater for their large custom yacht builds. At the same time they were given the opportunity to take over the legendary Z-Craft business and moulds. They have now moved the moulds and set up to their new facility and were due to be ready for production of the first Kingcats in mid-April. Founded in 2010, and driven by Dylan Banwell’s knowledge and experience in boat building, DB Marine Services grew rapidly and in 2017 Dylan took onboard a partner, Hayden Hegter. Dylan has a BSc (Hons) in Yacht Manufacturing and

70 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018

Surveying from Southampton Solent University in the UK while Hayden is a recognised SAS and SAMSA safety inspector. Together they are committed to providing quality marine goods and services at competitive prices, with excellent customer service. DB Marine also undertake surveys, repairs and refitting of boats, stainless steel work, fibreglass work, and can providefloating jetties. They are currently busy building a Kaos 53ft custom power charter catamaran. For further information phone Dylan on 072 095 0093, email <lauren.zcraft@gmail.com>, visit their website <www.dbmarineservices.com> or visit their factor y at 15 Ceramic Curve, Richards Bay.

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INTRODUCING: SUPREME MARINE

High & Dry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

TEPHEN Pead, Karen Pead and Stuart Pead recently joined up to form Supreme Marine Fibreglass and Boat Repairs, situated in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal. Stephen has a solid history in this industry, having worked at Z-Craft for 33 years. He started by assisting in the manufacturing of the Tosca and Admiral yachts, was trained up by Peter Motzouris and subsequently became the factory manager. He has vast experience and knowledge of the fibreglass industry and has worked on most types of locally manufactured craft but specialised in the Z-Craft KingCats. Karen worked for Z-Craft for five years as the buyer but also assisted in admin with invoicing, quoting and sales. She was also in charge of the trailer department. Stuart worked at Z-Craft for 15 years as the Master Technician. With 28 years of experience, he has his master certification with Yamaha South Africa. Supreme Marine undertake trailer services and repairs, all mechanical outboard services and repairs, all electronics, installations and all fibreglass boat repairs, valets, custom builds, bouyancy, resprays, floor and transom repairs. For futher information contact Stephen Pead on 072 557 7792, Karen Pead on 072 575 9314 or Stuart Pead on 063 121 5533.

McCrystal Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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DEADLINE FOR THE JULY/AUGUST 2018 ISSUE OF

SMALLS BOAT FOR SALE

Shelly Beach Ski-Boat Club . . . . . . . 44 Supercat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Suzuki Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Kingfisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 TOPS @ Spar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 TOPS @ Spar Corporate Challenge . 40

IS 16 MAY 2018 BOOK YOUR SPACE NOW BY PHONING JOAN ON 031-5722289 OR EMAIL adverts@mags.co.za

2016 BUTTCAT 660XL Gamefisher with wheelhouse fitted with 2 x 2016 90hp Suzuki 4-stroke motors (less than 320 hours). Includes 2 x Lowrance Ti 7” GPS plotter/fishfinder units, Plastimo marine compass,VHF and FM radios, marine speakers, deckwash pump, nav lights, hydraulic steering, Category B safety equipment and galvanised b/neck trailer. All ready to fish and in mint condition. Price: R695 000 not negotiable Contact: Rehan on 082 3011 613

Turboformance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Two Oceans Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Umhlanga Ski-Boat Club . . . . . . . . . 36 Vanguard Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Verstay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Yamaha F130 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Yamaha SeaCat 565 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SKI-BOAT May/June 2018 • 71

BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS

72 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT May/June 2018