Australian Master Marine conduct sea class trials on new boats

by John Daffy on 17 Feb 2015 On a day that a television boating identity advised boaties to ‘give it a miss’, Australian Master Marine seized the opportunity of threatening skies, plenty of wind, swell and whitecaps to conduct sea trials on the first two new boats in its small plate alloy range.

'We had successfully completed our stability and smooth water testing - what we needed was for Mother Nature to get a bit more aggro,' said Australian Master Marine Director, Barton Thomas who had designed the new vessels.

The first two models produced in AMM’s new series are a 4.9 metre centre console and a 5.2 metre centre console - both featuring new transom layouts incorporating engine pods; raked aft quarters; new below waterline hull geometry for AMM; raised sheerlines; wide side decks; substantial reverse chines for spray deflection and stability as well as a host of additional comfort and convenience innovations.

'After initial testing, the waters in the Broadwater, the Seaway and off the Gold Coast continued to remain very comfortable for days on end, but we needed to get offshore with Mother Nature and confirm how they performed in head-on, beam-on, three-quarter and following seas,' Mr Thomas said.

'Within a kilometre of passing through the Gold Coast Seaway and testing in those areas just to the north where the sand levers up the sharp wave faces and crests chased by the local surfers, we knew we were on the winner.'

'The 4.9 metre was fitted with a Suzuki 90hp four stroke, the 5.2 with a 115hp Yamaha.'

'The conditions that day also allowed us to put the two packages head to head in a comparison that provided real use experience - not just in unchallenging, calm seas.'

'By the end of the session, we confirmed that the computer designs had translated brilliantly into performance realities.'

'All we needed to do was fit the new Sea Class stickers as a warrant of approval to sit with the AMM logo,' Mr Thomas said.

'Our objective had been to create a range of smaller, but very robust, plate alloy boats with better hull performance, sportier styling and greater levels of convenience.'

'We now will continue to develop further new models, sporting those features, in the Sea Class range.'

They will include tiller, side console, centre console, centre cabin, cuddy cabin and bow rider versions.

All will be marketed by AMM directly through its manufacturing facilities at Brendale on Brisbane’s northside.

'Encouraging customers to become directly involved with the factory allows us to do what we do best - and that is to personally tailor fit-outs to the specific needs of the purchaser and that purchaser’s budget,' Mr Thomas said.

'It means customers don’t have to pay for features they don’t require while simultaneously adding more of those which are important to their boating.'

'It also gives people the opportunity to see firsthand, how we go about building our smaller plate alloy boats to specifications and standards which are higher up the scale and more targetted towards the very demanding boatie, rather than the mass produced, production hulls which are perfectly serviceable for their own, but different target markets.'

Further information on the new Sea Cass range is available on AMM’s website here.