A fishery officer took this drone photo after Cracka attracted his attention.
A fishery officer took this drone photo after Cracka attracted his attention.
A project born in a Kamo West shed during last year's lockdown finally emerged 16 months later, attracting much attention … only to be confined straight back to the shed within days with the announcement of the last level 4 lockdown.
Cracka, a 6.1m x 2.5m power catamaran, was thebrainchild of Steve Wilson, who has built 30-plus boats over his 74 years. The concept was an evolution based on his previous models which last year's lockdown proved the perfect time to materialise.
"Cracka was born in my head while cruising and fishing the Northland coast at least 15 years ago on launches and small boats. Nearing retirement, and at age 74, I convinced my sister to sell her boat and become a partner in the proposed Cracka," he explained.
"I was collecting materials for the build when along came Covid. A perfect time to start."
Steve spent many hours creating his latest boat project in the shed.
After spending the first week carrying out jobs on the home front, he began the building project.
Post-lockdown, Steve continued his day job as a bathroom renovator and the project was reduced to after-hours. However, after closing his business this year, progress sped up and Cracka - named when Steve's sister Chris exclaimed: "It's a cracker!" - emerged from the shed in August to be fitted with a 60HP Honda outboard motor before undergoing a sea trial. Her official launch was Sunday, August 15 at the Parua Bay ramp.
Co-owner Chris supervisors as Cracka is launched at Parua Bay.
The unusual design and bright colour drew attention that day, including that of a fishery officer who used his drone to take an aerial photo. Others flocked to the pontoon for a closer look and were offered rides, while others watched from afar, correctly surmising whether it was a maiden voyage.
A fishery officer took this drone photo after Cracka attracted his attention.
"I was very surprised how well the boat performed," he said. "There was almost no bow wave and only a small quartering or stem wave, which suggests that instead of the power going into making waves, it enabled the boat to go faster for the given horsepower.
"There was no fuss or sensation of speed and the motor was very quiet. Much more peaceful compared with what I was used to with the previous boat. It was all more than I hoped for.
"People might not like its looks, but the design features work."
The aim was to design a safe, efficient, soft-riding boat for fishing for Steve, his partner Jan and Chris, who is an equal share holder.
"We are getting older and want to be more comfortable out there whether fishing or travelling in a boat.
"My sister supplied a boat for us for the last seven years. It was a 5.7m aluminium hull with a 90HP outboard. But it used to knock us around a lot when it got choppy, and when it was too rough to plane, it was very slow, and burned a lot of fuel, made a big wake and created a lot of spray.
"In contrast, Cracka was designed to be very efficient at slow speeds and will cut through the small chop without hard impacts. Cracka's underwater shape is best described as a semi-displacement hull, which means it can obtain a good speed while giving comfort and handles a seaway easier, as well as self-draining."
Cracka off on her maiden voyage.
Steve noticed a similar concept to Cracka at the recent Olympics during the rowing events with the camera and support boat which followed the rowers.
"That design concept was chosen as it does not make much wake in the lake, which may upset the rowers. It was also a steady platform for the large camera mounted on the front of the consul. Wake equals lost horsepower and less wake is more efficient. I wanted to minimise my carbon footprint," he said.
The construction is glass over ply inside and out, which is lightweight and strong. With a total weight of 800kg with crew, the boat cruises economically at 30km/h with a maximum of 40km/h. Steve said this wouldn't be possible in a 6.1m conventional style planing hull with this motor.
Steve's interest in boats started when he could barely walk; an early photo depicts him, aged 3, pushing a piece of wood through the water at a beach.
He then made and sailed model boats as a kid and, discovered, while making boats with flax stems, that a catamaran style worked better than a monohull – "which needed a large tin lid under it to keep it upright".
"I started building real boats as I got older, my first being a kayak at age 9, which I towed to the water on a trolley trailer behind my bike."
He has now built over 30 boats, including a racing/cruising sailing catamaran for his family and many for other people, and during his shift work days with the police.
"While crewing on the police launch Deodar in my early 20s, I tried to convince the police to replace the Deodar with a 50ft power catamaran. They thought I was nuts," he recalled.
He remembers watching the America's Cup races in the early 70s and wishing the contest would be between catamarans instead of monohulls.
"Now the police have two large catamaran police boats and the America's Cup has been sailed in cats."
Cracka finally emerging from the shed.
Following Cracka's successful, yet short-lived debut, once levels changed from the last lockdown, Steve had her straight back out on the water for her maiden fishing voyage.
However, despite comfortably handling 'wind against the tide' conditions, this wasn't so successful, procuring only a throwaway. The optimist has higher hopes for next time.
