ALLOY SHOOTOUT

ALLOY SHOOTOUT

Four pumping plate rigs fight it out bow to bow in the captain’s alloy shootout at Jervis bay.  The only good thing that comes in tin is beer, right? Some among the glass-lovin’ class still beat that drum on Facebook forums. Their opinion is probably based on...
THE BIRD WHISPERER

THE BIRD WHISPERER

Richard Freeman has been a professional solo fisherman for more than 40 years in his trusty Shark Cat. Spending so much time on the water, his usual companions are dolphins, sharks… and seabirds. In this regular column, Richard shares a few stories about his salty...
SUZUKI UNLEASHES THE BEAST

SUZUKI UNLEASHES THE BEAST

After 50 years and 3 million outboards, Suzuki release their biggest one yet Just a couple of months ago, in sunny Florida, Suzuki announced the arrival of its new DF350A outboard with a launch fandango to rival a Hollywood movie premiere. The 350HP V6 four-stroke is...
FOUR- STROKE FANDANGO

FOUR- STROKE FANDANGO

Honda Marine used this year’s Melbourne International Boat Show to take the worldwide wraps off a posse of new outboards – the BF75, BF80, BF90 and BF100. With their sleek silver styling and swept-back “crouching” appearance, they look the business and have the...
SCOLLOPS: A SIMPLE SEAFOOD TREASURE

SCOLLOPS: A SIMPLE SEAFOOD TREASURE

Scallops are a delicious seafood treasure – and they also have a secret skill most seafarers don’t know about. They are “free-living”, capable of rapidly swimming short distances and even migrating a long way across the ocean floor. Here’s my favourite scallop recipe:...
COD CULTURE

COD CULTURE

A canny old cod hunter reminisces about golden days on the mighty Murray and rejoices at the resurgence of cod fishing, sport of champions. Growing up on the Goulburn and Murray rivers, it was inevitable that Murray cod, VB beer and sunburn would be a big part of my...
INSANE INSTALLS- BARRA BATTLES

INSANE INSTALLS- BARRA BATTLES

The Captain’s crew heads to the Daly River in the Northern Territory to rendezvous with Paul Williams, the proud owner of a GS Marine prototype centre console fitted with a Lowrance and Simrad combo – and a massive Merc donk hanging out the back. Ah, the fishing...
STABICRAFT 1550 FISHER

STABICRAFT 1550 FISHER

Ever since the Battle of the Big Vee, Matt Webb, owner of the Edencraft 233 Formula, has been nagging The Captain because he wants a 15ft boat for his 17-yearold son, Tom. Tom loves his diving and fishing, so Matt wanted something safe and indestructible, but also...
800HP AL DHAEN CONSOLE

800HP AL DHAEN CONSOLE

  Grahma Harris won a bridge-to-bridge in record time, Caressing the helm of a 1000HP Connelly. These days he mooches around the Hawksbury in a 800HP Al Dhaen. Yep, We had to meet this bloke…         The Captain’s crew are belting around...
BACK TO BASICS

BACK TO BASICS

  Two mates leave the bright lights of Brisvegas to follow a dream of adventure.        The Captain: A’hoy fellas. Tell us a little bit about Back to Basics Adventures. Who’s in the crew and what do you do? Jack Strickland (Strick): Ahoy Captain,...
HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS! (WITH A BOAT)

HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS! (WITH A BOAT)

Just how much sex appeal do boats have? We laid down the challenge to Jack Murphy, recently single and ready to mingle. With nothing more than his bristling beard, a cup of charm and a Whittley SL25 hard top, We set him loose among a flock of amorous young females....
THE 233 FORMULA FAMILY TREE

THE 233 FORMULA FAMILY TREE

The Captain and Western Australian salty SEADOG Nick Davys go deep to discover the family history of the Formula 233. Ah, the Formula 233. It’s the undisputed hero hull on Australian seas. It’s the most copied, most admired and most spoken-about hull on Facebook and...
PART 3: KIMBERLEY BY LAND

PART 3: KIMBERLEY BY LAND

TROPICAL CYCLONE Having conquered the Kimberley by sea and by sky, it’s time to test our mettle like most tourists do in these parts – by 4X4. We have a bit of a problem, though. The Gibb River Road, that iconic stretch of dirt road that runs between Kununurra and...
PART 2: KIMBERLEY BY AIR

PART 2: KIMBERLEY BY AIR

NICK’S TRICKS Having conquered the Kimberley by sea, it was time to take to the skies again. We head down to Kununurra and meet up with the guys from HeliSpirit. They specialise in scenic flights and heli-fishing, which involves spotting the best fishing grounds,...
PART 1: KIMBERLEY BY SEA

PART 1: KIMBERLEY BY SEA

The north-western tip of Australia is remote, wild and beautiful. Well, that’s what Malcolm Douglas had me believing after watching his many videos. He traversed the Kimberley with his dog Boondie, a cameraman and his trusty ol’ alloy Trailcraft. The legend of the...
SIGNATURE 495F

SIGNATURE 495F

You may have noticed a secret new project stashed between the pages of the Builders’ Survey in the previous issue of The Captain. It was the fourth generation of the Haines Signature 495F hull – and it’s just been released to the public. The new hull features an extra...
EVINRUDE LAUNCH NEW G2 PLATFORMS

EVINRUDE LAUNCH NEW G2 PLATFORMS

Evinrude launch 150, 150 H.O., 175 and 200HP G2 E-TECs In March, a muster of new Evinrude G2 E-TEC outboards hit the water. This follows the release of the first G2s back in 2014 with the 200H.0. -300HP range. The new outboards consist of a 150HP, 150 H.O., 175HP and...
SEA LIFE WITH RICHARD FREEMAN

SEA LIFE WITH RICHARD FREEMAN

Richard Freeman has been a professional solo fisherman for more than 40 years in his trusty Shark Cat. Spending so much time on the water, his usual companions are the dolphins, sharks… and seabirds. In this regular column, Richard shares a few stories about his...
HAINES SIGNATURE 543SF

HAINES SIGNATURE 543SF

Within the next couple of months, The Captain is planning a trip to Seventeen Seventy, a fishing mecca six hours north of Brisbane. He put out the call for a ride and surface slayer Mathew Scholz answered. Armed with a sparkling new Haines Signature 543SF, Matt’s rig...
FATAL ATTRACTION

FATAL ATTRACTION

This hit list of “bad shit to watch out for on the water and how to deal with it if it happens” (compiled by The Captain’s favourite seagoing sawbones, who has more letters after his name than the alphabet) should keep you safe and sound while you’re on the hunt....
SKIRTING THE ISSUE WITH PETER PAKULA

SKIRTING THE ISSUE WITH PETER PAKULA

If your lure is on its last legs, Peter Pakula explains how to re-skirt in seven simple steps. All skirted lures will need a re-skirting eventually. They get chopped up by toothy critters and become old and brittle without a regular lube (see issue #3 Skirt Dirt on...
BOAT REG. WITH NATHAN NICHOLS

BOAT REG. WITH NATHAN NICHOLS

Boating fails  – Nathan Nichols, director of Cruise Craft, on the inconvenient truth of boating regulations. The rumours are true. I took the opportunity to launch into a very passionate discussion at a recent product launch. In my view, The Captain – which...
NATURE’S SUSHI TRAIN WITH JUSTIN DUGGAN

NATURE’S SUSHI TRAIN WITH JUSTIN DUGGAN

Most of us have heard the old saying “no run, no fun” a million times. This reference to a moving tide bringing the best fishing bite is more often than not true, but why? Try sitting beside the conveyor belt at a sushi train and see how well you do stuffing your face...
HAINES SIGNATURE 495F

HAINES SIGNATURE 495F

You may have noticed a secret new project stashed between the pages of the Builders’ Survey in the previous issue of The Captain. It was the fourth generation of the Haines Signature 495F hull – and it’s just been released to the public. The new hull features an extra...
SPEARFISHING BLACK MARLINS IN FNQ

SPEARFISHING BLACK MARLINS IN FNQ

Travis Hogan dreams big in a small trailer boat, hunting for black marlin in a Haines Hunter V19   We may live in Far North Queensland, but that doesn’t mean the gamefishing is at our doorstep. In fact, it’s further away than you’d think – it’s about 40 nautical...
HAINES SIGNATURE 550RF

HAINES SIGNATURE 550RF

Surface feeding longtail tuna. A tackle box full of stickbaits. The new Haines Signature 550RF. ‘nuf said.  Not long ago The Captain tested the Signature 550F off Queensland’s North Stradbroke Island. We had a crack at a mulloway, but the mysterious beasts...
STABICRAFT 2750

STABICRAFT 2750

The Captain tackles northern NSW in one of the first Stabicraft 2750 centrecabs to hit Aussie shores.    Stabicraft recently put together a fully decked-out, custom 2750 Centrecab for gun Kiwi fisherman Matt Watson – you know, the crazy bloke that catches marlin...