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SLAB-O-CRAFT

SLAB-O-CRAFT

The Captain is cruising the Australian coast, bludging free rides on the meanest metal rigs out there. We head south to Apollo Bay to check out the most decked-out recreational Stabi to ever hit Australian shores.     In the dawn light, Kyle Briggs’...
JUMP LIKE A BOSS

JUMP LIKE A BOSS

There’s only one thing more amazing than the jumps featured in The Captain – and that’s the fact that no-one has yet come a gutser. Obviously, that’s because of The Captain’s unflinching commitment to work health and safety regs. Now, before you...
MICK’S TRICKS WITH MICHAEL MASHADO

MICK’S TRICKS WITH MICHAEL MASHADO

Mick from Pickles Fishing & Outdoors in Eden shares the secret of his simple but deadly Slurpee straw stiff-hook rig. Mick is the frugal type. He lives by the old creed — “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Which is kind of ironic considering he’s also proprietor...
SUPER SIZE ME | SAILFISH 3200

SUPER SIZE ME | SAILFISH 3200

Paul Flynn loves his supersized Sailfish. His new rig is the first of the 3200 Platinum Sports range and features a beefed-up 3m beam and extended waterline length.     It’s a dead-calm winter’s morning and The Captain’s crew is rugged up for a Sydney...
IF BOATS WERE CARS…

IF BOATS WERE CARS…

Like cars, some boats are built for speed, others for functionality. Some are rebuilt classics, while others are untouched vintage beauties. Every boat has its own individual personality. So, The Captain pondered, if boats were cars, what would they be?    1....
SCREAM IN BLUE

SCREAM IN BLUE

On an expedition to the watery wilds of Vanuatu, The Captain encounters a fellow skipper with fishing in his blood. Russ Housby has the same obsession with blue marlin that Captain Ahab had with his great white whale — but a much better boat and Tiagras instead of a...
DIY DEEP VEE REBUILD

DIY DEEP VEE REBUILD

Kyle Dicecco crafted almost every part of this tough-as-fug Haines Hunter V17L, including the glasswork, fuel tank, stainless, paintwork and even the trailer! Words by The Captain and Kyle Dicecco, images by Kyle Dicecco The fishing is brilliant off the remote coastal...
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SERENADE

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SERENADE

Jack promised his Californian belle she’d taste every part of Australia. True to his word, he whisked her away to the seafood frontier of Australia — South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. His chariot for this romantic mission is the appropriately palatial Whittley SL25...
FULLY SIC BRA

FULLY SIC BRA

We first spy the SIC resting on the dry dock at Minyama on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The vinyl wrap on this 7.5m platey features a Poseidon character holding a jewel in one hand and a trident in the other. Considered one of the most bad-tempered and moody of the...
PUNCHY PILOT HOUSE BY RIPTIDE

PUNCHY PILOT HOUSE BY RIPTIDE

The Captain is cruising the Australian coast, jumping aboard the meanest metal rigs we can find. In this issue, we head to the Sunshine State to pilot Ben Campbell’s 10.5m RipTide. LET ‘ER RIP The RipTide vessel wasn’t meant to be part of The Captain’s...
MY ISLAND HOME

MY ISLAND HOME

Every sea captain dreams of their own remote tropical island — with accessories like a jungle cabin adorned with hunting spoils and a twin-rigged, high-powered vessel. Well, one couple is living the dream. In his infinite wisdom, The Captain reckoned no-one could tell...
FISHING FASHIONS

FISHING FASHIONS

It’s not how many fish you catch that matters, it’s how you look doin’ it, right? Check out The Captain’s cheat sheet on how to get that setting-the-hook look. What you wear says a lot about the fish you chase, the gear you use and how many sponsors you bend over for....
RADIO CONTROLLED RAMPAGE

RADIO CONTROLLED RAMPAGE

In a Captain-first  — actually, it’s probably a world-first, as nobody else would be so daft — we pit a brand spankin’ new Surtees 540 workmate worth $65K against a 93cm remote-controlled speedboat worth $900. Ladies and gentlemen, start your Fitbit.  RC...
UNITED STABIS OF AMERICA

UNITED STABIS OF AMERICA

The Captain’s crew is in Garibaldi, Oregon, on the US Pacific Northwest coast — on a trio of Stabicrafts. Huge mountain ranges covered in tall timber peer over the rugged coastline. Icy rivers meander out to bays where creaking timber trawlers and newer steel ones are...
DEEP HEAT

DEEP HEAT

The Captain dives below in a quest to discover all there is to know about the sneaky world of submarines.    A submarine, aka “sub”, is any naval vessel that can propel itself above and below the water. They had their first serious outing in naval warfare during...
SURFACE SLAYER

SURFACE SLAYER

Anyone can slide a pilchard onto a paternoster rig and pull hard on a snapper, but not many can lay claim to catching snapper on topwater stick baits. Mike Bonnici can. It’s time for The Captain’s crew to find out how this renowned surface slayer rolls. Yep, it’s time...
BAIT BALLIN’

BAIT BALLIN’

Discover the dirty little secrets of the South Coast bait ballers.    When he heard that Grant Shorland had put up Glenn McGrath-like figures of 16 from 21 in a single session off Mallacoota, The Captain was impressed — and more than a little intrigued....
BRUCE ALMIGHTY

BRUCE ALMIGHTY

If John Haines Sr is the father of Australian monohulls then Bruce Harris surely owns the title for Australian Cats. What’s more, Bruce doesn’t owe anything to the Yank designers for his achievements — he did it all with good ol’ Aussie ingenuity, designing and...
GUAM’D & DANGEROUS

GUAM’D & DANGEROUS

Raf Vargas paddles the drop-offs around his island home of Guam, fishing to depths of 1500M. The day he captured a donkey dogtooth he become an instant yak god.      Guam, part of the Mariana Islands chain in the equatorial Pacific, is a top spot for kayak...
LIFE’S A VEITCH!

LIFE’S A VEITCH!

The numbers on Roger Veitch’s new 27ft Hardtop are so sexy we had to check the specs twice – and when it pulled into port it proved an absolute face melter! What’s more, beneath that white gelcoat is a laminate that leaves most Australian boat...
WAYNE’S WORLD

WAYNE’S WORLD

Down the Great Ocean Road in South West Victoria, we discover one of the natural wonders of the Australian coastline. Nope, it’s not the 13th Apostle. It’s the legendary lobster lover Wayne Hanegraaf, who has steered boats around these ancient stones for more than 40...
TASSIE DEVILS

TASSIE DEVILS

Few places get The Captain’s juices flowing like the East Coast of Tasmania. It’s raw, rugged and bustling with big bluefin – usually.        As loyal Captain readers have pointed out, we’re not always the most reliable sailor on the...
5 COOL COVES OF SYDNEY

5 COOL COVES OF SYDNEY

Armed with a case of Budweiser, a mask and fins, a couple of fishing rods and a Grady-White Freedom 325, Alli Ficarra goes in search of Sydney’s coolest coves. Sydney Harbour is IMO the best waterway in the world. It takes a lot for me to say that. Ya see, I’m a...
PART 7) FITTIN’ THE FOURFIE

PART 7) FITTIN’ THE FOURFIE

The Nub-Tub is finally ready for the fit-out phase. We take her to the experts at Johnson Bros Marine who say, “We’ve never seen anyone want to fit this much shit to a 4.5m boat in our lives.” Trav and his cohort of contractors have slogged away on the base for three...