Australian Yards And Builders

By: Sue Goodrick

If you’ve ever considered converting a workboat or fishboat to be your cruising powerboat, there are many options when it comes to working with yards and builders Down Under. Following is a list of resources, some projects the yards have worked on, and what we’ve heard from fellow cruisers.

Alkira Boatshed

Location: New South Wales Coast
We met two Australians in Lombok on a power passagemaker they designed and built themselves who were just starting their circumnavigation. They own and run a boatyard specializing in timber boats.
www.alkiraboats.com.au

Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard

Location: Coomera
A state-of-the-art marina featuring 18 super yacht berths, a 150-ton boat hoist, 55 marine businesses covering every facet of the industry, and seven refit and yacht construction sheds that are fully enclosed.
http://www.gccm.com.au

Norman R. Wright & Sons

Location: Brisbane
This large company designs and builds passagemakers. They also do refits with many materials, including timber.
Contact: Ian Wright
http://www.wrightsons.com.au

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Squadron

Location: Sydney
A great resource for finding converted trawlers.
www.rpayc.com

Timber Boat Division of the Royal Motor Yacht Club

Location: Broken Bay, Sydney
Contact: Tony Van Dyke, division president
Tony has himself recently finished converting a second trawler. There are about a dozen trawlers in the fleet.
http://www.royalmotor.com.au/html/marina.htm

Trade-A-Boat
If you are searching for Australian timber trawlers, a good place to look is in the commercial section of Trade-A-Boat Magazine. Known as “the book of dreams,” it is the only Australia-wide pictorial classifieds magazine. (It’s also worth it to haunt the docks around Bulimba Creek in Brisbane and the river fishing ports along the whole east coast of Australia.)
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/portal/tabID__200866/DesktopDefault.aspx