www.goldcoast.com.aueditor elizabeth campbell
5584 2219boating editor
kevan wolfe 0418 539 869fi shing, surfi ng and
diving editor paul burtadvertising
olivia thomas 5584 2260
the team
The 3350 handles like a ski boatA drop-down table forms double berth Not the usual layout below
EVERY now and then a sports cruiser comes along that stands out
from the rest. The Regal 3350 with its
sleek lines and innovative lay-out above and below decks does just that – the bright red hull and bimini helps too.
This is a big boat for up to 10 party-ready adults or a cou-ple who want to get away for a quiet weekend.
The 3350 is the top of the range in the sports cruiser series from Regal, which is one of the few boat-building companies in the US still owned by second-
generation family members. Regal is known to push the
limits in design and has com-bined a high performance deep-vee hull with a very un-conventional layout.
The boat handles like a ski boat and has all the amenities of a cruiser, although not all in the traditional places.
From the standard swim platform, there’s a walk through the transom to the aft cockpit.
The transom includes four big lockers with lift up doors.
Two of the lockers are huge and extend under the cockpit seats – they are obviously designed to carry skis, wake-boards and other water toys.
The big U-shaped aft lounge can be converted into one big sun bed and is separated from the helm station and the forward passenger seats by a barbecue and fridge on one side, and a Corian-topped sink with a cooler underneath on
the other side. The targa arch is manufactured from alum-inium, so it doesn’t crack or craze.
It faces forward so the Sunbrella fabric bimini shades the cockpit.
This leaves the helm and passenger seats open to the sun, but if it gets too hot the space can be fi lled in with another shade that clips to the windscreen.
The windscreen is strong with the biggest stainless steel frame on a boat this size.
The centre panel opens up for access to the bow via a couple of steps with rubber non-slip grip.
Regal hasn’t forgotten the hand holds when moving around the boat while it is under way, they can be found in all the right places.
There’s a couple on the sides of the seats up front too, although they weren’t needed,
the boat is so stable passengers don’t get thrown around even at speed.
The driver gets a wood-rimmed, tiltable, sports wheel and is presented with a range of white-faced Faria gauges set in a burl console with a moulded spot for a plotter sounder at the side.
The sit-down driving posi-tion is as good as a ski boat with good vision. It is just as easy to drive sitting down as it is standing up supported by the bolster.
With the low centre of grav-ity and the big beam, the boat is easy to steer and would hold no trepidation for a fi rst timer.
The 3350 is essentially a day boat but two people could spend a comfortable weekend away on it.
The downstairs table can be dropped down to fi ll the space in the vee-berth to form a double bunk – of sorts.
Regal is easy on the eye
KevanWolfeBOATING
O Continued on page 2
The head and shower are placed opposite another small lounge.
But hang on, where’s the galley? To get the room in the head compartment something had to go – and it was the galley.
Regal has been very clever though, all the neces-sary appliances are there but not in their normal spots.
As well as the sink, bar-becue and the main fridge in the cockpit, a microwave is hidden downstairs be-hind a cupboard door and there is a drawer fridge under the bulkhead that houses the stereo system and TV set mounted on the door, which in turn hides the switchboard.
A 240-volt outlet is also included for a jug or coffee
maker. It’s all a bit unusual,but it works.
Regal has powered the3350 with a pair of 5.7 litreVolvo Penta, 320hp, OSIswith 26-inch duo props –and the boat loves them.
The 3350 gets on to theplane in 4.7 seconds, butthere was no noticeabletransition from rest towhen it settles down onthe plane.
The boat just poweredup and sat fl at without thebow coming up at around24 knots, which was a com-fortable cruising speed.
It started to fall off theplane around 11 knots, butit was hard to tell just bylooking at the bow.
7- day weatheroutlook
TODAY SAT SUN MON TUE WED THURS
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THE Gold Coast BULLETIN Blue - goldcoast.com.au - Friday, October 3, 2008 - 1
2 - THE Gold Coast BULLETIN Blue - goldcoast.com.au - Friday, October 3, 2008 THE Gold Coast BULLETIN Blue - goldcoast.com.au - Friday, October 3, 2008 - 3
GOLD COAST TIDE TIMES
Reel in businessTo showcase your business in front of 104, 000* Gold & Tweed Coasters,
Phone 5584 2260 TODAY!* Source: Roy Morgan Research, March 2008
TIDE TIMES – GOLD COAST SEAWAY | Friday 3rd - Thursday 9th October 2008
Approximate time of high water at:
G.C. Bridge (Sundale) + 17 min. Paradise Point + 1 hr. Runaway Bay + 31 min. Jumpinpin (ocean side) + 1 hr 30min. Tweed River (Boyds Bridge) + 50 min. Grand Hotel + 16 min. Isle of Capri + 43 min.Av. Water Temperature
20 Degrees
Date Low Tide AM (m) High Tide AM (m) Low Tide PM (m) High Tide PM (m)
Fri 3rd 0037 0.12 1028 1.40 1646 0.29 2223 1.00
Sat 4th 0406 0.19 1106 1.35 1733 0.36 2301 0.91
Sun 5th 0441 0.27 1150 1.29 1831 0.41 2350 0.83
Mon 6th 0525 0.35 1246 1.24 1945 0.44 - -
Tue 7th 0626 0.42 0101 0.77 2104 0.42 1355 1.20
Wed 8th 0749 0.44 0231 0.77 2208 0.36 1506 1.21
Thu 9th 0916 0.41 0350 0.83 2256 0.28 1610 1.25
Moon Phase: 4 First Quarter Phase Tuesday 7th October 2008B03J838865 ©
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New Vessels340 Pirate Sportcruz ......... $349,000Alaska 46 Sedan....... from $790,000Alaska 54 Flybridge ........U/Contract
Near NewAlaska 46 Sedan............... $760,000
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Flybridge35 Riviera ......................... $185,000340 Deep V ....................... $375,00040 Scimitar P/Cat ............. $399,00040 Clipper ......................... $515,000Sea Ray 480 S/Bridge ....... $695,00056 Powerplay P/cat.............. $1.55M56 Sunseeker Man .............. $1.65M
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Under $100,00025 Mariner Sedan ............... $49,50024 Mustang Club Sport ....... $74,99027 Riviera ........................... $79,00028 Mariner .......................... $89,900260 Larson Cabrio .............. $95,000
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OtherMarine
CLASSIFIEDS: BOAT SHED
SURFING & DIVINGFISHING & BOATING
Fish stockIngredients 1kg fi sh heads and bones (non-oily and white fl eshed)
2½ litres water
1 onion (peeled and quartered)
1 leek (washedand quartered)
1 stick celery (trimmed and halved)
100g carrot (chopped)
10 peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh thyme
THINGS are fi nally looking up after a few weeks of bad conditions
for divers. Visibility was a mediocre 10 to 12m
at Cook Island this week and only 5m in the Tweed River and Gold Coast Seaway.
A few divers still jumped in at the Tweed and seaway during the week for the mid-morning high tide, but most stayed dry.
The northerly winds should abate
Good conditions aheadShip is marine life haven
Sit down and hang on
JOHN West isn’t getting his hands on this one – Bob Reid wins the battle
with a 6kg tuna he caught while fi shing in the Gold Coast Seaway at Southport on Sunday. Not a bad effort for Catch of the Week.
Send a picture of your fi sh and you could win a $20 gift voucher from Doug Burt’s Fishing
Tackle World and a pair of Dirty Dogpolarised sunglasses valued at $100
DIVERS have watched the HMAS Brisbane slowly trans-form from a clean, metal slate
into a haven for marine life. New additions are continually found
as the wreck’s residents grow in size and number.
The former warship was sunk in 28m of water in 2005 just 9km from the mouth of the Mooloolah River, after many years of lobbying by local dive operators and divers.
A unique conservation park has been created around the wreck to protect the ship, its marine inhabitants and divers.
Parts of the ship, including the bridge, missile launcher and propeller, were removed by the navy to be used in displays at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, but very few other items have been removed.
Access holes allow for easy entry and daylight penetrates the wreck’s entire interior except the stacks.
The Brisbane is the only purposely designed wreck in Australia where divers can swim through the engine and boiler rooms.
Only licensed dive operators and those who apply for a special permit can enter the park and dive the wreck, ensur-ing no quarrelling over moorings or crowds of divers queuing on the line for the required safety stop.
Although the wreck is now covered in marine growth including sponges, barna-
cles, gorgonians and corals, details of the mechanical structures inside the engine room can still be seen.
Shimmering schools of striped cardi-nalfi sh congregate inside the engine and boiler rooms, shifting and parting as we swam through the rooms and into the passageways, where we ducked our heads inside living and sleeping quarters.
We also saw lionfi sh, pufferfi sh and a small groper inside the wreck.
As we emerged from the boiler room we quickly cruised around the gun before heading back to the line to begin our ascent.
A small nudibranch was slowly crawl-ing along one of the railings in search of food, while a school of trevally cruised past.
We spotted several dinner-plate sized anemones with resident three-spot dom-
DIVING
SeannaCronin
A lionfi sh in the forward engine room The gun and forward deck Parts of the engine still visible
The driving position feels good in this boat
TYPICAL October spring condi-tions in play with warm northerly
winds knocking the swell down to size and blowing all open beaches.
Even the small wave haunts of D-Bah and TOS are struggling to produce anything worth riding with only a soft, broken, leftover half-metre wind swell, dribbling onto the Gold Coast.
If you are super desperate for a wave today, the best bet will be to head to the protected corners of The Southport Spit, around the pumping jetty area, for a small wave out of the northerly winds or the Tweed back beaches of Fingal, Cabarita or Hast-ings, but don’t expect too much.
Best bet is to get in early on the lead up to the 10am high tide and before the 20kt afternoon onshore northerly winds kick in.
With similar conditions coming up for the weekend, it’s probably best left for the grommets, learners or longboarders.
Wind knocks swell back
MethodO Wash the fi sh heads and
bones. Place all ingredients in the water, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
O Skim the surface as the scum rises to the top. When cooked, strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin or cheesecloth and discard the solid ingredients.
O Cool and refrigerate if not using immediately and freeze leftover stock for later use. Makes about 1.5 litres.
Catchweekof the
Running at 3500rpm and the GPS showing 31 knots the controls were pushed all the way to the stops and the Volvo Pentas literally jumped straight to 5000rpm – we were quickly running at an average speed of 40 knots.
Regal claims to have seen 50 knots on the clock, but we were not going to try for that in the 40-knot
Broadwater speed limit. Turn at speed and the 3350 takes it in its stride and once set up, it just keeps turning with-out dropping speed off.
The rough stuff isn’t a worry and it was possible to sit hands off as the boat tracked without any bone jarring.
The overall fi nish is top class, it’s easy on the eye and feels just as good.
The test boat was priced at $269,000 and supplied by Going Boating.
O From previous page and an easing swell will more suitable for divers than surfers this weekend.
Kirra Dive says the water tempera-ture has also increased to 21C over the past week.
With improving conditions on all fronts, this weekend looks like a goer, so get out the gear.
Expect to see plenty of turtles and octopus at Cook Island.
F Seanna Cronin
4 - day swell forecast
Brought to you by goldcoast.com.au weather
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wlnd dir/speed = N am= pm=
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ino damselfi sh, two symbiotic residents that were not there the last time I dove the wreck in November last year.
Our safety stop fl ew by thanks to the entertainment provided by a curious school of batfi sh.
The Brisbane is open to divers of all experience levels, but open-water divers must ensure they don’t ex-ceed their recom-mended depth limit.
All divers, regard-less of their qualifi ca-tions, must not go inside the wreck on their fi rst ever dive at the site.
Due to its exposed location, conditions such as visibility, cur-rent and swell are
highly variable at the Brisbane and can change rapidly.
A full body wetsuit and gloves are highly recommended to avoid cuts, scrapes or stings, and a dive computer and safety sausage or fl ag are a necessity.
Three dive operators are licensed to run trips to the wreck: Sunreef, Blue Water Dive and Scuba World.