CruiseCraft’s 685 Explorer In a Code Class of its Own
In meeting the specific demands of boating trainer Bill Corten, CruiseCraft has launched their first ever Explorer 685 model built to the demanding USL Code Class 2C survey specification.
In conforming to the Universal Shipping Laws (USL) standard, Bill Corten’s new Explorer 685 is legally able to carry up to 7 persons, up to 15 Nautical miles offshore while at the same time, providing Bill Corten with his dream charter vessel.
Broadly considered one of Australia’s foremost fishing and boating identities, Bill Corten is a man of many talents and skills. He holds a commercial skipper’s licence, is a boating authority of note and a highly sought after event host and prolific writer. But it’s Bill Corten’s training work with every day boating people that really sets him apart.
Bill Corten takes boating people to sea in his own boat and teaches them the basics of boating through to the advanced skills required to negotiate treacherous bars and seaways.
Specifying CruiseCraft’s newest Explorer 685 offshore fishing boat for his commercial venture speaks volumes of the brand, and the Nichols family at CruiseCraft, the third generation name behind the brand.
The latest Explorer 685 is Bill Corten’s fourth CruiseCraft vessel in 20 years. The first was an Explorer 570, then two larger Outsider models.
“There are so many compelling reasons why I chose CruiseCraft to build my latest boating platform, “said Bill.
“Nothing else in the industry came close to meeting my specific boating needs. My new Explorer has a huge amount of cockpit space for fishing, a lot bigger helm to accommodate all my electronics plus a huge forward cabin. And there still remains excellent outside walk-around access to the bow. This boat provides the safety and comfort my customers should expect from an offshore boat of this standard.”
The CruiseCraft team worked tirelessly throughout the whole process of equipping the Explorer 685 vessel for 2C survey with a naval architect and Marine Surveyor on-hand to oversee the construction.
Rather than opt for Queensland survey, both Bill and the CruiseCraft team set their sights on the national standard to take the CruiseCraft brand to a higher level of safety and performance.
A significant amount of planning and development has gone into the new 2C survey Explorer 685 which gives Bill the confidence to provide a safe and comfortable boating platform for his customers. The majority of his clients are current boat owners who wish to hone their offshore boating and fishing skills so that they can maximise their own time on the water.
Having spent 38 years with Marine Safety Queensland, Bill had high expectations of his new vessel and was subsequently well placed to create a fully customised boating package complete with a Yamaha F250 4-stroke outboard and a Redco trailer with full stainless steel brakes.
The list of inclusions onboard the new CruiseCraft Explorer 685 is staggering with a full complement of marine electronics and fishing equipment onboard to rival most charter boats. A JRC FF60 sounder, Garmin 4012 GPS with 4kW Radar, Lowrance X26 sounder with broadband and a TMQ Autopilot provide the data and give clients a broad cross section of marine technology to learn on.
Onboard extras include outriggers, a portable downrigger, stress free anchor winch, customised bait board with a salt and freshwater deck wash, fully insulated ice boxes below deck, trim tabs with LED indicator as a learning aide, and a mobile phone aerial and patch to ensure dependable contact with the mainland.
Putting this ultimate offshore boating weapon together has been a big undertaking for the CruiseCraft team with the well respected Brisbane-based boat manufacturer pulling out all the stops for Bill Corten and his 2C Survey Explorer project.
“We’re delighted on all fronts to be able to build our first production boat to the national 2C Survey standard,” said CruiseCraft Sales and Marketing Manager, Peter Benston.
“As a team we are again honoured to be building this Explorer 685 for Bill Corten. We have great respect for the man and held back nothing in delivering an exceptional example of our brand.”
One of the many strings to Bill’s bow is an educator in bar crossings and offshore fishing techniques. These training days are often undertaken in extreme conditions and Bill knew instinctively his new 2C Survey vessel needed to withstand the ocean, yet still deliver a safe and stable training platform.
Bill Corten is understandably very proud of his latest boating project and expects his vessel to undertake a wide range of tasks on top of his course commitments such as charter work and eco-tourism.
CruiseCraft is a wholly family owned, third generation Australian boat manufacturing business, operating from their Brisbane manufacturing facility. CruiseCraft boats are distributed exclusively through a network of Authorised Dealers throughout Australia and selected international markets.
For further information on this story contact:
Bill Corten
Reel Affair Queensland Pty Ltd
Ph: (07) 3286 3647
Email: reel_affair@yahoo.com
Mob: 0447 233 247
Peter Benston
Sales & Marketing Manager, CruiseCraft
Tel (07) 3390 4877
Fax (07) 3390 5756
Email peterb@cruisecraft.com.au |
