BLOG: If I were a boat builder...

SOMETIMES when I hear John Swan's '80s hit If I were a carpenter I pause for a moment and ponder where my own working career has taken me. Usually I look down at my lily-soft hands and think what they could have crafted had they worked "on the tools" rather than at an office desk tapping relentlessly on a keyboard. In this highly specialised society of ours it takes a myriad of professions, trades, vocations and unskilled labour to get all the necessary jobs done.

Often, people think that the grass is greener or water bluer on the other side. Many pen pushers yearn for outcomes you can actually see, touch and feel, rather than developing some policy or procedure, a report no-one reads or a speech that is all too soon forgotten. Most white collar workers would love to see their efforts go into something visible, enduring and patently useful. Yes, things like crafting furniture or building a house readily come to mind - hence my earlier reference to Swanee's song. Mind you as soon as the hot and steamy build-up to our northern Wet Season hits, any romantic thoughts of life as a tradie vanish quicker than a meat pie from a lunchtime smoko van...

Over the last four months I've been watching with awe what can be achieved by skilled and hard working hands in a shed in Winnellie – Darwin's tradie heartland. At the premises of Custom Works NT a highly specialised, totally functional and tough as nails piece of art has been created out of flat sheets of 4 and 5mm plate aluminium. Yes, I'm talking about a fisho's most essential piece of equipment – a tinny. But as you've probably guessed by now, what master boatbuilder Dale Smith and his crew has created in his shed is more like a cross between a V8 supercar and a Leopard tank!

Dale is the NT's premier custom alloy boat designer/builder and one who quietly goes about his business. His workshop turns out a finished product second to none, which is why so many pro guides up here are now running around in his 6.4m Eliminator hulls. After eyeing off Dale's boats for the past couple of years I couldn't take it any longer and in May I placed my order for a 5.8m version powered by a 175hp outboard. (Scroll down for a series of pics of Pete's completed boat - Ed.).

Last Saturday my new rig hit the water for her first fishing outing after having run the motor in during sea trials. With Dale aboard, as well as regular fishing buddies Carl Hermiston and Brian Mappas, we blasted out to North Gutter (55km out to sea from Darwin) to jig some early morning Spaniards. I am pleased to report that any thoughts of there being a "new boat curse" was quickly knocked on the head (yes literally) and we came home with a number of nice macks cooling down in the esky.

While out wide, the big boat performed beautifully in the sort of 1.5m slop and 15-20 knot conditions we regularly experience up here in the Dry Season. We also stayed dry, which was impressive given the 110km we travelled on the open ocean.

On the way back to the ramp around midday I asked Dale to drop us off on a sandbar so I could snap some pics of the new boat in action. Well I can say that Dale didn't do me any favours on the fuel economy ledger as he opened her right up to put her through her paces. Now here's a tip - if you want to conserve any fuel don't let a bloke who races drag bikes in his spare time behind the wheel of anything with an engine!

Dale with a neat Spaniard he jigged up on the first fishing outing of Pete's new boat.

Stay tuned for a feature on Zeroni's 5.8m Eliminator in Fishing World magazine, for more about CustomWorks NT's boats visit www.customworksnt.com.au. In the meantime here's a closer look at the new green mean machine...