Vasard 7.5mtr Centre Cab

[ashleyhj74]

G'day all, well, finally replaced my old Spearfish 21. Found this locally, fully-rebuilt Mercruiser V8, mid-mounted with a jackshaft to the sterndrive leg. Trailer all new brakes 18 months ago (needs to be lowered alot, thats on the to-do list). Basic sounder/gps/radios/etc. Roof needs to be raised (wasnt made for people 6'5 tall......). Everything seems nice and solid (well nothin moves when my fat ass walks around anyway). Just needs some cosmetic trailer-related scratches repaired, good cut and polish and a few other things that I want to do because i'm a picky bastard
Anyway, main reason for the post, does anyone know the history of the hull? (I know its too late now since I own it and its in the shed, but i'd still like to know. I've been out in it, loved it (exhausts could be louder, gotta be able to hear a V8.......that'll be fixed too)). They were apparantly made in Bribie Island QLD. It does have a sterndrive leg now, it was getting rebuilt in the photo.
Cheers, Ash

[ashleyhj74]

Goin to need trim tabs too, gotta research them more, unsure on size/brand/etc. There are some well priced ones on Ebay outta the states thats appealing right now. Unless anyones gotta suitable working second hand set?

[captain rednut]

hi ash
its a great boat and i know the guy who owned and built it himself. he caught lots of big snapper on her and fished in some very crappy weather, Ive always liked the hull and wondered were it got to. i hope you get as many fish as he did.
cheers Jim

[Jarrah Jack]

hi ash
its a great boat and i know the guy who owned and built it himself. he caught lots of big snapper on her and fished in some very crappy weather, Ive always liked the hull and wondered were it got to. i hope you get as many fish as he did.
cheers Jim

It ended up in Geelong for a while by the look of it. If it could handle PPB it could handle anything..........

[Floating Rib]

Nice looking boat ash, hope you get plenty of use out of it, heaps of room by the look of it. Look forward to hearing how she goes for you.

[Smithy]

There is another guy on here with one. It was originally called Mortal Kombat with a Volvo Penta petrol. Nick bought it off Kane and he is Black and Blue on here. He renamed it and put a diesel Steyr into it to the Volvo leg. I think he had leg problems then so he might have put a new leg on it. He was trying to sell it but dunno if he did. Some of the Tweed Heads boys might chime in.

I like the concept of them. Jack shafted so your weight is in the middle and you fish right to the transom other than the little steering box. The bunks down below are good for a centre cab. The only thing similar is a 25' Luhrs. A guy here on the coast has one which has a similar cab and bunks down below but as a bridgedeck with engines underneath and he has twin 170hp Yanmar 4 cyl diesels to shaft drives.

[Greg P]

Pretty sure I have seen that one tied up to a pontoon at Newport waterways Rob. Great looking boat. Gee that guy on PPB must have had oversize ones - don't fancy fishing winter with that set up down there brrr !


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[HH565L]

Hi Ash, just letting you know I haven't forgotten.

Ive tried to find out more abut the origins of this hull and have had no luck so far.

As it was built on Bribie, opefully some of the guys on here will be able to shed some light on it for you.

Regards,
Spiro

[ashleyhj74]

G'day guys, appreciate the replies. Yeah for what I paid for it, I reakon i'm on a winner.
Captain Rednut - PM Sent
Jarrah Jack - Its still in Geelong, couldnt believe that i'd find a boat like this round the corner from our shed.
Floating Rib - Thanks mate, appreciate it. Yeah i'm hopeing to use it more than the last boat, perfect for what I want. Bay/offshore (portland for tuna, etc).
Smithy - Yeah I searched the forums on here and it came up with that Mortal Kombat guys post saying he owned one, but his username wasnt registered anymore. Always liked the Luhrs, got the original Sport Fishing magazine from the 90's with the test on the runabout and centre console versions.
Greg P - The boats got full custom clears which run from the side of the console out to the coamings and back along the side for a bit, so it basically makes it into a wheelhouse. I spent over $2000 on a similar setup on my last boat (Spearfish 21 centre cab/console), this one came pre-done. Although when we raise the roof i'm goin to have to get all the clears extended, you get that but.
Spiro - G'day mate, yeah thats all good. To be honest i'm not fussed if I dont find out anymore, since I own it and all. But yeah, as i said, i'd just like to know.

[The Woo]

Hi Ash.... Well here's a blast from the past! It looks identical to the Vasard I worked on for the owner on Bribie for a few years.
Real nice bloke, he lived virtually opposite the last carpark on the surf side. It had the same engine/shaft/and stern drive then, and he did a lot of hours in it. My fading memory says the fella who owned it when I serviced it purchased it off the original builder on Bribie as RedNut says.
I too always admired the hull, and especially the layout, and although never ran her in any weather, the balance was nice. No rocket ship, but had a solid feel.
It will need tabs though, I don't remember if it used to have them (I'd recommend Bennett tabs for longevity).

Believe it or not I actually remember slicing a finger to the bone on one of the horrible stainless steel vents when lifting the engine box. I'm clean, don't worry

[Tailortaker]

I don't know if this helps but Vasard Marine and Bribie Pontoons are the same company.

[ashleyhj74]

The Woo - G'day mate, yeah that engine box is a heavy bastard of a thing isnt it? I'll keep a eye out on those stainless intakes, they havent caught me yet Yeah it needs trim tabs for sure, not for getting onto the plane or holding plane (one of the most trimable boats, up and down that is, i've ever driven), just side to side would be nice to adjust. Its a completely different feel power-wise than my old 200hp carby 2-stroke, the motor needs a good tune/throttle adjust and a few other things my old man wants to do (the joys of having a mechanic for a father), i'm happy with the way it goes now, speed aint everything (<- ok i'm lieing, i'd like it faster......). But its only a fresh motor, so it'll loosen up a fair bit.
Tailortaker -G'day mate, yeah I have rang them. Completely different people own/run that now and they really have no information on the previous owners. Cheers, Ash

[dugggy]

Hey there,nice looking rig!! Do you happen to have any pics of the jackshaft setup at all?
Regards,
Doug

[Rodpal]

Hey Ash74,

Man .. that sure is a blast from the past, i had to check some old photos (kodak that is) and yah i've been out for a couple of trips in that old girl years ago (no gps in those days) he navigated off his sounder, lights and landmarks, darn good skipper to. The guys name is Paul and he was the original founder of bribie pontoons and built the boat on bribie .. O and she fished a treat so hopefully some good karma there for you.

haven't seen him for over 10 years but she rode like the mercedes of the ocean

nice looking hull and great userfriendly layout .. i'm sure your goin to be stoked with her man

Cheers
Rod

[The Woo]

The Woo - G'day mate, yeah that engine box is a heavy bastard of a thing isnt it? I'll keep a eye out on those stainless intakes, they havent caught me yet Yeah it needs trim tabs for sure, not for getting onto the plane or holding plane (one of the most trimable boats, up and down that is, i've ever driven), just side to side would be nice to adjust. Its a completely different feel power-wise than my old 200hp carby 2-stroke, the motor needs a good tune/throttle adjust and a few other things my old man wants to do (the joys of having a mechanic for a father), i'm happy with the way it goes now, speed aint everything (<- ok i'm lieing, i'd like it faster......). But its only a fresh motor, so it'll loosen up a fair bit.
Tailortaker -G'day mate, yeah I have rang them. Completely different people own/run that now and they really have no information on the previous owners. Cheers, Ash

Yes mate, heck of a heavy engine lid, quiet though! lol
And tabs on any decent boat are only needed for lateral trim. Deep vee's like this tend to want to lean into the wind, so something is needed to correct it, and correct the trim when your mates wander from side to side while underway The old owner usually fished alone, so was probably sensitive enough to trim it just by moving the esky
It really is a nice boat, great to see she's survived so well. And no, speed isn't everything. I'm sure the genuine early 20's cruise speed is just perfect for 90% of the days offshore, and I bet she's super relaxing and quite on the troll, with excellent directional steering stability due to the good, not bum-heavy, weight balance.
Thumbs up bro