Herley Elite 8 Captain

[chocolatemoose]

So we recently signed the deal and have started the final outfit design for the new clients, This being our first Elite 8 Captain model

The captain range will be the forward raked windscreen superstructure version of our Elite Hull, and will have a more fishing/simpler vibe than our other designs. Its a battle wagon with leather seats.

Im excited to put this process up on Ausfish, I have had a lot of good discussions with people on/from this forum for a decade and i consider contribution from people here very valuable. So please feel free to comment along this journey,

Just a brief rundown on the requests for this boat.

It will be marina based in Southern Queensland. The owners do favour the reliability and longevity in design, and plan to take the boat on some rather longish range camping adventures.

Along with the available fuel at their marina there were a certain level of power required to push the boat. This ultimately lead us to decide on a Cox 300hp Diesel outboard. The first on a recreational boat in australia/Nz . This monster engine uses around 25-30% fuel than petrol 300hps whilst putting out nearly double the torque. So fuel consumption and range issues shouldnt be a concern.

This engine is a premiun now doubt and for the money we could of happily had twin 300s with joystick, autopilot etc. but where is the fun in that?

Ee also kept this an open boat. there is no lock up main saloon. This keeps the 8mt boat feeling its true volume and allows us to have some unique forward/backward seating solutions.

We retained our Elite helm/dash to accomodate the necesary marine electronics and switch gear. forward is a rather large U shape bed "at the request of the client there is no toilet" .

Noticable absentes are our dive/swim platform door. as well. with the single engine a lot of swim platform/transom area is freed up. allowing for a standard folding ally ladder instead with the centre walk through transom

A stern is the pump room, holding the livewell, deckwash and bilge pumps. as well as transducer access. aft mid ship is the 450lt diesel tank. midship is the plant room with battery and charger storage. forward mid is a deep storage locker, we also have storage in the side wall cabinets behind the helm seat. under the healm seat. undear the port helm seat and dinnette as well us beneith the forward bunks.

Under the rear folding twin seat aft of the galley is a slide out galley with hot and cold sink and butane cooker, beneith is a slide out 80 iceytek esky.


Anyway here she is so far.
Moose

[Chimo]

The lack of a toilet / "powder room" will keep a boys only boat.
The lack of the "yes Dear" component is unusual.

Be good to see the outboard in action. They are around $80 k are they not?

Cheers
Chimo

[chocolatemoose]

Our client was very adament of no toilet. both of them actually. the facility to have one would be easy though.

i shant disclose the cost of the engine/steering. its....... not cheap

[chocolatemoose]

Just some designs for the pull-out esky and pull-out galley.

There is something nice to have the simplicity of this kind of set up.

[chocolatemoose]

Hull no1 of our Captain style 8mt Herley Elite is well and trully underway with the superstructure just about complete

[Cobbo1]

Looks awesome Moose, understand if you can’t say but would you be able to disclose a rough range of what this would cost?

[ranmar850]

Pull-out esky and no fridge? Seems a bit odd, they'll regret that, I feel, for extended trips. or did i miss an ice-maker somewhere? So easy to build refrigeration into a hull of that size, even if they didn't want to go with the usual Engel/Dometic chest fridge choices . I like the idea of a simple layout with no lockup if security is no concern, weight saving and more flexibilty. At anchor, of course, the boat will always be faced up into the wind, so any rain is no problem, but a bit different in a marina. The performance of the diesel outboard will be interesting.

[chocolatemoose]

We designed the boat to clients paremetwrs. The slide out Esky was a cost effective measure the client wanted. We could run refrigeration though if a client wants..same with an enclosed wheelhouse. This boat was designed to be a very open feeling boat for the warmer clients. An enclosed version would certainly suit us down here.

[disorderly]

Is this the one for QLD Moose..?

[chocolatemoose]

It is yeah .

[chocolatemoose]

Just a few more progress photos just before bodywork is complete and it goes in for paint.
-Moose

[inveratta]

Great to see a high end product from this part of the world....gotta say..not the sort of decisions I would make about the power and layout...each to their own...and they are paying ..Im not!I Hull itself is going to be a winner for those who can. Spent quite a lot of time in an Arvor with a Nanni diesel from memory..it was a superb platform...and I can see the some similarities in the way they are semi displacement hulls....

[ranmar850]

How was the overall ride on the Arvor, Inveratta? They don't have the deepish initial entry of the boat Moose is building, and maintain their beam well forward. This doubtless aids with overall stability, how about the ride into a short, steep head sea?

[inveratta]

Dont want to hijack Mooses thread...Im certainly not saying the Arvor is in the same category as this boat..It was on Port Phillip bay .Fibreglass ..diesel under the self draining deck with a massive flat clear fishing area and stern.Small (hot) cabin.It was very slow of course compared to what this new hull evidently will do,but comfortable and stable platform.Handled the PPB chop with ease...it was basically a work boat in my view tweaked for the rec market..

[ranmar850]

No thread hijack intended, just trying to get a grasp on the characteristics of what are basically semi-displacement hulls, IMO. Looking at the Elite 8 sitting on the floor, you can see a deep initial entry very quickly transitioning to a fairly shallow deadrise, unless that is an optical illusion. What is the transom deadrise, Moose ? And before anyone gets into me about that, I am not one who judges a boat purely by transom deadrise, ie, " not 24 deg at the transom, will ride hard" crap. Boat design went away from super deep vees for a reason. They have their place in certain applications, just not good all-rounders.

I spend a lot of time designing boats and layouts in my mind on my long drives to and from Perth. The roads are empty, the driving is not taxing, only need half my brain to do that job. It has to be trailerable, have some basic degree of comfortable accommodation, good fuel and water capacity, fishing room, and gamefishing-capable layout. I have a miniature version of that, now, in the way I have set the Reefrunner up. But it doesn't hurt to dream.