Double M Boats© brings you a new exciting dimension in safe fun outboard boating.

 A Review by Steve Morgan of Queensland Fishing Monthly (December 1997).

From above Bowen's Double-M 14' 6" looks like a work boat with a huge capacity. From any other angle however, the uniqueness of the hull is noticeable. We took a Double-M for a run around the Brisbane River recently and were impressed with the results.

It sounds strange, but two hulls-in-one is the best way to describe the construction of a Double-M boat and the performance of this craft can be better understood when this construction is taken into account.

Welded onto the rounded nose punt shell is a narrow keel that flattens as it runs aft. It has the function of cutting through the chop up front and acting as a keel and planing board down back.

This boat boasts over 5 square metres of floor space, which is around 10% more than others in the class. The absence of thwart seats opens up the potential even more and you can see the amount of load carrying area available - even with a full complement of 5 adults on board.

Dry storage is available under the front checker plate casting deck and this is an ideal area to keep the life-jackets, anchor, and all of the other necessities that should be within easy reach.

Extra wide gunwales allow for mounting of rod holders and underneath, there's adequate room to mount horizontal rod carriers along the sides, which rise 600 mm above the chimes.

There is an option of storing the battery or fuel under the driver's pedestal seat. This seat is ideally positioned to control the test boat's 25 HP Mercury.

This seemingly small power plant pushed the Double-M onto the plane quite swiftly indeed and the designers assure me that increased loads have little bearing on the planing ability, such is the nature of the hull. In fact, the more load placed in the craft, the more the cutting action of the narrow for'ard keel comes into play.

The Double-M would be an ideal craft for piling in the family with a whole mountain of gear and heading off to a distant camp site by water. This boat would do the job safely and efficiently.

Additionally, serious sports fishers would be able to rig the craft to provide the necessary componentry and open spaces that popular techniques require. Large flat areas with minimal protrusions are a simple task for the Double-M.

How does the hull perform? Well , we didn't spend ALL day racing Brisbane's City Cats up and down the river. A short detour into the river mouth on a large run out tide against a stiff northerly provided conditions that fell well short of ideal for comfortable boating. They are, however, useful for boat testing and battering into the short sharp chop it was quite easy to throw a lot of spray around. This is to be expected in a tinny of this shape. Cornering was quite tight with the large keel area holding the water well. The City Cats have a slight speed advantage, but I think that we had more fun!

Pressed 3.0 mm hull material and 2.0 mm sides ensure that any Double-M lasts and lasts. Custom trailers are also available and the ease of single person launching and retrieval was obvious on the test day.

The Double-M won't suit everyone. Some buyers in today's market require a high level of finish and fit out on the craft that they want to drive away from the showroom, but the Double-M does fill a niche and does it well.

It will find a following with anglers who want floor area and stability, commercial operators who want to carry a large load for not a lot of dollars, and families that wish to safely, cheaply, and confidently handle the worst of conditions to get to the best of the camping spots. Add a bimini and mum and the kids can fish all day long in the shade.

For more info contact- Reibel Marine, Don Street, Bowen, Queensland Australia, on +61 07 4786 2944,

or email- lmenadu@tpgi.com.au   

or hotmail - skyhawka@hotmail.com

(Double-M ©)

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as at 22/12/2000