Article from Sea Spray magazine April 1971

(text from article reproduced below)

The low loader edged back down the shelving sand of Kurnell beach. Gently, the 42ft cruiser she carried was edged into the water. There wasn’t quite enough depth so a line was passed from another cruiser. She eased afloat. Her twin Perkins diesels were brought to life and her bow was turned upriver, towards the St. George Motor Boat Club.

On the run up she was given the gun and achieved 18 knots, her designed speed. Cushions and trim were placed on board when she got there. Some carpet and curtains were still to be fitted. But these minutiae taken care of, and stores put aboard, that cruiser, fresh out of the Peter Bracken yard, was ready to go anywhere.

In many ways it’s a refreshing change in this age of do-it-yourself to find a boat emerging from a yard complete and ready for action. In the case of Sea Chief II, a boat built for Jack Clay of Onslow Engineering, she was complete to the extent that even the cover for the searchlight was ready to be slipped in place. Nothing had been omitted.

But not only does Sea Chief II go down on the record books as one of the best-finished cruisers ever to emerge from an Australian yard. She is also one of the most thoughtfully designed, most meticulously built. By any standard this is a superb job of boatbuilding.

Jack Clay has been an enthusiast for over 20 years. He is a member of several clubs and active in Volunteer Coastal Patrol work. Until he reached the stage where he was preserving his previous boat, a 30ft Owens cruiser, for potential sale (she is in fact now sold) he was Senior Skipper for the Botany Bay division.

Sea Chief II will be extensively used for Patrol duties, too, just as soon as she is in full commission. First there’s talk of a cruise to Port Stephens, but after that …

Essentially the hull form of Sea Chief II is very similar to that of Albacora, the 32-footer from the Peter Bracken yard we described in Sea Spray for October last. Like the 32 she features a 10 degree deadrise at the tuck. The hull carries that deadrise for the last third of its length and has a normal entry. The keelson is formed from spotted gum. Topsides are flared right through to the aft sections. She will obviously prove very dry no matter what the weather does.

Decks are laid in white beech, and planks are no less than 3/4in thick. Cabin sides are in teak, 7/8in thick, beautifully varnished. The hull proper is strip planked in Oregon (1 and 3/4in x 7/8in) and is Dynel sheathed. Consolidated Chemicals supplied the materials both for the sheathing and the antifouling.

Proportionally Sea Chief II has a very great deal going for her. The foredeck is large and clean as a whistle. Only protuberances are right for’ard in the angle of the bows, and they amount to no more than a Porter power winch and its switch, a samson post and a hatch cover.

The forecabin top is similarly clean (and vast) and the same goes for the cockpit aft. Bait tanks, with fresh water running through them, are re-flush-fitting hatches. The companion ladder to the flying bridge takes up virtually no space at all.

Generously flared bows are fitted with recessed Morse bow lights of American design. Additional illumination for manoeuvring or rescue work is provided by a searchlight on the wheelhouse roof, immediately above the steering position.

Windows everywhere are of generous size and the light value inside is such that all the pictures on these pages were taken with normal “outdoor” fast film without flash and without the use of a tripod.

There are three rectangular windows across the forward face of the fore cabin and large area windows along the sides of both the fore cabin and saloon. A hinged door alongside the normal steering position gives easy access or egress for the helmsman.

Inside the decor is supra de-luxe. One has the impression of being in a four-star motel rather than in a boat. Up for’ard is a twin vee-berth stateroom deeply carpeted and with a thick foam-rubber underlay between carpet and cabin sole. Bunks are of 5in thick foam, covered, as are all the seats and settee berths, with Desert Stone coloured Deer hide material, made up with formfitting accuracy by Caringbah Marine Upholstery. There’s beautifully finished teak everywhere. Everything fits with engineering accuracy. Doors slide closed with a true Bracken click.

Aft of the double stateroom and to port is the master’s stateroom which has a single berth, dressing table and wardrobe and white, deep-pile carpet.  On the opposite side is a bathroom comprising electrically operated toilet, washbasin and shower, and between it and the guest stateroom another dressing table and wardrobe.

Up two steps moving aft and one enters the combined wheelhouse-saloon. The steering position is to starboard. Opposite is a Roden stove with four burners, grill and oven, and in unit with it is a stainless-steel sink concealed, except when in use, by a plastic-covered top which serves as a bar. So that there are no protuberances the water outlet to the sink swivels out of the way, and the taps are concealed in the locker below. Under the helmsman’s seat perforated trays hold glasses. Behind that is a large Morphy Richards fridge and aft of that a settee berth.

Dining accommodation is to port-a plastic topped table and seating for four. Aloft there is white perforated Vinyl headlining throughout; a feature which should do much to provide insulation from heat in summer. Protruding from the lining at strategic points are speakers for the stereo cassette tape player, inset into the helmsman’s seat and each speaker has its own individual control.

The cabin sole when we inspected Sea Chief II was laid with extremely smart and serviceable CSR Day tile inlaid Vinyl. But that is to be carpeted too so as to provide greater luxury and “home feel” for entertaining and additional soundproofing from engine noise.

Engine noise even now doesn’t obtrude. Power is provided by twin Perkins turbo-charged 6.354s which, with their on-the-side configuration, require remarkably little height. Each pushes out 145 shaft horse-power. Fuel capacity – 200 gallons of distillate – is enough for 750 miles at cruising rpm. Water capacity, incidentally is 100 gallons of fresh and 20 gallons of hot-heat-exchanger warmed to pre-set temperature in 20 minutes. Steering is hydraulic by Palm Beach Marine Services – a system particularly favoured by perfectionist builders such as Bracken. The 3000 lb pressure is taken care of by Acroquip hoses.

The helmsman’s position is an enthusiast’s dream.  There are Teleflex throttle controls, and the complex instrumentation includes gauges for gearbox pressure, turbo oil pressure and engine temperature (there are warning systems and automatic shutdown), a tachometer, voltmeter, ammeter and a positive swelter of switches. The radio, a Vane Spindler supplied by Sample Marine is housed in the partition to the master’s cabin.

So far as security goes, there are a Jabsco hand bilge pump mounted out of sight in the forecabin and Jabsco mechanical pump driven from the port engine which can be used either for clearing the bilges or for deck washing.

With so much electrification on board there is a bank of no fewer than 12 batteries; 19-plate Exides. Two banks provide 24 volts for engine starting and another 12-volt bank serves auxiliary services.

Around the flying bridge there hangs a tale. Some 15 years ago, while Jack Clay was in hospital recovering from an operation, his engineer’s mind conceived what for him was the pluperfect motor-cruiser flying bridge.

First it would be truly proportioned in relation to the wheelhouse roof area on which it sat. Second it would be correctly raked, high enough to provide the right protection yet not so high as to appear slab sided. And the sides would be nicely broken up. A lifebelt here; Wind horns placed just so. Navigation lights, of course, and so on.

When he came to discuss the design of his 42 footer with Peter Bracken he passed his ideas on. Peter, with his eye for line and style, has gilded the lily and the flying bridge on Sea Chief II is a lulu. Yet it doesn’t obtrude. It isn’t obviously part of the boat into which extra time and effort have been put. A venturi screen is set at just the right height to give full protection. A bulkhead behind the bench seat provides excellent safety for those on the bridge, and serves as a back for the aft-facing seats on the other side. The safety rail, like the bow rail and other stainless-steelwork, is excellently executed by K. M. Bull.

Sea Chief II is Heap powerful medicine, to be sure. From her well-raked stem to her rounded tuck she is a cruiser calling for all the superlatives. Outside, she appears functional plus. Inside she is luxuriously comfortable. And not a single feature mars her elegant good taste.

Sea Chief II statistics (current)

Year:	1971
Designer:	Peter Bracken
Builder:	Built in Sydney by Peter Bracken
Length:	45′ – 13.71m
Beam:	14 ft
Draft:	3ft 6 ins
Hull Material:	Spotted gum and white beech with dynel sheathing
Deck Material:	Oregon strip planked
Engine:	Twin Perkins 6354 diesels provide steady cruising at 8 to 10 with a maximum speed of 15 knots.
Engine Hours:	4,600
Fuel:	1000 litres
Water:	1000 litres
Accommodation:	6 berths with extremely well setup master stateroom forward, 2nd cabin has twin bunks.
Galley:	Traditional-style with 4 burner gas oven with grill.
Refrigeration:	Fridge and 2 iceboxes.
Shower:	Yes
Toilet:	Yes with macerator.
Dinghy:	Avon
Covers:	Fully protected including large cover over decks and rails
Ground Tackle:	Anchor with ample chain and line, winch and remote
Safety Gear:	As required.
Electrics:	12,24 and 240 volt, shore power. 12 batteries. Inverter.
Electronics Navigation:	Auto Pilot, Radar, Sounder, GPS, Compass, VHF radio.