Hobart Tours with 750 hp Wild Thing

by Media Services on 23 Mar 2007 Sedate Hobart, the capital city steeped in tradition and tales of sea faring mariners is one of the last places that tourists could expect to find 750hp of Yamaha four stroke power, bolted to the transom of a tour boat.

Sit down and get ready to see the shores of Hobart’s Derwent River flash by as tour operator Glen Shackcloth fires up the Yamaha F250 triple rig.

This ride on the ragged edge is based on a custom built Naiiad 11.3 m RIB hull. The aluminium hull has a big rubber inflatable bolster, with the hull topped off with a striking targa top. The hull tips the scales at 5 tonnes.

At the transom three Yamaha F250 hp outboards provide the ample power to not only lift the 5 tonne hull with a full load of 26 passengers onto the plane, but propel this rocket ship down the Derwent at 100 km/h. The boat cruises at a more sedate and economical cruise speed of 50 km/h with the engines ticking over at a leisurely 3700 rpm and consuming just 28 litres of fuel per engine per hour.

Having spent a lifetime on the water as a pro diver and abalone diver still today, Greg Shackcloth was adamant that Yamaha was the only brand of outboard to consider for his business venture.

'I’ve owned and operated Yamaha outboards throughout my fishing and diving career,' Greg said.

'The first Yamaha that I purchased was a 60hp Enduro in 1986 when I had a commercial contract with fish farmers in Tassie. I put over 8000 hours on that engine in 8 years.'

'That Yamaha engine was so good that I have bought Yamaha ever since and have never been let down or disappointed.'

'If boaters want further proof that Yamaha is the toughest most durable engine going, take a look at the fish farmers and abalone divers. Fish farmers smash their engine day after day – they all use Yamaha. And the whole abalone industry uses Yamaha.'

'And in addition to the Yamaha engines, the support from our Yamaha dealer, Baily Marine, has been first rate. We have had the best installation and set up work done while the on-going service support for our boat and business has been superb. This is a dealer who really cares.'

On a daily basis through Hobart’s tourist season, Wild Thing runs a variety of tours down the Derwent River. The longest and most demanding run takes the Wild Thing from the centre of Hobart on a 100 nautical mile circumnavigation of Bruny Island.

'The weather on this run can be quite rugged as we actually enter the Southern Ocean for part of the run. We regularly experience extreme tidal currents and vicious swirls but the Yamaha’s are just great.'

'Even though we back off on the throttles the hull still sits up nicely and punches comfortably into the seas.'

Obviously the safety of customers is of paramount importance and the need to reliably operate three times a day, week after week demands a reliable brand of engines. Yamaha delivers not only the performance aspect but absolute confidence to deliver on all counts.

Yamaha outboards are available through an Australia-wide network of authorised Yamaha outboard dealers. All Yamaha outboard models are fully backed by a comprehensive two-year manufacturer’s warranty.