Maritimo game fishing plans back on track

by Des Ryan on 27 Sep 2007 We reported last week the plans for Maritimo to campaign its new 550 battlewagon in the top game fishing tournaments had suffered a major setback with the electrical fire and eventual sinking of the first boat.

At the time, it was thought the company would miss many of the top tournaments, but CEO Bill Barry-Cotter is made of sterner stuff.

He has hit the 'go fast' button at the company’s Hope Island plant with another 550 battlewagon nearing completion.

The new boat is about two weeks from completion when ‘Sharky’ Miles will take her north to contest the famous Lizard Island Game Fishing Classic starting on October 13.

The devastating fire on board which sent the first 550 to the bottom off Mission Beach on September 18 started somewhere behind the entertainment centre within the vessel’s saloon area.

Maritimo management called in a forensics expert to go over an identical boat
with the proverbial fine tooth comb. He determined there was no fault in either the design or construction parameters.

Three factors may have been responsible for the fire; the transformers in the television set and the Bose sound system or a fluxgate compass system.

Samples of each product have been sent away for comprehensive testing.