Yamaha is behind a new purpose-built whale research vessel as part of the Australocetus Research Blue Whale Study. Twin Yamaha F80 4-stroke outboards are set behind a 6.3m Razerline Olympian Centre Cab and ready to propel the Australian first marine research study to new grounds.
Encompassing a notoriously rugged stretch of coastline between Cape Otway in Victoria, to Robe in South Australia, the whale research area features a unique oceanographic occurrence- the cold water Bonney Upwelling. This ocean phenomenon creates a concentration of the Blue Whale’s primary food source, Krill, and provides the ideal place to research the world’s largest, yet little understood, mammal.
Headed by Dr Peter Gill and Margie Morrice, the Blue Whale Study had previously been chartering a range of vessels which inevitably put time and financial constraints on the length and scale of their field work. With funding from Santos Ltd and private supporters, the team sourced an ideal trailer boat platform from WA and looked to Yamaha to provide the propulsion.
“When it came time for us to decide on our outboards, we had heard many good reports about Yamaha,” said Research Program Co-Director and Marine Biologist Dr Peter Gill.
“We have a research colleague in WA who uses twin Yamahas on a RIB boat who is very happy with them, and we thought Yamaha could provide us with the right sized engines for our vessel. We explained our needs to Yamaha’s Sales and Marketing Manager Brett Hampson and they were able give us the support we needed.”
The Razerline Centre Cab offers the research team a solid working platform with ample deck space for research gear, laptop storage in the wheelhouse plus a custom built extended bow rail designed as a brace to secure a person while tagging whales at close quarters. Ferrying up to 6 crew, research gear and 300 litres of fuel in twin tanks, the chosen engines had big expectations to fulfil with reliability and fuel efficiency of primary importance.
“We’ve already put 10 hours on the engines since delivery and had the boat out in 20 knot winds,” said Dr Peter Gill.
“The engines are great with lots of power, very smooth, quiet and economical. We’ve been out in some pretty choppy conditions and we’ve found we only need to run them at half power for a soft ride and very efficient cruising speed. With our twin fuel tanks we expect to get a range in excess of 260 nautical miles.”
“The team at Geelong Boating Centre were very professional, friendly, and did a great job in looking after our specific needs. In particular, Cameron McDonald was always there when we needed him and made sure we got our boat in time for a first trip.”
Two more whale research scientists from the U.S will join Dr Peter Gill and Margie Morrice for the first official field study on their new research vessel. The 2 week project will involve tagging blue whales at close quarters using special suction cupped tags in order to record 3D movement of whales during feeding and how they find and capture their food.
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. |
