The 46-foot Nambucca, launched in 1967, was designed by Ray Kemp of Woodbridge and ordered by a northern Tasmanian syndicate which later cancelled the deal. Following this, Andre van Nieuwenhuysen and Jock, trading as M.N. Enterprises Pty Ltd., continued with her on spec. When she was nearing completion she was sold to Tim Bailey and Alan Yates, both Bicheno fishermen. "Her hull was splined and is still in excellent condition despite years of hard fishing work. Nambucca was built of Tasmanian hardwood (Eucalypt) topside and Huon pine below the waterline. "She was the only hardwood topside boat we ever built. This wood, provided you get a select wood, is just as good as any other for boats. one very good example is the old May Queen moored in Watermans Dock which is planked in hardwood. "To get a good timber you have to select the trees for whatever purpose the seasoned wood is intended. To get hardwood ribs you have to select a small bluegum tree and for planking you need the older, mature tree. This would have straight-grained timber with no knots. "One big difference between building boats of wood and building in modern materials is selecting the right trees in the first place, getting it and then seasoning it. This is another time-consuming part of wooden boatbuilding. "Huon pine, for argument's sake, say an inch thick and provided it is exposed to the elements racked facing north, north-east and with plenty of wind and rain, would take just a few months. The rain helps wash the sap out. The hardwood takes varying times. "But the aim in seasoning is to get the right specific gravity. You can generally tell by the feel and weight of it. And you need moisture content of between 10 to 12 per cent. "It used to be the fashion to put the ribs in while they're still drying out, but I never did that. I found it better to have them almost dry before steam bending them. Of course, you don't season the backbone and the planking needs to be almost dry."