Shockwave Marine

Range and safety were non-negotiable for Ben Pascoe. His first taste of big offshore cats came through Fremantle Sea Rescue, where he saw Shockwave hulls in action. He also loved the fact that the BreakseaX comes with an 800L fuel capacity as standard. Split across two separate 400L tanks, it gives the twin Mercury 300HP V8 Verados serious range — plus redundancy if one side ever cops contaminated fuel. Running Enertia Eco three-blade props, Ben’s seeing a touch over 46 knots fully loaded, with an economical cruise around 20–28 knots.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner served aboard the BreakseaX.

CAT-WRANGLING FOR NOVICES

Big cats aren’t hard to drive — but they do reward drivers who take the time to understand trim. Andrew Wright’s advice? Start in calm water and find the boat’s sweet spot. Every hull has a speed and attitude where it settles in, runs cleanly and feels right. Learn that first. Then start playing with differential trim.

Instead of simply backing off in a turn, use the trim to help the boat roll in, hold attitude and stay balanced. The same applies offshore. Bow down in a head sea. Bow up in a following sea. Small trim changes can make a huge difference to ride, economy and control. As Andrew puts it, “I don’t adjust the speed often at sea. I’m more often adjusting the trim or the heading to optimise the ride.”

The BreakseaX launches onto the cover of issue #42 of The Captain.

Issue 42 is bursting at the seams with radical rebuilds, wild adventures, big sea creatures and boats to burn.

We get the rundown on Jackson Coffey’s semi-circumnavigation with his dad, Jason, in a tiny Trailcraft. Well, Tweed Heads to Broome — but that’s still a hell of a long way.

Out west, we join Bomber Farrell in Exmouth for the bluewater billfish rodeo that is GAMEX 2026 aboard his freshly minted 7m Northbank — a pocket game boat armed with more weapons than you can poke a rum-soaked stick at.

Down the coast in Busselton, Shockwave boss Andrew Wright joins us aboard Ben Pascoe’s Breaksea X. We put this mega cat through its paces — in the air and as a dive boat.

Further south, Rhys Jones shows us around the Westerberg factory in Albany, where his hardy crew is knocking out tough-as-guts alloy craft ready for the rigours of the Southern Ocean.

In Victoria, two blokes named Paul take us fishing around Wilsons Prom in their new StabiX 240UCC — an amphibious beast giving the old boys a fresh lease on boating life.

Then it’s up the Murray chasing cod aboard Leigh Oakley’s Stabicraft 2050 Frontier, before heading to Jervis Bay with Ben Holding from Sapphire Marine in his highly specced McLay 661 Fatboy chasing marlin.

There are rebuilds, and then there are radical rebuilds. We check out Dave Elliot’s wickedly revamped Haines Hunter V19 in Moreton Bay. He’s not much of a fisho, but he loves boats — and this thing is fast as greased lightning. BTW, it’s now a V22.

Speaking of rebuilds, Sandy Resinwood helps you rip up your deck, stringers and transom. Hadley Deegan gives you the good oil on keeping your fuel clean and your engine purring.

In Sea Salts, Adam Smith remembers pioneering fisho, hunter, bushman, journalist, traveller, explorer and ANSA founder Vic McCristal AM.

And down in the galley, Aaron Teece does very tasty things to a bunch of spanner crabs.

The Captain #42 is loaded. Grab a copy and get stuck in.

If you see me coming, you might want to give me a bit of space...

The BreakseaX features a large, resin-infused fibreglass bait tank designed to keep your liveys fully charged on big missions.

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