Being blessed with some of the most well-respected and accomplished boat designers in the States, Americans rarely get a glimpse of the skills of those from other countries. F. W. Woodnutt, who has long been known in Australia as one of its premier custom boat designers, is definitely worth a look. His boats include such well-known Australian sport-fishers as the Duyfken, Balek III, Sea Baby and Viking. His latest design will take form as the Ebony 65.
Ebony Custom Yachts teamed with Woodnutt to design a sport-fisher capable of not only handling the rigors of fishing for grander blacks off Cairns, but also doing it in luxurious style.
The hull, constructed of triaxial fiber-glass with a cold-molded red cedar core, has longitudinal inner and diagonal outer skins, all laid up with epoxy. The interior hull framing consists partly of four deep-section engine girders, with several running nearly the entire length of the boat, bonded to four watertight bulkheads and the transom. The teak-floored cock-pit features more than 233 square feet of space with sealed cabinet storage for everything from gafts to freezers and bait-prep areas. And lest you forget this boat was designed to fish, the Ebony 65 comes equipped with a custom Black Marlin aluminum tower, Rupp riggers, Murray Brothers fighting chair, twin tuna tubes hidden in the cockpit coaming and even an underwater camera.
The flybridge features two helm seats with a hydraulic-powered, pop-up steering console that keeps electronics safely stowed when not in use. Ebony includes a full complement of electronics, down to the engine room camera and monitor. Forward of the console will be ample seating with a table, concealed refrigerator, washbasin and even a hidden toilet.The custom interior features cherry and ebony paneling and detail work, with stainless-steel trim throughout. Luxurious details include mother-of-pearl paneling in the master bath, granite and marble countertops, a retractable 42-inch plasma TV in the salon and two others in the staterooms, and a whirlpool bath, steam room and bidet all in the master head.
The interior layout includes a 200-square-foot master suite, queen guest suite and an additional stateroom to port that features over-under berths. Each stateroom has access to its own private bath.
