Kiwi ingenuity to the fore

Blokes and their boats

Mark Posa with his McLay used for Hauraki Gulf snapper excursions.

The trailer???s roller-support system has been modified. Note the large drain hole in the frame.

Wheel bearings can be kept packed with grease via a nipple added to the cap.

Mark???s own version of the ratcheted longline reel.

The thief-proof trailer security device-

One of two Ramco dinghies used to net piper and flounder.

Getting his anchor stuck is a thing of the past for Mark due to his quick-release adaptation.

Getting his anchor stuck is a thing of the past for Mark due to his quick-release adaptation.

The stainless steel fuel tanks have been customised to fit snugly under the transom of the McLay.

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The ingenuity of Kiwi fishos never fails to amaze.

While some innovations can be more weird than wonderful, when your profession is stainless steel fabrication, it stands to reason that the expressions of Kiwi ingenuity could be classy and may well have commercial implications. Check out the photos!

As a young single man in search of adventure, Mark Posa arrived in New Zealand from Croatia in 1961. A coastal people, fishing is in the blood of most Croatians - like the Tangata Whenua of our fair land, the fishers of Croatia are more into harvesting fish for food than fishing for fun. And Mark has proved no exception; after settling in Auckland, it didn't take him long to discover the wonders of our local fishery.

Piper and flounder

With a net being the most efficient and well-proven fish-harvesting tool, Mark, along with his West Auckland Croatian community friends, became expert harvesters of flounder and piper.

Netting for piper at Cornwallis on the Manukau Harbour is his first memory of fishing in New Zealand. In those early days, he reckons it wasn't unknown to fill a dinghy with the ‘next best thing' to whitebait. And I have it on good authority that an evening excursion a few weeks back to Snells Beach out of Warkworth produced a haul of piper estimated to exceed 60kg. So it's not all bad news for this fishery.

Mark has found the winter months of July and August to be the most consistent for piper netting. He says the best stage of tide to start is about an hour before high, with an evening fish the most likely to produce. Reckons the reason is that the piper are less likely to see the net in the dark, and that they come in closer to shore under cover of darkness. During high summer days he believes they tend to stay in deeper water.

The technique requires a boatman in a dinghy to row out the 40m net and then lay it out parallel to the shore. The ‘landlubber' secures the net with a yellow high-visibility rope to help prevent the piper escaping at the rope-end opening. An occasional splash with the rope is usually required to alert the piper to its presence. Once the boat-man reaches the beach, the duo work in unison to haul the net in. Keeping the lead-line on the bottom is a critical part of this technique, with noise and splashing commonly employed to keep escapees to a minimum.

Flounder take over as target species in early summer, with the upper Waitemata Mark's favourite haunt. In this case, using a large 114mm mesh net, Mark prefers the hour or so before high tide and likes to set the net in about 2m of water, once again often parallel to the shore-line. Leaving the net to set for 10-15 minutes, a few loud splashes on the open side usually drives enough of this culinary delight into the net's mesh to make the effort worthwhile. When the numbers are heavy, the flounder can be seen hitting the net and even attempting to jump over.

Late summer through autumn is Mark's favourite snapper season. During this time he likes to fish the Rangitoto Channel, with the ‘A Buoy' his favourite haunt.

While he has had his share of success with most baits, Mark reckons mullet guts and skipjack tuna (‘bonito') are pretty hard to beat.

Snapper and john dory are Mark's favourite seafood, with scaled steaks on the barbeque hard to pass. However, if it comes to a choice, he reckons you can't beat snapper boiled in salted water for no more than four minutes, then served drizzled with olive oil and garlic and a twig or two of parsley tossed on for a garnish.

Mark currently has three aluminium boats in his yard. Both his smaller Ramcos (2.4m and 3.5m) are used for piper and flounder-netting. Kept under cover, his pride and joy is a 5.3m McLay powered by a 100hp two-stroke Suzuki with a 15hp Yamaha auxiliary. The maximum speed is close to 30 knots and it cruises around 20. Mark finds he uses about 17 litres of fuel per hour at cruising speed.

Named Ban after a historically important Croatian nationalist, Mark's McLay is pretty much standard for the marque and model. As a member of the Auckland Outboard Boating Club, he is required to meet the high standards of the club, with riding and navigation lights, a VHF and suitable ground tackle.

The mark of ingenuity

The ground-tackle department is the first to feature one of Mark's innovations. He has devised and built his own trip-release anchor that breaks free when snagged. And instead of the standard red-plastic tote fuel tanks, Mark has built a couple of well crafted and engineered portable stainless steel units for his boat. Reckons they fit better under the transom deck.

As fishing aids, Mark has built an effective-looking stainless steel long-line retrieval reel that uses a ratchet - similar to that of a boat trailer winch - to retain recovered line, and is fitted with an oscillating line-centring mechanism. Mark also makes his own stainless gaffs and landing nets.

Built in his workshop, the galvanised trailer has many interesting features, including some well-placed drainage ports in the box-sections used in the frame of the trailer. Experienced trailer boaties will understand the merit of these holes (once you get saltwater inside a galvanised box unit, unless you can thoroughly flush it out after each trip, a major rust problem is just around the corner).

Back to the trailer: the wobble roller swivel-arms and axles are made of stainless steel, as is the pair of adjustable stabiliser rollers either side of the rear end of the trailer. The trailer tow-bar features further innovations, with a small ground roller to make it easier to get the boat in and out of the garage without nudging the top of the roller door frame. Mark also devised and built an extra-heavy-duty, truly thief-proof lock for the towbar coupling. It would require a major engineering effort to cut through the heavy stainless material used.

- © Fairfax NZ News