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YVONNE in 2008
Yvonne
YVONNE in 2008
YVONNE in 2008
Private Collection

Yvonne

Vessel numberHV000243
Vessel Registration NumberG080
Date1948
DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 7.61 m x 6.7 m x 2.44 m x 0.45 m, 2 tonnes (24.97 ft x 21.98 ft x 8.01 ft x 1.48 ft, 2.03 tons)
DescriptionYVONNE was built at Bull's yard, Paynesville on the Gippsland Lakes in early 1948 for a local doctor and his wife Yvonne, and named after her. It was used for family fishing on the lakes. The 7.61 metre (25 ft) long craft has typical features of the net boats of the area; a plumb stem, prominent sheerline, shallow draft and an oval-shaped cockpit. The craft tapers towards the transom to form a modest width stern.
The net boats' shallow draft was required because they fished in enclosed shallow waters, while the bigger couta boats operated offshore and required a deeper more seaworthy hull. The narrow stern on the net boat made it easier to recover nets into the cockpit; the couta boats fished with bait and lines.

YVONNE is planked with Huon pine on beech frames and is powered by a marinised grey Holden 179, six-cylinder petrol engine. The original was a 19kw (20 hp) Morris Veddette petrol motor. A small canopy has been fitted forward of the engine.

In 2008 YVONNE was used for recreational purposes and could still be seen out on the lakes on occasional fishing trips.
SignificanceYVONNE is a late 1940s net boat used for fishing and built on the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria where it worked. It is one of the last remaining operational examples of this type of craft, once quite common on the lakes and is in largely original condition. The net boat type is quite distinct from the Victorian couta boat - the other significant fishing boat type in regional Victoria - the net boat having a shallower draft, a more pronounced sheerline and a narrower stern.
side view of the hull
Wilson Bros.
1950
STORM BAY in Hobart.
Percy Coverdale
1925
VIKING in 2012
Higgs
c 1920
URANA at the Classic and Wooden Boat Festival 2012
c 1911
RIVERINA in 2008
Henry Day
1935
ROYAL in 2012
1924
MALLANA in its original configuration c1907 on the Tamar River, near Launceston, Tasmania
Fred Moore
1907
PADDY MCCANN in 2007.
Williamstown Dockyard
1888
METUNG in London on its circumnavigation
JC Bull
1956
THISTLE under sail in 2005.
J R Jones
c 1903
LITTLE DIRK at Carnarvon early in 2000 before restoration work began.
Robin Gourley
1927
LILY GUY, drifting on Port Phillip waiting for the wind to come in for its race.
C Blunt
1895