Images(2)

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)

Terms

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.