When there’s a hot marlin bite off the coast of Jervis Bay, sometimes you just have to go.
The Captain joined the crew from Sapphire Marine Automotive aboard a highly specced McLay 661 Fatboy with one goal in mind: head offshore and put the crew onto their first marlin.
There was just one small complication. The crew were marlin first-timers.
Fortunately, their 661 Fatboy was loaded with the technology and equipment needed for the mission, including Dometic Joystick Steering, providing intuitive control when operating the boat in close quarters.
A McLay 661 Fatboy built for the mission
The McLay 661 Fatboy is a plate aluminium centre console designed with serious days on the water in mind.
Its open layout provides plenty of room for anglers to move around the boat, while the centre console configuration makes it particularly well suited to active fishing where access around the vessel matters.
For this trip, the boat had been equipped by the team at Sapphire Marine Automotive with a comprehensive list of gear to make the most of a day chasing pelagic fish off the NSW South Coast.
Among that equipment was Dometic Joystick Steering.
Taking control with Dometic Joystick Steering
Precise boat control matters whether you're navigating a busy marina, approaching the dock or positioning your boat on the water.
Dometic Joystick Steering brings steering, shift and throttle control together through an intuitive joystick interface, giving the operator confident control of the vessel at low speeds.
Rather than constantly switching between traditional steering and throttle controls, the joystick allows the skipper to direct the boat with simple, intuitive inputs.
Push the joystick in the direction you want the boat to move, rotate it to adjust the boat's heading and make fine corrections when accurate positioning is required.
For boat owners, it's technology designed to take some of the stress out of situations where accurate, low-speed control matters most.
From the marina to the marlin grounds
Of course, having the right boat and equipment is only part of the equation.
With the McLay pointed offshore, The Captain and Sapphire Marine Automotive crew headed out from Jervis Bay in search of the area's marlin bite.
For a crew yet to land their first marlin, it was an ambitious mission — but that's half the fun.
Days like this are also where a well-designed boat setup comes into its own. From navigating the marina before heading offshore to having enough space to fish effectively once the action begins, every part of the package contributes to the experience.
The result is a boat that's not simply loaded with technology for technology's sake. Each component has a job to do.
Making boat control more intuitive
Modern marine technology continues to make boating more accessible and enjoyable, and steering is a major part of that evolution.
Joystick control can be particularly useful for boat owners who want greater confidence when handling their boat in challenging situations, especially when dealing with wind, current, other vessels or tight spaces.
Dometic Marine's steering and control systems are designed to help give boaters greater command of their vessel, whether they're heading offshore for a serious fishing session or simply trying to make docking at the end of the day a little less eventful.
And when your day's mission involves putting a boat full of marlin first-timers onto their first billfish, having confidence in your setup certainly doesn't hurt.
Watch the McLay 661 Fatboy in action
Join The Captain and Sapphire Marine Automotive as they take the McLay 661 Fatboy offshore from Jervis Bay in search of marlin and put its seriously specced setup to work.
See the boat, the crew and Dometic Marine technology in action in the full video.
