Pelican and the Settree family
The 42 foot Pelican at work off Wilsons Promontory, Victoria. Credit: John Marks
This feature article originally appeared in AFLOAT Magazine and forms part of our latest edition of boating features exploring Australian wooden boats and adventure cruising.
Researching and restoring a former fishing boat has been a fascinating journey, writes John Marks.
The 42 foot (12.5m) Pelican was launched as Tasman Sea in 1979, born of the need to provide a living for third generation wooden boat builder John Settree, as orders for new boats had ceased. John’s grandfather Alfred Settree senior served a four-year boat building apprenticeship in New Zealand before returning to Australia in 1901 and setting up in coastal New South Wales. Here, spotted gum, a hardy rot resistant timber which can be easily steamed and bent, grows prolifically in extensive forests. Alf ranged up and down the coast as orders came but always built near a large sawmill. His greatest creation was the 165ft Douglas Mawson, named after the famous Australian Antarctic explorer.
Alf Snr. left the trade in 1912, but returned in 1930 to apprentice his son Alf Jnr. They built three ketches for the Pacific coconut trade, each 120-160 feet in length, all constructed in the open and entirely by hand, except for sawn lumber from the mill. Alf Jnr’s two sons Trevor and John were apprenticed, and the trio built many sturdy craft, such as a fleet of 36ft cruiser sterned snapper boats. Later, John described how they bent the spotted gum for these dramatic sterns. “We had a great big wagon wheel, and the planks were steamed and pre-bent around it. Without the wheel we could not have built these boats”. In the mid-1970’s orders for timber boats dried up, in favour of GRP and steel.
Diversify
What to do? Believing they lacked other skills, the two boys decided to build a boat each and go fishing. They lived near the traditional family home in Huskisson which backed onto Currambene Creek on Jervis Bay. Trevor’s boat, the 54’ Seeker was launched sideways into the creek. Before John could build, the local authority altered the foreshore, which required John to reduce Tasman Sea’s planned length to 42ft.
Pelican nee Tasman Sea is big, beamy and capable, to compensate for the loss of overall length. Consequently, she had headroom in all compartments except for the after hold. Launched with a dubious second-hand Gardner 6LW diesel engine and a new Twin Disc 506 3:1 transmission, she was deployed dredging scallops and in other fisheries in Jervis Bay. However, the bay was later closed to commercial fishing. John and his son Craig then commenced drop lining 30 miles offshore on the edge of the continental shelf. The Seeker has been abandoned ashore at boatbuilding company Pompei’s in the Melbourne suburb of Mordialloc for many years, as the then owner could not afford to commission repairs. She will never be relaunched and is now an iconic tourist feature on the foreshore of Mordialloc Creek.
Design
John built Pelican (nee Tasman Sea) to his own design, which was developed using his building experience and observing wooden vessels in local ports Ulladulla, Bermagui and Eden. Applying his own ideas on how a vessel should look and perform, he departed somewhat from the more utilitarian designs of previous Settree boats. As a result, Pelican features yacht-like lines: a springy sheer, a tumble-home transom which follows through the bulwarks, and a clipper bow. She is full-bodied amidships and has beautifully formed apple cheeks forward. Heavily constructed of spotted gum, she has three stringers each side apart from the sheer clamp and many naturally grown knees. John claims 19 tons of timber and four tons of propulsion and other equipment.
During 1983 the Gardner failed and was replaced with a later model 6LX. John and Craig fished sporadically until 2005, as fishing was not John’s favourite occupation. His skills were better utilised repairing and maintaining timber vessels in the local fleets. The 6LW must have run a great many hours, as Gardners are known for longevity and miserly fuel consumption, due to precision engineering and ingenious mechanical fuel metering. With demand for more powerful road engines and the advent of electronic fuel metering, the Gardners fell out of favour, and the factory in Manchester UK closed around 1994. Most Gardners started life in a bus or truck, and a few new boats are still launched with a reconditioned and converted Gardner. In 2005 at age 65, John advertised Tasman Sea for sale, something that would change my life.
Adventure Cruising
In my school days my father owned a hire-boat business in sea-side Williamstown, and I fished from the small boats after school. I built a 14ft clinker motorboat in the early 2000’s at an evening hobby class at a local TAFE college. I was a partner and boat skipper in a recreational diving outfit for two decades, and I had ambition to own an ex-fishing boat to convert for adventure cruising. In 2005, after four years not finding an acceptable and affordable craft, in a fit of nostalgia I bought a beat-up 1953 Ford F100 utility, one of which I owned as a 19-year-old. The following month, Tasman Sea appeared in the news-stand publication Trade-a-Boat. Suddenly, I had two major projects, no place to work and most of my time committed to two small businesses and a young family.
On inspection, Tasman Sea was weathered and neglected. Some superficial rot had set in around the stanchions and cover boards. I asked John if the boat would make Melbourne, a distance by sea of approximately 600nm. “Oh yeah” was his reply. She made it alright, and the delivery voyage was a memorable experience. We had calm seas and brilliant night skies. A six metre (20ft) white shark was spotted lazing on the surface. It became apparent that there was much to do to get the boat into decent shape. In retrospect, Tasman Sea is a quite attractive and relevant title, however Pelican was the chosen replacement. After a few months on a swing mooring off Williamstown, Pelican was hauled out for some serious work. The outer hull was stripped and the bare timber primed with red lead. A retired caulking specialist agreed to re-caulk the hull, and a few frames were “sistered”. Hydraulics replaced the mechanical steering, and a new dry exhaust was factory fabricated, then home installed.
Maybe in an attempt to de-clutter, John originally routed the dry exhaust inside the mast, however this proved unsuccessful. “Too noisy” was the verdict, and I suspect too hot as well. The replacement looked convoluted and hap-hazard. A muffler in the engine room and a shielded exhaust at the rear of the main cab now is effective and complementary. The fuelling, cooling and pumping systems all received necessary attention. With minor professional help, I replaced a section of one cover board, rebuilt the bulwarks and added a replacement cap rail of nyatoh, a durable light hardwood. A specialist welder made and fitted the safety rail, welded the anchor roller/tipper assembly and the radar and steering gear brackets, all of heavy stainless steel. Later a black iron fuel tank was discarded in favour of stainless steel.
A first-generation GPS and a paper roll depth sounder have been replaced. A JRC 300 radar, Schatz 6” barometer and a Morse engine control came via eBay for a pittance. A Coursemaster 950 autopilot replaced the old clunker. Pelican never had an anchor capstan, but a local marine company relinquished a near-new 24volt Muir winch for small dollars. Carefully spent cash and a DIY ethic were keeping costs to a minimum in an otherwise expensive exercise. A wise old Irish woman once advised: “big ships need big sails”.
Relaunch
Relaunched, Pelican found storage in the RVMYC marina at Williamstown. We fished and cruised Port Phillip Bay, but in 2011 the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart beckoned. Pelican was well enough prepared to complete the voyage, but live-aboard accommodation was primitive, with two crew sleeping on the wheelhouse floor. We attended the show, and a month later completed a near-circumnavigation of Tasmania on the return voyage.
One day, while checking the engine prior to venturing out, no oil showed on the Gardner’s dip stick. A brief inspection revealed 20ltrs of SAE 30 in the bilge, the magnesium alloy sump had corroded through. With adequate headroom to raise the engine, a used sump, some lifting gear and a lot of blood sweat and tears, we were back in business. A diagram showing a modified front main seal which solved an annoying oil leak was kindly sent from the UK. A bucket list of improvements included a trunk cabin over the fish hold. Bud McIntosh’s book “How to Build a Wooden Boat” gives detail for a suitable model. With advice from a veteran shipwright and Bud’s design, a rather handsome and sympathetic cabin was prefabricated in my back shed. The deck opening was enlarged and strengthened with new carlins, and the cab, built of 35mm amoora, a resilient reddish hardwood, was installed with 10mm laminated glass ports, and bolted through with eight s/s rods. Laminated and varnished curved ceiling beams, white tongue and groove lining boards, and a layer of marine ply sealed with a solid matt of GRP externally give the cabin a nice traditional look. A sliding hatch, panelled doors and a pair of Dorade vents finish the exterior.
Accommodation
Three bunks, and an access ladder and folding-leaf table; both of 100 years old Baltic pine complement the fit out. Surplus stainless steel automotive LPG tanks fitted under the bunks provide just 400ltrs of fresh water. Rainwater is collected off the large deckhead on the main cabin, where an 11ft Zodiac RIB with a 15hp Mercury is readied for action and launched with a short jib and a manual winch. Two dual-voltage fridge / freezers, a freshwater system for sink and basin, and a three-burner propane stove and grill along with an external s/s BBQ complete the galley arrangements. A basin and toilet are located on the port side forward. It’s not “flash”, just practical and comfortable.
Pelican is yet to acquire a hot water service and freshwater shower, meaning we will need to increase fresh water held. She has separate 12-, 24- and 240-volt systems, and the large battery capacity is augmented by a Honda portable generator. Two x 100w solar panels assist the 12v system, and a small inverter gives a little mains power for charging etc. Ground tackle consists of a 40KG Rocna anchor in addition to four others, 2 x 10mm chains of 100m and 50m and two long synthetic warps. The Rocna has proven to hold anywhere.
Regular crew members have donated some of the new equipment. Ownership is now shared with a younger crew member, and Pelican currently resides at Wyndham Harbour on Port Phillip Bay’s western shore. Pelican has attended six AWBF events. (Held every second year except for a cancellation in 2021 due to Covid 19). We staged the boat to Lord Howe Island in 2016, a 2,000 nm return cruise. Cruising to Kangaroo Island in South Australia was another adventure. King Island and the Furneaux Group in Bass Strait have been regularly visited. The future holds more cruising plans.
Weather in Bass Strait is notoriously fickle and sometimes dangerous, but reliable barometric predictions keep the crew informed. Rigorous debate on whether to go or stay has kept us safe to date. Both an iPad and the Lowrance 5 GPS plotter are Navionics capable. Interfacing the navigation components has been intentionally avoided. Sourcing, restoring, converting and cruising Pelican has been quite a voyage. Ongoing maintenance can be physically taxing but is also a pleasure. Quoting legendary designer Joel White: “More attention is paid to a handsome craft by everyone involved….” Regular crew members are ageing, but our attitude is “do it while you can”.
This feature article originally appeared in AFLOAT Magazine. To explore more stories like this, browse the AFLOAT Magazine archive or view the latest edition of AFLOAT Magazine.
