2:24 AM Thu 2 Jul 2009 GMT
 | | 'Yanmar and Paul Sullivan'
Bob Carter
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When pro fisherman Paul Sullivan decided to move up from his trusty aluminium trailer boat to a genuine sea going commercial fishing boat, he factored in an engine re-power from the outset.
Operating out of Fisherman's Wharf on Sydney Harbour, Paul Sullivan describes himself as a commercial fish trapper. His fishing grounds are within 10 nm off the coast and stretch from Cronulla in the south to Broken Bay up north. Each trip runs to about nine or ten hours at sea.
Initially Paul considered purchasing a new boat, but the $600,000 price tag was off putting. Then he came across an ex WA cray boat, operating out of Ulladulla. The 1981 Randell 47 was priced right, and with the modifications required, plus a fresh engine, the boat would be on the water and ready for work at roughly half the price of a new boat of the same size.
'In buying the Randall, I factored in a re-power from the outset,' Paul said. 'The engine was original, but it was old technology and would have been noisy, thirsty and expensive to run, not to mention the oil leaks. The principal cost in commercial fishing is fuel, so my plan was to spend a bit up front to save a heap over the ensuing years.'
Paul Sullivan researched his engine alternatives and quickly learnt that Yanmar was THE brand of choice amongst pro fishermen.
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