Barry Martin and the Assegai Story

After 30 years of building game boats, Barry Martin has called time. We caught up with him as his last Assegai was about to be launched

Accepted as one of the most potent forces in Australian boat building and recognised around the globe among the well-connected game fishing industry, Barry Martin is a homegrown legend.

The compact fleet of Assegai fishing battleships are moving sculptures in resin and cedar that have dominated the local scene for over 30 years. More labours of love than commercial money-spinners, the boats are highly prized by proud owners and skippers who count themselves part of the close-knit Assegai family.

But this is the last Assegai. While Barry talked me through some history, his wife Jo — who worked in the business as the administrator — was finalising the sale of a CNC machine in preparation for the factory closing down. Outside in the shed, the towering sight of Deploy was a powerful image and a long way from Barry’s boatbuilding beginnings over 50 years ago.

Only the best will do here

THE BEGINNING

As a youth, Barry commenced his apprenticeship with Striker boats on the Brisbane River at Bulimba. Work included alloy game boats, but Striker’s main game was commercial pilot and patrol boats. Designs included a mix of European and American models, so there was plenty of variety, even though Barry's primary interest was in the timber fitout. Striker went on to morph into Lloyd ships when Keith Lloyd bought into the company, but by that time Martin was looking for a new challenge.

Full of knowledge and zeal after 15 years at Bulimba, he decided it was time to strike out on his own, and he set up a yard fitting out yachts and undertaking repairs. There, he met Greg Edwards, skipper of the Woodnut game fisher, Warragul, and his interest in game boats was sparked. He spent his spare time studying the design of American fishing boats. He liked the look of a Buddy Davis flybridge and the sheerline of the Merit, and he said these ideas later influenced his designs.

In those days, everyone knew everyone in the boatbuilding community around Brisbane, and there was a lot of idea swapping. Barry met skipper Greg ‘Muddy’ Edwards when working on a fitout at Newport. In the course of the conversation, Barry let it known he was thinking about building a sports fishing boat with a composite construction. Recognising Barry’s determination and ingenuity, Muddy knew just the client, and introduced Barry to keen game fisher, Dr Jay Myer, from the USA. He wanted a boat for the local big marlin season, and commissioned a build.

Hand laying allows for intricate forms in the hull

ZULU WEAPON

The brand name came when Barry and Roger Simpson, designer of the first Assegai, played with some logos. Simpson drew an arrow and said it looked like a Zulu spear, an Assegai, and the name stuck. Owners of Zulu, Sharka and Askari have followed the theme.

When I asked how he arrived at the idea of a female construction case and strip planking, he said he had imagined it as a light but compelling way to build and that he just thought it should work. Strip cedar building wasn’t new, but most builders start with internal frames onto which the cedar is permanently fixed. Barry went the other way, creating the hull inside the case and to this day, he can't think of a builder that uses his method.

Construction of an Assegai is meticulous. Strips of 45mm wide cedar — 21mm thick at the bottom and 19mm along the sides — are temporarily fixed against the exterior frame to form the hull shape which is then covered both sides in hand-laid tri-axial fibreglass, hand-rolled to avoid any air pockets. It's a time-consuming labour of love, but the result is supremely durable yet lightweight and extremely efficient hull shape. While cedar later became the preferred medium, Martin used balsa cored Core Teck strips for Assegai. 

Once the hull is complete, a complex matrix of beams is built around four girders running the length of the hull. The deck and superstructure join with collision bulkheads to make an immensely robust entity. Glassing in the furniture and fuel tanks adds to the strength. As a tribute to the build integrity, the original Assegai is on its third set of engines, but the hull is still perfect.

Caulking is good fun

THE FIRST BOAT

Martin said he worked 80–90 hours a week on that first boat and that it nearly killed him. But even so, to meet his commitment on costs, he only charged for 40 hours and to this day Jo says there hasn't been a lot of profit in the business — like I said, a labour of love. When Assegai was launched, it cost $249,000 plus engines and electronics. It recently sold for over $900,000.

With the successful launch of the first striking Assegai, Greg Edward’s father Bill called on Martin for a boat designed by David Pallassier, and the 44ft Aquilla was launched to become Morna Kea under a new owner down the track. 

By this stage Martin was well in his stride, and the next commission in 1996, Azura, was the first boat of his own design. Calling on the look of some of the Striker hulls, Martin employed wide chines to add stability to the deep-V hull. Part of the look was a reverse tumblehome that gave an arresting impression still admired today. 

The Force followed two years later in a timeline that trended through the Assegai story. If you want a boat in a hurry, then Martin wasn’t your man. A total of fifteen game boats between 40ft and 57ft were launched over the company’s thirty-year history, all of which still rank among the world's best.

About 20 years ago, Jo saw an ad for a local adult education centre running a course on CAD design and enrolled Barry. The first night he went along, his knowledge of computers was so poor he didn't know what a floppy disc was. After eight weeks he passed with flying colours — Barry claimed he bribed the teacher with Cherry Ripes — and from that day, he rendered all his drawing digitally.

In 1996 Barry organised a trip to the USA to visit builders and kick around some ideas. He told me how he met with Roy Merritt and showed him photos of Assegai and Aquilla, but when they came to the construction images with the female construction case, Merritt just stared out the window and started shuffling papers on his desk. Apparently, it was all too much trouble for the American.

Assegais are renowned for speed and control

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

The Assegai name has been revered among the local game fishing fleet. When famed skipper the late Bill Billson reviewed the 55ft Assegai for Bluewater magazine in 2010, he was full of praise.

“They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and for me, this boat is stunning; a perfect balance of the right sheer line, heights, and curves that make this boat stand out on any marina. Curves are present throughout the whole boat, as they should be, and the 4m radius of the transom and 800mm radii of the cockpit corners create a look that is very appealing to the eye and, of course, reduces the resistance when backing down hard. These curved extremities mean that chair rods will not have a problem clearing the corners if the fight gets close-handed.”

Martin has kept in contact with the owners and skippers in what he calls the Assegai family, and the feedback helped the boats evolve over time. “Each one was better than the last,” he said. But he also continually perfected the build and design from his own research and intuition. He moved from Oregon cored to composite longitudinal and was delighted with the weight saving and added strength. Prop tunnels were added to Sharka, and he said the design was so successful that Riviera used the same shape in their hulls.

Amocura was the first to see the stylish air intakes on the flybridge, inspired by those on a Commodore ute. 

Earlier hulls had a lot of chine and pronounced running strakes to help lift and stability at rest. Later boats have a more concave shape, and the advent of efficient gyros eliminate any roll when anchored.

One boat that should deserve mention because it is often forgotten in the Assegai rollcall is The Jackal. Built during the Global Financial Crisis, the boat is 38ft with twin 300hp Volvo sterndrives and is the only Assegai to top 40kt. It’s towed on a custom trailer behind a truck to wherever the fishing action is happening. 

According to Martin, if a design feature on a boat looks right, it probably is right. To my way of thinking, everything about and Assegai looks spot on, and I’m sure I’m not alone. 

Built for the rough stuff

SWAN SONG

In a swansong that turned into a three-act opera, the last boats were launched over three years. Katana, Resolution, and finally Deploy arrived a year apart, all equipped with the latest electronic aids that should join them with the rest of the fleet as proven fish finders.

Martin launched himself into retirement at the completion of the last Assegai. After 51 years of building boats he says it was a bit of a shock, but he has finally achieved his dream of travelling with Jo. They recently towed their van over to Stradbroke Island and along the beach for some fishing. Further destinations are planned, and we wish the two happy travels after such a fantastic career. 

THE ASSEGAI FLEET

1991: Assegai, 46ft

1994: Aquila, now Mauna Kea, 46ft 

1996: Azura, 54ft 

1998: The Force, 40ft

2001: Amokura, 57ft

2003: Levante, 44ft

2005: Shaka, 60ft

2006: Megumi, 44ft

2007: Gorilla, 47ft

2008 The Jackal 38ft 

2009: Askari, 55ft

2014: Zulu, 54ft

2017: Minke 40’

2018:Katana 51’

2019: Resolution 51’

2020: Deploy 58’