VESSEL REVIEW | Cowa – Australian salmon farmer's new workboat to take on harvest support and personnel transfers
Australia’s Lyndcraft Boats has handed over a new workboat to local customer Huon Aquaculture.
The workboat has been named Cowa in honour of Huon employee Brett “Cowabunga” Able, who has worked with the company for 35 years. She will be operated at Huon’s salmon farming site in Strahan on Tasmania’s west coast.
She replaces an older, smaller single-jet vessel, providing increased capability and versatility. The vessel forms part of Huon’s broader fleet renewal program and is the first unit in a new series of workboats developed specifically for the company.
Proven design featuring custom systems
“Cowa is a diesel-powered jet boat designed to support our fish harvesting operations in Strahan,” Huon told Baird Maritime. “The vessel combines a proven aquaculture vessel design with modern equipment and systems tailored to the company’s operational requirements.”
The newbuild will be operated throughout Macquarie Harbour. Her daily duties include supporting farm maintenance activities, assisting with harvesting operations, and transporting crew.
The vessel is based on the hull of an existing aquaculture boat design but has been customised to incorporate Huon’s standard equipment and hydraulic systems, ensuring it met the specific needs of the company’s operations.
Cowa is powered by a Cummins QSL9 diesel engine paired with a ZF gearbox and a Hamilton waterjet. The electronics suite meanwhile consists of a Simrad radar and other navigation equipment.
A hydraulic system driven by the main engine in turn powers a capstan and a Fassi M40 crane. This particular model of crane is commonly used across Huon’s fleet of vessels under 12 metres (39 feet) in length.
“Cowa is the first vessel in this role within our fleet to operate without a separate hydraulic power unit (HPU),” added Huon. “Traditionally, similar vessels have relied on outboard engines and a standalone diesel-powered HPU. By integrating a lighter-duty hydraulic system driven from the main engine, the design is expected to reduce servicing requirements and improve operational efficiency.”
Design lessons suitable for application in later builds
The owner said that securing suitable gearboxes for the Cummins engine presented one of the main challenges during construction. Changes to US tariff arrangements and the broader supply chain uncertainty also added complexity to the process.
Nonetheless, work on the vessel yielded insights that helped in the design of future platforms for the same owner.
“The project has demonstrated that this hull design offers greater capability, including the ability to accommodate a knuckle boom crane and the latest generation of Hamilton LTX jet unit,” Huon told Baird Maritime. “We are already working with Lyndcraft and HamiltonJet on a more fuel-efficient sister vessel planned for construction in 2026.”
