Steber International's latest vessel off its Taree production line will be heading for Hayman Island after final fitout and sea trials on the Manning River.
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The 38ft (11.5m) flybridge cruiser was launched on high tide following a dawn transfer from Steber's Elizabeth Street factory in an attempt to minimise disruption to other businesses in the industrial area.
With a total height of 6.5m above the roadway the transfer was slow, with full escorts in place and assistance from Essential Energy raising power cables.
The "Sun Aura II" will have a top speed of 30 knots carrying 16 passengers and crew in what will be the Whitsunday's premiere charter vessel.
"This is the first resort boat to be built to the new Australian Maritime Safety Authority's National Standards for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Code," Steber general manager, Alan Steber said.
"Changes include the addition of structural fire protection, flood subdivision and stability criteria to name just a few.
"Although the vessel has minimal electronics, it is all state-of-the-art due to heightened expectations of the new regulations", Mr Steber said.
They new vessel is replacing Sun Aura I, built by Steber back in 1989 and still going strong. It will be sold following arrival of the new vessel.
Hayman Island has undergone an extensive refurbishment since Cyclone Debbie in March, 2017 and Sun Aura II is an integral part of that "makeover".
"This most recent launch comes during a busy period for Steber and follows immediately on the heals of employing eight local shipwright apprentices to recent years", Mr Steber said.
"We may be looking for additional apprentices and skilled staff in the near future to keep pace with our production schedule."
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