Bonefish is an 83 foot (25.29m) Derek Kelsall designed catamaran with a couple of claims to fame apart from the ten-year build time.

'Bonefish is the project that brought me to NZ, for which I will always be thankful,” says Derek.
'She was built in Mount Maunganui, after being moved from the initial build location North of Auckland. Two hulls, up to the knuckle and the majority of the panels of PVC foam and fibreglass to complete the structure were moved by road.
'After the move, I and the American owner, John Tucker, ran the project for four months. To quote the owner, ‘The move halved the wages bill and doubled the production'.
'We had an enthusiastic, happy crew, most of whom were boat building for the first time, who learnt quickly, doing a great job. The owner took over and I moved on, in order to concentrate on design work.
'As a go anywhere, long range power catamaran, I like the way she looks. She is purposeful, practical, with elegant proportions and with a fine standard for finish, fittings and furnishings, where many catamarans in this style tend to look heavy and cumbersome and over-stylized.”
Bonefish is at the former slip jetty for final fitting out and checking of systems. She was too tall for the shed. The top of the upper saloon and flybridge were put in place after moving onto the water.
This 82 ft. (29.29m) x 36 ft (10.9m) KSS (Kelsall Swiftsure Sandwich) design began as a power catamaran design, which is also intended to carry a substantial sloop rig.
Bonefish is built to spend a lot of time operating in tropical lagoon waters.
The hulls are designed as power cat hulls, with the props and the rudders within the 1.4m., depth of the hull and long low aspect ratio keels.
Twin 425 hp diesels will give close to 20 knots on the slim displacement hulls, driven by variable pitch propellors.
Three fuel tanks each side are large and spread to forward in the hulls for true long range, but also allow fuel transfer between tanks if needed for trimming.
The overall beam is wide and has heaps of stability to support the rig. This is just one of the many advantages of twin hulls.
There is no rig at the present time but all is in place to install at a later date.
'As designer, it is good to see her afloat and being prepared for her life on the water, in spite of the extended time and some unusual circumstances between first panel making and launch,” says Derek.
'She is an example of what can be achieved on twin hulls, with KSS and the skills of New Zealand boat builders.
'As designers we enjoy the challenge of custom design for the owner who is looking for something a little different.
'I congratulate the owner on the standard of finish. In normal circumstances, the efficiency of KSS allows builders to compete with the series producers with their high initial investment in tooling.”
Bonefish is a species specific game fishing boat. Bonefish are counted among the world's best game fish and are highly sought after by fly fishing anglers.
They are found in the Bahamas and in the Pacific at Aitutaki in the Cook Islands and Vanuatu and Kiribati.
Also called the phantom or grey ghost, bonefish grow to about 10kg and for their weight are the strongest and fastest running gamefish.
They are found in shallow waters from 10cm to 3m.
'I understand that the taste is good but with too many bones to be enjoyable eating,” says Derek.
Bonefish the catamaran, carries two smaller boats and a crane to lift them on board, which will be used to reach the shallows where the fish are found.
She also has an extra transom step below the designed WL to allow easy access to the water.