The Morton Bay Cruiser with a Permanent Smile

By Stephen Robson

MARGARET C (or MAGGIE) as she is today on Pittwater. 

Some boats just make you smile. The MARGARET C is like that. Everyone who steps aboard our ‘Maggie’ just smiles. When she cruises into a bay or river, anyone who looks at her smiles too. It’s because smiles are infectious: They spread joy. And that is what Maggie has done for the 15 years I have been associated with her. 

In her 60 years, she has evolved from “MARGARET C” the working boat for 35 years, to “Brownie’s Boat” as part of his Brownie’s Coastwatch TV show, to “Maggie” as a much-loved coastal cruiser and day boat that is seen regularly around Sydney Harbour and Pittwater. She has even had a song written about her. 

These days, her custodians consist of a syndicate of members known as the ‘Timber Tragics’ - as they share a passion for classic wooden boats. MAGGIE is the founding boat for the syndicate – and the most used (and loved). Her classic lines outline a very simple vessel, which is forgiving to operate, with basic yet functional controls from the electronics to the BBQ. 

Margaret C Origins 

The boat was commissioned in the late 1950’s by Dick Carroll, a well-known and respected Moreton Bay professional fisherman who lived on Redcliffe Peninsula near Brisbane. He wanted a boat for his crew and himself to live on and work off, as they netted fish from the Pumicestone Passage to the flats off Crab Island at the southern end of Moreton Island. 

Dick got together with a couple of mates, trawlerman Cecil Fest and boat builder Dick Tripcony drew up some plans over a beer or two. Dick’s brief was for a shallow drafted boat to be capable of working on Moreton Bay flats and low enough to be able to get under the Bridges in Breakfast Creek, where she was moored for a time. 

They settled on a sharpie hull with a single chine. It would be 38ft long, with a beam of just over twelve feet and drawing about 3 feet. Dick and a self-taught boat builder called Joe Holt immediately started to build her on a vacant block of land beside Joe’s house at Woody Point. The construction started with a straight keel of solid spotted gum about 12 inches wide, which subsequently had a half inch steel shoe fitted from stem to stern. This allowed her to be grounded safely on the beaches and flats of Moreton Bay whilst waiting for the ideal tides. 

This profile shot of the MARGARET C shows her hard chines and solid straight keel with steel shoe. 

Joe was unfortunately struck down by ill health and had to leave the project. So Dick then enlisted the help of renowned local boat builder, Les Thomas, to help him finish her off. Les ensured that below the waterline a double layer of transverse spotted gum planking was attached to Huon Pine ribs. Above the chine she was carvel planked longitudinally with Spotted Gum to the water line, which then changed to Hoop Pine to the gunwales. 

In 1958 she was launched at Scarborough and towed up to Breakfast Creek, where she was finished with the help of Dick Tripcony (owner of the Tripcony slipway) and Frank Goule who added a Ford engine, gearbox, shaft and 3 blade propellor. Even though she was designed as a working fishing boat, she was comfortable for a crew of three to live on board while they were away. 

The Moreton Bay Work Boat 

As was a tradition of the time, the MARGARET C was named after the wife of her original owner, Dick Carrol. She was launched in 1958, and so began her working life as a Moreton Bay fishing boat: For 35 years she was used in this capacity by Dick and his fishing partners Bill Corney and Gordon Lihou. At the commencement of the winter sea mullet season, they would load her up including a short wheelbase Land Rover on the aft deck, and transport it from Brisbane across to Moreton Island. 

MARGARET C in the 1960s loaded for the start of the sea mullet season. 

Upon arrival at the island, the MARGARET C would be anchored stern in and the vehicle unloaded via two planks coming from the transom to the beach. They then used it to help net fish on the ocean beach, mainly sea mullet. 

MARGARET C on Moreton Island about to unload the Land Rover 

Tons of them would be caught and when it was time to bring them back to Brisbane for the fish market, MARGARET C would be anchored on the sand flats at high tide and when the tide went out, she would sit on the sandbank and held level by Tomming Sticks or Beach Arms, which were lengths of wood cut to size and poked into the sand and placed under the gunwales on the corners of each side near the transom. When the tide was right out, the mullet, which had been loaded onto old WW2 Blitz trucks would be driven over the flats and loaded onto her. 

Sea Mullet loaded for market. 

Over the years, the MARGARET C transported thousands of tons of fish from net shots around the bay and from the winter sea mullet fishing on Moreton Island. Even loaded to the gunwales with mullet, the MARGARET C no doubt brought a smile to the faces for Brisbanites for some 35 years traversing Moreton Bay from the island to the markets on the Brisbane River. 

Dick Carroll was an excellent fisherman, so he knew that his boat had to be strongly built and well maintained. This was in evidenced after Dick retired, after she had sat idle for a couple of years sitting idle in Boggy Creek near the mouth of the Brisbane River, in 1995 she was still in good shape. 

She was then bought with Dick’s licences by Warren Markwell from Markwell’s Seafoods. Warren did some work refitting her but was too busy with work to finish the job. 

A Star is Born 

Ken Brown (Brownie) bought the boat off Warren in 1996 and undertook a total refit. Brownie was the producer and host of a successful coastal leisure show called Brownies Coastwatch show on Channel 7 and wanted to use the MARGARET C as a hosting boat for the show as a unique and fantastic back drop. 

Margaret C as she was while hosting Brownies Coastwatch Show 

In Brownies refit MARGARET C had a new 120hp Iveco engine installed, with a more suitable ratio gearbox and 4 blade propellor. New electrics were installed, along with hot and cold water and new water tanks – balanced by a 600-litre fuel tank. The galley already had a three burner gas stove, good size sink and plenty of storage however the head was refurbished. 

Her aesthetics were improved with new beech decks and painted in her traditional and original colours, that most Moreton Bay boats at that time were painted in. 

The galley and driving station of MARGARET C 

Finally, a day bed was added above the engine bay to which a full insect proof net can be added as required. In Brownie’s words “the refurbishment cost a small fortune but was well and truly worth every cent. She is what she is, a good old workboat that will never be fancy, but will always be comfortable”. 

New Beech decks and daybed covering the engine bay and cold storage bays. 

In the 5 years she was featured on Coastwatch, the MARGARET C brought smiles to many of Brownies viewers. 

The MARGARET C was so loved and admired, through her weekly TV appearances, that she had a song written about her by Brisbane singer/song writer, Dave Avery and even an exact 1 in 10 model replica constructed. 

However, TV is a fickle game and after 5 successful years Brownie’s show ended and he sold her in the early 2000’s to Tony McSweeny of Brisbane. 

A Graceful Retirement 

Tony retired her from a working boat to a day boat which could be used as weekender. He and his friends enjoyed the Margaret C for 5 years. He then handed MAGGIE’s custodianship to a syndicate based in Sydney in 2009. 

The Timber Tragics Syndicate has maintained MAGGIE in the format in which she was retired. The only additions are table for eight being added to the rear deck, upgrading the electronics and the addition of removable waterproof sides - making the rear bed more comfortable during wet weather. 

There are not many good examples of classic wooden Moreton Bay work boats left these days. The 12 tonnes of spotted gum keel and planking of the MARGARET C make her an ideal day boat and comfortable weekender. She happily cruises up and down the coast between Sydney Harbour and Pittwater – and still is involved in catching more than her share of fish. 

MARGARET C will always be a part of the history of Moreton Bay. And whilst she has been relocated to Sydney for the past 15 years, she still brings a smile to the faces of those who are fortunate to experience her presence every season.