Wednesday October 11, 2000 saw Barry and Elayne Evans’ new 22 metre prawn trawler, ‘Night Stalker’ quietly enter the water at Adelaide Ship Construction’s North Arm yard, and make her way to the fitting out wharf.

Night Stalker offers the advantages of longer endurance, modern technology and environmental benefits, greater freezer capacity, and a good stable platform to work from and is economically viable in today’s highly competitive market place.

Barry chose to have the anchor mounted on the bow, as he believes the vessel will lay more easily head to wind when at anchor, and without the anchor chain banging on the bulbous bow.

The main engine is a Caterpillar 3408C Diesel rated at 365 horsepower with two Caterpillar 3056TA 6-cylinder in-line diesel auxiliaries rated at 135 horsepower delivering 100kVA each.

The engine room layout is well lit, clean and spacious with adequate access for maintenance, and service work when required.

All winches and hydraulics, including the single console for all deck gear mounted centrally abaft the wheelhouse, are provided by Diesel Marine Services from Port Lincoln, and the vessel is also fitted with 50 horsepower Wesmar Bow thruster for easy manoeuvring.

Refrigeration is by Independent Refrigeration Services from Port Lincoln, with three HGX 5 Bock Compressors, one set up to run the brine refrigeration, the other two for the Snap room, where 240 x 10 kilogram cartons can be brought rapidly down to -40ºC, and the holding room. The snap freezer and coils were made by Mark Reynolds at Reynolds Marine Engineering, Adelaide.

The vessel will be equipped with state-of-the-art Haldane sorting machine on her arrival at Port Lincoln. Allowing for the prawns to be graded into seven sizes, the machine is both easy to operate, and has been constructed in such a manner as to optimise the working space on deck, with the advantage of two articulated side tables that allow for a rapid and efficient catch return, as well as folding into a compact unit when not in use.

The wheelhouse, and all accommodation, are air-conditioned, with the distinctive Nyata woodwork, for which the yard in now renowned, setting everything off in a traditional and seaman like manner.

The layout offers excellent all round vision, with essential instrumentation and the skipper’s chair sited on the starboard side, with the radios mounted in an overhead console. Unlike her sister ships, Barry opted for a joystick rather that the conventional steering wheel giving an appearance of even more room.

The crew of tour are accommodated in three roomy two-man cabins, adjacent to the functional, modern, well appointed mess and galley. Again the Nyata woodwork gives warmth and a nice finishing touch.

The aptly named ‘Night Stalker’ is very much a functional and business like vessel. She has clean no-nonsense lines, is comfortable and well thought out, economical, efficient, and offers exceptional value for money.