I was reading through some books that belonged to my grandfather when a 40-foot vessel caught my eye. Her workboat styling merged clean lines and a sense of simplicity for a no-nonsense look that I really liked.
The boat dates back to the early 1940s, born as a purpose-built steed to serve the Australian and British navies. Designed by Melbourne-based shipwrights Botterill and Fraser to support the Allied Pacific theater operations north of the Australian mainland, the boats were used for a variety of functions: as crew, ammunition and cargo transport, to ferry injured soldiers to the mainland, and even as refrigerated boats to supply fighting ships.
Crew loved the versatility, and production quickly ramped up at several shipyards in Australia. At the top of the production peak, it was reported that a completed vessel rolled out of the sheds every 36 hours. In total, around 400 boats were built.
With that wartime legacy in their wake, the boats that remain today are coveted collector’s items. They can be spotted in various guises in the southern hemisphere, being used as houseboats, coastal cruisers, recreational fishing boats, ferries and more.
We have reimagined these workhorses with the Docker 40.
As an homage, we kept the same 40-foot length and 12-foot beam. However, we optimized the design to accommodate today’s technology.
The sturdy, semi-planing hull (original models ferried up to 12 tons of cargo) is now used for great interior space, as well as impressive cruising and seagoing capabilities. We would consider using aluminum for the hull, or jig-built, cold-molded plywood, depending on budget and preference.
We retained her classic profile with a windowed pilothouse, a coachroof and a beefy rubrail that stretches over the full length (it also functions as a spray rail). We added a swim platform and a transom that drops like a truck’s tailgate. It allows for egress to and from the brine, and eases ferrying loads on and off. The mini-beach club has a removable table and a trio of settees, including a rear-facing seat that demarcates the area from the cockpit. I can also envision fitting the swim stem with chocks to accommodate a small, outboard-powered dinghy.
The cockpit is defined by a central, U-shape settee that the hardtop shades. Side decks here allow guests access to the foredeck and salon without disturbing those dining or lounging in the cockpit. On the same level is the wheelhouse, which is fitted with a portside bar and starboard helm. For four-season cruising, we would add isinglass to enclose the cockpit fully, and perhaps a diesel-powered heater to keep things toasty.
We have spec’d out her accommodations to be accessed separately. The owner’s stateroom is down the centerline companionway in the bow, beyond the galley and dinette. A head and stowage are here as well. The after part of the deckhouse accommodates a double-berth guest stateroom, with its main entrance aft on the starboard side deck. The guest bath will also serve as a day head.
It was imperative to keep some other design elements that defined the original vessels, namely the life buoy and mast. Now, the mast functions as a central winch to lift kayaks, e-bikes or other water toys to the hardtop.
The Docker will be powered by a single 140-hp diesel that should return an economical performance from an 8-knot cruise to her top end of 12 knots (more speed can be had with a larger power plant). We also added a 15-kW electric motor, driven by a solar array and a lithium battery bank, for short passages and marina maneuvers.
DOCKER 40
LOA: 40ft.Beam: 12ft.Draft: 3ft. 6in.Displacement: 24,000 lbs. Fuel: 400 gal.Water: 100 gal.Power: 1x 140-hp diesel
This article was originally published in the February 2024 issue.
