Team Mercury smashes them in Celebrity Show
It was a match made in fishing heaven… well, kind of.
Team Mercury member Darren ‘Dizzy’ Borg has teamed up with V8 Supercar driver James Courtney to thrash the competition in a special celebrity fishing contest organised by Australian Fishing Championships (AFC).
Cricket legend Matthew Hayden, actor Blair McDonough and second V8 wheelman Stephen Johnson
also took part, paired up with pro’s from the other regular AFC teams.
The one-off, made-for-TV event took place on the Tweed River in New South Wales.
The target was Bream and the rules were simple.
The pro’s and celebrities had to catch their own fish, with each handing over their biggest five for weighing.
“The pro’s had no problems reaching their limit, but the celebrities had trouble getting anything into the boat,” said a smiling AFC Executive Producer, Steve Morgan.
“Dizzy played it smart and turned from fisherman to teacher, and he must have done a good job because James was the only celebrity to bring in five fish.
“I have to say Team Mercury pretty much smashed them. They were the only guys to catch their limit. I think the best of the rest only had seven or eight.”
The celebrity contest should go to air later this year as the first episode of the new AFC series, the rest of which will be filmed next month.
Go to BoatsPlus for full details
Yamaha’s 2009 Catalogue Jumps Out of the Box
Yamaha’s quest for innovation has pushed beyond the manufacturing stable and onto the pages of their new 2009 catalogue.
Bursting at the seams in full-on colour and gloss, the stunning 40 page catalogue features the entire range of Yamaha outboards plus a unique fold-out spread on the world-first V8 4-stroke models from Australia’s best selling outboard brand.
Local Australian boating brands feature heavily across the pages of Yamaha’s latest catalogue with a great selection of photos highlighting some of Australia’s most popular boat models exploring Australian waterways.
“We’re really proud of our new 2009 catalogue. We believe it highlights the strength of our range.” said Brett Hampson, National Sales and Marketing Manager for Marine Products at Yamaha Motor Australia.
“We continue to offer Australian boaters an ever expanding suite of products, accessories and premium services each year which means the number pages needed to promote them continues to grow. It is also great to be able to promote Australian boat brands on Australian waters using our Yamaha outboards.”
Yamaha has also unveiled a sweet of new products and technologies for the 2009 boating season with the recent upgrade of the ground breaking 250hp 4-stroke engine topping the list. Delivering drive-by-wire technology for ultra smooth throttle control and gear shifts, the new F250B offers both recreational and commercial boaters a newly refined high-horsepower Yamaha outboard experience.
Protection Plus continues to be a popular service for Yamaha customers who wish to have complete protection for their Yamaha outboard and boating products. Comprising Yamaha Marine Insurance (YMI), DataDotDNA, Extended Service Protection (ESP) plus extended 3 and 4 year warranties, Protection Plus offers true peace of mind and is outlined in full at the beginning of Yamaha’s new 2009 catalogue.
The Yamaha family is also growing each year with a range of boating identities, sports personalities and leading Australian businesses all choosing the power of Yamaha outboards. Featured throughout the 2009 catalogue, Australia’s own WBA World Champion boxer Danny Green, prolific fishing writer Steve Starling and internationally respected Huon Aquaculture salmon enterprise all rely on Yamaha.
Available throughout Yamaha’s extensive dealer network, the new Yamaha 2009 Series outboard catalogue is a must read for all serious boating enthusiasts.
Yamaha outboards are available through an Australia-wide network of authorised Yamaha outboard dealers. All Yamaha 4-stroke outboards are supported with a full 4-year manufacturer’s warranty and all 2-stroke outboards are backed by a 3 year warranty – standard conditions apply.
View Yamaha range at Boats Plus
Honda’s completely-redesigned BF40 and BF50 EFI four-stroke outboard engines have arrived!
Retaining their class-leading lightweight and compact styling, the new engines are enhanced with electronic fuel injection, Honda’s revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST™) air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology, and Lean Burn Control to deliver powerful start-up and acceleration together with outstanding fuel economy during cruising.
BLAST™, along with a newly-designed, streamlined gear case and other improvements, contributes to greater acceleration and a higher top speed, while Lean Burn Control results in a 22% improvement in fuel economy over the previous models.
Battery charging capacity has also been increased to 17amps – over 1.7 times that of the previous BF40 and BF50.The new models are compatible with Honda’s latest general purpose engine diagnostic system (Dr H) and also feature a new one-touch plastic cap, which permits easy inspection of anode wear inside the engine, for significantly improved ease of maintenance.
Consistently leading the world in environmental performance, Honda has also managed to reduce noise levels by 1.0dB over previous models through such improvements as a longer exhaust pipe and an optimised rib design inside the upper portion of the extension case.
Both models exhibit outstanding environmental performance and exceed: 2008 CARB emissions standards – the most stringent in the world; US EPA standards for 2006; and domestic Japanese voluntary regulations.
As is the case with every other model in Honda’s outboard engine range, the new BF40 and BF50 also achieve the Outboard Engine Distributors Association’s (OEDA) three-star rating for ultra low emissions.