About Coral Reef Charters > History

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History of Bareboating in the Whitsundays

The first bareboat operation started around 1930 before any formal marinas were in place in the area. From the fifties a number of companies decided to offer more luxury and more convenience to the public. It was yet another 15 years before motor cruisers made any real impact as an alternate to yachts for a bareboat holiday. Originally only recreational motor cruisers were used, which had the disadvantage of not being designed for the part but also suffered from a lack of fresh water capacity and refrigeration space. These boats were quite cramped, and in many cases, unreliable and often did not exceed 35 ft. in length. They also tended to be quite old and at one stage the average age of motor cruisers available for Boat Charter was twelve years.

It was in this environment, that Coral Reef Charters was launched. Unable to find a suitable vessel for his own holiday, the founder of the company, Ken Burke, decided to have a vessel designed from the keel up to operate specifically as a bareboat. He set about including all of the ingredients he felt he, and the population in general, would like to have on a boat.

For a start, the very real difference between a recreational boat and what is required in the Whitsundays revolves around the length of time you are away from port and the relatively high number of people on board. Read more >>>