Our Lobster boat is a 6.2m Colvic with a very frugal 25hp fuel injected petrol engine burning around 250 litres of fuel a year with a maximum speed of a little over 6 knots.

She has a displacement hull which means that she's not fast but she's very stable as she sits in the water rather than planning along the surface. When we hit small waves head on she ploughs straight through them rather than bouncing over the crest. This keeps her very flat and level which is important when we are hauling creels as it stops us from jerking the creel rope which could snap it.

The water level sits at the white line which runs around the boat; you can see that this is relatively low down. The deck we stand on is also at this level which means that the edge of the boat is above our knees when we are working. This makes Codfather a very safe boat to work on as it is hard to fall overboard even in rough weather. Although it makes it very difficult to get back on board if you do fall off!  Around the other side we have a rope ladder for such an eventuality.

She is fitted with live holding tanks which provide constant seawater flow for our Lobsters to ensure that we land the highest quality catch possible.

If you look underneath you can see that she has an extra bilge keels at either side of the main keel. St Andrews harbour dries out at low tide and these extra keels keep her upright on the harbour floor.

On the Starboard (Right) side closest to the foreground you can see the pot hauling davit folded inboard. When we are hauling gear this is swung out over the water. Just below the davit on the wheelhouse wall you can see the top of the hauler wheel. This has a vee notch running around the rim to take the creel rope. It is turned by a powerful hydraulic motor and with a strong enough rope it could lift the whole boat. Or from our point of view turn her completely over if we pull too hard on a stuck creel.