The Wooden Boat Shop, founded by Tim Phillips OAM in the late 1970s, began in a carport in Portsea in Victoria, Australia. Now a 3-acre site in Sorrento, the shop now includes a sail loft, mechanical workshop, and more where they build and service hundreds of boats.
The Deal Island 50, Winter Cove is the culmination of a lifetime of experience in cruising and development by the Wooden Boat Shop team. The aim was to build a fast, sustainable, practical and easy to handle boat that can cruise the ocean with a top speed of 28 knots. She is completely fuel efficient and off the grid, with no generator she has a high-capacity alternator, and targets 1500RMP, 15 knots and 3L per nautical mile.
On board is a full suite of Raymarine electronics. Including an Axiom 2 XL22 chartplotter, CP470 2kW CHIRP sonar module, Quantum 2 solid-state radar dome, Evolution autopilot, Ray 73 VHF radio and YachtSense Link marine cloud router.
Tim utilises the Axiom 2 XL 22 in a multiscreen setup to display the charts, sounder, and radar, ensuring comprehensive navigation and monitoring capabilities when cruising.
The highlight of his Raymarine setup on Winter Cove is the Evolution autopilot, which has become a key crew member onboard. Reflecting on a recent voyage from Sorrento to Sydney, Tim praised the autopilot’s performance, “The pilot steered absolutely perfectly.”
The Wooden Boat Shop has been installing Raymarine equipment for over 15 years and exclusively offers Raymarine. When asked why Raymarine, Tim highlights the excellent support provided by the Raymarine team, noting that most issues with electronics stem from user error rather than the devices themselves, and emphasises Raymarine’s expertise in helping users navigate any questions. “Raymarine are great to talk you through the system,” he says.
It is this reliable support that makes Raymarine the go-to choice for the Wooden Boat Shop.
What’s next for Winter Cove? Tim has embarked on three circumnavigations of Australia, starting in 2011 aboard Murray Pass, followed by Jane Kerr in 2019, and currently on the Deal Island 50, Winter Cove, as part of the Around Australia Cruise. All three voyages have been powered by Raymarine electronics.
Hosted by The Wooden Boat Shop, the Around Australia Cruise spans eight legs, starting in Hobart and traveling clockwise around Australia, covering approximately 7,456 nautical miles. During this journey, the boats will engage in fishing and sightseeing, while Tim shares his extensive knowledge with the owners of these Wooden Boat Shop-built vessels, demonstrating their capabilities.
Click here to follow their adventures as they circumnavigate Australia.
