O ther than its hull material, the Herley Commander shares very little with other aluminium trailer boats. Its looks are like no other Kiwi-built 7m trailer boat, which has the potential to polarise potential customers, but its unusual design translates into a smooth, unruffled ride, lots of internal volume and surefooted handling.
The culmination of a fruitful collaboration between Nick Herd, a timber and composites boatbuilder, and ex-Navy commercial boat operator Sean Kelly, the Herley Commander is a large-volume, planing trailer boat with a long waterline. Its lines reference traditional and workboat styles: plumb bow, lashings of timber trim, pronounced tumblehome aft and raked windscreens for the wheelhouse.
TOTALLY DIFFERENT
Recognising they are competing in a crowded marketplace, Herd and Kelly wanted the Commander to be totally different. They had…