Length: 5.4m, Beam: 2.1m, Draft: 0.25m
Propulsion: Outboard
Engine: 1998 Evinrude 60hp 2 stroke
Construction: Bondwood plywood over silver ash frame.
Engine: 1998 Evinrude 60hp 2 stroke
Construction: Bondwood plywood over silver ash frame.
Owner: Steve Smedley, Nagambie Vic.
Following the completion of Leste's build in a single garage in a Melbourne suburb, Don Smedley and family were transferred to Perth W.A. There she explored the Swan River and surrounding waterways. In 1972 the family moved back to Victoria where a holiday home was built on a beach front property at Loch Sport on Lake Victoria. Leste was housed here for the next 20 years. She was very often on the Lakes, pulling water skiers, fishing, and generally exploring the Lakes and river systems in East Gippsland. In the mid 1990's Don's son Steve, took over the care of the boat as Steve and his family lived in Bairnsdale. The 28 year association with Gippsland Lakes ended in 2000 when Steve moved to Tasmania. Leste enjoyed exploring the inland waterways of the Northern areas of Tassie in particular. Leste came back to Victoria in 2013 and is housed in Nagambie by the Nagambie Lake, Central Victoria. By 2022 it was very clear that after 52 years Leste was in desperate need of a makeover. She was still structurally sound but needed a strip, new paint and fixtures. Her original outboard was a 1970 Johnson 60hp. It was still running strongly up to 2023 when it was replaced by the current 1998 Evinrude 60hp 2 stroke due to the difficulty in getting basic parts.
Apart from the 28 years on the Lakes of East Gippsland, Leste has wet her bottom around Rottnest Island, Cairns and far north Qld, Tassie and everywhere in between. She has proven to be a very seaworthy design but also very spritely being able to pull 2 skiers with her relatively small outboard.