Hornet or Polycraft- help!

[Maccas]

I am looking to upgrade from my 1999 hornet 4.0m to either a newer hornet or polycraft. I have read on other sites of some 435 hornets getting cracks in the hull. I am just not sure whether the newer shape hulls which came out around 2000 had 2mm bottoms whereas from about 2002 they had 3mm bottoms so may have fixed the problem. Does anyone know if this is true?
Also considering Polycraft 4.10 Challenger but worried about livewell options as front storage bins which can be plumbed for livewell are pretty big so if one is in use with 100lts of water would the boat list to one side as they are under the front casting deck as a 50/50 split. Have read that the polycraft absorb some shock from waves so making for a softer,quieter ride than ally boats.

What's your experience/ideas?

Cheers,

Maccas

[frankgrimes]

I've got a Poly 4.5 Drifter(CC), soft ride and predictable - Also zero maintenance hull.

They do like the max hp for the hull though.

Never been in a hornet, so cannot comment.

Mick

[Zooter]

Mate i have the 4.1 poly side cony,

You will be fine using a front storage bin as a live well, no need for 100lt capacity, half full is fine, i dont have mine plumped but if get a decent fish and want keep it alive for a bit i bang a rubber bung in the drainhole and half fill with water, change water as needed! simple as!

I take mine outside fishing to the 4km mark and it rides like nothing else!

Have owned other tinny's previously and will never go back there again,

There's always pro & cons but thats for you to work out.

Mine is for sale if you want to have a look :)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/POLYCRAFT-4-1-CHALLENGER-SC-50HP-SUZUKI-4STROKE_W0QQitemZ190364745306QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU _Boats?hash=item2c529f7e5a

[Noelm]

I guess the downside of the pollies is it is hard to add things, like an alloy boat, you can weld and bolt, then grind off and all is OK, but plastic is somewhat harder to do all that stuff, not to mention running wires and stuff, but the boat itself is OK, better than a Hornet?? I reckon I would go the Hornet, just looks better (well to me they do)

[burleygu]

the 4 mtr hornets are 2 mm bottoms the 440's are 3 mm bottoms have a 2010 quinny catalougue in my hand as we speak. have not been in a polycraft boat so cannot comment but my personal opinion would be a hornet. simply to the fact of ease to customise yourself for example drilling holes mounting a sounder simple things that may void a polycrafts warranty. as i have heard some horrid storys of warranty voids.

[frankgrimes]

the 4 mtr hornets are 2 mm bottoms the 440's are 3 mm bottoms have a 2010 quinny catalougue in my hand as we speak. have not been in a polycraft boat so cannot comment but my personal opinion would be a hornet. simply to the fact of ease to customise yourself for example drilling holes mounting a sounder simple things that may void a polycrafts warranty. as i have heard some horrid storys of warranty voids.

Mounting a sounder is certainly not going to void your hull warranty on a Poly.

[Zooter]

Have done mods to both boats and ill put my left nut on the table that the polys are more easier to customize by far,

Screwing brackets , drilling holes for wires etc, the doulble skinned hull makes wiring fairly easy and hides them well.
Anthing is possible and if u stuff it up its a easy as a heat gun and sum spare poly to fill the holes!

Have a look at my mods on my 4.1 on ebay, this boat was blank when i got it.

Agreed you cant weld metal to it but bolting isnt a problem!

Im sure the hornet would come out trumps in the looks department, Polys are lacking those final finishing touches compared to ally boats, But they wont fade and u will never chip the paint, and if u like attention u will get it.lol
All the old coots come over at every ramp ive been too and ask u a million questions about them :) IMHO having owned both, the poly's have alot more pro's than cons!
At the least take one for a run before you judge them mate :)

[BGG]

Go the Poly 4.1. I've had mine for just over 2 years and it impresses everybody with its stability, quietness and better ride than the same size tinny.
Consider that you have no corrosion worries and a hull that can withstand major impacts without fear of noticable damage. Launching and retrieving are very simple when solo due to the trailer design. Once the bow hits the trailer, no amount of side wind can get it out of shape. I could go on and on but just have a look at how many commercial operators and boat hire shops are going poly.

[rumy1]

[/quote]Have owned other tinny's previously and will never go back there again,

There's always pro & cons but thats for you to work out.

Mine is for sale if you want to have a look :)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/POLYCRAFT-4-1-CHALLENGER-SC-50HP-SUZUKI-4STROKE_W0QQitemZ190364745306QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU _Boats?hash=item2c529f7e5a[/quote]

Cracked up when I read this ...... yours is so great, you are selling it. Like they say pro's and con's for every boat.

[mitch92]

Hey rumy1, sometimes just because you love ya boat doesnt mean it wont be sacrificed for other reasons. I know the reason why he is selling the boat, and have also seen pictures of the boat and think its a great set-up, but alas sometimes hobbies must be put on the backburner while other commitments are required.

[Zooter]

[/quote]Cracked up when I read this ...... yours is so great, you are selling it. Like they say pro's and con's for every boat.[/quote]



Mate you dont have to be a smart ass about it::)
i am just stating my valid reasons for why he should go with the poly.
Yes as everyone can see im selling mine, wow not hiding that fact, If you read it properly which obviously u didnt u will see why i am selling it.

And yes when the times comes there will be a bigger poly sitting in the driveway!

So did u actually have anything positive to give to this thread?......

[TheRealAndy]

Talk to a poly owner, and a poly is best. Talk to a tinny owner and a tinny is best.

If you are on the northside of brisbane and you want to go for a spin in a poly then drop me a PM. I will take you for a run sometime after this weekend in my 4.55.

Funny enough, when I bought mine I was in the market for a hornet... Two very different boats. The main reason I went for the polycraft was because I was more likely to spend most of my time in moreton bay in the typical 1 - 1.5m chop. MY business partner has hornet, great boat for esturies but its not so great in moreton bay. I would probably go for the hornet if it were purely for estury fishing with lures and fly.

[NAGG]

I think the key to making the right choice is working out how & where you use the boat.
If you are looking for a bay boat ..... the poly would certainly offer a better ride (but they can be a wet boat)
For rivers , estuaries & lakes ....... The Hornets stability (without the weight) offers the advantage.

Both boats are a compromise ...... & both offer advantages over the other .
Polys are certainly not bullet proof ( I've seen 2 split last year ...... 1 is a member of this forum) & I would dare say a few Hornets have required a weld or two.

Aesthetics / finish & layout are certainly better in a hornet.
The weight of a Poly makes for a stable boat but it means that you need a bigger motor to get the best out of it.
I'm in the middle of replacing the floor on my hornet after only 3 years ...... thats something you dont need to worry about with a poly nor will you have issues with corrosion , bubbling paint etc
Resale value of Hornets are better...... but initial cost is higher .

When I looked at buying my boat ..... I looked at both (along with others) ... In the end my intended use ..... & aesthetics / fitout/layout had me going for the Hornet.

Best of luck in your search

Chris

[Bear001]

The main reason I went for the polycraft was because I was more likely to spend most of my time in moreton bay in the typical 1 - 1.5m chop. MY business partner has hornet, great boat for esturies but its not so great in moreton bay. I would probably go for the hornet if it were purely for estury fishing with lures and fly.


Couldnt agree more. My 4m hornet was shithouse at Moreton in 40knot northerly!:P I think if I lived up that way a poly would definately be getting a test run.

My uncle has just bought the new 440 hornet - really sweet on the dams. We also took it to Coffs last weekend outside - took the leccy of the front so she didnt nose-dive, was fine. Beautiful boat! If the money tree grew in my backyard would upgrade in an instant....

Nagg - my floor has started to die too - kept in garage - boat only 2yrs old - so warranty call me thinks!!!

[NAGG]

Nagg - my floor has started to die too - kept in garage - boat only 2yrs old - so warranty call me thinks!!!

Shocking when you consider what you pay for them ...... 12 mm untreated ply is just crap - I pulled the floor up the other day & it was still damp 3 weeks after it was last wet . The ply was falling apart pretty badly - so I'm replacing the floor right now :(

Chris

[TimD]

Polys are certainly not bullet proof ( I've seen 2 split last year ...... 1 is a member of this forum)

NAGG could you let me know who's poly split, i would like to see photo's, i hear so many stories about split poly's but never seem to see any pictures.

I will admit i have seen a couple of split polys, but the boats were involved in road accidents and collided with trees, and we all know any boat that hits a tree at 80-100 kmh is pretty much going to be rooted.


cheers tim :)

[jake0]

Do a search on the polly forum, yo will see a few pics there on spliting pollys

[TimD]

Do a search on the polly forum, yo will see a few pics there on spliting pollys

I still reckon for every split poly in the world there is 5 split aluminium boats, i would rather have 10mm of plastic under me than 2mm of aluminium.


Just my opinion


cheers tim :)

[NAGG]

NAGG could you let me know who's poly split, i would like to see photo's, i hear so many stories about split poly's but never seem to see any pictures.

I will admit i have seen a couple of split polys, but the boats were involved in road accidents and collided with trees, and we all know any boat that hits a tree at 80-100 kmh is pretty much going to be rooted.


cheers tim :)

Hi Tim

I'll leave that up to him ..... if he did take photos or not .

The second one I saw was at the Cooks River boat ramp (Syd) - Dont know the guys

Chris

[TheRealAndy]

The weight of a Poly makes for a stable boat but it means that you need a bigger motor to get the best out of it.

Chris

Actually, when I was researching my boat, I checked the dry weight of the poly and the hornet. They were very similar in weight.

As for needing a bigger motor, i put this down to 2 seperate issues,
1) the polycraft is not as rigid as a tin boat, therefore more turbulance and drag.
2) the bow on the polycraft is quite boyant and round, so it tends to push a lot of water making it harder to get up on the plane.

Are they really wetter? I am not sure they are. Initially I did think mine was wetter, but compared to a glass or tin boat of the same size I dont think they are. I personally tend to drive my polycraft a lot harder than an aluminium boat because its a little softer ride, maybe that it the reason.

[Charlie]

The tuffy tenders are the ones that can split, not to say there may not been a few failures of the bigger boats but generally speaking they are a tough boat and have a five year warranty. The only downside to the 4.1 is the mould is now five years old and I wouldn't expect a beautiful looking boat without any rough edges, mine looks a bit like its owner to be honest, I own a tiinny as well , its just back from the welder (again).

[Toddy_again]

I still reckon for every split poly in the world there is 5 split aluminium boats, i would rather have 10mm of plastic under me than 2mm of aluminium.


Just my opinion


cheers tim :)

And for every poly boat out there there would be 100 aluminium boats.Probably more.

There are pros and cons in everything.


Toddy

[NAGG]

Actually, when I was researching my boat, I checked the dry weight of the poly and the hornet. They were very similar in weight.

As for needing a bigger motor, i put this down to 2 seperate issues,
1) the polycraft is not as rigid as a tin boat, therefore more turbulance and drag.
2) the bow on the polycraft is quite boyant and round, so it tends to push a lot of water making it harder to get up on the plane.

Are they really wetter? I am not sure they are. Initially I did think mine was wetter, but compared to a glass or tin boat of the same size I dont think they are. I personally tend to drive my polycraft a lot harder than an aluminium boat because its a little softer ride, maybe that it the reason.


It does depend on the model .... I think ( the 450s are similar weight)

A 480 Brumby Side console is 540kgs
A 480 Hornet Side Console is 354kgs ..... big difference .

I've been in a few 4.5 polys & they were wetter than my Hornet - & I dont consider the hornet as a dry boat . ::)

Chris

[TheRealAndy]

It does depend on the model .... I think ( the 450s are similar weight)

A 480 Brumby Side console is 540kgs
A 480 Hornet Side Console is 354kgs ..... big difference .

I've been in a few 4.5 polys & they were wetter than my Hornet - & I dont consider the hornet as a dry boat . ::)

Chris

I own the 4.55, so there you go!! I can assure you that its no wetter than the 7m long boat we use at the yacht club, and its no wetter than the 450 stabi we use at vmr. Wetter than the hornet? Well my business partner wont take it out in anything near what I do, but i still get wet, not as much though, so I guess I cant answer that one..