advice on tinnie

[bulldogs195461]

g day all
well ive been looking to get a starter boat so my two boys and i can fish from a boat,not being rich and very green.the obviuos place to start-is small.im a bit nervous around water so will only stick to the very flat estuary areas,and not head to bass straight.ive got an offer of a 10ft punt for about $500 ,i could probally get that down i hope.this is without the motor.its not the v shape he said,and said it comes up to 45 degrees at the end,he said it was good for kids this way as less chance they can tip it.i think he said it was an aluminium steel craft and could be handled by 2 people.so can you guys advize me ,would this be a good start?all opinions good n bad appreciated.regards john
ps.what sought of motor size etc etc and cost would i be looking at for a starter.

[Bowser]

For creeks, small estuaries and protected lakes it will do the job. Sounds like the pram bowed punt. As they are basically planning already you won't need to many horses, but be guided by the manufacturers recommendations which should be stamped into the hull somewhere but i would think somewhere between 6 and 15hp.

They are very stable but hate any sort of slop, or at least with my back I would hate it.

[theangryangler]

hi mate I have a 3.7 quintrex tinny with a 9.9hp i know a lot diff to what you are lookin at but just a word of warning even this boat in 8-10 inches of chop can be a bit dicey as it has the low front (cartopper). Take it easy though and should have no worries.

[geoffmck]

To me, she sounds a bit small mate. 2 boys will stuff around a bit and you will be worried they will fall out all the time. If you can stretch the budget a little, try to get at least a 12 foot tinnie with the highest sides you can get. Thats about 3.8 metres and there aree thousands of them on the second hand market to choose from. A 15hp on the back of one of those will do the job for you. All up should be less than $4,000 for a really good nick model.

Good luck mate, your first boat is very exciting and starts you on a journey of upgrades, downsizing, upsizing, layout changes etc. etc.

Cheers

[Benben86]

My mate has a 4.2 quintrex. It's an 80's model with a 40 johno. Stable and safe and can get em for about 3 grand with a motor. We had it out near peel in a 15 knot wind and I'm still alive. Smashed kidneys but alive.

[bennykenny]

hey bulldogs, i got a 3m punt with a six horse merc on the back that i use for crabbing and short trips down to the pin, it goes ok with myself in it but put too much weight in it and it slows down quite a bit, mine is only rated to 8 horses but if you can get the higher rated one you should do it, they can be a bit rough in the chop but i find if you get most of the weight foward it doesnt slap as much. the flat floor is good for the kids as they wont fall over as much. i picked up my 2007 6hp merc from the auctions for 600 bucks. cheers BK

[Jarrah Jack]

I'm with Geoff, go something a bit bigger if you can. A 12 footer is what I 'd be looking for. Remember boys get bigger then there's always the mates who will want to come along.