Boat for Freshwater applications

[PNG1M]

Hi all,

It seems that most of the threads on the boating forum are oriented towards salt water applications but my enquiry here is aligned to freshwater usage:

Just a couple questions about a suitable type of 'general purpose' fishing boat (no skiing) for freshwater apps, more creek & river than lake or dam.

1. Is a boat an advantage in places around the Roma/Surat/St George area or are there ample opportunities for shore based fishing (for yellowbelly & cod etc).

2. If so, would any particular type of boat be more advantageous than another?

I'd need one that can legally seat 4 people, easy to tow and preferably with a canopy of some description. And most likely a tinnie - that's narrowing it down already.

I was wondering about the specs whether flat botton v-nose or deep v hull etc etc.
Suggestions for size dimesions, length, brand, outboard specs etc would be useful.

Any ideas??

[PNG1M]

Price range between $4k - $6k for something looked after and in good condition.

I was thinking of something around the 4-ish metre mark with a 9.9 or 15hp (not too heavy). It'd need to seat myself, the wife & two billy lids in case they want to tag along instead of having to stay shore-bound.

It depends I guess on whether its the style of boat that must have a ramp for launching or one that's a bit more 'rough n ready' that can be man-handled down the creek bank (then carry down & attach the motor later). Hmmm...that means it'd have to be a tiller steer, so the possible options are narrowing down already.

(Tha last boat I actually owned was at Budgewoi back in 1995-96 when I had a 4.3m aluminium runaboaut with forward controls and a 40hp Merc - so my current boat skills are bordering on 'rusty')

[Apollo]

I would be steering towards a v nose as they are a bit more stable to fish from and you probably need less of rough water capabilities of a deep v. A 15hp should push you along ok in a 4m boat with your crew aboard. I have a similar crew and take mine out in my 4m(glass) with a old 20hp and it gets along at 20kts. I have a bimini which is great from a bit of sun protection, yet can be dropped down/removed when I want to flick some lures/flies around solo. One suggestion I might add is to get an electric motor transom or preferrably a bow mount) as this make creeping along much easier/quieter and allows you to maneuver in/out/hold position.

Steve

[BigE]

buy a hornet .... I know it's quintrex and a lot of ausfishers will bag them (and rightly so in many instances) but if your looking for a low power stable fishing platform you won't find many unhappy hornet owners. People usally run into trouble only if they try to turn them into a speed boat which there not designed to do.
I had a 4m hornet with a 25HP 4/s without a doubt the best tinny i have ever owned by a good margin (and i've owned quite a few) the wide body version does have the big decks but is easier to man handle.

Big E

[NAGG]

I'll second the hornet - you'll be hard pressed to find any boat (4M) as good for a freshwater application. Being such a popular boat you might be pushing it to find one at your pricepoint though.

Chris

[Kewy]

3rd the Hornet but NAGG is right you might struggle to find one in your price bracket. Have you considered the Explorer? We take a 385 Explorer (also Quintrex, same Eclipse hull but narrower beam) up to Lakefield every year. Lives on top of the LandCruiser, cops a bashing from the corrugated roads, gets thrown down the banks of billabongs and still going strong. Came with a 15hp yammie for $4500. Now just use a 55lb MinnKota transom mount with a couple of batteries..
Goodluck with your search!
Luke

[rayken1938]

Hornet is too heavy to manhandle down creek banks etc. Explorer more manageable but still need 2 people to manage. A 15 hp four stroke also getting a bit heavy to manhandle. So if you want it to get up on plane with 2 adults and a couple of kids I would be looking at a 18hp tohatsu lots of grunt and just manageable weight wise for one person to handle but will still be a struggle to drag up and down creek banks. A 10 hp 2 stroke will plane with just the 2 of you and not much load but with 4 up dont think so.
CHeers
Ray

[PNG1M]

Okey dokey...thanks guys for those posts. All the ideas are appreciated and will help in the search & discover process. I'll definately investigate the electric motor transom option too.

Even in PNG when trolling for Bass we often wished we had one as we usually had some badly serviced 40hp 2-stroke, missing badly & idling loudly on the troll while spitting an oily rainbow trail in our wake. There are some good reasons why an electic motor would be handy, as mentioned by Apollo.

Boat selection can be tricky as is the same as with many other things when want to one product that suits all needs. It can be hard to get everything you want in the one package.
As I don't suddenly need the boat right now this minute, I am happy to wait a month or three as necessary until the right one jumps out at me from somewhere.

In the meantime the ideas I am reading about are definately helpful.

[Bear001]

I love my 4m hornet (40hp side console) but too big/heavy for your specifications....had an 4.2m explorer prior to that with 30hp 2stroke tiller steer -went like a rocket...both great boats no complaints.

Also had a 13ft savage about 400yrs old...with an equally aged 15hp 2stroke johnson...lol....it wouldnt quite plane with 2 adults, fuel & gear (ESKY!!!)...but like I said...ancient motor... newer 2strokes in that hp would get a light load out of the hole & away...but only just & not with kids included.

I think the v-punt is your best hull shape, take the chop underway & safer/more stable at rest for the kids. I see a lot of explorers on 4x4 roof-tops, along with the quintrex traveller...not sure on the specs of the traveller off the top of my head anymore,sorry.

You should be able to pick up very reasonably priced 2nd hand boat/motor in that category (as a side note, yes I agree with you Nagg, 2nd hand hornets are exy & not that PNG is looking for one...and I found it better to buy new when I wanted mine)

As usual...one boat never quite covers everything you want unfortunately, there will always be a trade-off....(if I had my way I would personally need 3 boats to meet my requirements)

Good luck with the search...by the way, how old are your kids? Old enough not to need to be in arms reach?

[PNG1M]

Thanks for all the tips guys...

I reckon the way I'll go is a V-nose tinnie as described above approx 4m with a newish tiller-steer 15hp.
I'd choose a 15hp as it's still a manageable weight if hauling the motor up & down the bank if necessary. A 9.9hp might be a tad small with 4pax in the boat.

I'd really like to avoid having to absolutely rely on a boat ramp as the only way to launch. And I woudn't mind dragging the boat up the bank by a rope hitched to the car if necessary.
Hopefully I can find something with a fold down canopy, or possibly I can add one later.

I mentioned in a freshwater forum thread that I'm gonna be Roma bound in January so at least that gives me a couple of months to look around.
My kids are aged 9 and 11 and to tell you the truth they haven't done much fishing apart from off the jetty in Biggera Creek (small bream, whiting & flathead mainly).

As we've been based overseas in the UAE for the past 4 years and in the PNG highlands for 3 years (and East Africa) before that, they haven't had many consistent opportunities to fish.
So it'll be a bit of a learning curve for us all getting out there in the bush and testing out some freshwater fishing & camping etc. We are just happy to be back in Aus!

Cheers.

[Sheik]

Hey png, my cousin is a png bpy, runs a motel out in Roma, keep an eye out for him. jono leahy. as far as the boat is concerned, where is it that you want to fish out there. I wouldn't be all that keen to get a boat specifically for roma, depending on where you want to put it in. 15 is going to be way overpowered for bungil. Even the condamine you never really need to get on the plane. just poke along as there are very few long stretches. Unless you're going to beardmore or over to boondoomba at proston or bjelke at murgon. even the thompson at longreach. If you're going to be fishing away from teh roma area then you're better off going for a bigger boat that you don't have to pull up and down banks. and if it's a bigger boat, then i agree the hornet is a great hull. we take it offshore (4.5m) on the right day and poke around the estuaries. but is a heavy hull.
For out there any old tinny hull will be ok for out there and unless you're going onto dams, you don't need a bow cause there's never enough chop to worry about on the rivers/creeks with big banks. If you want to pull lures around save on a hull and get yourself a nice little 2-10hp four stroke which will go quiet and smoke free. as for shade, a bimini costs about 400 or less if the old tinny you buy hasn't got one already on (many have)
hope that helps a bit
jim

[PNG1M]

Thanks for the comments Sheik... I was about to ask in my next question about what would be best between a 2-stroke and a 4-stroke motor.

Yes, in theory I only plan to be poking around in rivers (eg the Balonne near Surat) & various ceeks etc.
Having not actually been to those exact waterways, I'm just guessing what they are like based on the rivers I've seen in the NSW Nth/West between Narrabri & Goodooga.

I might possibly venture to that biggish lake north of St George at some point, but for most of it the boating will be generally low key pottering.
So based on what you say, maybe a 9.9hp or something thereabouts would be adequate.

[Sheik]

Yeah mate for sure, although you can get some speed up at Beardmore at St George, most of the rivers are small. The Balonne at St George is getting towards the size of the southern rivers but by its nature it's not something you can even get up on the plane on. You'll also find that boats with motors over 6hp (4KW) have to be registered, whereas under that they don't. At least that used to be the situation. And so if you have a 6hp or under you can just chuck your tinny in the back of a ute and head to the river. THat's what a lot of people do. No trailer, no trailer rego. Under 6hp, no boat rego. No fishing licence required in qld creeks (thank god) so it's all good and thank god again we can still do something in our own backyard without having to pay a fee to some mindless agency.
thats my rant for the day anyway.
regards jim

[PNG1M]

Here, here... thats a ten-four. Quite agree about the fee/licence bit and its handy to know about the 6hp option.

In fact the wife has been lobbying for getting a 4WD twin-cab ute of some description - but I've been against it so far in view of not much leg room in the back for fast growing kids (especially on long trips).

But that 'throw the tinny on the back of a ute' makes the twin-cab thing tempting...

[Sheik]

Twin cab is a good plan although they are bastards of things as far as suspension is concerned and ride. Friends at st george have a great wall which they say is alright. Buy two for the price of a jap one! but you can put a stand and have the boat above the tray and your gear in the back. id suggest a tinny for out there and then another boat on a trailer to pull behind if you want to go to the coast or any of the bigger dams like awoonga or monduran.

[PNG1M]

Yeah, that'd be the go... A small 10ft tinnie with a 6hp that's easy to manage (car topper style) and a larger 12-13ft tinnie on a trailer with a 10-15hp for the more safari style trips.

A definate possibilty. Depends I suppose on:

a) $$$$
b) storage/parking space logistics
c) availablity of the preferred types of both those boats
d) intended usage and if its worth having the two set-ups
e) how understanding the missus is

[Sheik]

Well get her the twin cab and then bargain for the others. Either that, or get a 4.5m side console and let her pull it up the bank.

[PNG1M]

What I could do is get one boat and two motors (pending $$$)...!!??

Boat: 10-12ft v-nose punt with a fold down canopy

Motors: One smaller easy to handle 6hp for the quiet pottering around with one or two people in the boat and a larger motor (either a 9.9hp or 15hp) for the longer trips - especially the outings with the whole crew on board.

But, having the larger motor also means the boat must be registered - not so bad I s'pose at roughly $80 a year.
Anyway, based on a combination of the info from the previous postos, I've gotta pretty good mental picture now of the kind of set-up I'll be aiming for.

Recently I've seen a few 'boat & trailer only' deals for sale (no motor) for roughly $1500. I have been toying with the idea of going for an option like that then buying a brand new motor.
There are a couple of good deals for new motors for the lesser known Chinese brands, such as Maxus, Parsun and SAIL.

A 15hp 4-stroke SAIL motor for example - brand new is about $2k and the 9.8hp is around $1600 (check 'em out on the Trading Post).

At least with a new motor you know you won't be buying someone else's problems.
For low-key freshwater apps in small rivers & creeks, one of those Chinese motors might be just the ticket.

Food for thought...

[Dan5]

Mate i used to have a 385 explorer years ago.........top little rig easy to power (i had a 40hp) but you can get away with 15 and it won't be any harder to launch or retrieve than any other 12 footer IMO and you will appreciate the extra stability and space.

Dan.

[PNG1M]

Ok thanks, the 385 explorer is now on the list for sussing out. There was some good feedback about explorers in a few earlier posts too.

Just as well I'm based on the Gold Coast at present as there's heaps of marine places around.

This weekend I might do a bit of an investigative tour to take a peek at a few boats...

[PNG1M]

I popped into a couple of boat places to check out the tinnies and really liked the look of the 370 Explorer.

The next size up was a 390 I think. It had a with the floor in it too and the the boat overall seemed just a tad too heavy for the more 'light weight' set-up I have in mind.
Even though, I'm sure the wife & kids would prefer a boat with a floor.

When chatting to the shop guys about motors the general consensus was that a 9.9hp would be the "minimum" size motor to suit the 370 especially for two or more people on board.
They reckon the 15hp was the most popular motor (based on sales) to go with the 370 explorer. People who bought the 370 specifically as a car topper mostly chose the 15hp.

They also told me that any boat used with a motor above 4hp must be registered.
The 370 retail price was around $2200 (hull only) and a new 15hp Yamaha was $2600 (the 9.9 was $2500).

I forget what the trailer was but all up there wouldn't be much change from $7k for a brand new set up.
I also enquired about the cheaper brand motors such as the Parsun etc and the general response was "bad reports" and "buy cheap, buy again".

Anyway, I'm enjoying my investigations and learning a bit. I don't necessarily want to buy 'new' but its handy to know the cost of new items so its easier to compare and judge the 'worth' of second hand.

[Shawn 66]

I popped into a couple of boat places to check out the tinnies and really liked the look of the 370 Explorer.

The next size up was a 390 I think. It had a with the floor in it too and the the boat overall seemed just a tad too heavy for the more 'light weight' set-up I have in mind.
Even though, I'm sure the wife & kids would prefer a boat with a floor.

When chatting to the shop guys about motors the general consensus was that a 9.9hp would be the "minimum" size motor to suit the 370 especially for two or more people on board.
They reckon the 15hp was the most popular motor (based on sales) to go with the 370 explorer. People who bought the 370 specifically as a car topper mostly chose the 15hp.

They also told me that any boat used with a motor above 4hp must be registered.
The 370 retail price was around $2200 (hull only) and a new 15hp Yamaha was $2600 (the 9.9 was $2500).

I forget what the trailer was but all up there wouldn't be much change from $7k for a brand new set up.
I also enquired about the cheaper brand motors such as the Parsun etc and the general response was "bad reports" and "buy cheap, buy again".

Anyway, I'm enjoying my investigations and learning a bit. I don't necessarily want to buy 'new' but its handy to know the cost of new items so its easier to compare and judge the 'worth' of second hand.
Bud,
I had the 395 explorer trophy {the one in my avatar} , it was a great little boat . She was also a fairly haevy bitch , and required a 25hp to push her .Defenitely would not like to try to pull that pld girl up a river bank . In saying that, the motor was a 4 stroke .
Shawn

[PNG1M]

Yeah, the 485 did look a bit heavy with the floor and all.

I think the 370 would be ample with either a 9.9 or 15hp (it just needs to be 'carryable' without doing a hernia)

Another boat place I looked in had a fully kitted 345 v-nose tinnie wiith the fold down canopy, on a trailer and a 15hp Yamaha. It looked great although bordering on a bit too small - especially if looaded up with 2 or 3 passengers, eskies and fishing gear.

I reckon the 370 explorer is the winner at present. I did see another brand that had hand rails around the sides of the boat. I was wondering how useful they'd be.

[PNG1M]

Resurrecting this thread to say it's taken me all that time since starting this thread in Sept 2011, to finally get a boat...or at least, I'll collecting one in a few weeks time.

What I ended up getting (once its picked up) is a 3.7m Ezy Topper with a 15hp Suzuki 2-stroke. Package comes with a registered fold-up trailer (rated for up to 100kph), a roof-loading system, new bimini, anchor well, detachable swivel seats, boat cover and various other extras.

My Jeep GC has factory guidelines stating a maximum of 68kg on the roof. The boat itself weighs 46kg so with the boat-loading system and a few other bits & bobs on the roof racks it should sneak in there...