Not so new tub

[Chamelion]

Some may remember my last boat -

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?143134-She-started-to-sink-(&highlight=sunchaser

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?147583-My-boating-has-come-to-an-end...&highlight=port+call+boating

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/Boatforsale/1.jpg

Nearly exact to the day where I sold it to an interstate buyer after FINALLY having the repair done properly I picked up a new tub.

A bit older, a bit wiser and knowing what I want out of a boat I went for something that was a little rough around the edges, but mechanically sound and watertight.This is her in all her fine glory

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/P1060578_1058x793.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/P1060567_1058x793.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/P1060564_793x1058.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/P1060667_1058x793.jpg

She was $1500 and I've since purchased a 54lb watersnake leccy, 120ah deepcycle, 2 new rollers, trailer light board, new trailer light coupling for the car and some new split pins... Basically I'm about $1950 in with a little more to go.

She's not as pretty as my last boat, but this one is MINE, it feels like MY BOAT (not the banks) and I know she'll treat me well. :)

Motor wise.. 15hp Johnson from 1992. 114psi in both cycls, starts first pull without requiring choke or the throttle beyond full stop.

EDIT: Ended up buying another boat to replace it.. Something I am able to take the wife and two kids in for trips around the bay (Hervey Bay), over to fraser and do a little tubing when the weather warms up.

Quintrex Dory 410 wide body
Mercury 40hp 997cc 'bigfoot
Redco trailer

Came with a 54lb bow mount watersnake that I am yet to mount. Marine battery, inshore safety gear, 40L of fuel (always handy to get free fuel) and whetever else you see that I've forgotten to mention.

She needs a clean up and a little TLC in a couple of places, but nothing that was a deal breaker for the $5800 I paid.

Took her our today.. 2 adults, 2 kids, two batteries incl one heavy deep cycle, leccy, fishing gear and whatever else.. 47km/h WOT by the GPS. Jumped onto the plane in moments and a comfortable cruise speed was about 38-40km/h.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/529995_10151380744925432_265502690_n.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/389233_3569402106919_1885068822_n.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/Chamelion/582361_3569393546705_153210363_n.jpg

[Chas & Clarry]

She's not as pretty as my last boat, but this one is MINE, it feels like MY BOAT (not the banks) and I know she'll treat me well. :)

Motor wise.. 15hp Johnson from 1992. 114psi in both cycls, starts first pull without requiring choke or the throttle beyond full stop.

That is a great feeling isn't it. Congrats and I hope you have heaps of enjoyment in her

[Kero]

Good stuff Matt, I hope you have heaps of fun with it!

[Chas & Clarry]

Will you make a bit of a floor in her? I recon some flat floor is one of the best but reasonably cheap improvements you can make to a dingy like that. :ppls ;ike it has two tanks? you'll cover quite a lot of distance in it if that is true :)

[Chamelion]

A floor is something I want to do, but I'm not very handy, so I'm kind of approaching making a floor slowly.

She has two tanks, I can't imagine ever taking out more than one though.

[Chamelion]

Motor is great, she's given me no problems at all. I can cruise at 30km/h 2 up and get nearly 4km per litre of fuel... Hull has also been excellent. Quite dry for the size, handles shop extremely well for a 12' tinny and is fairly stable at rest. I haven't done any mods. I've spent countless hours trying to plan out how to make her more fishable. In the end I've given up... She's going to be replaced by something in the 4.1-4.2m range with a 30-40hp tiller steer. Something with enough room for two lure casters to flick around or room for the wife and kids to hop on board for day trips over to fraser island etc or a bit of ski tubing. :)

[liltuffy]

Good on you Chamelion, I like to see some pride in whatever transport us Ausfishers may or may not have, my V-Sea was hatched in 1982 and the donk a 1997 model, both of which serve me very well and have seen god knows how many fish come over the side.

Not having the equivalent of a small country's national debt invested in a boat sits with me just fine, as well as not taking out a loan just to fill the sucker up for a day puts fishing in to perspective.

Not taking anything away from people who have the big vessels here but from my side there is too much emphasis on the biggest boats going the furthest offshore and bragging about the biggest fish they catch. A lot of us grew up on the bread and butter fish caught with the simplest of equipment and perhaps hit the highest point on our fun meter throughout our fishing career, perhaps the big boat drug is a way of trying to hit a new high on that meter.

Anyway I like the reports, stories and tales of the small boat fisho, the beach fisho and the land based fisho for that embodies the spirit of a true fisherman - a man, woman or child who can separate a fish from the water with whatever tool he may possess.

Cheers for the information and pleased to see you are proud of what you've got.

Craig

[Chamelion]

updated first post :D