New Tinnie Advice

[boboncc]

I am about to retire, I'm new to boating so I need some advice on buying a new tinnie.
I'll be using it 75% of the time for fishing, photography and taking the wife out in estuaries and rivers. The other 25% will be spent on Brisbane Water at Gosford NSW. I have no plans on taking it out in open water.

My wife can get a little "sea sick" if the boat rocks too much. I've done some research and have come to the conclusion to get something stable in the 3.5m-3.8m. The boats I've looked at so far have been Quintrex Explorer, Stacer Proline and Smartwave3.5 (poly). The Smartwave seems to fit the bill but there are not many around and not many dealers.

I've been to a couple of Quintrex and Stacer dealers. The last Quintrex dealer was concerned that I would even think of using the explorer on Brisbane Water due to performance in chop (safety?). He said I would be better off with more of a V shaped hull like the Quintrex Dart rather than a V nose punt.

I don't want to be conned into getting something that is not suitable. What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

[Dan5]

Mate checkout the hornet or the Stacer proline........sounds like they would suit your purpose........Both are traditional punt orintated but do have a bit better ride than a v nose punt and both are stable for their size....a V hull in thse sizes can be a little bit unstable under foot and the layout usually lends it's self to more room aswell as the sides are generally vertical.

Dan

[Chimo]

If your going to take picture with it and carry your wife more than once the sizes your looking at are IMHO, on the small side.

Older, bigger tinnys will be cheaper and will have stood the test of time vs some of the newer stuff.

Can you get a ride in or even borrow some different boats to get a feel for the stability and ride that different ones offer? Some shapes are very wet and throw a lot of spray which does not suit all cameras and also does not suit many wives!

Also in the size your talking there will be lots of second hand but good motors around. None will use vast quantities of fuel so whether you need the heavier more costly four stoke version is something else to consider. Nothing wrong with small 2 strokes even if they use a bit more fuel, in this size range your talking litres only not enough to justify either a new motor or a four stroke.

If you have a good outboard mechanic get your motor off him and make sure he knows he is going to be servicing it. He wont sell you rubbish if he is to be working on it in the future. If you have not got a good outboard mechanic suggest you get one before too much time passes and you buy anything !

Have fun, you too will find you didn't know how you fitted work in with all the stuff you have to do after you retire!

Cheers
Chimo GOM (Lifestyle Consultant)

[2_kilo_killer]

Boboncc, whereabouts are you located? Good advice from dan5 re trying other boats if you're lucky enough to know a few people who have roughly what you're looking for. If you're keen u can have a go of my 3.9 mtr hornet and see how it feels. I'm on the Gold Coast
Cheers
Col

[ozynorts]

I'm guessing looking at his post that he is from Gosford, north of Sydney.

[patrol50]

mate been thru an exercise in the past not too dissimilar to you - unless you want to car top it i would suggest min min size 3.9 and better at 4.1 min maybe even 4.3 with 30 or 40 hp 4 s - stay with stacer , sea jay etc poly boat or maybe a quin if you have to - 3.5 to 3.8 is a bit small ( smooth water only in my opinion and you dont want to scare the hell out of the missus ) but has the advantage of portability and are mostly used as car toppers etc - i have 3.75 bermuda vee nose punt as my car topper - other have also offered some sound advice
cheers and good luck
rob

[boboncc]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Yes I live just outside of Gosford and the stability is mainly for the wife, I was also a little worried with the reaction of the Quintrex dealer with regards boating in choppy water. Anyway it is not my intention to take it out when the weather is forecast to be dubious.

I've come across a Stacer 399 Proline package (new): Yamaha 25hp 2 stroke, white, low floor,bimini, trailer, safety gear and rego. Even though it is slightly over my budget, it sounds a reasonable deal at a little over 9K. I have no boating experience and nor do my mates, so I really don't feel comfortable going for a second hand boat.

Any more suggestions are very welcome!

Thanks again!
Bob

[Chimo]

Bob

A second hand boat is often better equipped than a new one and if you get other more experienced people (other than the one trying to sell it to you) involved you will be fine. You are on the right place to find such a person in your area to help you as we will all be happy to do.

Don't act in haste and don't be conned to think a new boat wont have hassles.

Also be very careful you don't get caught out with an underdone trailer which is very common with new packages.

Cheers
Chimo

[boboncc]

Chimo

Thanks for the wise words. I did see one "Made in China" trailer in a package which I was not too sure about.

I've done a fair bit of looking around and although I am not in a rush, I'm getting an idea what I will probably need.

I'm also still looking at second hand boats in the paper, on the net and Ebay. I've not seen anything yet but will keep looking. As I said "I have no boating experience and nor do my mates, so I really don't feel comfortable going for a second hand boat". I would imagine there are ways around that. Is there problems with stolen boats and how can you avoid them?


Surprisingly I've not had much opposition from the boss, she just keeps asking where the suite is ...... she thinks she's funny! I guess she thinks it will help to keep me out of her hair.

Thanks again.

Cheers!
Bob

[Chimo]

Bob

You should be seeking to make contact with an Ausfisher from your area. There are sure to be some and they will be able to help you avoid what you need to avoid and find what is worth while. More importantly he / they should be able to steer you towards good mechanics and away from the less able. Ditto for boats and trailers. Many trailers just do not do the job and make launching and retrieval a pain. A boat in the size range your looking for should be able to be launched and retrieved with no real effort by one person. Buy a cheap crap trailer and you will hate the experience.

If she who needs to be happy is thinking suite you are looking at a cuddy cabin style tinny which you will end up keeping longer than the boat you commenced this discussion about. Happy wife happy life Bob.

So the question is, which AFers are close to "near Terrigal"?

Cheers
Chimo

[boboncc]

If she who needs to be happy is thinking suite
Chimo

No she just likes stirring!

[patrol50]

yes buying a second hand boat can be fraught with danger particularly re the out board and maybe the trailer usually the tinny will be ok - i always take a mate as a steadying influence - as you can sometimes get a late model minimum use good unit well cared for and well fitted out second hand boat quite a bit under new price but i prefer to buy new if i can particularly for the outboard - i like having warranty cover

that 3.99 proline package sounds about the min i would look at 25 ho certainly better than 15 or 20 hp - i would suggest a 4.1 m say and a 30 hp would be better but the price pf the 3.9 package appeared not too bad but do check the trailer is adequate - but also email or ring around and check a few prices for dealers in sydney newcastle wollongong etc - not that far to drive to save a few dollars if you can

take your time dont rush in it is a buyers market right now and good luck

cheers rob

[boboncc]

Rob thanks again for taking the time to give advice.

I've just been looking at an old threads on Stacer boats, search here for:
stacer boat nightmame (I'm guessing they meant nightmare) also problems at Telewater (qintrex & stacer)

I had not realised that Stacer, Quintrex and Savage boats are all produced by the one manufacturer Telewater. The threads are old and do not paint a pretty picture, you would hope since they must produce so many boats, that it is only a small / normal percentage that have problems. You would also hope quality control has improved.

The above threads and all the advice given makes me realise I'll have to slow down and when I do see something that fits the bill ..... get some independent advice!

Cheers!
Bob

[patrol50]

yea bob well telwater ar ethe big guys in the pressed alloy market and build the alleged cheapest built boat they ar e capable of so the QA finish etc all reflect that and i have a quintrex 470 coast runner because at that time i thought they would be the best around - bit of a mistake that so have spent a lot of time on it getting to where i want it - personnally i am a bit keen these days on the seajay range
best rob

[2_kilo_killer]

Lol the location wasn't there when I posted, hence the question.....good luck boboncc

[Triple]

http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-for-sale/boatdetails.aspx?R=10678606&Silo=Stock&Vertical=Boat&Ridx=1&eapi=2

[boboncc]

Triple thanks for the link.

I'm not sure about it being advertised as a 2013 and in the description as Hull year 2010-2012???
It does however look like a really nice boat but with living 8hrs south of the border I'll give it a miss for now.

Thanks again!

[Triple]

I posted the wrong link but you get my point. I see your budget is around 9k, Heap of new boats packages well under 9k and the Clark is rated fairly highly in here. There is a few down south for sale for low 8 and high 7's new. A few shops had em for $7850 with a merc 30, trailer and basic safety gear so you could still easily knock em down near that and add a Bimini for a few hundred. And most shops will arrange freight aus wide for quite cheap too.

[boboncc]

Thanks Triple.

We had a "shower" last night, perhaps I should have been a little quicker in getting a boat ...... couldn't get to work! Still we are better off than some poor folk up north!

Sorry I can't seem to edit out the repeat pictures.

[Chimo]

Hey Bob

Problem solved but you may need to revise your budget http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQwq3YU_woE

Cheers
Chimo

But wait theres more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=0xf2naNV9Qk&feature=endscreen

[boboncc]

Chimo you are a funny man! ;D

The house escaped by 1cm, but unfortunately the granny flat got wet and I'll need to replace the new carpet. Other than that I think I've been lucky.