Stanage bay boat choice.

[Rip it up]

Ok fellow ausfish team, I have a choice to make in the next few days. I am heading up to stanage bay from Gladstone this weekend with 2 mates. Fri sat sun. Weather is looking 10-15kn. But I can't decide which boat to take.

Option 1. Regular crabbing boat. Cruise craft rogue 14. Yammy 60hp 4st. Very reliable and proven crabbing but does not like lumpy conditions offshore. GPS combo unit. 97228

Option 2. Regular offshore boat. Haines signature 530f. 115hp johnson ocean pro 115. Again reliable. 240km offshore range. Loves anything lumpy and will fish well offshore. GPS and sounder. 97229

The question I ask is which one to take. Both have excellent trailers and electronics. Should I crab out of a offshore boat. Or go offshore in a crabbing boat.

I have neap tides over the weekend. And understand the tidal changes 4m up here. So I could really crab the big boat on the top of the tide.

Reef fishing is doesn't bother me if I only go the local areas. I can do wide trips from Gladstone for quality fish. Don't want to spend my whole trip up there traveling offshore. 30-45mins out preferrably. Fish the low tide change and come home.

Any help?






Damo's dodgy boat building factory.

[Spiderpig]

Take the crabbing boat. The wind forecast is not looking all that great for offshore. The tides look good for an estuary fish and the barra should be firing!

[Horse]

Hard choice. What are the trailers like? If both are up to the trip I would be tempted to take both. Either will get you out of trouble but its really up to you what you want out of the trip

[mutineer]

Big boat , stanage is a real easy place to crab , we only circle the mangrove islands no need to go gutter bashing and with the islands so close the big boat will see you on the good stuff , both being cuddy cabs that's the way I would go ...it gets rough in the passage at boat ramp and we had to belt against the wind in tinnies ...even for the room I would take the big one ..jealous I'm building a deck on the house so I can't go out ....boooooo.!!!

[tunaticer]

To be honest, except for fuel capacity, both boats will work well up there.
The big thing though is the trailers and how they are set up to get your boat safely there and back again.
110km of dirt road that could be smooth as flat top or rough as guts demanding a crawling pace. It all depends on the road conditions and your patience. I set my trailer up for the experience many years ago and the only thing that has let me down is tyres on three trips. That and the ten thousand stone dents in the front of the tinny.

My next trip there will be with the kayak only, just for the experience of mega Gt's and mega spanish macs from the yak.

Vonnie used to have a handout mudmap of the inlet and local area that depicts the danger zones for boats near low water, be sure to call into the boat shed for a chinwag and ask about their locations, might save you some grief and costs.

[Rip it up]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

After some soul searching this morning, staring at both boats I think the little yellow boat will be more useful and easier. Runs on 5L per hour in the creeks and carries 80L. With the tides it will be a 9am low tide session out the reefs if we go that far and the wind should be lighter in the morning. But only really want a few coral trout off the bombies close to the islands. I have a freezer full of sweet lip, trout and red emperor at home.

Feel more comfortable cruising through the estuaries in the yellow boat. With hydraulic steering and a chart plotter. Shallow water access and easier pot retrieval.

The trailer setup will be interesting. I have no stone guard. And I might need to jury rig something tomorrow. Like shade cloth from trailer to gunwale.

It's more of a research trip this time. Next time will be a 6.5m reef boat session.

We are staying in Von's shed for the weekend so she will point me in the direction of good spots.

I will take some photos and do a trip report next week.

Thanks everyone for the input. Hope it helps someone else traveling to stanage soon.


Damo's dodgy boat building factory.

[fairpractice]

Re. Stone guard. double thickness shade cloth. The best set-up is a bow rope to the trailer (6 turns) which gives a vertical front location for cloth (as well as boat stability). Just a few rubber cords and you're in business. Works for me. cheers john

[Rip it up]

Thanks john.

I was thinking about being creative with a welder and some left over 40mm galv box section.
Simple triangles/squares. But my trailer is a tilt option. That I use very regularly. So could be a 6 beer job not a 2.

Will post pics.


Damo's dodgy boat building factory.

[bannana]

Just watch the pressure waves at the mouth of the channel on the run out tide especially if theres a bit of wind blowing.

[Rip it up]

Thanks banana.

Mostly easterly breeze for the weekend so any run out tides will be lumpy.

I will plan my trip using info from Von.

Can anybody point out on a map the close bombie locations. Just rough islands worth looking around?

Here is my trailer. ( just my next project boat collection trip.) should not be that hard to design. The single drawbar pivots at the start of the Vee design. Will just branch stone guard forward and up from there. A centre gap will not get peppered as much as the sides.
97235


Damo's dodgy boat building factory.

[J2DAG83]

Hey Mate

Just so ya know Von's off tripping around australia atm on her annual... there'll be someonelse filling in at the shop i think you'll find.

Cheers

Jared

[J2DAG83]

....woops annual holiday

[Rip it up]

Well guys what's disappointing trip. Not a single legal crab in 48hrs. Different baits different systems tried everything I know. Then one local told us at the pub that all the pros have taken a 6-8week holiday because the crabs are just not here.

So a 700km round trip for zero.

On the other hand great place. Awesome setup at the shed. AUSTAR. Pool table. Fire pit. Timber slab drinking bar setup. Beds for 16. Big bait freezers. Everything works well.

Had a small issue with the rocks flicking from my mud tyres knocking off the dura hubs on the trailer twice. But the road otherwise was excellent. 80/90kph. Just a few bumps at each cattle grid crossing.

Not much else t report. Weather did turn ugly 25kn all day Saturday. Which meant fishing in the sound. But couldn't get a hold of the black jew hat others were getting.

Ended up being a boys drinking session of a weekend. Chilling out and relaxing. Already thinking about dates in the new year for the return trip.

Still have t get the photos of the digital camera and will post them up ASAP.

97365