Tinny for thailand.

[Andy56]

Hi guys, its that time in life when another boat is required to satisfy my lust for adventure, lol. Actually its close to a yr and a half that I sold my 543rf. I am happy here in thailand but a trip to the beach and I want a boat.!!
Ok , just to lay the ground rules. There is so much shit in the water here. With the heavy rains that fall yearly, its impracticle for a poor country to clean up properly. So that rules out a fibreglass boat. Any damage would be almost too hard to get fixed here. You cant just go to your local marine shop or fibreglass place. These things just dont exist here in down town chiang mai. I am handy with tools but prefer not to. There are NO BOAT RAMPS. my, my, my how pampered we are in PPB, lol. So a beach launch is the go. Most of the big dams do have a ramp of sorts , usually gravel slopes.
You can buy fibreglass boats made in thailand, but having been on them and looking at the hull shapes, they are bangers. Nothing beats a true Aussie or American hull. So an Aussie alloy boat is the go. What can I get here? A Quintex or a Stacer! Or I can import a second. So I called the local Quintrex dealer in Krabi, 15hrs away by car. Yes he can get me anything. How about a Noble 5.8m, only 850,000b hull only. ($34g). I had to laugh, after the reports in these forums, NO F'N way hose! How about a Smart Liner Sunbreeze 525, only 500,000b. he was a little disappointed when I said topender450sc.
Having read that the topender now has 4mm bottoms, Its the standout boat for me for all the above reasons.
Its very rare for the waters here to standup like PPB unless you have a warning well in advance of advancing bad weather. I had a quinnie before in melbourne and it handled PPB rough water easily. So no issues there.
The next issue is motors.
Its rated for 75hp, so a suzuki or yamaha is the go. (70hp and both pretty good motors I think). An Etec 75hp gen 2 would be ideal. Which motor will be able to withstand the most knocks from water debrie? Thats what I'd like to know! I wont tell you how much outboards cost here, but just say this. You would cream your pants if you knew how cheap they are, lol.
Anyway over to you guys what do you think? Any suggestions?

[Andy56]

I will most likely have to learn to do my own servicing on the outboard too. I have been quoted $19g for the hull, $3-5g for the trailer and still undecided about the motor ( yes I am teasing on the price). Next step is to see how much in Aus. Transportation will be about $2-5g. All up probably the same price as in aus ( there I gave it away, lol)
I seem to have landed the unifield theory of boating. Just about every question ever asked and answered in one blog.

[Chimo]

Why don't you get a local long boat and live like the locals?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKzyLIonf0c

[Andy56]

they are all inboard, prob nissan/toyota 3 ltr. They are too unstable for this boy, lol. Best left to the locals and tourists. Lovely teak wood though!

[Chimo]

Remember the Express Boats ex Brisbane designed by David Payne?
Well they still exist but now they are http://www.etamax.com.my/ and probably one of them would be cheaper and easier for you to lay your hands on where you are. They probably sell them there already.

Cheers
Chimo

[Andy56]

I am in the position to buy something decent and modern, at a reasonable cost. I have seen plastic boats that size here.
I think the electronics I want to buy cost more than that, lol.
Not sure whether your serious or having a lend, Chimo, lol.

[Chimo]

Seriously, did you check out the link? They are making a wide range of solid ally boats that are worth looking at.

[Andy56]

Yes, I had a look. As you must appreciate also, because there isnt a boat culture here, reviews on anything made here will be very limited. Ask about dead rise and they think you are a faith healer. Ask what the ride is like and they give you a phone number. From what I have seen, boat design here is frozen in time. This tinny is no different. I dont like the half transom design also. I think I can afford something a little better. I am sorry if you got the impression i was going to "tight-arse" the purchase.:D
I did say no to Noble, but the finalist in the yearly shoot out looks good, if a tad bigger than what I want or can use. I may just ask my friend in Krabi for a price.

[Chimo]

Ask what the ride is like and they give you a phone number.

Very helpful people then!!!

[Darren Mc]

Have a look at Quintrex Renegades.

[Andy56]

Yea Darren, had a look at the renegade. I prefer the transom of the topender. It looks like a more "refined" design. The renegade would be ok if it was the only transom design on offer or i really wanted a cheapie. Lots of other cheaper boats on the market for sure. The topender just seems to be more modern and asthetically appealing, has the quintrex name( prob usless here), 4mm bottom, sizing and pricing for me. But I am still looking just in case I missed another option. Still tyre kicking

[Marlin_Mike]

Sitting in Phuket at the moment Andy56. Weather good so far at Patong. Where abouts are you in Thailand?

ahhh Chang Mai way up north from me...............shoulda read your post properly. On my list to visit up there one day.

[stevebris]

I love Chang Mai!
The night markets and food there are awesome.

[Andy56]

The food is still cheap here too!
The fishing here is quite good too. There are eight big lakes/dams around chiang mai and they all hold big fish. You can go to private fish dams and catch lots of fish too. My best catch was a 35kg mekong catfish. Lots of fun but hard work under the sun.
This whole place is really uncharted territory for anyone with a boat and decent chart/fish finder. Or you can go with a guide, only $150 for the day!

[Andy56]

http://www.biggame-fishingthailand.com/images/fishing/maetaak/giant_snake_head.jpgjust a photo from one of the fishing guides. Just google fishing chiang mai. There are lots of photos.
Back to the thread.
I have compiled a list of other boats to look at. Bluefin, brooker, stacer. A lot of boats. May have to make a trip back to australia to vist a few show rooms, lol.

[Andy56]

Ok guys, after much finger walking, I have narrowed my boat down to two. Topender 450 sc or topender 481 sc.
There are probably two or three other boats that are better but due to logistical issues sees their prices balloon out of budget range. The new 4mm bottom has clinched it. Having a dealer here in Thailand makes it so much easier. So the next decision is outboard.
The 450 topender has a max hp rating of 75. Guess which brand that fits. No etec dealers within 2000km (and across a boarder.) Nice one Quintrex.
So for me the best fit is a suzuki df70atx. Anybody own one with this configuration?
If it cant beat 70km/hr I will go to the topender 481 sc. Its my choice to go faster. A 60hp is only going to get 60km/hr, will a 70hp go the distance?
The topender 481sc can carry 90hp max. Again suziki df90atx is my choice. Anybody have this configuration?
The only other viable option for me is a Yamaha motor. The suzuki has a price and weight advantage but not enough to do hand stands over. Still having issues locating outboard dealers here though.
I could do it the thai way and just wack on a 90 but then, knowing insurance companies in the west and dodgy practices here frightens me, lol. Thais wouldnt hesitate.
This purchase is proving to be harder work than when I bought my 543rf. I will keep you posted.