First day out in new boat (Poly 530 BR)

[TonyM]

Well at long last I got to wet the new boat! Spent a little over 3 hours yesterday running the suzi 115 in and getting a feel for it.

I can't comment too much on the performance until after the motor is run in however I've sure got a good feel for how it handles at 6 knots after spending 2 hours at around 1500rpm ;D In the rush to get it in the water I didn't get a chance to put any fishing gear in which is bad bad bad as there were fishing chopping up all over the place, mackeral and tuna almost everywhere!

1st day went smoothly (phew) and I spent a lot of time playing with the navman electronics while I was eating up a few run in hours - don't know how I ever survived without some of the new features on electronics! between the plotter, fishfinder and radio I know the air temp, water temp, barometric pressure, weather prediction, sun moon and tide data, suitability of conditions to fishing (need to find out which variable they figure that on, but probably based on moon & tide data plus barometric pressure)

The rm trailer is great to tow although it did take a bit of effort to get off the trailer. Apparently the skids get smoother with use, but a bit of lanolin will speed things up ;)

Plodding around at about 6knots in fairly dirty chop and a reasonable amount of swell I was very pleased with how stable the boat was. Ran very straight regardless of direction to the swell, and very little rolling.

I did manage to get wet (a little spray on sunnies) but slogging around just off the plane in sloppy conditions that didn't surprise me at all.

Hopefully it won't take me long to get her run in so I can try her out more thoroughly but so far so good!

[TonyM]

first load of fuel into the 130 litre tank :)

[TonyM]

Numero uno launch (thanks for the emotional support BigDan) :)

[Leo_N.]

Great to see Tony. How long at 1500 rpm to run it in?

Shame about the lack of fishing gear - perfect trolling speed.

What steering did you opt for? Standard cable or hydraulic?

[falcon01]

Where do you get her from

[TonyM]

Hi Leo,

I went the standard cable, although I did find the steering very stiff. The mechanic at Martin Marine mentioned it might be and that if so he'd loosen it off.

Once that's been done I'll let you know how it goes, one of the many last minute jitters that was going through my head was whether I should have gone hydraulic, however time will tell :)

Here's a shot on the water - sits very high in the water and the stability is awesome (although I expected that given how the other Poly's perform)

[ShaneJ]

Hey Tony, what Navman gear you got? In particular what is providing you with the barometric pressure, tide data etc.? This is exactly what I need :D

[MrWong]

Tony :D

Congratulations!! My new SharkBait is 3 weeks behind you! in theory twill be your rigs younger brother, look forward to hearing your thoughts on the steering as if you recoomend it I may opt for hydraulic.
She looks very very good and I am getting very itchy :)
Cheers
Norm ::)

[88fishframe]

Nice boat Tony. I recently upgraded my boat, and after years of using cable steering, opted for hydraulic. Bit more expensive of course, BUT THE BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT ON MY BOAT !!!! I can't even begin to explain how good, especially with a motor weighing 175kg's+.

[TonyM]

Hey Tony, what Navman gear you got? In particular what is providing you with the barometric pressure, tide data etc.? This is exactly what I need :D

Hi Shane,

I went for the 5500 Tracker, 4500 Fishfinder and 7200 DSC VHF

Baro pressure and air temp is from the Radio (as well as weather and fish prediction ).

Water temp is from the fishfinder, speed is from both the fishfinder via the transduce and from the gps (more accurate I'd imagine). Tide and moon data is via the gps - I noticed this didn't work until I had plugged the cmap cartridge in. Fuel flow and usage is calculated by either the gps or the fishfinder and is hooked up to a special fuel transducer that you hook into the fuel line.

It's all hooked up together via a proprietry link Navman call NavBus. This means all of the information is available on one screen (either gps or finder, or both)

The radio is brilliant (although it's my first vhf so I can't compare to another) While running in Hervey Bay yesterday I was listening to the port authority in Mooloolaba! And this is with the short antenna!

The colour screens are very easy to read in the sunlight and for night viewing you can adjust the backlight in degrees all the way from bright down to a nice moodlighting effect for those romantic night cruises with the missus (or your girlfriend if the missus don't get you first) #;) #;D

Haven't even begun to check out the fishfinder much yet, so much to take in! I did play around with 50 vs 200 mhz (or is it kHz) :-? and zoom, split screen etc but I imagine it will take a few runs to get the most out of it. Bugger of a job but someones got to do it :D

[TonyM]

here's a shot of the Dash - please excuse the mess as I didn't waste time launching - straight from the dealers to qld transport, briefly home and shoved in some safety gear and rope etc and then to the boatramp! Didn't even get the plastic off the seats! ::)

When I got back to the ramp even one of the local Water Police came down to check it out :o They were interested in the fact it didn't have rego stickers but soon forgot and spent about 15 mins telling me how cool their new suzuki 4s were, and then jumped on board to check out the boat ;D

[TonyM]

Great to see Tony. How long at 1500 rpm to run it in?

Shame about the lack of fishing gear - perfect trolling speed.

What steering did you opt for? Standard cable or hydraulic?

oops forgot to answer re run in

Total break in time is 10 hours (only 7 to go!)

2 hrs at < 1500 rpm
next hour at up to 3000rpm
next 7 hrs any speed up to wot but don't use wot for more than 5 mins.

This is less rpm than recommended in the motors manual, however these speeds are recommended by the head engineer at Haines (distributors) and was recommended by the dealer so I went the safe route. I imagine there will be varying opinions on what's the best way but I figured if I follow instructions from the disti my warranty is looking good ;)

[Big_unit]

Schweeet ride. One day when I have money again...

Cheers
James

[TonyM]

Where do you get her from

Martin Marine in Hervey Bay - very happy with the quality of the fitout and after hearing quotes others have from different dealers I'm extremely happy with the price :) I can certainly understand why they get a lot of orders from out of town, apparently they sell a lot of boats that go to brisbane and as far north as Townsville!

Norm - I think I can safely say you'll love yours when it arrives, will let you know how the steering goes.

[dnej]

Nice looker, with your trailer,steady the boat from tipping , while on the trailer, loosen off your skids,and just snug them back up to the bottom of your boat.The boat should not actually have any weight on the skids, as they are onlty to stop th eboat rocking from side to side.
The keel rollers hold all the weight, of the boat.
Be careful with Lanolin, as it can get sticky,and make the issue worse. I know that from experience.
David

[TonyM]

Nice looker, with your trailer,steady the boat from tipping , while on the trailer, loosen off your skids,and just snug them back up to the bottom of your boat.The boat should not actually have any weight on the skids, as they are onlty to stop th eboat rocking from side to side.
The keel rollers hold all the weight, of the boat.
Be careful with Lanolin, as it can get sticky,and make the issue worse. I know that from experience.
David

Hi Dave,

Is that specific to a trailer for a poly boat? I'm aware that's the correct way to set up a trailer for a tinnie, although as the Poly boats have different characteristics than a tinnie I think the trailer setup may be subtly different. Due to the nature of Poly it's actually important that the trailer take the weight of the boat ;)

I'm very reluctant to go changing the setup as it was set up by the factory to suit the boat, from what I've been advised it's apparently normal for the trailers suited to Poly boats and that the skids will get better with wear. I'll give it a few launches and see how it goes I think, although I might be tempted to give the skids a quick squirt of go-juice.

Since I wrote I might try lanolin earlier a few people have suggested that crc or wd might be better than lanolin so I think you're right, and yes it does get sticky, I had forgotten about that! :)

[bazzacuda]

Tony,
I'd be using spray on silicone - works best for me
Barry

[Poseidon]

That is a sweet looking boat, congratulations Tony and hope that you have a ball with her for many years.

Regards Cameron.

[TonyM]

Thanks for the tip Bazza - p.s. Love your idea for a sign-in name and pic :D

And thank you also Cam, I'm hoping this boat will keep me happy until I either win lotto and buy a massive yacht, or I get to about 80 y/o and decide to downgrade to a smaller tupperware bowl like the tuff tender and stick to freshwater once the old body finally starts collapsing ;D

[TonyM]

Schweeet ride. One day when I have money again...

Cheers
James

eek don't mention money James, I'm trying to forget how much I spent and focus on enjoying it ;D

Any luck on the boat sale mate? That's a nice rig and a steal at the price you had on it! Mine sold the day after the ad was in the paper - might be worth a shot ;)

[Black_Rat]

Nice looking ride there Tony #:)
Has she got a name yet, how about White Lightning or Spook #:D
Forget the rego stickers where's the Ausfish Stickers #;D
Damo

[pegasus]

Hey Tony- sweet- very nice-glad to hear its finally all there and the wait is over- now the great part - enjoy.

I d just give the factory a ring- from my recolletcion the advice I got direct from the poly factory was a lanolin product to use on the skids to make things a little smoother.

best regards

lew

[TonyM]

Hi Damo, Thanks :)

I haven't locked in a name yet . I really like "BarraListic" but the financial controller thinks not :-/ Both your suggestions are good ones, I'll add them to the list! hmmm I wonder if people will mind playing the name the boat game another round? ;D oops good point re the Ausfish stickers, I better order a set!

Lew, thanks :) Very much looking forwards to giving it a proper test out now the worst part of the run in is done, although I am allready head over heels in love with it ::)

I'm dropping in to pick up the rego stickers from Richard Martin in the morning so I'll check but I thought he mentioned lanolin... and to look at the price of switching the steering to hydraulic (Juries still out but I think it might be a good investment, should know after next run)

[henryk]

Tony

Can you clearly explain the splashwell mods?
I've seen a picture of it but don't understand what the issue was nor what was done to fix it.

[drenno]

Good to hear you boat seems to be everything that you had hoped!

drenno

[TonyM]

Tony

Can you clearly explain the splashwell mods?
I've seen a picture of it but don't understand what the issue was nor what was done to fix it.

Hi Henry,

I've attached the pic again below so anyone reading this will understand my answer (I hope)

One of the reasons I went for this boat is that the Polys tend to have ride characteristics that you'd normally find in a bigger boat. As such I fully intend to gradually "get outside of my comfort zone" and travel further afield and push my angling knowledge by targetting different species etc. For me at home in Hervey Bay that means I'll be heading to spots like Platypus Bay, the Gutters etc, and maybe even sneaking accross Breaksea Spit on a very nice day if I feel confident enough in the boats (and my) abilities.

When the boat first arrived at my dealers I was extremely happy with the build quality and the boat in general although the design of open splashwell, with a one way scupper leading into it from inside the boat, and no way to empty it until the bungs are removed.

For my intended use I felt it needed to be covered, and a seperate bilge installed to get rid of any water that came in via the scupper (there's another bilge under the floor inside the boat). This was to cater for instance a wave hitting the back of the boat in a very heavy following sea. The transom height from the water is huge, I'll have to measure it... However I didn't want the splashwell filling and weighing down the bum of the boat when I least needed it.

The solution that polycraft built comes close to what I had in mind, although it doesn;t fuly enclose the well. I've had a chat to them and they are considering possible further modifications so I'll find out once they've reviewed it. The boat is extremely bouyant and it would have to be a pretty big wave to enter the splashwell, the cover on it now certainly makes it better, and if any water does get into the splashwell I have the bilge there now so I'll try it out and see. Still hoping Polycraft make a full cover, if not I may look at getting it done myself.

[TonyM]

I should mention that Polycraft have advised me the modifications will be provided on all 530's so sounds like my idea was a good one ;)

[TonyM]

This shot helps make all that a little easier to understand #:)

I wish I'd realised I opened the tap up too far on the bait tank pickup at the time this pic was taken ;D I noticed about 2 hours later when I stopped to make a phone call that water was coming in quicker than it could get out the overflow (my first real live tank) ::)

[Big_Kev]

Nice looking boat tony.

[vertico]

nice looking boat, if these were around when i was buying a boat
maybe i would have passed up on the stabicraft but even though im very happy with my rig

[revs57]

Congratulations Tony,

She looks real fine...I trust she treats you well and it wont be long before you're cleaning scales off those new carpets!!!!

Cheers

Rhys

[TonyM]

Thanks guys :) just got back from out in the boat oops I mean garage ;D

Wow that's high praise indeed Vertico, the Stabi's have had an excellent reputation and I really like them, the Poly won over me mainly because I like the idea of less maintenance, I'm lazy ::) Plus with the front casting platform was worth it for me to go the open boat option.

[TonyM]

Rhys - hopefully will get the carpet nice and messy tommorow :P

[familyman]

Tony congrats on the great looking rig ,should be a nice quiet ride with that suzi and the poly.Does the foredeck come with a rigid cover for heavy weather?Also what channel are you getting the weather forecast on your vhf?
cheers jon

[TonyM]

Tony congrats on the great looking rig ,should be a nice quiet ride with that suzi and the poly.Does the foredeck come with a rigid cover for heavy weather?Also what channel are you getting the weather forecast on your vhf?
cheers jon


Hi Jon,

Yes the Suzi is soooo quiet. I truly forgot it was running a few times when I stopped!

No foredeck cover included, although I plan to get a heavy tarp made up with a support similar to a tonneu cover to ensure water runs of it. I suggested the idea of a clamp on Poly cover to Polycraft as an accesory, although I don't think it's likely.

The weather forecast isn't over vhf, it's actually predicted by the computer in the radio using the temperature and barometric pressure over the last 24 hrs to make the prediction itself! Hopefully it proves to be accurate! Time will tell I guess, but it sure is a nifty gadget! :) The fishing conditions prediction works in a similar way.

[revs57]

Tony, just remember to splash a bucket of water over the blood and guts before it dries...we dont want too much bragging ;D ;D ;D ;D

[phewy]

Looks great Tony. Sure you will be happy with it. We love our 4.55 poly. We find that splashing the skids with water prior to driving the boat up really helps. Have been told to use silicone spray if ever it gets a bit hard to push off, but have never needed to use anything as yet.

Good luck with it mate!!

[TonyM]

Looks great Tony. Sure you will be happy with it. We love our 4.55 poly. We find that splashing the skids with water prior to driving the boat up really helps. Have been told to use silicone spray if ever it gets a bit hard to push off, but have never needed to use anything as yet.

Good luck with it mate!!

hehe I must be tired. I read your post as "splash the kids with water" at first ;D I was thinking hmmm sounds like fun, but how's it help get the boat on :-/

One last look at the boat and I better get some sleep ready for tommorows fishing :)

[dasher]

Friday mate, PLEASE!!! I'll give ya ring tomorrow arvo when I get home from Maryborough ;) :P

[TonyM]

Friday mate, PLEASE!!! I'll give ya ring tomorrow arvo when I get home from Maryborough ;) :P

Done ;) tried to call you tuesday to pick you up at the harbour but you were engaged, now will be more fun anyway as can go faster :)

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

And so the wait is over. ;) Congrats Tony on a damn nice looking boat. Beautiful in fact. :-* Polycraft should look to you as a floating advertisement for their crafts, you are the greatest ad they could ever hope to have with your enthusiasm for their boats and for the love you have for yours!
I'm sure you'll have many happy trips in her! You've got me now starting to seriously consider Poly. :P

Cheers to you

Dave

[fishin_till_late]

nice boat there. Wouldnt mind one of those one day, it sounds like you'll have many years of fun in that boat. Well done and enjoy ;)

[Awoonga]

Great boat Tony.... Bring her up to Awoonga and sneak up on a barra or Two....

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

Just a thought for the name Tony. "PolyAnna" :)

Dave

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

I was telling Suzi, my wife , about your thread here Tony and she said what about 'Wanna Cracker" for your boat name. I asked of what relevance that was and she replied: " You know, Poly wanna cracker?"
Sounds good to me. :)

Dave

[TonyM]

haha Love the names, it's going to be hard to decide as I've been given some great ones online plus have come up with a few others :-/ I guess I'll just have to keep driving in it until the decision comes to me :D

Took the boat out again today with BigDan and a friend of Dan. Pretty average conditions with a northerly of about 20 knots, no other trailer boats out, and mackeral everywhere!

Was happy with the boats performance, got to stretch it's legs even with the chop and we did about 30 knots for quite a long run back up the eastern side of Big Woody Island skimming accross the top of the waves against a 20knot + Northerly and nowhere near as harsh a ride as you'd expect driving like that in those conditions.

Highlites of todays trip: very smooth launch and retrieve after spraying some wd40 on the skids, boat was so quiet we got right in the middle of a school of mackeral 3 times without them even knowing we were there!

Not such a highlite for todays trips was: Despite the mackeral following both soft plastics and slices, with a few hits there wasn't a single hookup so she's still not blooded >:( Also almost sent Dan for a spill when his seat uppended as 3 of the bolts securing it to the swivel fell out! :-[ Someone in a factory somewhere (probably China) wasn't paying attention to their job >:(

All up todays trip has given me good confidence in the boat and I look forwards to the 20 hour service to see how she goes with full power. :)

[TonyM]

Great boat Tony.... Bring her up to Awoonga and sneak up on a barra or Two....

I can see that happening Trevor, hopefully soon ;) Will let you know when I'm heading up, woujld be great to catch up again. :)

As soon as the minister for finance forgets how much I spent on this toy I'm keen to get a little 3m Poly Tender for fishing Lenthalls and Monduran - then I'll be set!

[ShaneJ]

From my limited experiance, Dan always seems to find a way to make a lot of noise when out in a boat ::)

[TonyM]

From my limited experiance, Dan always seems to find a way to make a lot of noise when out in a boat ::)

haha Hi Shane. I'm not commenting on the grounds that Dan is much bigger and stronger than me and he lives too close to my house! ::)

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[ShaneJ]

;D
Just send me the comments via PM and i'll post them for ya :D

[TonyM]

;D
Just send me the comments via PM and i'll post them for ya :D

ahhhh Why didn't I think of that! #::) # #;D

Seems pretty hard to spook fish in the boat so unless the fish have a sense of smell and the wind is not blowing from the port (passengers) side of the boat he can make all the noise he wants! # #;D

oops I better go hide again! #:o Sorrrryyyyyyyy Dan! #:-X

;D

[krazyfisher]

have you found the boat to be dry or a bit wet and I do understand that you get wet in all open boats but have they fixed the problem

[TonyM]

have you found the boat to be dry or a bit wet and I do understand that you get wet in all open boats but have they fixed the problem

Hi Krazyfisher,

I found it to be fine with no spray when driven sensibly (not side on to the wind), we were punching through the chop at a fair rate of knots (up to 30) and didn't cop any spray until I either turned side on to the wind, or a few times when we hit an occaisional larger wave at high velocity the wind did manage to blow some spray back into the boat.

For the conditions I think that was quite good. I deliberately drove her side on to the wind punching through the swell at speed and surprise surpise (not) we got wet! ;D But had the same thing happen last week in the flybridge of a 30 foot cruiser doing the same thing (although the wind was about 25 to 30 kn coming back that trip)

The stabilisers in this boat are shortened so they aren't so far forward, this is supposed to reduce the chance of getting spray in the boat and I think it has improved performance in that regard.

[matty_e]

well lookie lookie here, someone has a new boat ::)

good stuff mate. it looks anreal. well worth the wait huh.

love the early launch without the rego stickers [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

al and i are planning a trip to HB to visit you guys. outside in the poly, way outside in col's and dam action with dan [smiley=guitarist.gif] oh, and to drink darryls beer [smiley=drunk.gif]

have you got a name yet?

[dnej]

Tony, does your trailer have keel rollers, that the boat sits on?Would be great to know why a set up would be different to a glass boat.Lets know
David

[Leo_N.]

Poly boats can warp if they have rollers - concentrated point of force. Therefore full-lehgth skids are required.

[TonyM]

well lookie lookie here, someone has a new boat ::)

good stuff mate. it looks anreal. well worth the wait huh.

love the early launch without the rego stickers [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

al and i are planning a trip to HB to visit you guys. outside in the poly, way outside in col's and dam action with dan #[smiley=guitarist.gif] oh, and to drink darryls beer [smiley=drunk.gif]

have you got a name yet?

Hey Matt, great to hear from you mate! :)

After 2 months wait that boat was getting wet that day come hell or highwater! [smiley=evil.gif]

Will be fantastic to catch up with you troublemakers from the south again, and yes will be great if we can cover all the bases as you suggested.

Re the beer, don't forget Dan's tastes allright too, nothing like o.p. Beer [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

[TonyM]

Tony, does your trailer have keel rollers, that the boat sits on?Would be great to know why a set up would be different to a glass boat.Lets know
David

Hi David, what Leo mentioned is correct. I'll try to remember to get a pic of the trailer at the ramp and will put it up for you.

Yesterday I drove the boat on almost 75% of the way, although I chickened out as I wasn't sure how much water was under the prop and didn't want to hit the bottom with it. Will probably fully drive it on after I get used to it a bit more, although it went on beautifully even with the wind side on to the boat. Certainly a lot easier than winding all that weight on!

[Leo_N.]

Has anyone got the 5.3 with a 90 4-stroke on it? Any ideas about performance?

I would be interested to hear why you opted for the 115 rather than the 90 Tony.

[TonyM]

Hi Leo,

The bottom line is that I have had a few boats previously that were underpowered and it sucks. Originally I intended to go a 90 as that was the rec hp for the boat prior to the official launch, then it was announced by Polycraft that the boat would come standard with the foam filled hull which makes it heavier, and the minimum was raised from 75 to 90.

So I bit the bullet and spent the extra $$$ to upgrade to 115. With the Suzi apparently the 115 weight is the same as the 90 anyway so you get the extra 25hp with no additional weight.

[Tony_N]

Hi Leo,

With the Suzi apparently the 115 weight is the same as the 90 anyway so you get the extra 25hp with no additional weight.


I heard today that the 90 Suzuki 4st is exactly the same as a 115, but that it is "detuned". Is it possible to "retune" a 90 to115??

[TonyM]

Hi Tony,

I guess it's possible, although would probably cost more than buying a 115 in the first place. Apparently this is because the computer setup is different, different camshaft, and possibly a few other bits, I'm not sure whether the gearbox is different or not, possibly a different ratio.

You are correct though in that they are both based on the same motor - it's a Suzuki Vitara block ;)

[rumy1]

The Suzuki 140 is 3 kg's lighter than the 115 Suzuki so does this mean that you can fit a 140 to the transom of your boat TonyM ? Congradulations to mate, hope your boat is as good if not better than you expected.
Have fun :)

[Sportfish_5]

Wheres the pics of the Poly Bikini girls :P :P :P :P

Is that your boat in their ad in Fish and Boat ?


;) Suzis get better with more hours 8-)


Greg

[garygusart2000]

Hey Tony you should have made Dan wear his thin shirt then he wouldn't have broken anything
cheers mate looks great ;D
Gus

[dasher]

Hey Tony you should have made Dan wear his thin shirt then he wouldn't have broken anything
cheers mate looks great ;D
Gus

You be careful Gus, Dan has a good memory and I think I'd be bracing myself for a smack at Awoonga next year. :'( ;D ;D

[garygusart2000]

I'm not too worried Dash as I still have to fix his tatt so he'll have to behave or it might hurt a hell of a lot more ;)Gus

[Burley_Boy]

Congratulations on the new rig mate, may it give you many years of pleasure and lots of blood on the deck.
Cheers
BB :)

[Tony_N]

Has anyone got the 5.3 with a 90 4-stroke on it? Any ideas about performance?

I would be interested to hear why you opted for the 115 rather than the 90 Tony.


I know this boat is a very new model but has anybody had any experience with the smaller motor on it? # Just wondering if it is really necessary to go the extra 25 hp$'s

Tony

[TonyM]

Has anyone got the 5.3 with a 90 4-stroke on it? Any ideas about performance?

I would be interested to hear why you opted for the 115 rather than the 90 Tony.


I know this boat is a very new model but has anybody had any experience with the smaller motor on it? # Just wondering if it is really necessary to go the extra 25 hp$'s

Tony


I spoke to one of the guys at the factory yesterday and apparently it goes quite well with a suzi 90 (they've got one set up with it now). Depending on what your needs are it sounds like it might do the job.

[MrWong]

Hey guys
In reference to the last post, I test rode a 5.3 Bowrider last Saturday. It was fitted with a 90HP 2 Stroke Merc. It maxed out at 43 MPH - conversion is approx 68kmph, it was dead flat and the boat was empty of equipment with I assume a very light fuel load however did have 4 adults on board. The boat was extremely stable, though I would recommend hydraulic steering as she drove at low speed like a brick. Overall I was very impressed by the boat. I currently have a 5.3 Centre Consul version on order. I have it powered by the 115 Suzuki 4 stroke, and have opted for hydraulic steer.
I cant wait till it arrives :):) :)

[TonyM]

Wheres the pics of the Poly Bikini girls #:P :P :P :P
Is that your boat in their ad in Fish and Boat ?
;) Suzis get better with more hours #8-)
Greg

Ahh the bikini girls... I thought I'd pick up Ingrid und Helga from the backpackers just down the road from my place 5to bring along their itsy bitsy bikinis and do a photo shoot, but the missus seemed to have issues with it :-? They are nice girls so I don't see the problem? :-/

I don't think it's my boat in the ad... hmmmm if it is I want some royalties! :D I Better check it out ;D

[TonyM]

Hey Tony you should have made Dan wear his thin shirt then he wouldn't have broken anything
cheers mate looks great ;D
Gus

Gus, g'day mate great to hear from you

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again - You are a very naughty boy! ;D

[TonyM]

Hey guys
In reference to the last post, I test rode a 5.3 Bowrider last Saturday. It was fitted with a 90HP 2 Stroke Merc. It maxed out at 43 MPH - conversion is approx 68kmph, it was dead flat and the boat was empty of equipment with I assume a very light fuel load however did have 4 adults on board. The boat was extremely stable, though I would recommend hydraulic steering as she drove at low speed like a brick. Overall I was very impressed by the boat. I currently have a 5.3 Centre Consul version on order. I have it powered by the 115 Suzuki 4 stroke, and have opted for hydraulic steer.
I cant wait till it arrives :):) :)

Good choice on the steering Norm. I find it a pain at slow speed without it, especially when docking. Basically I need to use both hands to turn the wheel at low speed and that sucks as I like to have one on the throttle when docking.

I think I'll have to bite the bullet and fit hydraulic, it's a shame as I thought of it prior to taking delivery and was advised standard should be fine (I disagree) that mnost likely means it will cost me more than if I'd done it up front >:(

Having said that, I think you'll be very happy with the boat when you get it!

[ABZ]

Hi Tony,
I see you have the Navman 5500 chartplotter. Is there any reason you didn't go for the 5500i which has an integrated antenna. I am looking at buying one of these models and the only difference i see is one has the externally mounted antenna and the 5500i is built in. Does one get a better signal than the other?

[TonyM]

Hi ABZ

I prefered the idea of having the flexibilty to move the Antenna should I ever decide to change the layout of the boat in the future (something I have a nasty habit of doing) :D

As it's an open boat I imagine the internal antena would do the job no worries, but I opted for a little overkill on all the basics where possible with this boat, and held off on the frilly bits until later (a lesson hard learnt)

[Panda]

Just bought a 4.55 m Polycraft myself. Got the big Toyota wheels on the trailor for going in sand. First launch had a devil of a time getting her off the trailor. She just stuck on the skids. Ended up having to reverse and stab the brakes many times to get her off. Next time wet the skids down before launching and found things a little easier, but not much. So then tried some "Mr Sheen" furnature wax in a spray can on the skids. Well the bloody thing launched itself! Luckily the trailor was close enough to the water when she took off. Nearly dragged my mate (holding the bow rope) into the water she took off so unexpectedly. Not sure how long the wax will stay on the skids as its only early days for me yet. But a word of warning. If you wax up the skids, dont unhook your winch till you are sure there is enough water under your boat for a safe launch.

[TonyM]

hehe I know what you mean Panda, I found it stubborn to get off the 1st time, then tried wd40 and it worked ok for 1 trip, then sprayed it with silicone spray, I too need to be ready with the rope #:D

The only real downside to have such slippery skids that has affected me is that when you drive on the boat wants to slide straight back off! I intend to fix that by installing an Ezi Clip (sp) - (I think that's the name), they grab the clip on the front of the boat when you drive on and then you just secure the chain and strap and off you go.