Cross over boat

[Eug]

keep em coming, i'm interested also as i've been keeping an eye out for the future with similar criteria to yourself.

i always end up back at polycraft, unfortunately i dislike the ability to customise. galeforce is another i've been eying off but again the glass worries me with rockbars, etc.

[NAGG]

got to be glass... do you plan on hitting things???

I always do

Chris

[NAGG]

This is a interesting comment & it would be good to hear the bad experience????

Not my place ....... but it was not good

Chris

[NAGG]

Just remember that if you are crossing Moreton Bay regularly then an wide light tincan under 6m is going to cause a world of hurt. I would put up with a few grazes and let a keelguard earn its keep. It all depends on what you really want most out of the boat.

Hi Horse

Yeh the bay can b e a bitch ...... I still remember my introduction back in the 90's - A client too me fishing out of Redcliff & ended up at Tangalooma drinking at the bar ...... A calm morning turned into a horrid afternoon as we spent 3 hrs heading back in a washing machine ...... even in a 5.5M plate CC it was a shocker.
But no , thats not the plan . The boat will be mostly used as my hornet is ( Estuary ,river & dams) - but I want something that at a pinch can wiz around the front of curtis Is or out to Mud - or chase tuna if the day is right without taking green water over the front deck. Ideally the boat will be faster to allow a big run up the inside of Curtis , Hinchinbrook or down the big river of the top end ( places where a 40km run is normal)

Chris

[NAGG]

keep em coming, i'm interested also as i've been keeping an eye out for the future with similar criteria to yourself.

i always end up back at polycraft, unfortunately i dislike the ability to customise. galeforce is another i've been eying off but again the glass worries me with rockbars, etc.

In essence it will be a tournament style boat ...... that does not act like a submarine ( so not really a typical top ender)

Chris

[GBC]

Glass will stand up better to impact and be cheaper to repair than ally imho.

Have a look at a 542 signature centre console. Nothing it won't do.

Mine's happy chasing lizards down the pin then blasting out through the bar for an overnight outside session. Weighs about 1.6t so tows well too.

It only does 40 knots with a 135, but the good news is they're rated to 150.

[NAGG]

Glass will stand up better to impact and be cheaper to repair than ally imho.

Have a look at a 542 signature centre console. Nothing it won't do.

Mine's happy chasing lizards down the pin then blasting out through the bar for an overnight outside session. Weighs about 1.6t so tows well too.

It only does 40 knots with a 135, but the good news is they're rated to 150.

Thanks GBC - Agree , the latest technology is pretty impressive ........ So I'm not discounting glass

Chris

[Giveitacrack]

I guess opinions of "crossover"vary.Anyway here is mine....based on a plate alloy 5.0 m.
1.Casting platform at least at the front and possibly at the back no less than 500mm below the sidedecks.High decks are good for estuarys only.
2.Live well @110 litre
3.Live bait tank.
4.Fullpod to deflect any chop or swell whilst at rest or drifting.
5.On the main deck enough freeboard to lean against for deep jigging etc.
6.Swivel seating for baitsoaking.
7.Bowmount fitted.
8.100+ L fueltank
My preference for this would be a 90-115 hp 5.0 m side console with a rod locker fitted snuggly up the port side not protruding the witdth of the side deck.I think all bases are covered here....fish a bream tourny one day go offshore jigging the next.Versatile rig i think.

GAC

[Steve B]

Nothing made of alfoil that will rattle your teeth out.
Nothing with a mamby pamby pinko lezzo commo marketing name on it.
Nothing too heavy.
Nothing too flashy...as a general rule if the upholstery has more than 2 colours, then it cant handle any sort of sea.
No silly carpeted yankee catfish skateboards. You need a tub not a balance beam.

Maybe something with some fwd protection, even a small cabin.

yeah a 4.6-5m glass cuddy. Does everything.

I sold a 5m makocraft frenzy 'cross over' boat which I loved...greatest plate boat I could ask for..just a bit big for my needs. Sold it for a ' yanky catfish skateboard' and have never looked back. I have had the Triton bass boat in some ugly water and it hammers over the top of it at pace lovely. Has all the space, storage and fishability that I need. It is really suprising where and how you can use these allegedly soft gay bass boats.!!!!

Cheers steve

[NAGG]

I sold a 5m makocraft frenzy 'cross over' boat which I loved...greatest plate boat I could ask for..just a bit big for my needs. Sold it for a ' yanky catfish skateboard' and have never looked back. I have had the Triton bass boat in some ugly water and it hammers over the top of it at pace lovely. Has all the space, storage and fishability that I need. It is really suprising where and how you can use these allegedly soft gay bass boats.!!!!

Cheers steve

thats a nice ride of yours Stavros ........ these style of boats do pretty well - just a bit too pretty for me!!!
see you in a couple of days ...... you can look out for feathers !

Chris

[Jarrah Jack]

Those Galeforce are nice boats but if your heading up to the big rivers up north then glass would be out of the question for me, especially if you want to keep it looking good. The roads are a mess, especially just after the wet which happens to be the best barra time. Rockbars snags moving sandbars, shallow river mouths, increasing boat traffic, no facilities at most ramps for tying up. The list goes on.

I like the GS's and even though there is not a lot of deadrise they handle the chop surprising well. I think they are starting to make them again although secondhand would be better.

[krazyfisher]

on the whole glass vs ali thing, my thought is...
how do you remove a dint in ali? you can never really fix a crack? what do you do about stone chips(I have seen some badly chipped tin boats)?
atleast glass can be repaired back to new condition. I have now had 2 glass creek boats over the last 3 years and never had a problem, I should get a keel guard but just got to get around to it and for the price I can get a glass strip put on or repairs done for the same price.

any if you want to bash into rocks and drag your boat up on ramps and mistreat it than poly would be the go for me.

Between poly for tuffness and glass for ride I just dont see the place for the ck tinny any more

[NAGG]

on the whole glass vs ali thing, my thought is...
how do you remove a dint in ali? you can never really fix a crack? what do you do about stone chips(I have seen some badly chipped tin boats)?
atleast glass can be repaired back to new condition. I have now had 2 glass creek boats over the last 3 years and never had a problem, I should get a keel guard but just got to get around to it and for the price I can get a glass strip put on or repairs done for the same price.

any if you want to bash into rocks and drag your boat up on ramps and mistreat it than poly would be the go for me.

Between poly for tuffness and glass for ride I just dont see the place for the ck tinny any more

I dont really want to buy into the glass Vs plate / tinny debate ...... & as I've said I'm keeping my mind open

The concern for me with a glass boat is that chip & scrapes will be inevitable ....... Yes they can be repaired to bring them back to new like condition but you really need to do it straight away to avoid water ingress if the damage is deep enough . Both my tinnies that I have owned have ended up in some horrible locations at times - I would have crapped myself if it was a glass boat .
Regardless though - I'll put my list together , then have a close look at each before going for a spin in them ........ I'll certainly be doing my research as spending this kind of coin I will want to get it right.

chris

[PADDLES]

what we're doing is bringing up the age old debate of which allrounder to buy that can be towed by a corolla, will fit up a 12 foot wide drain, tow the kids on a tube, fish the shelf and then be nice to spend 5 nights on at tangas in the school holidays. the harsh reality is that boat doesn't exist.

i think you're being a bit unrealistic with your expectations, you want a 5m boat that will be good up the estuaries and tight water, can be dragged across a rock bar without damage, and then do high speed across the open water on a rough day whilst staying nice and dry and it just doesn't make sense. the only thing that might even come close would be one of those polycraft 530 bowriders and it'd still be wetter than a hookers undies, maybe any 5m glass cuddy would do the job if you were willing to stop runing into rocks.

there is nothing without compromise, the only real solution is having 2 boats, a cheap 13 foot tinny for the creeks and a 6m plus heavy glass boat for the open water, that's what i've done and the big boat is still krap for fishing out of, but nice to sleep on.

[Eug]

just a comment to promote further discussion. while i agree with keeping options open in regards to glass vs tinny, where does budget sit in the equation? i know when i buy things i set a budget and stick to it, give or take 10% or so. if it means going to a lesser vehicle but getting all the goodies or going for a new item but getting the dealer warranty, but with no extras.

too many times i've said: "for an extra $5k i can get the leather seats and better sound system" only to say: "and for another $2k i can get the bullbar, etc." when really all i wanted was a tow vehicle to begin with. me personally, i like to get the best possible base to build on knowing full well that i'll be changing things as i get accustomed to the new boat/car so while i may not enjoy it immediately i can bide my time waiting for bargains to come up and figure out how to position things.

just my two cents
cheers
eug