what boat will perform better

[up the creek]

hi ausfishers

i got a 18 hp tohatsu and i want to put it on a boat and get maximum grunt as ill have missus esky fish gear and 2 dogs lol hope u dont tell me to get a 30hp as i got no cash to upgrade atm.. im tossing up between a 355 savage gull and a 375 savage snipe could do similar in quintrex etc..
reasons for smaller of them is weight well only a few kgs lighter and maybe dragging it up on the beach when camping etc minus is less room..
all that answers itself but what i dont know about is things like the hull, planning, deadrise i think yous talk about etc.. so is there much difference in the hull shape that will help get max ponies? and any other thoughts anyone has in regards to this choice i cant decide..

thanks..

[boehm95]

A lot of things come into play when choosing the boat for you.

What kind of fishing are you planning on doing? Where do you plan on taking it? Are you planning on crabbing? By the time you add all the aforementioned plus crabbing gear it will become a bit tight.
I had a 3.5m tinny not all too long ago, my brother and I, couple rods and crabbing gear and it was a bit small, that's without dogs and esky.. It may be worth the sacrifice on speed for the room.

If you want to upgrade to a 30 in the future, get a boat that will handle that. I think a 355 will get a bit bogged down on the back with a 30 and not sure there's many 355s rated for that. Bear in mind you can exceed the rating and many people do even without exceeding he transom weight rating, this will void your insurance and the other thing is whether the complete hull is made to take the extra power when the odd lift from a wave comes and slaps down etc.

I'm the size I would look at prolines, pretty sure you can get them about 2k for a 399, in the size and outboard you probably won't want to be taking it offshore unless glassy so no need for the deeper v tinnies, a flatter bottom will give added stability at rest. I can't personally say the ride and stability etc in the prolines but have heard they are good.

Alternatively, a Sea Jay but they're a few more dollars, I have one and cannot fault it though.

I think in the size you are looking at, the 18HP will be fine, I used a 3HP on my 3.5 and upgraded to an 8 and was happy with performance.

Currently with my 4.2 I have a 40 and the conditions are often at the point where full throttle isn't quite necessary.

Bear in mind upgrading to a 30HP you will really only see the extra HP up top and top speed, perhaps a bit better out of the hole too, it may not be worth the upgrade depending on the hull you choose.

I would sacrifice speed for ride and comfort any day of the week, so I would choose a hull based on that.

Out of the boats listed, I would go the 375, it doesn't seem a lot bigger, but remember when adding size to a boat it's in the middle, not at the front so 20cm can make a fair difference.

That's my two bobs worth, take it or leave it.


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[scottar]

Go the Snipe - it's a bigger boat all round and what you lose in performance to weight you may well get back due to waterline length. Given the load you want to stick in it the extra room certainly won't hurt. The Gull is only rated to 15hp as well whereas the Snipe is 20hp so a bit of room for an upgrade if you are not happy with performance.

[oldie]

a 385 explorer or F390 explorer will handle that 18hp with you and maybe a mate onboard no rocket ship but a great size tinny with good stability and plenty of room, and as said above you could update the HP later on in life, i've personally fished in a 399 proline with a 15hp Yamaha my brother, my dad, my young bloke and me no problem whilst we had to lean forward to get up on the plane it handled all of us no worries. Good luck with what you choose

[fishwpa]

I would go the biggest length you can go within your budget while still pushing you along. If running up and down river/creek is performance really that important?

[up the creek]

thanks guys.. i think 1 thing clear by your replies is that the extra room is more important and i will not lose much ponies.. and i guess even though i only can afford my 18hp for now if i went a 375 or 390 explorer as yous have said i can when i can afford it upgrade to a 30hp later and problem solved..

[up the creek]

I would go the biggest length you can go within your budget while still pushing you along. If running up and down river/creek is performance really that important?

yup i will be mainly going up rivers passages etc not going outside.. i dont mind losing top speed i just want it to at least get up on the plane or i might as well just hire a hire boat lol..

[up the creek]

A lot of things come into play when choosing the boat for you.

What kind of fishing are you planning on doing? Where do you plan on taking it? Are you planning on crabbing? By the time you add all the aforementioned plus crabbing gear it will become a bit tight.
I had a 3.5m tinny not all too long ago, my brother and I, couple rods and crabbing gear and it was a bit small, that's without dogs and esky.. It may be worth the sacrifice on speed for the room.

If you want to upgrade to a 30 in the future, get a boat that will handle that. I think a 355 will get a bit bogged down on the back with a 30 and not sure there's many 355s rated for that. Bear in mind you can exceed the rating and many people do even without exceeding he transom weight rating, this will void your insurance and the other thing is whether the complete hull is made to take the extra power when the odd lift from a wave comes and slaps down etc.

I'm the size I would look at prolines, pretty sure you can get them about 2k for a 399, in the size and outboard you probably won't want to be taking it offshore unless glassy so no need for the deeper v tinnies, a flatter bottom will give added stability at rest. I can't personally say the ride and stability etc in the prolines but have heard they are good.

Alternatively, a Sea Jay but they're a few more dollars, I have one and cannot fault it though.

I think in the size you are looking at, the 18HP will be fine, I used a 3HP on my 3.5 and upgraded to an 8 and was happy with performance.

Currently with my 4.2 I have a 40 and the conditions are often at the point where full throttle isn't quite necessary.

Bear in mind upgrading to a 30HP you will really only see the extra HP up top and top speed, perhaps a bit better out of the hole too, it may not be worth the upgrade depending on the hull you choose.

I would sacrifice speed for ride and comfort any day of the week, so I would choose a hull based on that.

Out of the boats listed, I would go the 375, it doesn't seem a lot bigger, but remember when adding size to a boat it's in the middle, not at the front so 20cm can make a fair difference.

That's my two bobs worth, take it or leave it.


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definately like what you say i did want the 375 or around that with more room and i can always in 6 months save and upgrade to a 30hp thanks.

[up the creek]

a 385 explorer or F390 explorer will handle that 18hp with you and maybe a mate onboard no rocket ship but a great size tinny with good stability and plenty of room, and as said above you could update the HP later on in life, i've personally fished in a 399 proline with a 15hp Yamaha my brother, my dad, my young bloke and me no problem whilst we had to lean forward to get up on the plane it handled all of us no worries. Good luck with what you choose

seeing how its help you all have said upgrade hp later it would be wise to get the better boat now and i have looked at the explorer range and do like what i see nice and wide and im told will be stable which the missus would love and as im not going outside i should consider that.. thanks

[up the creek]

Go the Snipe - it's a bigger boat all round and what you lose in performance to weight you may well get back due to waterline length. Given the load you want to stick in it the extra room certainly won't hurt. The Gull is only rated to 15hp as well whereas the Snipe is 20hp so a bit of room for an upgrade if you are not happy with performance.

thats the decisive factor i thought also go the room i need and upgrade later thanks for confirming that...

[boehm95]

18HP outboard as long as set up well, I cannot see for any reason not getting you on the plane. As long as you keep the cav plate aligned to the bottom of the hull or even an inch above it should plane.
Play around with the trim settings, see what works. Watch the prop for cavitation / air / slipping. You can buy tachos on eBay for $8 search other forums on how to use. Essentially a bike tacho, take a reading and compare to your owners manual on revs at wot. Then look up upgrading your prop. If you can increase pitch and maintain appropriate revs you will see a higher top speed as it is.
There's plenty of things you can do before lashing out the dollars on a 30. Lenco trim tabs are also something to look at. For the size boat you are looking at $269 a pair for self-levelling and could help. If not a foil can be beneficial also.


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[up the creek]

18HP outboard as long as set up well, I cannot see for any reason not getting you on the plane. As long as you keep the cav plate aligned to the bottom of the hull or even an inch above it should plane.
Play around with the trim settings, see what works. Watch the prop for cavitation / air / slipping. You can buy tachos on eBay for $8 search other forums on how to use. Essentially a bike tacho, take a reading and compare to your owners manual on revs at wot. Then look up upgrading your prop. If you can increase pitch and maintain appropriate revs you will see a higher top speed as it is.
There's plenty of things you can do before lashing out the dollars on a 30. Lenco trim tabs are also something to look at. For the size boat you are looking at $269 a pair for self-levelling and could help. If not a foil can be beneficial also.


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kool boehm thanks for all the info its very helpful.. i also am hoping if set up right as you say an 18hp will get me up on the plane i dont have $2700.00 for a 30hp atm and id lose money trading my brand new 18hp so i do hope it will do the trick as i said i dont want a speed boat i just want to go a few kilometres up the river and not take all day to get there..

[boehm95]

No problems mate, there's people around with a lot more knowledge than me, but I would go a bigger model and put the 18 on, get mounting height right first. Then look at tabs.

The only time I've had a painfully slow boat was a 3.5m tinny with 300kg of cargo including my brother and I, with a 3HP yammy. Same boat and load, 8HP Johnson and it would plane, as long as weight shifted forward.

Make sure you spread the weight out, you don't want to bog the transom down, trim tabs will be the greatest advantage here. Hydrofoils can be as disadvantageous as they are advantageous at times. Can affect the handling of the craft poorly as well, it takes a while playing around until you get it right. But trim tabs and new prop will set you back say around $600, better than $2700 in my books.


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[upstart]

I used to have a 3.75m Stessco with a yammie 20hp on it. Was a top little boat with plenty of power. The Stessco had really high sides compared to some other tinnies so it felt quite roomy.

[boehm95]

Upvote high side tinnies. Have a high side sea jay and it seems huge for a 4.2


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