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Thread: Best boat for commuting

  1. #46
    Ausfish Silver Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    brisbane

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Quote Originally Posted by Chimo View Post
    We had food and drink so we had a good catch up and avoided the need to anchor which was the plan, initially!

    One even caught up on his sleep...Attachment 115043


    yeah sure chimo, it was all part of the plan... as ur quote says going fishing with you what could go wrong lol
    ill be somewhere up the creek, happy trails..

  2. #47
    Ausfish Silver Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    brisbane

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Quote Originally Posted by Chimo View Post
    We had food and drink so we had a good catch up and avoided the need to anchor which was the plan, initially!

    One even caught up on his sleep...Attachment 115043

    anchor? mate why take one you clearly dont need one in those pics lol
    ill be somewhere up the creek, happy trails..

  3. #48

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Quote Originally Posted by myusernam View Post
    bah. do it once at low tide with a good plotter and save the track. then just follow it. But I would invest in a nice size plotter.
    I would get an old 14 - 16 foot glass deep v - cruise craft 14 maybe or similar. get some clears made up, tiller steer or centre console, not bow steer for a better ride. (I always prefer tiller steer) with a seat with a high back. canopy (bow is fine) but with allround clears. I would hate to be getting wet all the time. I'd go the full water taxi treatment clears allround. tiller 50 tohatsu only 4.5k new. old glass dinger 1 or two grand, scratch proof. Decent battery to run the nav lights and for the auto bilge pump. Good led nav lights so you know they'll work every time. maybe foam fill under the floor. lockable tool box from supercheap. esky for the shopping. bolt / glass everything down so noone can tax. padlocks etc. all good.
    That sounds good. Thanks for the advice.

  4. #49

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Quote Originally Posted by Triple View Post
    Besides the navigational issues and time taken at night have you factored in if your even allowed to store the boat at the work dock? Boat security whilst its there? Change of weather when at work? The time it takes having to launch and retreive boat, park car etc (until you get your own spot at russell)? Motor and trailer flush/washdown after each trip when? Breakdown coverage? Does the missus have a car whilst yours is parked at the ramp with trailer? Etc etc
    Thanks. I have considered all that. I would do the flushdowns Monday mornings (surely that would be enough? The boat would only be in the water Friday midday to Sunday night)
    Hardly anyone uses the dock at the shopping centre anyway so three afternoons/evenings a week should be ok. As to security, I would padlock everything well.
    Missus won't need a car while landy is at the ramp. At worst, she could walk or ride to the ferry and take the mainland car parked at Redland Bay.
    The biggest concern would be a change of weather while at work and if it was too bad to pilot boat home in she could come down in the mainland car to pick me up. (or if I got something big enough I could sleep in the boat).
    Re: breakdowns... what do you guys do? Is there a water version of RACQ?

  5. #50

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Coastguard and vmr have memberships for free towing, unsure if they'd come out in the middle of a weeknight for a breakdown unless lives are in danger? Also don't know how strict they are but the pontoons at runaway bay shops have a 3hr berthing limit. Unsure if that stays outside of centre hours?
    Kids who Hunt and Fish, Don't Deal and Steal.

  6. #51

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Delivered groceries to Jacob's Well Marine Rescue today.
    $70 covers breakdowns/running out of fuel, etc, 24/7.

    BTW... love your signature, Triple... so true.

  7. #52

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Mate to be honest i'm worried for you. Driving a boat at night from Runaway Bay to Russel Island with little to no experience is risky. Boating at night is very different to boating in the day light especially on a new moon. You can't see crap floating in the water or unlit boats(believe me there are dickheads that do this) so your just crossing your fingers really that you don't hit anything. Distance's to beacon light's or anything that you focus on appear closer than what they really are and often blend together from a distance. Then try to do this when it's raining and blowing and you will really crap yourself. You will definitely need a good chart plotter you use as a reference but do not rely on it, and not look at where your going as sometimes they can be a little inaccurate. I say this because some of the channels are pretty narrow and get narrower at low tide. Not trying to scare you off it but if I were you I would not do the night trips until you are very competent at handling the boat and have done it many times in the daylight. And always wear your lifejacket when travelling in the dark.
    Darren

  8. #53

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Good points and thank you.
    Yes, I won't be attempting the trip at night until I am very familiar with the route.
    And I will b e keeping a close eye on the weather too. If it even looks like it might get a little bit rainy I will ferry and car the journey.
    Thanks.

  9. #54

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    not much that is different comes easy....lots of good advice here but...looking at the way your thinking in no time at all you will get the experience you need....its all about managing your risks ..and you seem to have some idea of that..good luck..

  10. #55

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Hello Wolfriver,

    Full marks for lateral thinking.
    Boat commute is much more attractive than ferry + road.
    My thoughts;
    Get a half cabin and sleep onboard until daylight and then drive home.
    Night travel is great fun but is risky, I would rate collision as the number one peril.
    There are those who sit in the channel with no lights, I know, I nearly ran over a tinny one night.
    I just happened to see the flare of the cigarette lighter before I hit them.
    16 foot glass boat 20 knots V 12 foot tinny = fatalities.
    I was very rattled.
    Then there is the risk of you getting run over, some of the ##### boats go very fast and being by yourself you cannot look in all directions.

    Security at the pontoon???

    Cost
    I measure 36 nautical mile round trip.(Depends on where on Russell I. you live).
    = abt. 36 litres of fuel for an old school half cabin = abt. $50.00.
    I hope that the job pays enough to cover that.
    Where are you going to refuel?

  11. #56

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Thanks for your thoughts and advice guys.
    Crocodile... did you have spotties on when you almost hit the tinnie?
    Is that fuel estimate for a 2-stroke, or 4-stroke? And how many HP?

    An old chap told me yesterday I would be better off with a 25HP motor fuel-wise.

    It would cost about $50 to do the round trip on the ferry and driving down the M1 (which in my opinion surely would be more dangerous than the water with all the idiots on the road I see everyday).
    Plus the road route would take a lot longer especially during peak hours.

    Ironically my job means I drive the route in the Coles truck anyway (delivering people's groceries all the way up to Cleveland from Runaway Bay). But by then I am getting paid to get stuck in traffic

  12. #57

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Hello Wolfriver,

    No spotties, mark one eyeball only( this was 40 years ago!)
    On your budget we are talking 2 stroke.
    2 strokes have very limited charging power, typically about 6 amp, this may run an LED spottie, I don't know.
    On a 15 foot half cabin you need a minimum of 50hp so forget the 25hp.
    As for following a GPS track at night;
    Even on dim the GPS screen will destroy your night vision, a very bad thing.
    A front mounted spottie might work in calm seas but any pitching in waves and the light goes up and down and may not be practical.
    It would also dazzle the hell out of any others anchored or travelling, not making friends.
    If you switch it off as a courtesy, instantly no night vision, a very bad thing.
    Hand held spottie is easy, but you need to navigate and steer and keep lookout at the same time, like juggling kittens and chainsaws.
    Concentrating on the GPS means not keeping an adequate lookout and possibly getting rundown by a faster boat from astern.
    I know from experience that when there is a moon it is very easy and good fun, but on a dark night or rain it would very scary indeed.
    As for duration of the trip, at say 18 knots about an hour which is very easy.
    If there is chop an old school 15 footer will be reduced to 6 knot at times.
    I know that it is sheltered and that a lot of the trip will be behind the islands but it is a long stretch from Runaway Bay up to Tullen I. and that could easily add an hour to the trip when choppy. Rough seas at night can be very character building.
    I expect that after you have done the run a few times it will become much easier navigation wise but the other challenges remain.
    I have worked long shifts and it is sometimes very hard to wind-down and relax and then go to sleep, your trip home would be very stimulating and would not encourage going to sleep. But then, your metabolism is different to mine.
    That is why I suggest sleeping until dawn and then making the run.
    I suggest doing the run in another boat before you spend $$$$ and imagine what it would be like in the dark and in adverse conditions.
    Which part of Russell I. do you live at and how far to the boat ramp/ jetty or beach.?
    Think about refuelling. 3 X 36 = 108 litres. Too much for jerries or will you call into Runaway B. Marina to fill up every day?
    Can you buy petrol on the island?
    What about security at Russell I.? are you leaving the boat in the water or at a private jetty or just sitting on the beach?
    Unattended boats are a magnet for thieves.
    A half cabin without full covers can fill up and sink in a few hours of heavy rain.
    Auto bilge pumps need plenty of battery power.
    I am not being negative but you need to consider all eventualities.
    On the other hand, How hard can it be? and What can possibly go wrong?

  13. #58

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Just thinking out loud here maybe you would be better off with say an open fiberglass runabout my thoughts being they are generally a bit lighter than a half cabin meaning less horsies needed to get up an going i used to have a 14ft with a 30hp 2stroke it aould easily got up over 20knots and i had canopy with storm clears it was basically a cabin. Other reason being imo they have much more visibillity of the water.

    Maybe bolt a toolbox to the floor to store what you wouldnt want stolen.

    Maybe put a solid point on the boat you could then chain it 2 the dock.

    Definitely need a good auto bilge pump but easy to do get a decent deep cycle battery and a reaonable solar panel itll chargen all day and with the motor charging should well an truly be able to run a couple of good led spot lights.






    Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

  14. #59

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Great info. Thanks.

    Currently I am thinking of going large (16-20').
    I saw a nice full cabin (19') with a 50HP outboard on Ebay which sold for $6500.

    The good thing is that I am in no rush so will be hopefully able to trial a few different boats and get plenty of more good advice before I buy.

    The house is positioned slightly closer to the mid-island ramp on the eastern side than the ferry end so hope to launch from there and hire a low-tide-useable berth there 3 days a week... unload off the ramp Friday, off to work, return and berth, repeat journey Saturday and Sunday, pull out of water Monday morning, flush motor and store boat under awning on house until the next Friday.

  15. #60

    Re: Best boat for commuting

    Quote Originally Posted by WolfRiver View Post
    Great info. Thanks.

    Currently I am thinking of going large (16-20').
    I saw a nice full cabin (19') with a 50HP outboard on Ebay which sold for $6500.

    The good thing is that I am in no rush so will be hopefully able to trial a few different boats and get plenty of more good advice before I buy.

    The house is positioned slightly closer to the mid-island ramp on the eastern side than the ferry end so hope to launch from there and hire a low-tide-useable berth there 3 days a week... unload off the ramp Friday, off to work, return and berth, repeat journey Saturday and Sunday, pull out of water Monday morning, flush motor and store boat under awning on house until the next Friday.

    A 19 foot half cab with a 50 hp,I am glad you are in no rush. I really believe you need to spend some time mucking about in boats and the area before even thinking about this.

    Rash

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