considered opinion

[landy1]

G'day all
further to my previous post on pre purchase ponderings i want to know wether a 12 foot punt would be adequate for Hinze, Maroon, Somerset and poking around the Jumpinpin area. Obviously I wont be visiting Harry Atkinson in it but would such a small tinny be okay for these other island/impoundment areas.
cheers
Michael kelly

[Ron_Collins]

Hi Landy1

There's an old saying in boating: "There's no substitute for length."

But I can't see you having any problems operating a 12-footer in the areas you've mentioned. There are plenty of other places that come to mind, providing it's not blowing a gale, such as Wello reef, Ormiston trenches, Coochiemudlo etc, etc.

BNB Fishing operates a 4m blunt-nosed punt-style tinnie, and that's a mere foot longer than what you're contemplating.

We fished four up on Somerset late last Sunday afternoon on a "social" outing and did it in style. Even caught fish, the first AB 30 seconds after wetting a lure. More on this in the May edition.

Hope this helps a little in the deliberation process. Ron Collins.


PS: Heath from the Gold Coast has a good and comprehensive summary of how he and his crew finally decided on a Cruise Craft Explorer 600 over a Bar Crusher 6.1 in the April edition of BNB Fishing. Reading that may also help. RC.

[NQCairns]

Hi Landy 1, I have visited with a boat and with a wind surfer at somerset as well all of those locations you mentioned in your post and have noted in you ponderings post that this will be your first rig. IMHO Please dont buy a square nosed punt for anthing more than narrow river travel. I have owned one with a 6 on the back when I was aged 10 to 16 and I took it to places I would not venture now in it (open bays, wide lakes etc) and can remember cutting 50% of our trips short because it was a punt, but anyway a square nosed punt will not cut it at the Pin nor Somerset, trust me! I have had numerous fishing trips where geting back to the ramp in a 14+foot deep V tinny with a 40hp that was throttled back and splitting waves (punching through) all the way back nothing very scary but it would have been in my old Toppercraft punt. A person just cannot predict SE QLD weather well enough to be sure that it will be the same or just a bit more windy when you go home as when you left the ramp. Go to a standard V nose tinny 12foot as minimum and you will enjoy yourself much more and end up with more and far better days on the water to look back on. There are a lot of these out there and in your budget. NQcairns

[Big_Kev]

Mate go with the V nose for sure .
And the biggest that you can afford.
Cheers Reel

[landy1]

G'day all
thanks for your replies guys, what sort of difference in draft is there between a square nose and a v nose. Will a deep v style limit the depth i can negotiate, ie. sneaking up over shallows and into shallow creeks that we cant reach in my mates runabout. Also are the v nose boats as suitable for casting platforms in the front for the fly gear, and do they need more power/thrust from an electric over a flat bottom punt.
cheers
Michael kelly

[NQCairns]

Hi again, on either the outboard leg even tilted up on shallow drive will stop you moving foreward before the hull will. The v will not have the stability of the punt nor the room but people have been casting lures from small v hulls for 40 or more years, I have done my share as well and still have to experience falling down or over. Nqcairns

[Big_Muddie]

Michael,

There are many opinions about punts vs V-nose hulls, and here's mine.

First up, I have fished Somerset, Maroon and Leslie Dams and now spend almost all of my time at the Pin - sneaking into very shallow creeks and over sandflats. I have been in some rough weather at the Pin and while it has been wild I have always felt that I was in control and not in any danger. Common sense plays a BIG part in being that way.

I have Quintrex 4.2M Explorer - a V-Bow punt. It is equipped with a 40HP Yammie 4-stroke, side console and forward steering. Although that's marginally bigger than 12ft, it's close enough. I have been a passenger in a 3.75M Explorer and felt just as safe.

I wouldn't recommend a square nose punt for the places you mention, and certainly not for the Pin. The Explorer can be a little bone jarring in heavy going but a square nose would be bone breaking I think.

Having said that, a V-nose standard hull would probably get you into most of the places I get into, however their stability at rest for things like fly work is questionable, particularly the older variety.

My opinion only - but from experience with v-bow punts.

[afro]

Might be a bit more expensive than a standard hull but a 4m hornet, will mean you have everything your after. Good ride, excellent stability, and doesn't draw much water. Id never go back to a v-nose, well worth the extra money.
Cheers, Justin