Insulated Fish Bag vs esky and boat contents review

[Brettoh]

Long post, Im in rambling mode.

Im in a constant state of flux trying to customise the boat to make it more practical to use.
Having owned it for just over 6 months It was time for a review.

With under bed storage, huge amounts under seat storage I have discovered how much shit we have loaded the boat up with. it seems as if we have found something to put in every available place. would you believe we discovered 3 sets of "ëmergency" clothing tucked away? Add that to the gas cooker, frypan, saucepan, about 20 pair of gloves, 3 extra anchor ropes, 2 spare rock picks and an emergency sand anchor, tools, 13 pair of fish pliers ugh the list goes on. I dont know how we did it but I have to come up with a system so we dont repeat. No wonder my economy has been getting progressively worse..lol

But the main reason for posting is the need to remove floor clutter. We have a "day bed"which clips onto the the gunwhale. Its pretty good, narrow but still wide enough to have a lie down or somewhere to sit and re rig. Its also narrow enough to still fish over that side of the boat without too much problem. The negative point is that it take up enough floorspace to make things cramped with the fish esky in the same area. We drift fish a lot and sometimes there is only a few minutes between engines-on and motoring back for another drift and it is a bit of an obstacle course moving back to the helm with the esky on the way, especially when the seas are a little lumpy and often I am out on the duckboard at the back making the quick dash to the front of the boat again.

I wondered about getting one of those insulated fish bags. It would neatly fit underneath the day bed leaving the rest of the floor open.
How do they compare to an esky from a performance standpoint? Ive been unable to find many comparison tests between eskys and bags or bag vs bag for that matter>

its not uncommon for us to do an overnighter and given the boat is aluminium its going to be the same temperature as the surrounding water as a minimum so the insulating properties would need to be good.

There are a few different brands of fish bags out there, are some better insulated than others or are they pretty much the same? Any advise which ones to consider or features to look for?

pictures for added interest.

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[NAGG]

Those insulated fish bags are only as good as your ability to keep ice up to them .

They were designed for oversize fish like tuna / mackerel where you go out for the day , catch your fish - put it in the bag which is full of ice ( 2,3,4 bags) & head home - It just allows you to keep the fish cool & hydrated rather than having it sit on a deck in the sun for a day - they are a revelation though as some are up to 2m long .

They work & do a job but dont compare to a typical insulated esky ....... that said , they are foldable & can be kept out of the way problem is where is your ice being stored ?

One thing is that fish spines can & do puncture them .

I thought about buying a 150cm Chiller bag but ended up just going with a bigger 158lt mackerel box ......

Chris

PS - Brett If that was my boat - I would redesign the skippers chair to allow a large split lid ice box to be slid into place (260 lt IceyTek)

[Brettoh]

PS - Brett If that was my boat - I would redesign the skippers chair to allow a large split lid ice box to be slid into place (260 lt IceyTek)

I was thinking the same thing. I had a quick look for a box that was taller rather than longer. Im really trying to maximise free space to move around. Ill take a look at the firm you suggested

Thanks for the heads up re the durability of the fish bags. I think , fortunately I will have an almost unlimited supply of Ice and was thinking I could pretty much head out with it full and shed Ice as needed to fit the fish into the bag...lol Based on my ability as a fisho I will rarely end up with a low ice to fish ratio....lol

cheers

[blacklab]

ppppppppppppppppppp

[NAGG]

I was thinking the same thing. I had a quick look for a box that was taller rather than longer. Im really trying to maximise free space to move around. Ill take a look at the firm you suggested

Thanks for the heads up re the durability of the fish bags. I think , fortunately I will have an almost unlimited supply of Ice and was thinking I could pretty much head out with it full and shed Ice as needed to fit the fish into the bag...lol Based on my ability as a fisho I will rarely end up with a low ice to fish ratio....lol

cheers

Split lid gives you the opportunity to have a good deal of the esky under your bum - about half (approx 775mm needing to be clear for opening )

The 260lt box (split lid) is 1550mm in length -
How much fishing space would you lose on the current set up ? - keep in mind that the opening end could also have a cushion & become a seat .

Chris

[Mopheus]

Icey Tek iceboxes are quality kit. I have two of the smaller ones (split lid 70L) and am very happy with the fit, finish and icekeeping. There are no doubt better coolers around but for a combination of looks, design, materials, functionality etc they're right up there IMO.

The chill bags are great provided you use them right - folded up out of the way until you need them, then dump ice across from a proper icebox as and when you have fish to add. They'll keep fish superbly for half a day or so (depending on temps) but don't have the longevity of an icebox.

[Brettoh]

Split lid gives you the opportunity to have a good deal of the esky under your bum - about half (approx 775mm needing to be clear for opening )

The 260lt box (split lid) is 1550mm in length -
How much fishing space would you lose on the current set up ? - keep in mind that the opening end could also have a cushion & become a seat .

Chris

I lose too much space that could be better utilised
I need to remove the existing seat boxes. The ones on the passenger side are both plumbed to be used as live bait tanks. I dont need or use them as I now have a live bait tank and bait station on the transom> They seem to have become a magnet for carrying crap..lol
My intention is to have our 45 ltr fridge under the passenger seat and a cooler under the helm seat. The existing boxes are too low where they extend behind the seats and act as tripping points >
I think a cooler, even if longer but one which can double as a seat might be the way to go

[disorderly]

Keeping the catch in prime condition is a challenge more so for us Qld guys then the fellas from down south...

I personally wouldnt bother with a fish bag, as mentioned it will burn through the ice like nothing up here...

man those seat boxes sure are a huge waste of space for your deck arent they..

We put an 80l fridge freezer under the passenger seat and I have a lithium and a semi flexible solar panel for the hardtop..our reasoning for that is we can keep the bait frozen and just take out what we need, we can keep a heap of ice in there or if we want we can fillet any spanish, cobia, tuna etc and bag them and put in the freezer....we looked at lots of different models to find one that was more high then wide or long to have a smaller footprint..

With a split lid esky under the other seat you would be laughing freeing up all that deck space...

That removeable day bed is a ripper I have been thinking of similar for a third person so they dont have to sleep on the actual deck..does it fold down or can you remove it entirely..?

20210815_153102.jpg

[TheGurn]

Couple of things I found necessary in a smaller tinny to make life bearable.

I made 3 removable eskies to fit in hatches. A small one for bait or food (not both... usually take a kilo of prawns to nibble on out of this one).
A bigger one for drinkies,
and a bigger one again for fish. The small one has thin ally angle rivetted around the top edge to sit on the hatch 'lip' while allowing storage beneath. All hatch lids are insulted to act as the esky lids. I'm not likely to catch a fish bigger than the fish esky, but I'd happily call it a day after just one if I ever did.

The next thing was to have a specific box with everything needed for each style of fishing. Bait/hard bodies/plastics etc with scissors,knife, leader etc in each box. All under hatches. Most often there's only one box out at any time.
I still have the usual emergency clothing, first aid kit, toot paper,rain coats, anchors, safety gear etc stowed away.

Then I sat my deckie mates down and told them some rules.
Everything goes in my eskies.
No bags, buckets, tackle boxes, eskies, big tubs of sunscreen ad nauseum. They use my gear. (They throw in some $$ to restock every few trips without asking... petrol is free)
I got sick of trying to cast around rods sticking out of every damn holder and avoiding tangles, so one rod only for river, 2 for reef. (They always missed the bite on the second rod anyway).

They still stir me and call me a pedantic old prick, but agree trips are so much less frustrating. None have refused an invite at least. Lol

The only things on my deck now are feet. Just the way I like it.

Cheers
Gurn

[NAGG]

Sorry for the hijack .

I've literally turned my boat into a big ice box

125lt seat box (usually used as dry storage for gear / tackle ) 125 lt seat box.jpg

75Lt split under the transom - food , drinks & ice 75lt split.jpg

158 Lt mackerel box in front of the console - Fish & Ice 158lt Engel .jpg
Which also extends the casting deck

Oh & there is a 22lt bait esky that sits in the walk through - something that is now a typical inclusion for Barcrusher owners Dometic 22lt.jpg

Totally agree on decluttering the cockpit

Chris

[Brettoh]

Keeping the catch in prime condition is a challenge more so for us Qld guys then the fellas from down south...



That removeable day bed is a ripper I have been thinking of similar for a third person so they dont have to sleep on the actual deck..does it fold down or can you remove it entirely..?

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It jusr clips over the gunwhale handrail and sits on the floor. Can be moved to either side




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[NAGG]

It jusr clips over the gunwhale handrail and sits on the floor. Can be moved to either side




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That's awesome

I'd love something like that on my boat but just dont have the length - just have to rely on clip together mats & self inflating mattress to sleep on the floor

Chris

[Brettoh]

That's awesome

I'd love something like that on my boat but just dont have the length - just have to rely on clip together mats & self inflating mattress to sleep on the floor

Chris

And this is where it gets interesting. I plan to put the fridge under the passenger seat but with the bed there I will not be able to move the fridge back to get access to the door so will have to leave enough room towards the forward bulkhead so can pull the fridge forward in front of the seat. The addition of a large esky under the helm seat will see it take up more space for the bed to be able to fit on that side now. UGH
How can I get the features of a 30ft boat in a 20 ft boat...???lol

[Dignity]

And this is where it gets interesting. I plan to put the fridge under the passenger seat but with the bed there I will not be able to move the fridge back to get access to the door so will have to leave enough room towards the forward bulkhead so can pull the fridge forward in front of the seat. The addition of a large esky under the helm seat will see it take up more space for the bed to be able to fit on that side now. UGH
How can I get the features of a 30ft boat in a 20 ft boat...???lol

Buy a 30 ft boat a d tell your partner its only 20 ft.

[BigE]

Icey Tek 160ltr split lids ...good gear

BigE