Hi Fellas and after some boat advice.

[cobby]

Mariners are just Mercury's with a different colour cowl.

[Mattblack]

and to confuse you more...did you want to use the boat to ski or snorkel as well?

[smile0784]

Had a look at the towing capacity today and it is 2100kg, not sure why I thought it was 1600kg. I got my marine licence a few weeks ago. I do think that when I get a boat I might do a on water training course as the licence test was mostly about safety and navigation, there wasn't much about actually using a boat.

I went out and had a look at some more boats today, just so many to choose from. I had a look at some runabout style boats. not sure if it was just me but they feel at lot more campped than similar sized open tinnies. Do people with open boats find that you fish off the front much or does it not really matter?

I saw a very nice looking 2003 savage 4.8m side console today. The boat was extremely clean compared to others I've seen of that age, looked almost new. It had a 75hp mariner on it with 350 hours. I haven't really seen much about mariners, does that sound like a like option or I keep looking.

Anthony, I am thinking of taking up Kayak fishing..how is kayak fishing? I know it is very much weather dependent than a boat fishing but is it easy to paddle in the bay to get to your fishing spot? And how easy it is fishing off a kayak?

It's pretty easy to get out to some good fishing spots in the bay so long as you have a decent kayak. For the bay you'd want something at least 3.6m long. I started in a paddle kayak and moved in to a peddle kayak. I tend to average about 7kph going at an easy pace so I tend to stay within 3km of the shore so I don't have too long of a slog back in. Plenty of good fish in that range though. It's pretty easy to fish out of once you get use to it. If I'm bait fishing I can have 3 or 4 rods out at once. It's definitely a great way to get on the water. I'll still be keeping the kayak even if I do get a boat.

Yep thort it mite have been wrong.
Open boats / center console gaive you more fishing room but are open to the weather.
A run about gives you a little bit of protection but can still fish 2 or 3 people.

Its a compromise depending where you fish and what your after.

[Anthony M]

Thanks Fellas, been out and had a look at some boats this morning and I think I've narrowed down what I want.

From looking around I think I'm going to look for a 4.5-4.8m side console. The side consoles don't seem to take up too much space and still allow for a front casting deck whilst still giving a bit of protection.Don't really have any intrest in skiing so it seems like a 50-60hp motor would offer the best combination of power and economy. Seems to be some decent used boats in the $10-14k range which would leave a little room in the budget for extras if needed.

[Lightningx]

Having some left overs is great as there is usually always something you want afterwards. Good to hear you are narrowing it down and getting closer to your purchase :thumbsup:

[purple5ive]

Just to throw another spanner in the works.
Have you considered poly hulls?
Polycraft and smartwave are 2 manufacturers to look at
They are almost maintenace free. Soft riding and very quite in the water. Perfect when chasing bream and likes on lures.
If you havent heard of or been in one before i highly suggest you look into it.
Better to find out now about it now than be shitty about it later.
I personally have one and love the versatility of it.

Whatever youi end up getting make sure your happy with it. Try 10 boats before making up your mind if you have to.

If chasing the estuary species like i also do then i cannot recomend enough the importance of a front casting deck a good sounder and a trolling motor.

And a boat in tbe 4.2-5m will be perfect for the bay as well as estuary

[Anthony M]

Just to throw another spanner in the works.
Have you considered poly hulls?
Polycraft and smartwave are 2 manufacturers to look at
They are almost maintenace free. Soft riding and very quite in the water. Perfect when chasing bream and likes on lures.
If you havent heard of or been in one before i highly suggest you look into it.
Better to find out now about it now than be shitty about it later.
I personally have one and love the versatility of it.

Whatever youi end up getting make sure your happy with it. Try 10 boats before making up your mind if you have to.

If chasing the estuary species like i also do then i cannot recomend enough the importance of a front casting deck a good sounder and a trolling motor.

And a boat in tbe 4.2-5m will be perfect for the bay as well as estuary

I didn't know about Poly hulls but I'll definitely look into it now, sounds like the best aspects of both aluminium and fiberglass.

At this stage I definitely want something with a front casting deck, seems like it would be invaluable when flicking lures in the estuaries.

[purple5ive]

Just to throw another spanner in the works.
Have you considered poly hulls?
Polycraft and smartwave are 2 manufacturers to look at
They are almost maintenace free. Soft riding and very quite in the water. Perfect when chasing bream and likes on lures.
If you havent heard of or been in one before i highly suggest you look into it.
Better to find out now about it now than be shitty about it later.
I personally have one and love the versatility of it.

Whatever youi end up getting make sure your happy with it. Try 10 boats before making up your mind if you have to.

If chasing the estuary species like i also do then i cannot recomend enough the importance of a front casting deck a good sounder and a trolling motor.

And a boat in tbe 4.2-5m will be perfect for the bay as well as estuary

I didn't know about Poly hulls but I'll definitely look into it now, sounds like the best aspects of both aluminium and fiberglass.

At this stage I definitely want something with a front casting deck, seems like it would be invaluable when flicking lures in the estuaries.

well quite a lot of people dont know about it and then find out at some stage or the other and then wonder why they didnt know about it sooner.
many hire boat places have polycraft boats for hire these days, mornington is one place that does, if your local then go and hire one and see what you think, they also have normal tinnies for hire so you can compare them side by side.

do your research properly though as polyboats do have some minor drawbacks, one being they dont have much aftermarket support or accesories from factory and hence you will need to custom fabricate quite a few things if going to mod them, like the casting deck for example.
they are mainly a bare hull and some minor factory options.
but that didnt stop many people including myself from custom fitting the boat out.

[Nude up]

And so it begins it’s all down hill from here you will buy a boat use it then realise you want to do some thing else and end up buying a bigger boat then a bigger boat it’s a great way of life fishing love it.

[smile0784]

4.5 to 4.8 is good size to start off with.
All depends on type of fishing you do what sort of weather your comfitable going out in.

There is always bigger and better out there is you have the money, storage and car to pull it