What boat for me?

[Az]

Hey guys

I am just starting to look around to purchase my first boat, early stages at the moment.

I am looking for something to fit the following requirements:
- easy enough to handle by myself if need be
- suitable for estuary/bay fishing with some offshore work (weather pending)
- something with some decent fishing room however a bit of cover would be nice, having said that a centre console or side console isn't out of the question

I am looking somewhere in the vicinity of $10-20k, I do like the look of the trailcraft profish (side console) but not sure on prices.

Any other boats you can recommend? Also looking for a 4stroke or E-tec (something reliable and good on fuel)

Cheers
Az

[bluefin59]

This is what i use its a 4.5mt bluefin predator with a 60hp mariner ,its easily handled by one person and is good in a bit of open water on a good day you should be able to easily pick one up second hand for the sort of money your talking...matt

[Az]

yeh nice mate, certainly one to keep in mind! My mate used to have the 5.25 bluefin bowrider with a 90 johnson 4 stroke on it.. if you had your time over again would you go more than a 60? what are they rated to?

[bluefin59]

They are rated to 60 and it is more than enough you will find they mostly come in 50hp my mate has the warrior which is the same without the console and he is a big bloke ,he run a suzi 50 4stroke and it is great also the only difference is he gets better fuel economy than me .....

[tunaticer]

I would be opting for a polycraft in either 4.5 or 4.8. At least there are no corrosion and damage problems in the next 20 years with them plus they are a lot quieter on the water than alloy. Very good value for money when you look at the lifespan of them.

Jack.

[Murks]

Well, for me its definitely the Runabout.:D
I have a 480 Formosa with a 60E-TEC
Canopy is 180cm clearance under roof , very comfortable in all conditions.
Admittedly you would find it different and a little rougher in bad choppy conditions when compared to a glass boat but IMO the advantages of the ally boat are much better. BUT the room you have for fishing and cruising etc etc is fantastic, we use the boat for all types of fishing, cruising and general fun
The canopy is fantastic for the cold days and nights and great for the hot summer days on the bay. I have attached a few pics just to see a little different options for you too consider as to what I use the boat for....if I was still in Townsville I would have kept my center console simply due to the overall better fish ability of the boat, but for SEQ conditions the Runabout was a simple choice for me knowing the wife and friends were going to spend more time with me than I was fishing, (still true) you were up a few $000's over your maximum amount then I might have sold you this one, but we are now using her a bit more, (not today) so we will be keeping her unless the right offer is made;)
Sorry for a bit of a drawn out over the top response but when you buy a boat consider all the options not just the preferred ones:)
Brett

[Skusto]

mate your best off trying to find out all of there brand boats that are goin to be in your price range and goin and looking at them in boat yards and comparing one and another. formosa have seemto be gettin alot good feed back atm for the price havent heard one bad remark yet about them. if your goin to want to do some offshore work a half cab or something would be ideal but if your not goin to do it to much its not that neccessary (sp?) if u want to yous it for the creek as well i wouldnt go over a 5 m boat gettin into shallow and narrow creeks arent that fun with a bigger boat plus u dont want to hit th bottom or damage your prop. wat eva u choose something will have to be comprimised, runabouts are good little boats but arent that great when it great rough since your up the front of the boat u do get alot more jarring compared to say the side consoles were there further down the back of the boat but they come with no cover, the runabout of half cab would have cover but u wouldnt be able to fish right around the boat like the side consoles or centre consoles. just dont be in a rush to buy dont want to buy a boat and find out later its not what u really wanted it took us 8 months to find the right boat and we knew exactly what we wanted but there's that many boat manufactures out there it takes along time to go through them all. hope that helps

[johnny roger]

AZ,

in your list, you didn't mention if you had kids or not. or if you were going to be doing any other activities other than fishing.
so with that, i would go with what the other fellas are saying. go for the sc as it makes more sense and seems to be more user freindly for the fishos.

for me, i have just ordered the Stacer 469 sunmaster runabout. my uses are a little different than yours though. it is going to be 95% on the lake and MAYBE 5% on the esturarys on the coast. i will be using it to fish, and to tow the kids around on their toys, so opted for the optional ski pole. the room on the main deck is good for either pulling in the tube, or setting up the redclaw pots, or HOPEFULLY trying to calm a metery!

John

[bigtez]

I would be going for a Side Console like bluefin59's in a 4.5-4.8m deep vee (not a v nosed punt or tournament boat). If you require more protection, a decent bimini style canopy and clear curtain setup will have you nice and dry.

Terry

[NAGG]

Something in a Centre Cab would offer the best in fish-ability & cover
I'm not sure on pricing but if you can find one ...... a 5.5m SPORTFISH! ( made in the mid to late 90s)

Nagg

[PADDLES]

johnny roger has asked the number one question, are there going to be kids and wifey in this new boat. if not i'd be sticking to a basic 4.5m tiller steer unpainted open tinny with a 40 or 50 on it. get the jigsaw out and put a ply floor in it, buy a cheap bimini from dodgy boating camping fishing shop, install yourself and away you go. brand new should be in the low teens to buy and set up. open bay will be fine in this size tinny with say one other mate fishing. if you've gotta think of wifey and a coupla kids then this size will still be ok on a nice day in the estuaries, they won't get too wet or sunburnt. if the open bay is more your go though with the wife and kids then go bigger and buy a second hand half cabin for the budget you're on, it'll be way more comfortable and safe with a family. good luck with the searching mate.

[Az]

thanks for the replies fellas!

Murks - That's a nice little rig you have there, I have always wondered what the ride would be like up the front in a runabout like that if you were in some choppier sees, do you get a better/softer ride sitting further back on the boat?

johnny roger - no kids mate, will be just for me and mates for fishing

paddles - I should have mentioned i'm a bit of a lazy prick and not a fand of the tiller steer - would prefer at least a side console - something with a wheel

I was looking at the sea jay boats and noticed they have a similar one to the side console but they have centralised it - for balance I'm guessing.. looks like a good compromise.

Are there any glass boats in that same price range? Even if just hull only I wouldn't mind checking everything out.

Thanks again
Az

[Az]

trying to search the internet for prices on hull has been a nightmare.. are there any places that actually list prices of what they're selling? I know they just want to try and get you to contact them first but it really just turns me away.

I am starting to like the look of the sea jay's side and centre console a bit more

any good websites people can recommend where they give prices?

Thanks
Az

[johnny roger]

AZ,
try this site. from here you can navigate and look up reviews etc as well.

http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/results.aspx?N=604+606+610+

John

[PADDLES]

well you searching has just been made a whole heap easier then az, if there's no wife/kids at the boatyard "clouding" your judgement. side or centre console would pretty well suit your needs, although the boat leaning over with a side console with my fat @rse behind it would drive me insane and i'd be looking at at less than 5m centre console.

[LoungeLizard]

A tinny in the 4.5 - 5.5m size is what you want. Any smaller and you'll be struggling offshore in any sizable chop. Any bigger and it becomes a difficult handling the boat on your own.

As for layout - centre/side consoles are better for fishing BUT you have no/little protection against spray and believe me having buckets of seawater thrown into your face is not fun! So if you're going to be heading out where there is a chance of choppy water keep that in mind

The Trailcrafts are excellent value 2nd hand and because they are built well you don't need to worry about bits falling off or breaking! You should be able to get one in the range mentioned in good nick for <$20K. If you're not full bottle on tinnies get someone to check over likely candidates and give you a report. It's money well spent!




Are there any glass boats in that same price range? Even if just hull only I wouldn't mind checking everything out.

Az

Yes you can get glass in that price range but they'll be a lot older (which can mean higher maintenance/running costs), and if you're going to be bashing around creeks a lot I'd say stay clear. Glass doesn't take kindly to rocks/snags!

[Az]

Thanks for your responses fellas, i appreciate your input

While this is my first boat i'm buying I have been on quite a few different types and fished out of a lot of open boats. What I am finding though is the more I search the more boats I find I like and the more I keep increasing my budget!!

I'm starting to like the look of the galeforce 4.8 centre console or if I am willing to stretch the budget a bit more the 5m hooker centre console.. glass would be ideal as I know I am going to want to get offshore when I can but obviously that starts to stretch the budget a bit more

Keep your opinions coming

Cheers
Az

[PADDLES]

if glass is looking more attractive to you and you might get into some rough water you will not go past an older seafarer v-sea. you should be able to pick up a real good one for not too much more than $10k. as has been said before though get it checked out for rot.

[Murks]

Murks - That's a nice little rig you have there, I have always wondered what the ride would be like up the front in a runabout like that if you were in some choppier sees, do you get a better/softer ride sitting further back on the boat?

Thanks mate, on the back seat you don't feel anything!!!
Don't misunderstand me,:-/ the ride is just fine,:D it doesn't matter what you have you can only go as fast as conditions will allow or what the hull is capable of, sure a larger glass boat will ride smoother ::)but you forgo a lot of space compared to the Runabout style::), this was key to my decision, the Formosa 480 Runabout is a fantastic boat, I am very happy with her
Brett

[Murks]

hey mate check JALOVA post in Boats for Sale...this may be something to consider

[bluefin59]

If aglass centre console under 20k is what your after go to the boats for sale section and go to page 2 there is a beaut centre console there the blokes name is TJBEAR have a look if i was after a C.C it would be perfect I.M.O ..matt

[Az]

cheers guys, both look like good options
I just have to wait a couple of months for my money to come in so the likelyhood of them still being available then is pretty low.. but you never know!