Blue Fin boats.

[shrunken pojie]

Hi guys,

I am buying my first boat and looking seriously at the blue fin rogue (4.2m open tinny for those who don't know it). I am just hoping to get some opinions on the boat before shelling out my hard earned. I intend to put a 30hp 2 stroke on it. Is that going to be enough engine for river and bay work? Should I get the dealer to fit the electronics or just put the nav lights and sounder on myself?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Phill.

[Chimo]

Hey Phill

Whether you fit it out depends IMHO on your level of skill and confidence.

While your looking at boats maybe consider also getting a price from Phil (Pedrodepacus) whos on here and is Viper Boats. The 4.2 and 4.6 boats he builds are quite good and maybe for the same or less? $s you can get exactly what you want built just for you.

Good luck in you quest

Cheers
Chimo

[marty+jojo]

Great boats Phil, I have a 4.2 Mangrove Jack with a 40HP Yamaha 2 stroke. I bought mine new in 2003, only thing i wish i had is power trim and tilt. 30HP will be ok, but 40HP is better. My boat has floors casting deck and an electric motor battery etc, so it is a fair bit heavier than a basic tinnie. It does around 51-53kph at full speed.
Marty

[Poodroo]

Hi Phil. Mine is a Blue Fin and I can't sing enough praises for them. I did have a bit of trouble with mine because it is a forward steer and with my weight up front and hitting chop was enough to undo the welds on the keel because of all the flexing remembering that the further forward you sit in a boat the more your weight pushes the nose down. When I mentioned the problem to the dealer I was put straight onto Blue Fin Boats themselves and was told to bring it straight into them. I got the royal red carpet treatment and they solved the problem by redesigning the entire bracing up front and adding a few more cross braces for much more strength. Whilst it was there they ripped all the flooring up to clean up anything caught under there, they lubed everything and even adjusted the trailer. Now when I hit waves (has been out several times since the repair) it feels much more solid, handles everything with ease and no more problems with it. Great repair and very professional company to deal with.
My advice would be to go for the 40hp two stroke however. I went maximum rating on mine and have not looked back. When the boat has just one extra passenger and gear the 40hp motor is the way to go. Important thing to remember when getting a new boat I think is when the company that built it is so local that any problems that arise under warranty can be fixed with minimal fuss and down time. My problem was fixed same day so I didn't have to do without it too long. (Not that I think there will be a problem, mine was just a very rare case apparently).

Cheers,

Poodroo

[tin can marlin]

Good thing and hard to beat for the money imo

[dogsbody]

I got a 4.2 Bluey with a 2smoke 30hp. 5 years with no problems fishing river and bay.

The 30 will do the job for up to 3 people but if you can afford the 40 may as well do it. The 40 will do less work for about the same fuel bill.

Dave

[tin can marlin]

The only other boat i would look at in this range would be the Horizon they are a nice thing for the monay give Scott a ring he is from the factory.

[mojoe1]

go for it i got a warrior with a 60/4 yamm love it i got the factory to fitt standed elec pack the rest do as u go along i found it to be cheaper. also go max hp they are heavy boats

[PinHead]

didn't yours split a second time Poodroo?

[Poodroo]

didn't yours split a second time Poodroo?

Correct. The first time they just welded the split without putting the extra bracing in. That was a same day service as well. The second time they decided to double weld inside and out and then put the extra bracing in. The problem has not reoccurred since and I have well and truly tested it in some horribly sloppy conditions. Point is they looked after me and fixed the problem with minimal fuss. If they shafted me just once I would have bagged them but I really don't have a bad thing to say about the backup service received. Apparently all forward steer boats like mine have the extra bracing as standard since my dilemma too which is a comfort to all future Blue Fin Boat buyers. Mine was a rare case and probably the only boat in Australia that experienced the failure which is a pretty good track record for them. I would still buy another Blue Fin after this one should I upgrade.

Poodroo

[Stik-ugly]

As Chimo wrote in his reply about the vipers, I own one and am extremely happy with it and can>t sing its praises enough. When I was at the tackle and tinny show cunninghams were selling 40hp two stroke suzukis for a good price the only thing was that they were 2008 models

[Mike Delisser]

I'm more than happy with my Blue Fin 4.35 Wildcat - 60 4st Merc.
It's the 5th brand of alloy boat I've owned and if/when I buy another boat I recon I'll be going Bluefin again.