Caribbean 26 v 7.5m Plate alloy

[WildFishExpeditions]

In the next couple of years I will be looking to move upto a bigger boat. I have 2 basic options both with big pro's and con's. Just curious to see what other punters would choose. I am looking at both the Caribbean 26 (used) or a new 7.5m plate alloy walk around cab. These are the pro's and con's that I have come up with. Interested in opinions. Boat would be used for east coast game fishing and some weekend trips with friends.

Caribbean 26 (or other simiilar style game boats of the same size)
Pro's
- handle rougher seas better, with the size and weight of the hull
- more comfortable for sleeping over/camping, crusiing, cooking etc
- a very big boat for the price +$60,000 for a 10-15 year old model

Con's
- not towable with an ordinary 4x4
- mooring costs and anti fouling
- 10 years old or so
- heavy on fuel with 4.3L merc cruisers
- limited fishing areas because it cant be towed.

7.5M plate alloy
Pro's
- towable to other fishing areas
- twin 150-200hp, more economical
- custom built
- no mooring costs
- 360 degree fishing from walk around cab

- Con's
- not as comfy for over night trips
- more expensive to buy and build
- wouldnt have the handing of the heavier glass boat in bigger seas.

I am also looking at other options, and I love the boat I have so I am not rushing into anything. It's just a plan for the near future. thoughts welcome.

[Flex]

Where do you fish normally? and how far offshore do you go? I think that's the biggest factor in what sort of boat you need
Are your weekend trips about fishing or just cruising around with family only going 20km offshore. bigger is better in this case for comfort and fuel cost isn't much when doing small trips with family.
Some people are willing to go out in 10-15.s all day and fish. Others wont go unless its 10k or less. If there's a marlin comp on and its 15knots being in a platey all day would suck, Or if your running 120km offshore a plate boat can be very tiresome if it blows up just a little.
Having said that a 7m plate boat would go pretty damn well..
If your not going in hardcore comp mode, you can choose your weather a bit more and I think the platey is a better option. Plus less cost for maintenance, better resale, towable around the country and better economy.

Id personally never own a moored boat. The maintenance is a major hassle which makes boating not enjoyable.
Plus carting all your gear up and down the marina jetty is a huge pain in the ass. Much easier to load your boat that's parked next to your shed then tow it.

Or you could have best of boat worlds and buy a cat...

[WildFishExpeditions]

Yeah i agree with a lot of that. I fish the shelf mostly for marlin and beyond for tuna. My current 6.6m glass boat does it easy and i usually fish 15 knots or under. The caribbean would be more to keep the girlfriend happy as it would be a more comfortable boat. Agree about the mooring and the maintenance required.

[Vromme]

Looks like it comes down too - too moor or not to moor.....

What is your current boat?

Personally Id go with the biggest glass boat I would be prepared/capable to tow. I have been bashed about in too many plateys in the past and dont want to go back there. Mooring although convenient is way too restrictive unless you are completely happy to essentially fish from one location (or do big sea trips).

Towing big rigs gets exy esp if you need to upgrade tow vehicle (then use that as your daily driver - just so you can tow a boat).

[WildFishExpeditions]

Yes all true. Current boat is a yalta 22ft. Fantastic boat! I agree about mooring. I have never liked the idea of it really. Only seeing the price of second hand caribbean 26'ers has made me re-think it. Maybe a bigger glass boat would also be an option. I have always liked the idea of building a plate boat and I like walk around cabs, which arnt always easy to find in glass. but there are lots of options.

my current boat is 2 tonne and I tow it with a territory - the greatest tow vehicle ever built.

Looks like it comes down too - too moor or not to moor.....

What is your current boat?

Personally Id go with the biggest glass boat I would be prepared/capable to tow. I have been bashed about in too many plateys in the past and dont want to go back there. Mooring although convenient is way too restrictive unless you are completely happy to essentially fish from one location (or do big sea trips).

Towing big rigs gets exy esp if you need to upgrade tow vehicle (then use that as your daily driver - just so you can tow a boat).

[WildFishExpeditions]

This is the model I like

http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-fo...=0&pss=Premium

[scottar]

There is no reason a 7.5 metre platey has to be any less comfortable than the berty if you design it right (centre cab might be a bit tricky though) but there will most likely be a pretty reasonable price discrepancy between the two - more so once you replace that magnificent tow vehicle with at least a 200 series landcruiser that will probably require a GVM and possibly tow rating upgrade as well (allow about $7Kfor upgrades) if your rig goes over 3.5t loaded. If it goes over 4t you are in American ute territory.

[WildFishExpeditions]

The 7.5 plate boat would be around 3 tonne. I wouldn't even bother thinking about towing a caribbean 26.

There is no reason a 7.5 metre platey has to be any less comfortable than the berty if you design it right (centre cab might be a bit tricky though) but there will most likely be a pretty reasonable price discrepancy between the two - more so once you replace that magnificent tow vehicle with at least a 200 series landcruiser that will probably require a GVM and possibly tow rating upgrade as well (allow about $7Kfor upgrades) if your rig goes over 3.5t loaded. If it goes over 4t you are in American ute territory.

[scottar]

My brother in laws halfcab platey that size comes in just under the 3.5 on an alloy trailer and I am not sure whether that is with full fuel and water. He had to get the GVM upgrade but not the towing upgrade done on his cruiser or he couldn't take passengers and remain legal. If you are traveling close to budget on these sort of projects with absolutely no room for further expenditure, just keep in mind that a lot of builders don't have exact weights with custom rigs and being a couple of hundred kilos out is an easy feat.

[FisHard]

I would (and want to eventually) but an old Blackfin 24 or 26, for say $20-30k, then give it a vomplete Reno for $100k (still under the cost of a custom 7.5 platey with twins) and keep it on a dry dock thing in the marina.
Walk around, glass, set up how you want, and if you want to run it for a few months out of Airlie Beach or Townsville, you throw it on a truck.
Big trailers and the hassle of towing them, should be a negative in your equation too. Sure it's ok when they are new, but...

[juggernaut]

My mate has a similar decision as he was looking at a Mustang 28 footer on a trailer (pleasure boat). Firstly, anything around the 26-28 ft mark is going to need a serious 4wd/light truck and they don't last forever - so factor that into your costs. Also I wouldn't buy a boat with a leg and have it sitting in the water on a mooring or in a pen. The leg will only add to your maintenance costs although they are more efficient/faster than shafts. I'd rather reliability over fuel economy and downtime.

My advice to him was to get a smaller more trailerable boat or go a larger boat with shafts and have it sitting on a mooring/pen as the costs of a mooring or pen are probably going to be the same with the slightly bigger boat with better accomodation/accessories/facilities. In the case of a moored boat you will also need some way of getting out to it i.e. inflatable. There's no clear answer around the size you are looking at and hence my recommendation to go smaller more trailable or larger moored/penned. Or stay with what you currently have.

Big glass boats do ride nicely and you'll be able to use it more often in more conditions.

[ozynorts]

Why are you comparing a 7.9m (26ft) glass to a 7.5m (24'6) palte boat..........
If the smaller plate boat is big enough than surely a 24ft glass boat is too?
There are a number of Bertram 25's for sale at a much lower price.
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-fo...hInFeet_Max=25

[ozynorts]

This is the model I like

http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-fo...=0&pss=Premium

A bit bigger than 7.5m isn't it?

[Alchemy]

This is the model I like

http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-fo...=0&pss=Premium

I doubt this boat would be under 3500kg. My boat with 500 fuel and 100 water and no ice, fishing gear, food etc is over 3500kg. That is on an alloy trailer and the hull is only 5mm.

There is no reason a 7.5 metre platey has to be any less comfortable than the berty if you design it right (centre cab might be a bit tricky though) but there will most likely be a pretty reasonable price discrepancy between the two - more so once you replace that magnificent tow vehicle with at least a 200 series landcruiser that will probably require a GVM and possibly tow rating upgrade as well (allow about $7Kfor upgrades) if your rig goes over 3.5t loaded. If it goes over 4t you are in American ute territory.

Good luck getting a tow upgrade these days. I had it done on a 4.2TD Patrol about 6 years ago, but I understand this practice has now been outlawed. Also, the GVM increase doesn't help that much if your BMT is close on your tow vehicle limit as your GCM doesn't change. Scott, if you know of someone doing tow upgrades legally then I would be interested to know.

I would (and want to eventually) but an old Blackfin 24 or 26, for say $20-30k, then give it a vomplete Reno for $100k (still under the cost of a custom 7.5 platey with twins) and keep it on a dry dock thing in the marina.
Walk around, glass, set up how you want, and if you want to run it for a few months out of Airlie Beach or Townsville, you throw it on a truck.
Big trailers and the hassle of towing them, should be a negative in your equation too. Sure it's ok when they are new, but...

I don't get the concern of towing big boats. Sure, you need to maintain your trailer and have the appropriate tow vehicle but once those items are covered it is not an issue. I have towed my boat from Townsville to Karumba twice, plus Brisbane to Townsville and back, plus numerous other highway trips up north. I am hoping to go back to Townsville to fish for a couple of weeks later this year and have no concerns at all with the tow. Admittedly I have upgraded from the 4.2 patrol to a 2004 F250, but the Patrol did it well, whereas the F250 eats it!

Re the Caribbean - i think one of these would be a great boat. Perhaps repower with a single diesel and ditch the twin petrols?

The comments about the ride of plateys is a generalisation. I'm sure there are platey's out there that do ride poorly due to hull shape, and then there are the ones that ride better than some glass boats. Just like some glass boats ride better than others.

[scottar]

Good luck getting a tow upgrade these days. I had it done on a 4.2TD Patrol about 6 years ago, but I understand this practice has now been outlawed. Also, the GVM increase doesn't help that much if your BMT is close on your tow vehicle limit as your GCM doesn't change. Scott, if you know of someone doing tow upgrades legally then I would be interested to know.



.

Lovell's suspension have apparently just released or will be releasing a second stage manufacturer upgrade for the 200 Series Landcruiser. Two parts to it - GVM upgrade to 3800kg is the first, towing upgrade to 4000kg and GCM upgrade is the second part. Reports have it at a $7000 exercise. Not sure what the requirements are in relation to pre and post registration.

http://www.motoring.com.au/four-tonn...ruiser-103187/