Expectations when buying a new glass boat.

[Lovey80]

I thought I'd start this discussion after looking at some US boats recently and noting the fit and finish and the raft of new features that are coming out in new boats in the US. There really seems to be a high level of competition in the US with builders requiring to innovate to survive. I don't see that level of innovation or competition in Australia especially among our glass builders.

So the question is: if you are looking to outlay 150k plus on a new glass offshore boat ,what sort of features and/or quality would you expect in a new vessel these days?

I'll start with a few:

1. No wood construction
2. 36v TM mount and 36v battery compartment ready to go.
3. Hardtop with full glass as option.
4. fuel tanks that are expected to last the life of the boat.
5. Maximum use of space for storage.
6. Built in live bait tanks.
7. Outboard ratings that are relevant to weight as opposed to HP.
8. Electric Drum winch compatible.

[Noelm]

Sadly what we get here as far as "nice" features is pretty sadly lacking compared to the US, I think our build quality is as good as anywhere, for decent brands this is) finish is OK too.

[BigE]

quality compliant wiring

[chris69]

I thought I'd start this discussion after looking at some US boats recently and noting the fit and finish and the raft of new features that are coming out in new boats in the US. There really seems to be a high level of competition in the US with builders requiring to innovate to survive. I don't see that level of innovation or competition in Australia especially among our glass builders.

So the question is: if you are looking to outlay 150k plus on a new glass offshore boat ,what sort of features and/or quality would you expect in a new vessel these days?

I'll start with a few:

1. No wood construction
2. 36v TM mount and 36v battery compartment ready to go.
3. Hardtop with full glass as option.
4. fuel tanks that are expected to last the life of the boat.
5. Maximum use of space for storage.
6. Built in live bait tanks.
7. Outboard ratings that are relevant to weight as opposed to HP.
8. Electric Drum winch compatible.

Its always been bigger and better from the US they have been doing it longer and listen to the fisherman not here you get what we make you but it is getting better as there learning from the US.

[Dignity]

Simply market volume. Ours in Australia is a pittance to the US market, it will always be a battle here.

[Lovey80]

quality compliant wiring

I really like this one. I am yet to see an aussie built boat that had quality wiring. You look at some of the American installs and think wow, how is that not an industry standard. I would happily pay for a road worthy certificate if boats coming out new had a standard to set.

[Noelm]

Simply market volume. Ours in Australia is a pittance to the US market, it will always be a battle here.

This is a big part of the problem, but.......would people "pay" for all the extras (that are standard in an upmarket boat)? I doubt it, most see a certain (say) 17' boat and see a Chinese import at a dealer for half the price, they always go the cheap route.

[Noelm]

quality compliant wiring

I guess this is an issue, because there is no standard to "comply" to! When I got my Stacer tinny, it only had one extra electrical device in it, a bait pump (standard in the Outlaw) the wiring looked like it was done by a 5 year old with a pair of multi grips......the switch was useless, the wires "crimped" by just squashing the terminal with pliers, no wiring was attached anywhere, it was just lying/dangling loose, complete rubbish!

[docaster]

Yankee boats are built to a us coastguard standard. No standard in Australia yet is there?
Wiring?
First thing to learn is your wiring, I'd recommend.
Is there any American boats being imported lately?
It was good while the dollar was on par.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[Flex]

I think Aussie glass boat builders are stuck in the 60's - 80's era.
A few are coming along and changing things but its rare.
I realise its a cost thing, but very little innovation. Yanks have stepped hulls, modded long boats, super fast race boats , wide boats, skinny boats, vacuum infused boats old school deep V big boats and moderate V bay boats.

Also I find the aussie market on what makes a "good" glass boat is very dogmatic. The belief that massive heavy layup is the be and end all of performance. sure its nice for some circumstances, but most of the time its not.
In addition most aussie boats have woeful HP ratings.
a few boutique builders do rate for decent HP, most big brands dont.

With the price of fuel etc now, i dont understand why the market hasn't embraced some the better yank technology and build super strong and fast economical hulls.


Aussies haven't embraced the "go fast" market fully yet I feel.
Once you go in a boat that has a cruise speed of 40+ knots its hard going back and game changing for fishing.

My must haves would be.
3 piece hull.
big HP rating.
built light weight for economy and speed.
big fuel tank.
(ideally self draining)
good transom with walkthrough section
timber free and ideally vinylester .
planning plank would be nice for speed and transducer placement .
manufacture willing to sell just a hull and not an entire package. rather wire it myself and stick my own trailer under it.

[Noelm]

Not too sure a 3 piece hull is any better than a "standard" build, or if a planing plank is a must have, those things are not bad, but (in my opinion) not a must have. HP and speed can be nice, depending on your intended use, for someone like me, Snapper fishing and stuff like that is at best a 10 minute run, so even a low HP slow boat would be fine, for someone fishing "the reef" where very long runs, on relatively smooth water is involved, then fuel capacity and speed are big factors. Self draining is great, as long as the boat is designed to be so, simply raising the floor in a small boat to make it self draining is not always ideal, and a self draining deck that requires gizmos to stop water coming in because they are near/below the water line, are simply leaks just waiting to catch you out. So building the ideal boat for everyone is difficult, but I do agree, we are decades behind the US market, and catching up is painfully slow.

[Flex]

You’re right Noel,
Must haves for one person is a non issue for another .
All depends what you are doing with your boat.

I do think 3 piece is a big deal , structurally stronger, generally 2 piece have lots of spider cracks on inner tub.
Rod holders drain to the deck and not in the mould , fittings can be through bolted and not just screwed. Fuel tank filler hose clamps can be changed if it’s a gunnel fill.
Then under toe area is non existent on a 2 piece .
Get way more floor space in 3 piece .

I’ve owned 2 x 2 piece boats and the fully gel coated floor is horrible to manage .I’ll never own one again .
Give me a flow coated inside anyday.
Plus it’s easier to modify if needed as well.

Just my opinions of course .

[ranmar850]

Noelm is right about everything he mentions above.
1) Horses for courses--what do you actually intend to do with it.

2) Self-draining--after I had my first self-draining deck, I said I'd never be without. Then my next boat had the kind of *self-sealing * scupper *( properly known as freeing ports) he mentions, and it let more water in than it let out. Raising the deck high enough on a small boat to be self draining has an instant negative trade-off for stability. You are raising the COG. No boat was ever improved by raising the COG. And if those freeing ports become blocked, or likemost they are left closed--you take an unexpected wave, and carpet and stuff on the deck block those freeing ports, you are then REALLY in the s*it with your already higher COG. All that weight sloshes to one side, you fall over with it,your gunwhale goes under. That's all she wrote. It does make washdown easier, keeping smelly stuff out of the bilge, and gives you more space under-deck to do stuff.

3) Planing planks were added to cover deficiencies in design, IMO, particularly WRT very deep-vee'd hulls.

4) Built light weight--be careful what you wish for, built light weight in an alloy boat can be a recipe for a short, expensive, and painful life. The top shelf of design can give you a minimum weight for acceptable strength, but it's a fine line. And a bit of weight certainly helps in a bad sea. A light, fast boat in a glass-off can be a very different boat in crappy conditions.

5) Three piece hull. This is a bit of yankee marketing, we are told that the top-shelf boats are all three piece. Define it? Hull one piece, hull cap 2nd piece, hull liner 3rd piece? A hull liner just takes away from potential storage space, and usually removes the ability to get your toes under it, the way you can with good old storage pockets and an unlined hull. And just adds another couple of hundred kg on the build. Just remember, these people are status-obsessed, it's all about the prestige, real or imagined.

6) Must be nice to have an ocean you can do 40 knots plus on , more than 1% of the time you go out. Remember they have massive areas of enclosed waters to do this in, and, to be frank, most of these really fast boats( apart from bass boats) are also over 30 feet long. When you hear them refer to a 24ft Albermarle as wet and rough in ride in chop because it's too small, you know you inhabit a parallel universe. Got a lazy half-million floating around? That'll get you a 28 Contender, small by their standards.

7) Cruisecraft are " vertically integrated", ie leave the facory complete. So do most of the Telwater boats. Don't know about Northbank, or either the the Haines sub-species. Most of them want to do it all themselves, because it avoids warranty arguments down the track. I might sound like I'm harping on this, but Caribbean are happy to sell you, via their dealers, a "bare " hull. motor mount holes drilled, fuel tank sender installed. And some really very basic wiring. That's the Reefrunner. 2300 has more standard fittings coming pre-installed, like an anchor winch. You then negotiate with the dealer. They are happy to fit it out to what you want, or you can do it yourself. I did "most" of mine--got quotes from them for every item, compared those with what I was willing/able to do. I was happy to pay them for some jobs,that were really the preserve of a good shipwright. They did their items before I took delivery, I took it home, fitted out everything bar motor, then off the the dealer where I had a motor waiting. Quite a substantial saving.

As for the quality of US imports, you can get a bit blinded by that. The dealer in perth sells a range of " prestige " boats as well as Caribbean. Next biggest seller is Robalo. His shipwrights turn their noses up at them--look flash, are not built as well, or perform as well, as anything, size-for- size, that comes out of that old factory in Melbourne. So much of it is just useless bling, designed to impress.

[Flex]

Im not sure why people are arguing on this thread
I thought this was a "must haves" from a person opinion?

my must haves are different from others surely.
its good to hear what others look for in a boat ?

Anyhow, I fish in far north qld. Id say 80% of my trips i punch 60-100km out and somtimes more, I do it about 36-40 knots generally at some stage, unless its 15k or more and then im back to 30knots. any rougher and its not worth going

How many people have been in a cyclone 680 or cootacraft villan or 21 contender that has a top speed of 120km/h? its game changing and insanely impressive once you experience it and can comfortably cruise at 70km/h if its 10kn winds or less.
But for me, this is my must have and not for others.

The cyclone 680 has a plank, and across the north qld chop its nearly untouchable. gets up on top of the plank and breaks the wetted surface and for a single outboard boat not much can touch it in conditions 10-12k winds or less. its seriously impressive
Plank makes a fast boat infinitely easier to handle at speed. thats why most fast boats have them. ( or strakes very very low on the hull to achieve the same thing)

People forget the old formula 233 was built and designed to run light for offshore racing. Until people mutilated it with zillion layers of glass. c
im fairly sure it used to have a hull weight of only about 1 ton originally.
Contenders are renowned for their rough water ability and they are built light.

As for weight 1ton at 60-70km/h makes a boat heavy. faster you go the more force into the wave. thats why HP is essential I feel. Also you need enough HP at cruise to stop a boats nose from "dipping" a bit into the next wave. need the power to run a boat flat and the heavier it is the more fuel you burn to achieve it.

As for 3 peice boats.
1 - outer hull
2-floor
3 - top cap that only comes down to 200mm roughly inside the boat

2 peice is
1-hull
2-top cap which has floor, sides all as one moulded peice. ( its a horrible design IMO. but thats just my opinion.

2 few aussie manufacturers have recently moved to 2 piece construction from 3. To save money but makes for a worse boat.

[ranmar850]

The how many pieces of hull would depend on your defintion. I believe that what the yanks refer to as 3 piece has a hull liner, happy to be proven wrong. Hull, liner, cap. ? I have a hull, floor, cap,/foredeck, hardtop. Because I don't have a liner, from what i have seen, they would class mine as a 2 piece? I may have to ask for clarification