Hats off to Ausfish boaters...

[Arlon]

After reading a bunch of posts here from owners of smaller boats (say <8m), I've come to the conclusion you guys are the masters of running smaller boats into big waters after big fish. Up north, most boaters seem to think you need at least 9m, 24deg of V at the transom and at least a pair of 225's to run 10 miles offshore. Anything less is just foolish...

You guys are what "small boaters" are all about. You have really put togather some seaworthy small packages (by our standards) and learned how to use them. Thanks for a lot of inspiration.. Arlon (Houston USA)

[youngfisho]

more to the point, you need 1000hp if you have a 30 foot boat and 24 degree deadrise. Its just so impractal to have 500hp on a weekend cruiser or fishing boat, unless you have five or six mates to help pay for the fuel. As long as the boat has scuppers, foam flotation and a soft ride, it doesnt need to be 9m in length to get to the offshore fishing grounds. I think its more of an American ideal to have a massive boat with heaps of horse power. I have a picture of a 30 foot centre console with four 250 hp two strokes on it..........why? TWin or single deisels would be so much more economical and sensible. Not to mention more reliable. Speaking of small boat anglers just look at mackmauler he rides a 4.5m ocean cylinder RIB with a 50 hp honda. Hows that for small boat.



andrew

[billfisher]

Arlon,

You should have seen it back in the 1970's when the sportfishing movement took off. People were catching huge fish in their 'state of the art' 14 ft tinnies.

[Sportfish_5]

Arlon - Dont worry if I had the coin and could afford to run one Id love a 26 ft Regulator/Contender or Sailfish CC They are awesome sportfishing boats with the best fitouts I have ever seen.


Cheers

Greg

[Arlon]

Arlon - Dont worry if I had the coin and could afford to run one Id love a 26 ft Regulator/Contender or Sailfish CC They are awesome sportfishing boats with the best fitouts I have ever seen.


Cheers

Greg

That's really the point. 99% of us don't have the coin and if we did, our wives wouldn't let us use it on a $100k boat. What I like about the folks on this forum is they are in the game anyway. Too many of us northerners sit on the sidelines because we don't have a regulator or contender. Folks up here have a can't do attitude to running offshore in ANY small boat. This forum seems to have a completely different "can do" mindset. Then again you don't have a dozen 500hp boat owners telling you you can't do it. My last boat was a home made "dory" it went as for offshore as fuel would allow. I cought grief a few times from "big boaters". I really don't think they want the competition out there. I wish more of us could see what you are doing down there with these smaller boats. We are way too spoiled up here but that is starting to change. Folks that where loughing at my 120hp diesel are now wanting to know more about it...

I was publicly bashed on a forum for trying to be a "contender want to be" when I asked about radar instalation on a longboat (panga). I was told only contenders. regulators, etc. where supposed to have radar and outriggers and I should stay in the bay where I belong..

Any pictures of offshore rigged small boats here?? I'd love to see what can be done to a small boat that is going to catch a few big fish! Arlon.

[Sportfish_5]

Yep - too true Arlon. Maybe we are lucky as well in having fishing grounds that are relatively close. Some of those guys on THT are travelling 60-80 nm one way to fish the gulf streams - that is a long way to run offshore and to do it regularly and safely those big rigs are required. If the weather turns sh!t you want to get home fast

The price of fuel is probably making a lot of them rethink how they do things- although you still got cheap gas over your way


Cheers

Greg

[mackmauler]

Hey Arlon, where there is a will theres a way, get out there and into em.

There is really no snobbery here but it can be hard to compete in some areas with a lot of big boats working them, I got some padding made up for all the edges on my boat a long time ago and it makes it a lot more comfortable in the big sodastream, things like raincoats are important the boat wont give you the shelter a big one will and when it comes to being competitive over a full day you need to take care of yaself.

we call this a spanish you guys call em kings? one of my faviourite fish. see the padding in the pic.

rob

[Arlon]

Rob, that's the deal. A tiller motor and a kingfish.. We call the little ones the spanish. Nice fish, love the pad idea. Like the rail too. Mind if I save the picture? Arlon

We have some excellent fishing along the gulf coast within 10 miles of the beach but I would guess on a day like the one Rob pictured above, there would not be a single boat under 20ft in the gulf and about 5,000 of them in the bay.

The Mexicans do a pretty good job of this with their panga's launched from the beaches but I think you guys are the masters of this small boat, big fish game. Arlon

[Fishinmishin]

You guys have it all wrong .......well see who's laughing when I'm at the reefs before you've made it past the lead lights from the ramp.
My next rig.....once the price of petrol drops .
Cheers, Jay

[Fishinmishin]

Damn Rob....is there ever a trip without Shapes on your boat . Well at least you tried something other then pizza flavour for once .
Cheers, Jay

[Smithy]

Arlon,

here is my first game fish boat. She is a 15' Blackfin. Had a built in live bait tank that would put most boats up to 25' to shame. I put the riggers on it, a VHF and AM/FM radios and the spray dodgers. It came with an 80 litre fuel (18 gallons?) tank under the centre console and always had about 40 litres in jerry cans stashed away under the floor. We caught 10 Billfish in this little machine and she took me places like Fitzroy Reef (on the Great Barrier Reef - think finding Nemo) about 35 Nm out, Sandy Cape Shoals (about 60Nm from civilisation - 40Nm of them in a semi protected bay) and the Barwon Banks (25Nm straight out on the open ocean).

[Smithy]

Then I moved up to this. A 5.8m Mclay. With 240 litres of fuel under the floor in two fuel tanks with only a 100 hp Yamaha 4 stroke I had a 240 Nm range. Could do trips out chasing Marlin off the Gold Coast for 100 litres. With the 240Nm range could also do big days out at Sandy Cape Shoals with no worries. Also fished it 40Nm straight out of places like Wide Bay Bar. Having a VHF radio and an EPIRB are the main things to have that make you feel confident that far offshore in small boat.

[Heath]

One of the best small boat fisherman I know.

Willo in his 4.2m Dory with a 30hp Yammie.

[Smithy]

Now in this. Getting to Contender territory. 23'er with a single 225 Yammie. Was a 2 stroke and now we have put a 4 on. Has everything except radar this boat. Need to get Lee (Optimax) to put a picture of his 6m boat up. It does have radar. Ours has 360 litre fuel tank (80 gallon?), autopilot, outriggers, deck wash, 100 litre freshwater and shower etc., etc. Notice my boat above also had tuna tubes. Just found Swordfishing Central one of your chatboards over there. Those guys do well to get the Swords they do. At least they are only going out 16Nm or so. Over here I would have to go 21Nm out of the Gold Coast or 40Nm out of Mooloolaba to target them. After reading the posts it is very doable and we will be giving it a shot soon. They were much the same about the distance I would have to go and only doing it in a 23'er when all those guys are running 30' Contenders etc.

[Arlon]

Two thumbs up the spray dodger idea! Chum chopper? Down rigger.

I think a lot of people don't realize how well a smaller boat goes between the waves rather than trying to span them..