Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 18

Thread: polycraft and offshore

  1. #1

    polycraft and offshore

    i am thinking of buying a 4.55 polycraft and was looking for help or advice on the capabilities of these boats in the open bay or offshore as i am planning on fishing the reefs off the gold coast or in moreton bay
    i have already read many of the comments on these boats in other topics in this section and most people seem to be more than happy with there boats but not much mentioned about were they use them
    i am a little concerned about the size as most people i have spoken to say nothing less than 5 meters for off shore but the salesman asures me these boats are more than capable, before anyone makes referance to the weather conditions having a lot to do with it let me tell you that i am a fine weather fisherman only and hate cold wet windy conditions again i know the weather can change real fast without warning
    finally for the moment, the boat comes with 2 motor options a 50hp 4 stroke honda or a 60 hp 2 stroke yamaha for the same price which would you consider to be the best option
    any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

    Gary

  2. #2

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    Would certainly do coastal fishing in our 4.55, but offshore!, like in real offshore... I'm not sure, would make sure the conditions are right and that there would be other boats in the vicinity. Many Poly owners are happy with their 50hp 4sts on the back, but say they struggle with more than 2 and full gear on board. The 2st would give you more get up and go, but you'll miss out on the 4st advantages. Just have to work out which one would suit you better. We love our poly with the 60hp 4st EFI Mariner. Perfect .

    P.S- We did mainly buy it for estuary/river/lake work with some intentions to do coastal stuff in the future.
    Cheers - Paul

  3. #3

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    Gary

    I am by far no expert on boating.
    But as a fair weather boat the 4.55 poly would be fine for coastal work but not too sure for real offshore stuff , as you say, the weather can change real quick, although in the hands of an experienced operator i have no doubts that you would get home safely.

    If I had my choice again I think I would go the 60 over the 50 hp, the rig performs really well with the 50 but would be just awsome (In my humble and inexperienced opinion) with a 60 on the back
    Cheers
    Mark

  4. #4

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    Sorry Mark, beat you by 2 minutes
    Cheers - Paul

  5. #5

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    thanks guys
    i should have said some of the reefs close to shore places like palm beach reef not keen on venturing to far out. would be going out via the southport seaway seems to be the safest

  6. #6

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    even though i reckon plastics and rubbers are the same, ie 99% sure, id have faith in a trip especially to palmy in a small boat even a plastic one as the bars there are shallow and its so close and you can often have 200 boats ready to rescue you in summer, yeh i should sell them

  7. #7

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    Mack, when you say you "would have faith in a trip, especially to palmy in a small boat even a plastic one" does that mean you have some reservations about the Poly.??? Not trying to be nasty or anything, just interested in your thoughts. By the amount of your posts it looks like you have a bit of experience in all things boating.[smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

    And anyone that still boats and fishes at the age of 103yrs gets my seal of approval
    Cheers - Paul

  8. #8

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    yeh for sure phewy, if i have any reservations its the fear of the great unknown, the test program didnt extend to offshore and bar trials. going by the specs they are no less seaworthy than a lot of tinnies that make that trip without any worries.
    rob

  9. #9

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    No probs Mack [smiley=thumbsup.gif] ...Snooze time for me [smiley=zzz.gif]
    Cheers - Paul

  10. #10
    Brett_Finger
    Guest

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    Bar Trails / Sea Trails !!
    the boys fished the Fraser Classic this year and found the going less than fair. hehehehe.(that'll teach them for not takeing me )
    the bigger hull handled the large seas without a proublem.

    as for the 4.55 we have fished the close reefs to Bundaberg is some shitty weather,and have found the hull to preform exceptionaly,have been in a lot of worse hulls that's for sure.

    have come home warm and dry every trip.
    Hookin,Brett
    (and yes i do work for Polycraft )

  11. #11

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    Cuda
    Have owned a Poly 4.55 cc for around seven months. During that time it has fished at Hutchies, termpest, of the G coast and up to 15 miles out from 1770. It has performed well in some ordinary conditions. Clearly it is only a 4.5m open boat and you have to use your brains about the weather and more importantly how you drive to the conditions but have found it more than capable for coastal fishing. In relation to the outboard we have the 50 and are more than happy with it except in really calm conditions where a bit more speed would be nice.

    Rob

  12. #12

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    I have da my poly for about 3 months now and logged up a fair amount of hours. I normally run two up, sometimes four. I would recommend the 50hp 4 stroke or if the budget allows, the 60 4stroke. My suzi is amazingly economical with a full load onboard.

    i dont think it is question of whether the ploy boat can handle the conditions as to whether the physical size (4.5m) boat is suitable for offshore. I have been in some reasonable size waves in mine and although it performed admirably, (?nautical appreciation) I was thinking something larger would have been nice.

    One the plus size, it handles well, easy to tow, launch and retrieve, economical, easy to fit stuff to, easy to fix (plastic weld) and most importantly affordable. I was looking for something new, reliable and affordable and I have achieved that. Now the 6m is on the market... I have to stay away from the bank ....

  13. #13

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    Gday Cuda,

    You won't have any worries running around the bay or close offshore in the 455 CC, a mate has one which I have been offshore a few times and a few trips in the bay chasing mackerel. I've been through SP bar and out around the 29's in it without a worry, albeit on a perfect day. I am a fan of them although they have their drawbacks like not enough fishing space (im used to an open tinny) and nowhere for the passengers to sit comfortably.


    cheers, kris.

  14. #14

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    cuda

    Okay so I have only put around 15 hours on mine. Its a 455cc with a 60 4-stroke yammy.

    The first time I tested it out I went straight out the seaway

    So far I have done a a bit of running around in the bay and two proper 'offshore' fishing trips trips in it.

    On the first trip the weather was really very good with a bit of north west and south west wind max 10 knots. We fished the 36s 24 knm east of the seaway without any issue.
    In those conditions fishing three up was no dramas. Cruise speed was between 30 to 38 kmh in comfort.

    On the second trip went to the 24s off southport and it was blowing around 15 knots south east. It was less comfortable but I just went slow and we did it fine. Going into it we were down to around 18kmh just poking along with the bow up to keep dry. Coming home with the swell and chop we did about 25kmh. I tried to broaching it and it didn't. I did get the feeling that it might broach in a bigger sea though when the side rails dig in, but this would not be as much of an issue if we had only two on board. At 15 knots we coped a little bit of slop over the sides at times but thats small boat fishing in my opinion.

    It is definitely heaps more comfortable to ride in than both of the 4.3m cc tinnies that I have owned and feels a LOT safer outside compared with them (sure it is a little larger). I'm sure I'll get suprised a few times as I get to know the boat but all I can say is so far so good and that it sh1ts on the other two centre consoles that I have owned for comfort and seakeeping.

    With respect to power, if you want to fish offshore a lot and cross bars I would recommend that you get the most power that you can afford, particularly if you are going for a 4 banger. Even the 60 struggles at times in a following sea with three on board. Otherwise its not like you can go at warp speed in these things while offshore so a 50 would be okay.

    I rekon that from now on I'll only fish three up offshore if the weather is exceptional and otherwise restrict it to two. I plan to do more fishing off point lookout so the South Passage bar may be another matter entirely - who knows. I'm certainly sure that it will do the job for the reef fishing trips that I do at Xmas every year which are about 60km due east of Yeppoon in CQ.

    Can PM me if you want anymore details.

    cheno

  15. #15

    Re: polycraft and offshore

    thanks everyone for all you help
    not sure yet if i would perfer the runabout seems better for the coastal fishing having a higher front or the front runner more suitable for the whole family thing that we have to do to keep the she boss happy
    seems like the 60 hp seems to be the way to go

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •