first trip in new boat

[spike2]

hi guys took the cyclone out for its first trip on saturday morning launched nerviously at sea world ramp and headed for the pin . conditions were fine and the boat performed brilliantly breifly reaching a top speed of 47 mph which is roughly 3 times quicker than the old tinnie slammed the boat into some rough chop around the pin area without any sign of getting wet the big vee at the front does a good job at pushing out the water and letting you down gently .will have to wait until l take it onto the bay in a metre of chop before l know how dry the boat is , but at this stage lm happy with its performance
on the fish side cuaght around twenty bream on snags and gutters around the pin and tiger mullet but the quality has fallen off most fish just legal
see you on the water

spike

[Big_Kev]

Looks a trick Spike.

[craigie]

Have you been out in my boat Spike

It's a real Fishy Fun Machine that Cyclone 540.

I'm sure your still running-in the motor, so did you pull 47 mph with 2 onboard doing what Rev's ??

Has the boat lived up to your expectations so far ?

Is the front Casting Platform nice and stable to fish from ??

Did you try any shallow stuff, how much depth do you need to keep her afloat ?

I find out tomorrow about my Finance. It's all approved but I have to decide if it's within my budget ??
There just might be a second blue 540 running around the pin early next year

Have a great trip to FiJi,

Cheers
Craig.

[spike2]

hi craig the boat is very stable the fat ass means very little tilt no matter where you stand and yes l did find some shallow water polished the prop , cant say 100 % how much water the boat needs but with motor fully down you need around three feet motor trimed up around two feet , the boat only had me on board when it did 47 mph but it was carrying 100 litres of live well water and 100 litres of fuel if the budget can stand it l think the 115 merc is the way to go efi is worth while and the boat is no way over powered talk about budgets l have just blown mine on a power glide 82 pound electric with special stainless mount , travel cover , stone protection on trailer , live well plumbing , trailor lock ,radio/cd player ,fluro lighting , carpeted tie down strap ,bearing buddies ,4 new bream rods and reels ,and enough plastic lures to fill a wheelie bin
ps this post must not be seen by my wife

cheers spike

[aido]

hi spike,
nice looking boat.
47 mph is a hoot.
hope your running in properly.
my 200efi has a new powerhead and needs extra
premix oil at 50:1 for 10 hrs.
instruction is to vary the revs and stay away from wot
for 10hrs.
i've got about 7 hrs up now and getting about 40 knots nearing 5000 on a burst (furuno gps) @ 80 ltrs/hr.
reacon your run in might need similar care.
happy fish'in 'n good boating.

[Robbo_Townsville]

G'day mate nice boat, have one myself. With regards to running it in better to urr on the safe side until you have done 10 hours.

Had mine nearly a year and am very happy.

47mph on the speedo or GPS cause I know that between the GPS and speedo on mine there is anywhere from 5 to 10 miles difference?

[craigie]

Thanks for the details Spike, and no I won't tell your missus Great run down of features and extras. Whats the story with your Bow Mount Electric ? Did you have much trouble setting it up ?

I have just been contacted and informed that my finance has been approved. All I have to do is place my order for a 540 I've been hearing reports that production has ceased, guess I'll find out soon enough ??
Going for a 115 Optimax on mine

Can't wait to get behind the wheel

Cheers
Craig.

[Lucky_Phill]

Sounds like a fast trip to Mud Craig !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phill

[CamH]

Have you given up on the Trailcraft Craigie?

[craigie]

Yes Phill, It could be a warp speed trip to Mud from Fisherman's Boat Ramp, but that's only if I was a hoon

G'day Cam, I'm still a big fan of the Trailcraft and in the end it was almost down to the toss of the coin that decided which boat to buy.
The Cyclone had a slight edge in a couple of my key areas.

I wanted the front Casting Platform to be fairly high up for lure fishing the Dams, Creeks etc. The TC Profish had it's located 600mm below the gunnel and there was no Factory option to raise this higher. The cyclone 540 had its casting deck set about 300mm below gunnel, which was perfect for me. I didn't want a full-on 'Bass Boat' with a flush floor to the gunnel.

Both rigs were offered with 115hp Optimax Mercs by their respective dealers. The Cyclone is lighter by 100 kg on the Hull only and should therefore offer a better power to weight ratio. The 115 Optimax powered Cyclone is said to go about 50 mph (80+ k's).

Both boats deliver a great ride in normal Moreton Bay conditions (10 - 20 knots of wind).

I found the Cyclone to have more onboard storage than the TC Profish.

With 95% of my Fishing targeting Dams,Estuaries and Moreton Bay, the set-up of the Cyclone 540 was better than the TC by a bees willy.
If my fishing was more aimed at Moreton Bay and Offshore and less Estuary and Dam, I would have purchased the Trailcraft Profish. Having said that, plenty of 540 owners in North Queensland run there rigs to the Reef so I may well meet up with you out off Mooloolaba one day.

Ity was a very close race between the two boats, hope I made the right choice.

Cheers
Craig.