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Just be careful as the sand is shifting all the time. generally reasonably safe but as suggested, an outgoing tide with a southerly swell can make things interesting.. as always use care and watch others go before you to follow their lines.. i remember many years ago having to contest 4m waves breaking over the bow which wasnt really much fun.. Cheers

8 knots is 8 knots.. it doesnt matter if you are going against or with the current... the speed limit is 8 knots so legally that is the maximum you can do. hypothetical, what if you had an 8 knot current behind you?

My new boat!!! Bit decadent but we want to expolre the hawkesbury with a bit of comfort

Congrats mate on the new vessel. Sounds like a great boat as expected of the haines brand. no doubt you will enjoy many years from her. All the best. Cheers

Essentially, they generally all do the same thing.... only difference being the quality of the unit, the resolution and features. no matter your budget, most sounders available perform adequately for the average joe who would have a hard time distinguishing the difference. try to find the simplest operation model that would suit you dads needs as he would be the one using it. generally, other than a few different functions, they do after all, tell you how much water you have below you. i recently bought a Lowrance Elite 5 combo which is great. i still think though as far as ease of use is concerned, that my Humminbird Pirana still is the easiest and best bang for your buck sounder that i have used. (my opinion only of course).

You get what you pay for!!!!! Big difference between a $300 buck job and a $900 one. your choice and it depends on whether you rely on it for depth, position etc. unfortunately, sometimes there are just no shortcuts as budget models are just that. save your hard earned for a while and you wont be dissapointed nor need to upgrade shortly thereafter. yes it is a costly item but these days more essential. Cheers

its always a good day when you learn something new!!! I am gonna try this next time as i too am sick of swaying around in the breeze... great,yet simple practical idea... all boaties should remember this one! Cheers :thumbup:

Is it manual trim or does the motor have tilt/trim fitted? usually you trim your engine depending on the weight and where it is located on the boat. Cheers

Did mine a few years ago. its a Caribbean 18ft fibreglass job. easy to get off but a a little more difficult to winch back on. not a bad job but a few extra hands definately help... with your alloy hull tyres are the go and you can get them from a tyre place for free!!! easy job to get off as i said and like others mentioned make sure the motor is tilted right up and be careful of the transducer for your sounder. only downside is you have several tyres sitting around after you have finsihed using them.... i got 4x4 tyres for my one as the sidewalls are a lot stiffer than normal car tyres. worked a treat... Cheers

If the boat, motor and trailer only weigh 550kgs as you have indicated then you shouldnt have a problem. that is unless you need to go up and down steep hills etc. also dont forget to make sure that your tow package is rated to carry more than you intend to tow... no good having a 750kg towbar hauling a 1.2 tonne vessel... if you have an auto, make sure you get it serviced regularly as towing does place additional stress on a car. as you have a manual, be careful not to stress the clutch too much as i dont think a Daewoo is suitable for towing long term, but i might be wrong....

simply hose it off, leave it to dry out and then cover up your boat. no tricks, just a bit of elbow grease required for scrubbing the hard stains and problem solved... had my carpet in for 2 years now with many blood and guts mashed in the carpet and easily fixed with a garden hose. As long as it is quality carpet then you wont have any dramas... just dont leave it wet for an extended period of time or covered up wet as it may go mouldy or worse, stink.....

i bought a Lowrance Elite 5 combo. i generally run it with the chartplotter screen only unless i am in unfamiliar waters and unsure of depths etc which i then switch it to a split screen. i prefer the combos for space saving and cant see why you need to buy two units that one combo unit can do.. i dont know where you intend to fish etc but ultimately what you choose is your decision and your money. try one out and see what best suits your needs. make sure you can utilise all the bits included and unless you really need some of the fancy bits, stick with what will serve you well and you will be happy. which ever way you choose, they are easily installed yourself at home with a bit of thought, trial and error and simple tools. dont be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck putting it all together, it is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle and after a bit of help the pieces just fit... do it once and do it right and you will be glad with which ever decision you made... Regards Mick

Might be worth flicking this one to Huey for advice.... however, he would likely need to see it to make a proper determination on where to go from there..

i bought an Elite 5 combo a month or so ago. really like the gps and included maps that come standard. i looked at the DSI combo but as it was a narrow beam it didnt suit my type of fishing (30m or less). i am very happy with the Elite 5 and it is a giant leap from the Humminbird unit i had for years. i bought mine from Aust for piece of mind so i didnt have to ship it O/S for repairs. i am sure they are a trouble free unit like most items these days. good value for money and the resolution is great for the unit. no downsides for mine, i guess others will have their own personal preferences on which unit you should buy. its you dough so pick the unit that best suits... that said, most units these days are excellent and it all comes down to resolution, what charts are availble (are they included or not) and the gadgets that are thrown in. good luck which ever way you choose. Cheers Mick

Agreed, the site sponsors will look after you... the benefits of being a "raider". they devote a lot of time and effort for members so it is only fitting that we support them also. Cheers

not sure what you are referring too when you say what to look for... as far a ride goes, the Haines hulls are one of the oldest and arguably best riding hulls around. a little tippy at rest due to its deadrise but brilliant underway and in the chop. i still have my V146C and i am going to go back to it once the kids get sick of boating (i.e get girlfriends...) love the boat and its handling and the build quality is terrific. not much more i can add about them.. i believe they were once referred to as the rolls royce of boats (probably a long time ago though now) just make sure you find a sound model that is in good nick and has been well looked after. also make sure the trailer is up to scratch as they can be expensive to replace. good luck. cheers

just one thing to keep in mind.. try to get as high a screen resolution as you can. some low resolution units look grainy and pixelated particularly the coloured models. i dont mind the mono ones as you usually get better resolution for your dough. i originally had a very basic humminbird mono souder and only wanted to spend no more than $3 - 400. ended up spending $1000 but the models availble in this price range are simply awesome and i dont regret spending that much. i ended up going for a coloured combo unit which i find the gps chartplooter very handy. we dont go deep water or reef fishing so it is more than adequate for our needs. in general all sounder/fish finders are pretty good these days and the main difference with units is usability and nick knacks added into the units. i do like the humminbird units and i think the 160 is not a bad unit for the price if that is what your budget allows. very simple to use and underated for mine. good luck with the search. cheers

Got mine mounted on starboard side. dont know why i guess i have always mounted them on that side for some strange reason. never had any issues with it so i will keep on doing so.

Also, with the lowrance transducer you have some scope to adjust it up and down once fixed to the transom. only about 2cm though so keep that in mind once you fix it. you can tweak it to suit than. cheers

Hi congrats on your purchase, i am sure you will be very ahppy with it.. looking at your photo, i think the transducer is a tiny bit too low. while it wont affect its use when drifting or anchored, when you are underway i think you will end up with a bit of rooster tail coming from it. not a big issue but it annoyed the crap out of me when i installed mine too low. a slight lift makes a huge difference when at speed which also prevents getting an unscrambled sounder image on your sounder display. Also if it is too low you are likely to pick up surface weed etc which again p's you off having to remove it all the time. from memory, the instructions for installation are included with the unit so that should give you a diagram of how it all fits together and where to mount the transducer. cheers

Looking at the hull shape, it reminds me a bit of the Haines Hunter type. if you have a picture of the back showing the hull it would help. this shape was however copied by a lot of makers as it was a timeless design and hence the other makers mimicking it. best form of flattery!! not sure about the cabin section though, i have a Haines V146c half cabin, the hull looks similar but the cabin is completely different. probably doesnt help you much though!! Regards

I just upgraded from a basic Humminbird fish finder to a new Lowrance Elite 5 combo. i had a look at the Elite 5 DSI but didnt like the narrow beam or its field of view and i thought it was not very realistic for what we would be using it for. i do like the Australia wide Navionics charts that were included with the unit (Elite 5). i am still getting used to the sonar compared with my old one but i do like the ease of use, interface and layout so i am happy with it and once i use it more i would be glad to pass on any recommendation or bad points about it as i see fit. there are so many units out there these days that it all comes down to marketing and product support. take your time, have a good look at them all and beyond the glossy features, find one that is best going to suit your needs. you cant really go wrong with whatever you decide upon. i am not sure of your budget but try to buy the best one without all the widgets so you get bang for your buck. Good luck with the search. regards

Ironically, i ended up buying the Elite 5 combo!! we dont really go deap sea and i liked the Navionics that came included with it. compared with my old unit it is a massive step up. i am hoping to spend the weekend end on the boat to try it out. will let you know my experience... Cheers and regards Mick

Fair point that! thanks for the heads up. nice to get advice from users with past experience of a product. Cheers

Hi, just out of curiosity what is it that is wrong with your Elite - 5 which makes you unhappy with it?? i was looking at purchasing the elite 5 combo which looked like a very good unit. user experience is always better than reading a nice big glossy brochure so hence my question.. Regards Mick