mike82

Sounds like you've got a fair idea on what you want! If you don't already have maybe some L.E.D: spotlights, gunwale, courtesy and live bait tank lighting might be something to consider?. For that extra "water cred" Underwater L.E.D lighting to truly "pimp" your boat. Haha! There are so many L.E.D options out there just got to get good quality to last.

Nice christening! Where abouts? (approximate location is fine, if you care to share)

Sounds similar to my weekend! It was very nice to be out there over the weekend, with some decent fish thrown in! Lets hope there are many more like it!

Hay guys! Took advantage of the weather over the weekend and spent the weekend on the bay. Started off for a jig at the peak for 1 bonito and 1 barracuda. On the way back in had a drift in 50m of water for flattys and on a small strip of squid hooked a small (roughly 10kg) mako! After a bit of a tussle got him to the back of the boat where he went NUTS! He took a swipe at the outboard then bit my bait tank pump clean off! On dusk manage a couple of squid and fished the night for 2 port jackson sharks and 2 more squid that were terrorising our live baits. Sunday morning went and drifted the 50 to 60m line and managed snapper, mowies and flathead. Had our fun and headed for home with a nice mixed bag from quite alot of effort! Was nice just to soak up the magical conditions!

I think you will be happy with that one! Good quality unit, less current draw and still bright. Mounting everything can be fiddly and time consuming, but enjoy the challenge!

WOW!!!! Just that spool sells for over $145.00!! What a bargain!

Fishraider! Thanks to all admin and all the other persons involved in making this site what it is! Cheers!

If its only been a month you will be fine. If you are worried, put the jerry in the car and top the boat up with fresh fuel. Fuel stabilisers are only good if used when fuel is fresh and won't bring stale fuel back to life as stated before. They are very expensive and you have to use quite a lot of stabiliser per litre of fuel. 236ml of sta-bil treats only 76L of fuel. Think it costs about $20 from memory. As if fuels not expensive enough already!

Very cool! Must have been amazing to watch right in front of you!

PM sent.

Iv'e got a 3000 certate custom and its an awesome reel! This one certainly looks the goods! Should go fast in red! Enjoy!

Iv'e got 20lb tuff line on my Daiwa Zillion for bass and salmon and can't complain. Im not sure I would use fire line on a bait caster. Would also be interested in hearing about the fins.

The Sydney International boat show starts today (28/7/11) and runs through to monday (1/8/11) Heading along might provide you with an answer / direction to head in, or confuse you even more with an information overload! Huett marine have a display there and would be the guys to speak to not only are they site sponsors, they know boats. Before you buy or got to look at any boats, write yourself a checklist on paper. Its easy to get overwhelmed and will help find the ultimate boat for you. If you go to the boat show, print off a number of these and fill one in and take a photo on your phone for each brand, style etc that catches your eye, so when you get home you can lay them all out and compare features, prices to narrow down your search. In any case speak to Huey and he will be able to point you in the right direction for your budget. Details Here Just some thoughts, Good luck in finding the ideal boat.

Congratulations! The best bait for jews as mentioned is live squid, yakkas and tailor. The yakkas and tailor can also be "butterflied" or filleted. Have a crack at catching some squid because there is nothing like breaking in a nice new white boat with slimy black squid ink! Hope it brings you many years of enjoyment.

Maybe take a look at the G loomis SR841-2 IMX ( 7ft 2-6lb 2 piece) or SR842-2 IMX (7ft 4-8lb 2 piece) Both light and fast tapers but still strong. The two piece can be handy for travel to land based spots. Also the loomis range have an expediter, If you break it they only charge a percentage of the new purchase price for a replacement. Which is handy as accidents do happen.

Great report there boys! Congratulations Browney! TCD always seems to fish well just after the water level rises. Sure is a nice part of the world.

Have you confirmed that it is missing from the previous owner? It could have a through hull transducer and may be mounted inside the boat under the floor out of sight, and not external "under the boat". I think you would be hard pressed getting parts for this sounder. Getting a bit long in the tooth.

Consider an auto float switch for the bilge pump. These can be wired for auto and manual operation. If you are not using both the flood lamps consider exchanging them for a L.E.D flood lamp. They are nice and bright, white light, waterproof, draw little current, and aren't too expensive for the life span they will give you. If using both flood lamps you will be drawing around 8.3A. You should use a relay if they are wired on the same circuit together. Just some thoughts.

Wow! Great shots once again ray! Thanks for taking the time to shoot and post them! Very impressive.

Amazing action! Thanks for sharing!

I would like to attend. Looking forward to it! I have not attended a FR social before. Thanks to all involved for organising the event! Cheers. Mick.

If you are unsure about something during your fit-out ask specific questions. Everything from fuse ratings to cable size is important for reliability and safety. I have seen too many occasions where people have used under-rated cables and over rated fuses in the automotive, caravan and marine industry. Usually from the "handy man" although I have seen some cases on new vans and boats from well known manufacturers that leave a lot to be desired. Take your time and do some homework. Work out your current draw for each accessory and also take into account the length of the cable. Over a long length of cable you will suffer a voltage drop, therefore a larger diameter cable is required to compensate. With switch panels you get what you pay for, buy the best your budget will allow. When a wire burns in a harness it very rarely keeps to itself! Good luck, hope all goes well!

Headed out from the harbour and had a jig at the 12mile for 3 solid kings. No bait or jackets on the sounder, was very quiet. Trolled to browns headed south east in very sloppy conditions for 9 miles, turned and trolled back to the shelf for zero's. Current and wind were pumping and was too sloppy for cubing. Had consistent 21 degree water temp the whole way from the heads out. We didn't find any so, there are a few more out there for you! Good luck!

At the end of the day that is what it costs. My mate and I do something similar. He has a permanent spot on the boat, and is welcome anytime. We wouldn't be able to fish as often as we do if the costs weren't split. Sometimes he asks me, sometimes I ask him. Either way he or I can say no. So you shouldn't feel as if you are "unfair" toward your mate for splitting running costs. Im sure he appreciates the opportunity to fish (relatively cheaply) on a regular basis from a nice boat.

I take a good mate fishing regularly on the harbour and botany over the last few years. He always throws me some cash for fuel and usually picks up the bait. Not so much for the boat's fuel but for the costs involved with getting the boat to the water as I live 1.5 hours from the bay. Fuel (boat and car), tolls, maintenance, rego and insurances add up. I do reluctantly take his offering. I might have to reconsider after going on a yellow fin charter yesterday. He charted the boat for the day ( $1300 ) and took me along at no cost to myself ( in my circumstance, I could not afford it at the moment ) So after he Insisted I "reluctantly" went along. What are mates for! Cheers Stu! Ill get ya back!