Fab1

They are longer on the commercial reef picks as they are usually 8 or 10mm in diameter made from very soft springy mild steel. They are designed like that so if your anchor gets stuck on rocks you simply power away in the boat allowing the flukes to bend back allowing you to retrieve it. Once the anchor is on board it will be out of shape then you simply slide a pipe over the bent fluke/s and bend it back into something that resembles the original arc shape. Being made out of soft steel and having those long flukes will also give it a little flex as it's being used when constantly being loaded and unloaded due to wave action etc.

I wouldn't recommend the Stacer Seahawk for your style of fishing (Lures) as they are a small boat and the runabout configuration eats a lot of usable fishing space up.I have the Quintrex version. You do get a lot better protection than the other two boats due to the enclosed bow and windscreen plus many other pros/cons. I also wouldn't take that boat or mine outside even in the best conditions for safety reasons.

I had one like that on my old boat.They work well.

Here's a great video I watched on anchoring a while back for those interested.

Well said mate.

Any photos.People have used various pipes and rebar in the past.Those Sarca's should be renamed Suckers due to the amount of boaties prepared to pay that sort of money for them.

It's already been done.You can buy electric rams online and retrofit.As someone else said,You can do anything if you put your mind to it.Now I'm sounding like Marty Mcfly.

There's 3 things I think boat owners should make the effort to carry at all times.A spare anchor,rode and fresh fuel among other things.You won't miss the spare anchor when you don't need it,but you'll be wishing you had it when xxxx hits the fan.If I can carry these things in what is essentially a small tinny I'm sure most you guys can find the room too. Don't take what I posted the wrong way guys, but if I had the choice of ditching some fishing gear,a mate etc over the Anchor, I'd choose the first two everytime. I lost relatives overseas years ago due to losing an anchor in a storm and having no spare getting blown out to sea. Something to think about guys. Cheers. Cheers.

Came across this today.I wonder how well it works?

I'm being honest,it really doesn't bother me at all.I drive the boat,deploy and retrieve the anchor solo all the time without a second thought.Sometimes I do this 3,4 times when I go out. I'm used to hard work mate.Some of these young blokes wouldn't know what it even means.I have my own home gym that I train with 4 times a week b4 work then go to work and lift,push,pull,carry for 8-12hr days 5-6days a week.Then do a heap of work at home.I enjoy it all even though I must admit I do Get a little sore and tired now I'm getting a bit older. I heard that from people.I think everything has a use,I just don't need an electric as 1,I don't get out nearly enough,and 2 We like to either drift or anchor up with bait. If we are lucky enough to catch a feed it's great.If not we always appreciate our day out. Lifes to short to be sour I say.

Ok,fair enough.Those Minn Kota electrics have turned anchors into boat ornaments almost. In regards to pulling up Anchors there's going to be a epidemic of overweight boaties. I find it a great grip,forearm,bicep,shoulder and back excercise,not to mention the cardio I get from it. I must be mentally insane as I look fwd to it. I now know why they call me Popeye at work.

I would of thought just bridle anchoring your boat would achieve the same thing if you want to fish cross current.

Forget about mates coming out as often as you'd like.Most boat owners don't get out as much as they'd like due to many reasons.Im one of them.Lol.

Take on board what JonD is saying mate as you can't buy the kind of experiences in different boats he's had over the years. Thanks for providing invaluable info on your posts JonD to try to help others. Those zodiacs certainly punch above their weight don't they?But what suits you isn't for everyone.This is the key I think Bear. Research and buy what suits "You" and only you.We can only give recommendations based on our knowledge and experiences that may or may not help you decide what your after. Just keep in mind Bear that a novice skipper would more than likely not even tell the differance between say a 18 deg hull and a 22deg hull.I'll put my hand up and tell you now I certainly wouldn't. Let us know how you go as I'm looking fwd to see what you end up with after all the headaches we've given you on your decision. Cheers.

High dead rise (Deep Vee)also require more power than a low dead rise to get up on the plane. They turn better at high speed. They require more water depth to float. They are more unstable at rest. They are softer riding in rough conditions. Low dead rise (Shallow Vee) plane easier and require less power. They float in less water,they have less 'draft'(How much hull is underneath waterline).This changes with load. They require less power to plane. They are more stable at rest. They are harsher riding in rough conditions. As you can see there's pros and cons with each as a perfect boat for everything doesn't exist. If most of my boating was going to be outside in the rough stuff I'd choose something with a deeper Vee in Glass by a long shot. If I was mainly going to plod around in the bays,estuaries and rivers I would go aluminium and a shallower Vee all the way. This is not to say that a shallower Vee can't be used in the rough and a deeper Vee can't be used in the estuaries and bays,it's just not ideal. My advice is too really Narrow your focus on one of these things from each group. Range in length e:g 4-5meters. Engine size/ power type e:g 2 or 4 stroke. Carrying capacity e:g 4 people Ally or glass. Fwd steer/Tiller. runabout,open,side console,half cabin etc as the layout. You get the point,You need to pick one of those attributes from each group to narrow your focus and cull out a huge amount of boats and wasted time looking for that ideal boat for "YOU". Good luck.

With boats it's always a buyers market pretty much especially with boats that are a dime a dozen and basic like tinnys etc.There's way more used boats than used boat buyers out there and like cars every buyer wants to pay as little as they can and every seller wants to sell for as much as they can. If a boat is say worth 8k new and the seller wants 6k after 3-4yrs,most people just bite the bullet and save up a little more or stretch out the loan and buy brand new and reap the rewards that comes with that. Boats are like anything really,They're worth as much as a particular buyer wants to pay and a particular seller wants to let it go for. My advice is to purchase wisely otherwise you will end up like so many do buying and selling over and over again losing a shitload of money in the process. False economy if you ask me but hey it's they're money. I'm sure their will be many on here that have done that over the years willing to get on here to defend their reasoning behind it. Like I said it's their money. All the best mate with whatever you buy and enjoy your time on the water.

I would of thought a 10kg block would last longer than that.What are you trying to attract?A great white?I tried the mesh bags etc and found that using the pvc canister I made with the frozen slugs to be more efficient for berleying at whatever depth you require and very easy to deploy and retrieve.I've had slugs in that last 3hrs that weigh around 1.5kg depending on water conditions. Good on you for trying things out to see what works best for you. As for berley recipes,simple ones like simply pillys and chook pellets have worked and so have more complex ones at different times.

And it's illegal.Be careful. You and I both.

Have a read of the pined post on fuel storage above. I transfer my fuel to my cars/garden gear usually after 3 months and refill the tank. Saying that I've have gone six months or so with the same fuel over a period of over 20 years or so without any signs of ill effect in various machinery including outboards,motor cars etc and all times it was plain fuel or mixed 2 stroke in the fuel. I think you'll find it will be quite some time before you see any fuel seperation/staining issues in your seperator if any. I think the safest bet would be that if your in doubt,throw it out.Or use it in other equipment.

I'm surprised kayakers don't get run over with dills in their tiller steer tinys with that blind spot they have when not trimmed properly.Especially the idiots in them in places like the hacking on a nice day with their tinys noses way up in the air.

Happy birthday Fishraider.I wonder how many on here can call themselves the Alf Stuarts of Fishraider?

Very good responces from everyone.This is my non expert opinion. Buy based on what you intend to do most often as you say.All boats like cars are a compromise and their will always be positives and negatives no matter what you own. Make sure you can afford to own,maintain and run that boat too.Because as they get bigger the cost for these things above Increases too. In regards to boat configuration,you and only you can ultimately decide if a half cabin,centre console,runabout etc is going to suit you best.Again all have their pros/cons with them. Hull material is ultimately up to you also as they can both take you fishing to the places you want to go. The main thing to remember is that you wouldn't buy a tractor to race at Bathurst as much as you wouldn't buy a cruise liner to take up a shallow creek. Stay within sensible boundaries between these two extreme examples and the boat you purchase will suit your needs the majority of the time. Enjoy the boat hunting process and your new boat once you finally find it because the perfect boat to do everything you want has and never will exist. Cheers.

They will say you are responsible for neglect(Over loading) is my bet. And with some if the imbeciles driving utes loaded to the hilt I don't blame them.

That's from a Forum I follow that just happened to a bloke mate. It can happen to all makes of utes as owners forget that the centre of the rear axle is a meter or more away from the back of the tub.Simply physics and "Common Sense" tells me you load em up to much past this point combined with rough roads and something needs to give. Here's another few.

I'm betting the tinny didn't cause this.