35R

Thanks guys. Going to water test a Sea Hunt tomorrow morning, assuming no surprises this is the rig i will be towing (attached).

Makes sense. So what do we reckon affects stopping power most, mass of the tow car, contact patch (tyres), big brake kits?

sounds like a great day, nice work

Well i went to take a look at the Lewis 590WA, great layout for what it is, huge cab considering the walk-around config. Space may be a little constrained if you want to fish more than two comfortably though. Huey I will come see you about the HH's - hopefully next week. Meanwhile here are some others I have physically looked at 1. Evolution 550/2 Possibly the most efficient in terms of interior space, at least to the eye anyway. A few dealers offering cut-price deals online, but when you call they don't have them in stock.. and try to sell you other boats. Looks like it would take months to get one regardless. I just don't want to wait until March next year. 2. Cruise Craft 530 (new) or 575 (2nd hand) Impressive finish, good layouts. The 575 on the trailer may be pushing my luck with towing, the 530 looks fantastic but is a little constrained with space. Obviously CC have great reputation with handling etc. 3. Trophy 1800WA There is a new one (2010 model) available quite cheap. Layout for fishing with walk-around (for an 18') is impressive, the best I've seen. A few sticking points though: how would it handle open water (read reports that suggest they bang a bit given hull) plus why does this boat not have an anchor locker nor livewells? I guess it's a yank thing with this 'tiddler' sized boat. 4. Trophy 1900 Pro Burger with the lot but probably weighs too much for my family car (2100kg limit) 5. Baysport range A little basic but reflected in price, good value. Nothing about them excites me though. 6. Whittley Obviously very family oriented - too much of a caravan on water for us 7. Haines Signature 540F and 640F and 575RF. Had a very quick look at these yesterday / still need to research. The 575RF is obviously a new design / fishing focused but probably (just) ok for the odd family cruise/blat around the bay too - finish is excellent. 8. SeaHunt 207LE Wow, what a layout. Front bow rider yet apparently a decent open water boat i am told? Hard to find info on these online as not many aussie owners it seems. Probably the best family/fisho compromise i have seen. How did you guys filter down your list? I am finding it almost too hard. Any opinions on the above boats greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the input/comments guys. I checked out the owners handbook this morning and nowhere does it say i can only tow up to 1600kg legally. There are some requirements for 1600kg to 2100kg which have been discussed already though. On the boat front, we went to chat with Lewis and the 590WR may be the go (just have to see one in the flesh) and another that looks like worth checking out is the new CruiseCraft 530.

How did you gte the slimies so late?

Anyone have experience with the Lewis 590 WA model? Am i allowed to post a link to the manufacturers website on here?

Thanks for the reply guys. I've read quite a lot of posts here and elsewhere and a lot of people say you would only be LEGALLY covered up to 1.6T on auto commodores etc. However the Holden Caprice WM V8 is rated to 2.1T (with correct tow kit etc) - and this car does NOT come in manual form. So what's the deal, why do so many people say it's only covered to 1.6T? FWIW i came across Lewis boats (590WA) which may be what I am looking for (in terms of form/function) and weigh a little less than some others I have looked at: 1600kg apparently BMT Perhaps optimistic but I am going to check them out

Ditto. I ended up donating money to the cause, and received this update today.

Thanks guys. An added dilema is that i just don't want to drive around a big 4WD every day (ie. 95% of the time i am not towing of course) it would give me the irrits no end. I dunno what to do to be frank. What about an AWD Adventra, anyone tow with those? They drive 75% the same as a regular commodore wagon IMO. Anyway I am pretty sure my car is rated for maximum of 2.1T including equaliser hitch.

We are getting close to buying a glass boat in the 5-6.5m range. So BMT weight is going to range from 1600 to 2200kg or thereabouts depending on choice. So here is the dilema - I currently have a WM Holden V8 Caprice which apparently tow up to 2.1T with the right kit (this has been the family car for a few years, which i will inherit as my DD and tow car). A few boat options we are looking at are around the 1950kg mark - now - does anyone think I am pushing my luck towing almost 2T with the commodore/statesman platform? My local boatramp is Botany (off foreshore drive) which is relatively new and i hazard a guess somewhat family car friendly, but not sure. And i will likely do a few trips down South (perhaps a couple each year). Am I kidding myself, could i tow 2T 6+m boat with a Holden Caprice ok? I am trying to figure out if I will need to upgrade my car , which will ultimately affect the boat budget! Currently considering HH585 or 560, or perhaps Revival 6.4 (yes i know about Sam..) but if i have to limit the weight i would likely go with an Evo 500. Thoughts?

On the surface the Supertrawler smells like a bad idea. That's my gut feeling too. But let's try and take the emotion out and analyse objectively for a minute. 1. Are quotas increasing? doesn't appear so. 2. Obviously capacity (of the nets) is huge relative to other trawlers, right? 3. How many regular sized trawlers does this supertrawler otherwise replace on the water? Is it 10, 20, 50? My question is; what is the evidence that this supertrawler effect will be greater than the aggregate effect all the other trawlers it replaces? It's tempting to think that huge nets would obviously reap far more havoc (by-catch etc) simply due to their volume/capacity alone. But is that really true? I would hazard a guess YES myself - but how do we know? Look, if it was up to me I would NOT allow the supertrawler into our waters whatsoever. But at the same time I want to understand the effect relative to all the other (current) operators. Anyone who is really concerned really should be asking these questions. The answer could be different to what you suspect. Perhaps it's impossible to know the answer. If the supertralwer really is capable of taking all its quota in one set of the net, who is to say that is good or bad? Sure it sounds bad but perhaps it's better from a holistic environmental perspective (relative to 50 trawlers chugging around for days or weeks). Does anyone have any research material on the facts?

Cheers mate, interesting boat! perfect for lake/esturary and maybe some bay.

I realise this is THE perenial chestnut of a question BUT times change and conventional thinking is as fluid as the new models arriving every other month. The boats on my short list currently (in no particular order of preference) are: 1. Touranment 1900/2000 2. Seafarer 6.2 Vanquish (yes i know, haines etc) 3. Evolution 550/2 I would be interested in thoughts from current and/or prospective owners, not only of the above three models buy any in the same vicinity. Perhaps I should be looking at other brands/models too. I'll be doing 75% fishing (of which is split between lake/estuary, inshore and offshore) and 25% family excursions. Ideally, the BMT package needs to be under 2T. If anyone has got a fantastic deal lately (in NSW) i would love to hear about it (PM would be best). Reading the latest trailerboat i see the 2012 awards are imminent, anyone seen the results yet? Cheers! Duncan

Really it was that cheap 8 years ago? wow. I was thinking in the sub $400k market

Just asking for general opinions on where people think great NSW coastal retreats are located? I've tried Lake Conjola which is pretty good, thinking about up near Fishermans Paradise etc? Ideally it would be within 3 hour drive from Sydney, with lake or bay nearby, decent boat ramp, some local shops etc, but most of all good fishing! Any suggestions on where to look at? I am sure there are a lot of good value gems out there cheers

anyway i have purchased the fishin buddy product i will provide a review after next week, down lake conjola

thanks That 'deeper' product looks very cool, but as far as i can tell isn't available yet? almost looks like vapourware to be frank. Anyway very cool, would loke to try that rock fishing for shits and giggles. Unfortunately i need something relatively soon

I'll be hiring a boat for lake fishing soon (have done before and will again) so i was thinking about a portable sounder like this: http://bla.com.au/fishin-buddy-110x.html It clamps/installs in a jiffy, nothing to install really. Anyone have experience with these? I realise they are a compromise but i just can't install anything in a hire boat. Otherwise are there any other convenient portable options?

Howdy, I was thinking about taking the kids down to Lake Conjola (NSW) for a few days next week. Does anyone have experience down there for this time of year? Should i be looking for Bream and Tailor only or are flathead on the menu too? I was down there a few months ago and it wasn't very productive. Any hints/tips for down there will be greatly appreciated, cheers. Duncan