Andy Loops

Coastal Patrol Cottage Point

Hi there, Apparently the Boston Whaler Outrage only has capacity for a 600KW transducer as they dont like to punch through the hull to fix the 1KW model. Seems very strange considering this is a fishing rig! Where is the optimal position to fix a 1kw transducer? Cheerio Andrew

Andy = Andrew Loops = short for Loopy Loops (a nickname play on my surname) nothing very exciting unfortunately.... no imagination!

Little bit dissappointed that Australian importers of American boats are not passing on the fx saving given AUD's strength. Apparently the saving is only on 08 model boats as these are ordered in 07?? All sounds very dodgy to me. Surely if you order a new boat today then the Aussie dealer purchases this at current AUD-USD rates... however they do not wish to pass this saving on.. Another thing we are noticing in dealing with a number of dealers around Sydney is that they look to move boats they have in stock instead of ordering a new model for the client. Not necessarily in the best interests of the client who is in the market for a new boat... Our search has stalled at the moment more because the relevant parties are struggling to decide exactly what we want in the boat... The boats themselves are spectacular - But I would like to say that the new CruiseCraft Explorer 685 is an absolutely awesome looking boat!!!! The attention to detail is probably the best we have seen even when compared to boats that are another 50k more in price! Only one slight negative and that is that the hull is not rated to more than 250HP.. These are going to be hot potatoes at the boat show. Back to the drawing board..... Andrew

My family and I love to get out and fish. My wife seems to catch all the fish while I support tying rigs - driving the boat - and cleaning the catch. We love the Hawkesbury and have been heading out there for nearly 6 years straight. Fishing is one of those things you can do with the whole family while chatting over a beer with new friends - cant think of anything better!! Happy boating and happy fishing!

Hi Huey / Nathan, I really appreciate your input - thank you for being so free with your valuable advice! Nathan the ultimate endorsement of a brand is the satisfied words of an owner! Have hit a knowledge gap here and will need to do some reading and legwork over the weekend. We really were only looking at 4 strokes - but the number of brilliant reviews of motors like the E-TEC are very hard to ignore. Will hopefully have a more informed opinion on Monday and will share the results on the forum. A good weekend for boat shopping given it wont be too nice out on the water! Thanks again, Andrew

Beauty! Enjoy the new toy!!

Hi Rod, Yes the boats are heavy. I didnt realise the 6.8m Seafarer is closer to 3.5 tonne when fully loaded up until speaking with a dealer this morning. I was kind of thinking out loud on the tow weight question - at the end of the day as long as the rig comes in under 3.5 tonne it can be towed by a capable 4WD. This is all part and parcel of researching different boats and weighing up the pros and cons of each. Apologies for the silly question.. Twin Verados are our preferred choice of motors at the moment. Trying to escape rising fuel prices is mission impossible. Diesel motors are definitely a great option but we really want to be running a twin setup. Still plenty more reviews, conversations and homework to be done! Cheers and happy boating, Andrew

Funny - just this morning I was quoted on a Navman 8084 (GPS/Fish/Radar) for a little over 8k. This is about 2k less than an equivalent Raymarine unit. Apparently the Navman units are very easy to use and pretty much do the same job... Nectic what sort of issues did you have with the units? What unit do you use now? Cheers

Update: Took an Outrage 240 for a spin yesterday - what a machine!!!!! I think it is going to be too big and too expensive for what we are after - you need a truck to tow the thing at around 2.5 tonne. SO - back to the Aussie made blue water rigs -- Seafarer Voyager 6.8 and the CruiseCraft Explorer 685. I should change the name of this thread as its now a showdown between these two awesome boats. Huey - your first post rings true mate - thanks again! Andrew

We drive at night quite frequently out of Akuna Bay down to Americas / Refuge Bay in the dark. One thing - dont trust your gps!!!! even if it is only out by 5 meters that can put you on rocks. Knowledge of the water helps but most importantly - have a spotter watching the area directly in front of the bow (a powerful torch helps) and go slowly... Make sure your nav lights are working. There can be large logs / plastic bags / debris on the surface that will cause you issues if you get lazy. Not to mention the fisho that died driving into one of the pylons on the railway bridge in recent years... When no moon is out it can be quite eerie cruising around on the water.

Haha - if you can show me something to do with boating that is not expensive I will buy you a beer! The Noosa Cats have just popped up on my radar - these boats look fantastic - any raiders have any experience with these?? Dont want to open the twin hull - vs - mono debate.. but any insights pertaining to this particular brand of boat would be appreciated. Army/Navy/Rescue use the larger models for offshore work so the 2300 fits the bill as a fishing workhorse capable of the rough stuff.. Thanks again raiders! Andrew

Can anyone recommend a dealer for the Seafarer Voyager 6.8?? Many thanks! Andrew

Hi Evan, Its almost a relief to read of another raider who is in the middle of doing his homework! My criteria is similar to yours although it will almost purely be a fishing rig - I like the idea of a half cab because of my two little boys who will probably need to shelter from the Aussy Sun on days out in the heat. We also started out with a Whitley - around 18' if I remember correctly. Was a great little boat - many a weekend was spent on the water in Jerusalem Bay, Americas, Refuge, etc etc... That was before we had the little ones. Fun days and proof that you dont need a big boat to enjoy the water. Its nice having the boat show coming up soon - although whether it confuses or clarifies the process is yet to be seen! Best of luck with your search - keep us informed. Cheers Andrew

Going for a run on a 240 Outrage next week - looking forwrad to feeling this hull. Aparently in one of their 'unsinkable' demos the guys from BW cut the boat in half with a chainsaw - then drove the stern section back to the dock while the bow floated away... Needless to say they filmed the demo - but crickey thats alot of money to just chop in half for some footage!! Will post up the results of the 'Outrage Test Drive' next week. The Seafarer Voyager 6.8m (thanks Huey for putting these little numbers on my radar) is a very tough Aussie made boat. Not in the league of the Outrage but a different style of boat (walkaround half cab) that will do the same job at the end of the day... Still looking for a dealer to organise a test run on one of these. I will be testing this against the Trophy - again once I have some results I will share them on the forum. If any raiders out there have any experience on either the Trophy Pro 2352, Outrage 240, or Voyager 6.8 I would really like to hear about it! Thanks again, Andrew P.S. Frank - I stumbled across your Trophy pics on the Raider's boats section - very smart looking rig!!

Hi inhlanzi, I agree it is a great boat but with two little boys (3 and 1) I think I will need the shelter a cab can provide or risk their enthusiasm waning when the conditions become a little more challenging. Does anyone know of a dealership that imports Boston Whalers in Sydney? Thanks again for all the input. Regards Andrew

Beautiful fish mate!!

Hi Huey, Very interesting - this will definitely factor into the decision making process. I will have a chat to Avante Marine on the weekend. Thanks again, Andrew

Hi Craig, Very helpful and I agree that the boatshow should be interesting this year! It seems a shame not to be supporting local industry but with the markets favouring imports you just can't ignore them... Appreciate your help and words of advice. Andrew Hi Frank, Thanks for the heads up with regards to the brakes. Was this a manufacturer fault or a design flaw? Do you mean you had to redesign and install a new braking system? Sorry for all the questions - but how do you go towing the Trophy through Sydney traffic? I do have a soft spot for these boats as the first one I saw left a lasting impression - I can still picture her sitting on the trailer at the boat show whispering "take me home"... Really appreciate your help and advice - thanks! Andrew

Looking at one of these little numbers - does anyone know of any dealers that specialise in Trophy's? Any owners out there prepared to give a brief rundown of their experience with the Trophy Pro? Any input is appreciated. Cheers, Andrew

That chart is fantastic - can you tell current direction / flow rate using this software? thanks again

My mate once kept a common stingray - prob about 3 foot long - to try it out for a feed. A bunch of our friends are Chinese and they said it was a tasty dish bbq'd... We cooked this thing and same as we would a normal whole fish (foil, seasonings on the bbq grill) It was the most fishiest tasting and thoroughly horrible mouthful of food I have ever tried... Even now I can taste the fishiness... We didnt really clean the slime off so maybe that is where we went wrong... Also the barbs on the critter were lethal - be very careful! Give me a flatty or bream any day! Like I said - we cooked it terribly and didnt really know how to clean it.. I am sure if you knew what you were doing and with a bit of effort you could create a tasty dish...

Would love to head out mate but working!!!! Hope you get amongst them

Awesome - hopefully there will be many more reports like this one in the weeks to come!\\

Great report - the harbour sounds really busy. In Broken Bay you have plenty of room to get around the bigger yachts that seem to set a track right for you. Cant wait for my two little ones to get that little bit bigger so I can get them fishing! 2.5yo and 4 months is just a little young - although they do like to watch the catch swimming around in the live bait tank. Dadddy - Fish!!! Tight lines