Marlin01

Took advantage of the calm conditions and ran to the canyons off Swansea (60k's)to give the electric reels a run not to mention the old 445F Haines. No current and very light variable winds Finished with 6 Hapuka 9-22kg and 8 perch and gurnards. Got a 'Puka triple on the last drop. 22 Kgs of prime eating My first hapuka YUM Nice bundle of fillets. Fisheries turned up on dark and checked the tables out . One guy there had a kingy lucky to be 55 long. Didnt see or hear any surface fish activity, where's the fin? The new 70yammie 4 banger did 130k's on 45litres , not too shabby. Great day and the reels payed for itself already thanks Dan Cheers Marlin01

Andrew, The detail on the maps is invaluable, especially if doing a bit of prospecting. Contours show anomalies and rapid depth changes. Colours show deep water against bommies or islands. Makes it all so much easier. If you travel with your boat at all you will realise and recoup the cost of the chart in no time and your fishing experience will be more enjoyable to boot. Cheers Marlin01

Rafinx, Possibly power packs have failed due to higher loads Check colour and intensity of spark. Other than that as Huey said work your way through the possibilities. And good luck Marlin01

I fish with a mate who has a 6.4m Fisher centre console. Awesome ride and exceptionally practical layout for fishing. Check their site out. Also the big nobles are still a great ride and the chinese workmanship is getting better. Cheers Marlin01

Nice warm water 21.5deg, hoping to see a spotty or two (rumors of some in previous days) had a berley off merewether reef for zero\'s. Back to Nwy close for more berley to score 7 flatties, 3 trevally, 2 tailor, 1 mack tuna and several bonnies. Lots of nice tailor bite offs. Beats workin

Also consider your insurer has the right to wipe any claim because you have exceeded manafacturers recomendations. This means ANY claim even if motor size or weight is not a pertinant issue. Cheers Mar;in

Top fish and very good eating. Marlin

Fezza, Foils effect all boats differently for example I had a foil on a 60hp yammie 2 stroke and haines 445F and basically all it did was help achieving planing at trolling speed. My mate fitted the same foil to a 4.3m stacer 50hp honda and it had a severe effct on his downsea performance causing extreme broaching in any reasonable swell. So take it off and compare what happens. They are normally fitted to assist with achieving planing at lower speed as a priority. Cheers Marlin

Looks good mate. I just built a new live bait tank (I should say my fibreglassing mate built it while I passed him tools) in my haines 445F. It will all be worth it when finished. I would definitely leave the underfloor drainage as is. Cheers Marlin

Bruce, Good to hear that your happy with the rubber flooring. Dewey, After having a rubber floor I couldnt think of installing carpet again. Marlin01

I guess the viability for the conversion depends on the reasoning behind it. You should be able to reuse most control and steering cables. Centre consoles are inherintly wet at sea across the wind but the fishability factor for chasing pelagics is greatly increased. Everything is always a tradeoff. You would probably have to trim or remove the current foredeck keeping in mind the further rearward the console the better the ride at the helm. As for cost it depends on how far you take the conversion ie commercial console VS homebuilt, T-Top for rod storage and electronics?. Good luck Marlin01

Rafinx, I resprayed my 445F in 2003. Bog and sand entire boat to ultra smooth finish (over 300hrs in my case. Guide coat boat (light spray with black matt)which will show all remaining imperefections whilst sanding off (and there will be a few). When finished prime with good quality high etch primer to ensure adhesion. I then top coated with automotive two pack in ford blueprint (standox paint)and 4 coats of clear. I have found the auto paint is a little soft but looks great. Two weeks, mmmmm you'll be busy . Cheers Marlin

I resprayed my Haines 445F (a painter did the top coat and clear. The paint cost me $600 and $1000 for the painter and booth. My prep time for sanding filling and guide coat was 337 hours. Have fun Cheers Marlin

Marty, Ive been using braid on my game gear for a few years now. I certainly found it too direct for my liking as in imparting far too much shock when a beakie or any large fish was headshaking so I now use a 80-100m nylon top shot and find this much better for fighting fish. But for versitility I would have to say my Torsa 40 loaded with 80lb braid and a 30m nylon top shot on a diawa monster mesh rod is pretty versatile and a fish killer. Comfortable to use and extremely light and effective. Good luck on your trip. Cheers Marlin

Ben, I have seen a few rebuilds on centre consoles and most run a conduit of 50-80mm pvc through the console base and the floor turned towards transom with an elbow (a sweep or long radius bend is best) to another length of pipe running parrallel with the keel and another bend through the floor just short of the transom. The conduit shouldnt be directly against your centre stringer or it will impede drainage. Also the conduit needs to be watertight on the terminations ie where cables enter the conduit otherwise the conduit will obviously fill with water. I would also run a smaller conduit on the otherside of the centre stringer for your transducer cable to prevent electrical interference due to induction. Boat box make some nice consoles http://www.boatbox.com.au/. Check out the consoles on fisher boats also http://www.fisherboats.com.au/boat-images.html. I know they are alum but replication with timber and glass woudnt be too difficult. Have you got an underfloor fuel tank already. If not consider it as it seems the perfect opportunity to fab and fit. Take time to consider any additions that will suit your fishing styles, you will enjoy your fishing even more the easier it becomes. I fished in a very similar Savage a lot of years ago and found the hull dependable and predictable in ride and at rest. Hope your very happy together Cheers Marlin

Top catch of fish, nice trag, coupla smaller reds, flatties, jackets and what are the other red fish? Top spot certainly a bit better than Newcastle or Sydney Keep up the reports!

Fished off Swansea today for 16 squire and 2 mowies. No jackets but absolutely plagued by barracutta (15.4 deg watertemp). Kept a couple to try and eat, fillets looked ok but impossible to skin. good numbers of squire but hard to get through 'cutta. Cheers Marlin

Havent had to touch the oil and havent use a drop in 7 years. The way it should be on a sealed system I guess. http://www.regupol.com.au/au/products/sports-leisure/marine-applications/overview-marine-applications.php should get you there. Cheers Marlin

No, I'm Dave from Newcastle. Pic of inlayed name, Another shot Bruce, Seriously one of the best things installed in the overhaul (I have had the boat 26yrs) along with hydraulic steering which may seem like overkill on a 4.5M boat but I will never have steering troubles again. Cheers Dave

I have both the Lansky ceramic system and the smith diamond sharpening kit. I find the smiths kit easier to use as the hones are a bit easier to hold and being diamond work a bit quicker. Both good products and achieve a far superior edge to a steel. As for butchers, when it comes to knives they are just that BUTCHERS. My F.I.L. is a butcher and was amazed how sharp his knives were after a proper sharpen. I now do the whole shops knives every 6 months for a few beers. I admit they dont have the time to sharpen their knives properly every time they loose their edge. Cheers Marlin

Bruce Cannot compare to carpet as it is streets ahead. You cannot slip on it, wet or dry. Doesnt absorb water or smells like carpet. Doesnt wear like carpet and is too easy to clean. Well worth the extra spend as it will outware carpet easily. Laying is not that hard but I did have a carpet layer mate doing the work. Moulds to curves well just be liberal with the contact. I inlayed the boat name into the floor in a different colour, looks good. I will shrink some photos and attatch later. Cheers Dave

Looks like Regupol Granite flooring. It is an excellent product and looks as good today as when I installed it 7 years ago. Cheers Marlin

CD grade is OK but as mentioned it must be sealed with epoxy resin. This is no big deal and quite easily done. Mix and paint on all over. As for the flooring check out Regupol Granite rubber flooring. I have had it on the floor in my boat for 7 years and it is unbeatable in all aspects, non slip wet or dry doesnt absorb water like carpet and is so easy to clean. Cheers Marlin

I fished in a 6.5m Offshore for several seasons back in eaqrly 90's. Boat was fitted with a 4 cyl mercruiser and was a pretty good hull. Not the greaest ride but pretty good and quite dry, very predictable and stable at rest. No probs with splitting or corrosion despite heavy work. Accounted for a lot of good fish. Cheers Dave

TOP FISH Good to see a banana believer convert. they are compulsary on our trips too as too many times No. of bananas = No.of marlin caught. Cheers Marlin01