kingfishbig

The quota was a bit over 10% of the estimated stock, so like I said very conservative and unlikely to make much of an impact on fish nos or ecology. Maybe you are not aware that we have been taking more from a smaller area for years in the other small pelagic fishery (pilchards), without any apparent ill effects. It hasn't stopped the resurgence of the southern bluefin tuna in the same area for instance.

I'd be inclined to take those figures with a grain of salt. Ie using catches as a guide to abundance (catches may have dropped due to less effort resulting from fisheries management measures), the use of 'citizen scientists' (ie amateurs) for diver surveys. The theme (and a rather common one we have seen before) is that fisheries management has failed/ can't be trusted and so we need more marine parks. PS: the super trawler wasn't in operation very long and it's quota was actually quite conservative, and we are talking about fast growing baitfish. It would have made next to no difference to fish nos.

Fiberglass is tougher than a lot of people think. It's pretty hard to put a hole in it, more likely you might damage the gel coat and possible gorge the glass, but this is quite easy to repair. You don't have corrosion to worry about and metal and welds can fatigue when they get old. Actually I would trust an old fiberglass boat (provided it doesn't have any dry rot) than and old aluminium boat, especially given the latter often just have air chambers for floatation. I wouldn't make my decision on perceived toughness unless you were launching from a rough boat ramp (ie with no beach or jetty to pull up on).

A good 2nd hand fiberglass boat will do the same (or better) job for possibly a lot less money (especially if you factor in the interest payments). You may have to spend a bit more on maintenance but it still might make more financial sense than borrowing to buy something that depreciates.

The phasing out of carby 2 strokes makes it a bit problematic repowering an old boat. A new 4 stroke can be 4 times what the hull is worth. The extra weight is an issue too. The Etecs are lighter and a bit cheaper. Perhaps you are on the right track looking at second hand motors. Regarding Chinese motors the Parsun brand has been on the market for quite a while and there doesn't seem to be too much in the way of problems. Bear in mind though rival dealers hate them so expect a lot of disparaging sales talk.

Took the words right out of my mouth. You get more internal room with the Yellowfin and I think they come out cheaper too. So if you are taking several mates and not concerned about having the softest ride perhaps go for the Yellowfin.

There are a variety of products under the WD-40 brand name, but only one of them is the water dispersant known as WD-40. I use silicon spray on my reels, at least the ones susceptible to corrosion, ie anodised aluminium Tiagras, Toriums, ABU ambassadeurs. As long as your are a bit careful it should not get inside the reel and cause the problems discussed. Personally I wouldn't use acetone as a solvent as it will soften and lift paint, attack rubber gloves (and not good to get on your skin), evaporate quickly and is quite expensive too. White spirits is a good solvent and does not leave an oily residue so you can use it on drag washers too.

The upgrade to the Trial Bay ramp includes extra parking. You can launch and retrieve a fairly sizeable boat ( up to 5.4m or so) from the Back Creek so long as the tide is at least half in or less than half out and you stick to the channel (best to study the entrance at low tide). It's way better than the Hat Head creek entrance.

Why not try the Back Creek ramp at SWR? The problem at Hat Head is there is precious little water depth. The Back Creek entrance is shallow but better (they use a crane and scoop to dredge it). PS: Apparently they have upgraded the ocean ramp near Trial Bay Goal.

Actually the drag gets tighter as the line loads gets smaller (more spool revolutions for the same length of line removed). The drag on these reels is not as good as modern reels. The 9000 was the favourite of snapper fishermen off the rocks. It casts well with a small bait and a 4 oz snapper lead.

The 9000 will cast a bit better due to it's smaller and lighter spool. It is a narrow spool version of the 10000. It depends how much you need in line capacity. Actually the 7000 is big enough for jewfish as is quite a large reel for beach fishing. Sharks might be a different matter though.

Positive floatation wasn't compulsory in boats until 2006 I think. It is worth retrofitting old boats with foam. You can buy in blocks and cut it to size and squeeze it under gunnels etc. Up high like this means the boat will float upright. Polyethylene is the best material, one brand is called Microlene. Vic and Tas government departments go into some detail on their maritime websites about how to do it.

Why soft plastics? I would suggest metal lures for tailor and salmon. You could also try some of the new heavy casting minnow style lures such as Jackson Pintails which are proving successful of the beach. That said I have done much better using bait off the beach.

Blueline Citrus Clean hand wash works for me.

That's a bit odd as the purpose of a walkway is not to get your feet wet. It dries fairly hard though I am not exactly sure how it will stand up to being walked on.

Yes Tectyl will make a big difference. You only need to treat the bits that get dipped in the water. So regarding your question as to walking on it why not just leave the walkway untreated?

They were breed from wild caught brood stock so they are not genetically different to wild fish or 'modified' in any way.

They are from the same genetic stock as the local population, ie they are not 'modified' (from the article): “The farmed yellowtail kingfish are of the same genetic stock as wild populations with broodfish being sourced locally,” he said. “The farmed fish are from local parent stock and are health checked on a routine basis, so they are not considered a biosecurity risk.” She said the farmed kingfish were of the same genetic stock as wild populations and the company was “researching the behavioural and feeding responses of the escaped fish” as it continues to try and recapture them.

It's more the drain holes in the outboard well that cause a problem (and the holes for bungs). The outboard well will collect rainwater and it is fresh water that will cause dry rot - not saltwater. Also the transom will be stronger if the wood is one piece.

Ideally the stringers should be high enough to touch/ join up with the floor. You have a unitised and very strong structure then. You could consider putting some cross stringers in as well. With the transom you have to decide whether you are going to repair it from the inside or the outside. It might take a lot of work removing the old wood in either case, but trickier doing so from the inside.

You could consider doing it yourself, that's what I ended up doing. It wasn't all that difficult.

You might find this useful. It specifically mentions the case of a portable fuel tank with built in vents in outboard powered boats. Going by this some extra venting of the compartment might not be a bad idea: http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/vent.html Boats with permanently installed inboard gasoline engines for: Propulsion Generators Auxiliary Equipment This does not apply to: Outboards: Portable Equipment Exception: If your outboard powered boat has a permanently installed fuel tank, and there is electrical equipment in the same space as the fuel tank, and that equipment is not ignition protected, then the space must be ventilated! See the electrical page for information on ignition protection. Exception: If you have a portable fuel tank, fastened down in a compartment and that tank vents into the compartment, then the space must be ventilated. The same is true for an outboard engine in an enclosed compartment or a portable generator in an enclosed compartment. Natural Ventilation: A natural ventilation system is required on all boats with compartments that contain a permanently installed gasoline engine or a fuel tank, unless that space is open to the atmosphere. Open to the atmosphere: This means, if there is at least 15 square inches of (96.77 Sq. Cm)opening to the atmosphere for each cubic foot (0.03 Cubic Meters) of net compartment volume, then you don't have to provide ventilation. Any openings will do. However be aware that gasoline vapors are heavier than air. If all the openings are at the top of the space, and there is no air flow, then the vapors can still be trapped at the bottom:

Why wouldn't there be fume build up? The vent can let out vapours as well as let in air. The problem is if the tank is in a confined space (which it looks like it is).

It might be a bit problematic when you use the carry tank though, as fishing often involves doing some running interspersed with periods at anchor or drifting. So you will have to go to the trouble of closing the vent every time you stop (and opening it again) or there is the possibility of venting vapours. The photo shows the tank is in a compartment, but also mention is made of it being under the rear casting deck which would make it a confined space. I would consider having the tank out in the open on deck. If it is too much of an obstacle you could use 2 x 12L tanks. That's what I did with my Polycraft. I ignored the dealers suggestion of having the carry tank under the seat in a confined space.

There is a reason that underfloor tanks have their vents on the outside of the boat (so fumes don't collect inside). So it's not a good idea to have a portable tank in a confined space (remembering the vent can let out vapour as well as letting air in).