riveRecon

Awesome tips, thank you 😊. I also don’t feel so bad now as I see many others have similar feelings about the topic. I’ve edited the at home, towing, and pre launch checklists on the original post from all the feedback. Many thanks again 😀

Thanks 😊 I’ve edited the checklist and added some items I do at home.

I wondered about the start/stop before launching. The dealer said it was OK to do before I launch to make sure it starts. I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with it. Thanks for the other tips everyone, looks like a boating buddy is in order. Now to find one 🤔. I’m a convenience fisher and primarily love exploring and camping, seemingly making it a little more difficult to find a buddy…

I mostly boat alone. My boat is easy to handle on my own. I’ve noticed in myself that one of the reasons I don’t go boating so much is boat ramp anxiety. Packed ramps and parking, along with people in a hurry or impatient with others. On top of that, worrying that I’ll stuff up the launch and embarrass myself or frustrate others further. If I have to park my car some distance, I worry things might get stolen while I park. I’ve started to use some checklists that I keep in the Deckee app to try and relieve some of this anxiety. Apart from therapy 🤣, I’m starting to think I might need a boating buddy. Does anyone have anymore tips please? Be nice 😊. Thanks. my checklists: Regularly at home::: safety gear checklist, Engine oil level, Emergency torch, Boat draining rain, Batteries charged, Tire pressures, Rust points - winch/springs/brake cable/terminals/plugs/motor, brake tension, sounder works/upgrades 1. Hitch up for towing::: Tow Ball lock on, check trailer lights, safety chains on, trailer handbrake/brake lock off, hitch lock down, scuppers open, motor up & chocked, tyre chain off, prop flag on, all items secure, enough fuel for 3rds rule. 2. Pre Launch::: check wheel hub heat, bungs in, scuppers closed, tie downs off, motor choc out, boat chain off, launch rope on and secured to trailer, winch handle ready, engine neutral, key & lanyard in, sounder down, battery on, life jacket on & inflation toggle out, safety ladder in position. 3. Launch::: Winch hook off, LAUNCH.

Thanks for the prompt @mrsswordfisherman 😀 River temps are getting harder to find, I use the BOM too at the moment. I find I have to assess the tidal movement from the sea (and therefore sea temp) to get an idea of what the water temp is in the lower reaches. Upper reaches fluctuate a lot, especially with rainfall being all over the place in Queensland at the moment and the apps I’ve found don’t reflect the real temp when I get there. This is maybe something the Deckee App wizards can look at 😊

Finding spots to camp on land can be challenging. I’ve been working on perfecting camping on my tinnie. Safety first, getting out of the wind, and keeping the rain out of the boat I find to be the main problems to solve. You can find some pretty out of the way places. I follow leave no trace rules, that means I keep a simple toilet on board so nothing goes into the waterway. I take some rubbish bags along to clean up any other litter too. Chris got me out on the water, I’ve made a few videos under riveRecon if you want a few ideas. To sleep comfortably, look for storage boxes and coolers that are the same height as your tinnie bench seats and casting decks, which results in a pretty comfortable night sleep. This solves having to find land camp sites each night. Hope that helps and let me know if you need a hand solving any other problems to stay safe and have fun camping on your boat.

Air movement is the key I have found. I have a Bimini which gathers enough condensation under it it starts to “rain” with no clears or side walls. When references are made to ventilation, the actual meaning is air movement. I’m still experimenting with the ideal set up. If you can direct low speed fans to keep the air moving across surfaces, condensation will have a hard time forming. Warming up the air alone will make the condensation worse, humidity on the water is extremely high which keeps recharging the atmosphere with moisture. The water temp is normally warmer than the air, the water evaporates into cold air, which it then wants to condense on first surface it can find. That’s why fog forms over water and why any boat is completely soaked in the morning. Most adults also breathe out about 2 liters of water per night. You’ll notice if there is a continuous breeze, no condensation forms. Sorry for the long winded “pun intended 😀” reply. I hope that helps - air movement is the key.

I do like the feeling of doing it myself. I need to develop my “finishing” skills though so things look really professional 😀

Hi everyone, Just thought I'd share how I built my casting deck with the lightest, cheapest and no rot material. I went to a caravan manufacturer and asked for their door and window cut outs from their composite (Fiberglass skin and foam core) walls of the vans they build. They normally throw these out so they gave it to me for free. I got a couple of solar panel alloy mounting rails and bought myself some stainless roofing screws and Sikaflex to mount the panels to the rails and seal the joins. It turned out quite well. The material is a bit slippery so I at first sprayed on non slip coating, but then placed tube matting on top. If you're needing a DIY casting deck build or replacement, most caravan/RV manufacturers are using this material now, so maybe look for one close by to you and ask them. The material is does not rot, quite strong but light. It is also very buoyant - never hurts to have more floating stuff attached to the boat 🤣 I videoed the assembly here if you want more details:

This is my boat. 7.5m (24.5ft) plate alloy 115HP hydraulic dampened tiller steer. Self draining decks. Does on average 3km (1.6nm) per litre at 21 Knot cruise. 190 litre fuel tank under the floor. Less than 2,000kg towing fully loaded. I'm still sorting the fit out and weight distribution for long distance, multiday camping adventures. I might put a pop top tent/casting deck up front. My last trip was 215km over 5 days, working up to bigger trips. Yes, I couldn't resist having the Deckee logo on the side