sammy241

Thanks @Pickles - yeah, I'm happy to have function over form, although "function" here is just about "floats and moves" . I'll likely sell this on rather than upgrade it, as the hull, engine and trailer more or less match each other in terms of function and state of repair, and I suspect any money I put into it might be stranded when something major that I haven't discovered yet (by not looking closely) causes it to be unserviceable!

Thanks all. Yeah, I'll keep an eye out locally to see if a 60-70hp crops up. And you're right, it does plough through the water, and it does chew through fuel - I used 15L for around 20nm, which was my longest trip. I suspect I'll give this another season so that I can make all my mistakes fairly cheaply (added yesterday: picking up an unsecured unmaintained mooring and drifting towards the beach, catching my shore lines on the throttle while bringing them onboard, forgetting to open the fuel tank vent), and then buy something like a bowrider that I go for longer trips with the family on. At least I'm confirming that I am actually using the boat now that I have one.

Hi! I'm the lucky owner of this roughly, on average, 30yo bit of kit, which cost me a grand total of a bit less than I spent on flat whites last year. I've read a bit of background on both the hull and the engine, and the reviews seem to fit my use case well, which is that they're extremely unassuming and reasonably bulletproof as long as I don't expect too much or do anything too stupid. One thing I would like to do is get a bit more range and speed. Right now, I can get about 16kts flat-out with one POB, leaning forward, with the bimini down, on flat water, riding a superyacht's bow wave. If I get the family of four on, so around 110kg extra weight, it's not quite planing and we're lucky to break 10 kts. I jealously read about families going from Pittwater to Wiseman's Ferry for lunch from Pittwater, whereas we're lucky to make it to Church point for a bagel. Mind you, we paid 1/30th for the boat, so 1/20th the range is probably a net win! I was wondering if these are reasonable stats for the setup, or whether it's a little low, and I should expect more. Ideally, it would be nice to be able to get it properly planing with the family on board, so we can actually go somewhere and get back in a day. Also - I've been fairly cautious on the motor, because it's quite useful for getting home at the end of the day. Are Johnson 35s (or any outboard) bulletproof enough to run at max revs until it's time to fill up, or am I cruising for a towing? Thanks!