Whitto

Thanks for the trip down memory lane AndyT The 60hp E-Tec is awesome with nearly 150 hours on it now ... the idle rattle did calm down a lot after the double oil "break- in" period and I will be buying the E-Tec again when it's time to update! It will be another Poly ... 'cause after 2 years, mine is still like new

Thanks for the support guys. I'm not really any sort of activist, but this subject gets me going big time. Six years ago, on another website, we heard about Woolworths selling Marlin ... 3,000 e-mails later Woolies pulled the plug on buying any more stock. 3 weeks later Coles began selling Marlin... 3,000 e-mails later and they continued to sell it! One interview on the Channel 7 Sunrise program with a very nervous Whitto ... and Coles decided to stop buying Marlin. One 200kg Marlin retails at $14 per kilo = $2,800 The same fish is worth $10,000 to the fishing/boating/tourisim industries EVERYTIME it is tagged and released! I'll shutup now!

Just a thought ... The commercial fishermen who nearly wiped out the Yellowfin Tuna have turned their hand to Striped Marlin. Biggest problem there is that for every Striped Marlin caught on a longline, there will be some Black Marlin and Blue Marlin hooked. Only the Striped Marlin is allowed to be landed in East Coast ports, so the others get thrown back, some live, most die. It's like shooting all the cows in a field, but only eating the brown cows ... any black or grey cows are left to rot. This type of fishing is unsustainable and several stores like Woolworths and Coles have removed Marlin from their shelves in response to complaints. Western Australia have banned all landing of Marlin at West Coast ports. Biggest thrill of my fishing life was watching my first Marlin swim away from the boat ... my next one may turn into dinner! That's my decision to make. Now, it's entirely up to you what you choose to do, but I won't buy Marlin.

Here it is ... thanks for the clue MrsS

For further info on Poly Boats, try here ... Polyboatowners For unbiased opinions from owners check out these forums ... Forums

More drag ... the Tender and inflatable both float ... aluminium don't! The Tender and the inflatable are flat bottomed, almost planning before the gas is applied, while a tinnie sits more hull under the water. The Tender goes like a go-kart ... it turns like it's on rails and even at WOT it won't flip! Catching and passing tinnies with equal hp is loads of fun ... we will be trying out towing kneeboards etc behind the Tuff Tender come summer P.S. Like all polyboats, the Tender is quiet on the water, there is no wave slap like in a tinnie

Saga, I have a Tuff Tender with a 15hp 2 stroke Merc ... I love it It is more stable than a tinnie or inflatable. Stronger than both, but heavier. The Tender and the inflatable are much faster than a tinnie. Though tinnies do have more freeboard. If you are going in the surf, get the inflatable ... otherwise the Tuff Tender does very well!

LESS than a 4m boat trailer ... and much more versatile! The Poly Trailer costs around the same as a good quality trailer with a checkerplate floor. A painted steel Box Trailer made in China comes with a 3 month warranty. While a Poly Box Trailer made in Australia comes with a 5 YEAR warranty! Which would you buy?

Not a Polycraft trailer ... although the box is made from the same plastic (polyethelene) It is as tuff as any industrial box trailer ... it's stronger than checkerplate because it flexes and can take a much harder knock! The box is double-skinned and each skin is around 8mm thick ... it can also hold up to 110 litres of water between the skins if you want to go bush. They are very quiet on the road, even when empty!

Thanks Numbers ... All the metal parts are galvanised, just like a boat trailer ... the box is Polyethelene, just like the Polycraft boats Stronger, quieter and NO RUST And with my 3m Tuff Tender "tinnie"on top ...

Hi Binns_e, An elastic cable/hose swivel (90 degrees) for the controls to the outboard. ... this would allow the throttle, electrical and fuel lines to fit neatly away from the rear deck and hatch. ...no more tripping over them or kicking them when casting from the rear deck. here ... Tuck the cables away and clear the deck Otherwise, very happy with my boat

Other than fishing ... Poly Boat Owners NRL Bass Boat Central

Hi Wazza, No smoke, no smell. At idle the Etec has more vibration than a fourstroke (the only downside I have found) at trolling speeds the Etec is just as smooth. I have had my Etec 60hp for 7 months and recommend you check them out

For anyone who may be interested, here's a link to the Etec infomercial ... Etec Video

Hi Ozy, Go the Etec my 60hp has 60+ hours and so far is bulletproof ... it's just like your Yammie, only lighter, faster, and less maitenance ... turns a huge prop by comparison to the Yammie so the Etec torque must be better too What boat are you getting ??

Sure thing Sammy, PM me your mobile number and i'll let you know next time we get out onto the Bay

Nice Horse! Great day out Fishrunner We didn't set any records, but loads of slimies and squid sure kept us amused ... 6lb is also NBG for Kingfish, but that's fishing

90hp and 75hp Etecs have been in Australia for over 3 years now and with only minor issues so far. I have the first 60hp Etec in Australia ... it is 60 hours / 6 months old and I can highly recommend it BRP are so confident in the technology that they have canceled their deal with Suzuki for 4 stroke motors and will be Etec only from next year.

Hi mr_grumble, Any 4 stroke will add value to the resale and ease of use for you. Service will cost you $$ every 6 months. 2 Strokes are great for power and performance, but suffer from bad fuel economy, pollution and lots of noise ... you may still need to premix your fuel/oil too. I have an Evinrude Etec and being a new generation 2 stroke, it has all the good stuff from BOTH types of motors and none of the bad. If I had to have any other motor it would be the Suzuki fourstroke. Good luck with your decision

Here's the best camera for a fisho ... The Pentax Optio WPi Water Proof Digital Camera is perfect for the active photographer. This camera combines 6 megapixels, a 3 x optical zoom and a 2 inch LCD all in a waterproof body. The Pentax WPi is capable of being used at a depth of 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes at a time. Wash the fishguts and salt off in a bucket! There is one on my birthday list already

Hi Cam, Has he ever been out in one? Let me know if he wants to go for a ride ... or just hit one with a hammer

They had no choice But $6 million sounds excessive

That's part of the plan Ken ... there is a lake I know with a very shallow entrance, even at high tide ... some of the fish in there are bigguns

First run was delayed due to a lack of trailer, but after bludging one from a mate, we were away for some fantastic fun. The 15hp is awesome, even with 220kg (the boy and me) we flew ... yes flew, airborne over a cruiser wash! Landings were loads softer than a tinnie would have been and with both of us down the back we scared the crap out of each other, taking turns driving ... but we never came close to any serious damage. It is a VERY twitchy beast at full throttle with only 1 person aboard, but with practice both of us were able to execute some radical turns at full blast ... a couple of moring bouys would have seen us racing for lap times and if we had a couple of these boats we would be starting our own racing club. My 12yo came for a ride and loved it, the missus hates going that fast and will stay ashore from now on, while us kids "chop the water to froth" Took a few onlookers for a quick spin and they couldn't believe how much like an inflatable it was ... except that being plastic it is much more durable. First run issues ... The carpet looks great but slides around like it's on ice ... either we glue it down or get rid of it! The little folding anchor gets airbourne from it's compartment (one very sore kidney)... a bungy cord will fix that. The paddle needs to be secured too! Minor items that will be right next time out ... we may go for a play in the surf then Maybe a front hatch for storing the lifejackets ... without adding much weight ... it would make a great casting deck too . All up it's a great machine that is very seaworthy, we did get wet (wetsuit next time, partly for extra padding) but it was such great fun ... my face is sore from all the smiling and laughing Thanks again to Eric at Yabbie Marine for all your help in getting the boat for us

Here's the newest addition to the Whitto Polycraft Fleet ... Teamed with the 15hp Merc it will fly POLY'S RULE