rob roy

Hi, i use the David from Como marina,to be honest he is very particular, almost anal, but i know that what i pay for is done to a very high standard, and his price is fairly reasonable. Regards Roy. Ps I would use Huey but the distance to me is too far.

Hi Squidboy, That's probably the best decision that you have made, it's not worth the risk. Regards Roy

Hi, it's a really good ramp compared to some of the other ramps i have launched from, but beware as the summer weather creeps in as you will experience the dreaded jet skiers who don't seem to have any ideas on what etiquette means, also i have been approaching the jetty at low speed ready to dock when people towing tubes have cut in front of me which in my opinion was downright dangerous, great to use during the week, but not at weekends. Regards Roy

Hi, My two cents worth, i had the se 300, on my previous boat, a Haines Signature 460br powered by a 4 stroke mercury 75hp, my son and i were belting along at about 35mph on the Port Hacking in very calm conditions when it flipped on to its side, i managed to pull back the throttle and it righted itself, scared the living crap out of me and my son, i wrote to Haines telling them what had happened [without mentioning that i had a foil fitted ] they replied saying that they reckoned i must have a foil fitted, and if i removed it that it would never happen again, it only happened once in almost 200 hours of boating, but its not worth the risk. Regards Roy

Hi Guys, Just returned from Fiji, went out on my first ever fishing charter, totally different from anything that i imagined it would be. I was the lucky one that was in the chair when this monster struck, i was physically exhausted when i finally got it to the boat, it fought every inch of the way, The only disappointment was for the other guys on the charter as we only landed mine and another small tuna, we got busted off on about five other occasions, the guys from the boat said the reason we didn't get too many hook ups was because the sea was far too flat,anyway i was pumped, never heard a reel make that noise before. Regards Roy

Hi Guys, apologies all round, just checked my receipt, my dealer charged $400 plus parts for the 20 hour service, and the parts came to $170, fuel filter and filter kit was $72, , oil and grease $38 environmental levy $25 and impeller $35, [ had an issue of engine overheat warning horn coming on ] was told the impeller wasn't worn enough to send back under warranty, but since changing the engine has been running nice and cool, still thought i shouldn't have had to pay for it though. Regards Roy

Hi, its a 135 hp optimax, the dealer i bought it off charges $500 plus parts for a service, and the total cost after my 20 hour service was $650, i had a few minor issues with the smartcraft set up and the trailer that i wanted them to sort out under warranty so that's why i took it to them, i'm going to shop around for my next service. Roy

Thanks Guys, will wait till March for its next service, really couldn't afford another $650 at the present time. Regards Roy

Hi, I have just noticed a sticker on my boat put there by the people who did my 20 hour service, it says next service due at 50 hours, i have checked my service book and there is no mention of a 50 hour service, firstly is this going to affect my warranty if i don't get it done, and is it important to have this done considering i'l be having my annual/100hour service done in March next year, or is this just a way of getting more money out of me by this particular dealer. Regards Roy

I know it's not the done thing, but when you get the key, why don't you get a copy made and have one for future trips. Regards Roy

Nice whiting, i was in one of the boats that slowed down and watched you reel it in, at least you had better luck than us, we tried the end of the runway, Ramsgate baths, and a few other places and came up with nothing, never mind there's always next week. Roy

Hi Guys, i also launched at Grays Point today, had to wait half an hour until the concrete mixer got out of the road, the guys there said the pontoon will be operational on Saturday, i don't know if its the fencing that is still in position, but i seem to think that it's not as wide as it used to be, anyway seabreeze forecasted 0.8 swell but in bate bay it was a lot bigger, unfortunately this was the first time i took my 12 year old offshore, and he was a bit scared, also the fish weren't biting for us, ah well another day perhaps. Regards Roy

Hi Guys, Grays Point boat ramp is now open, well the ramp is open, the pontoon is still closed and yet to be finished, went down Sat and Sun, plenty of parking as most people didn't realise that it was open, really fed up with inconsiderate people who had their cars parked in the car and trailer spots, it's well signposted that these spots are for car and boat trailer, will be a real problem when it gets busy. Regards Roy

Hi Huey, thanks for that, i'm getting about 1.5 at idle and about 7 at 3000rpm, engine temp is between 50 to 60 at cruise, i was a bit worried that my water pressure was a bit low, but feel better now you've reassured me. Regards Roy ps you should or maybe have got an enquiry about the 580 breeze from a mate who is looking for one, i showed him yours on the net and he seemed quite impressed.

Hi Guys, i've got an optimax 135hp all connected up to smartcraft, only problem is i don't know what figures i should be expecting with water pressure at idle and in cruise, also what should the engine temperature range be. Thanks Guys Roy

Hi Guys, Took a drive by Grays point boat ramp yesterday, it's now got a closed sign there and they have put a few pylons in for the pontoon, isn't it typical, they were supposed to start this in July and have finished by October, so who knows when this will be finished now, they had ample opportunity to do this during the quiet season, there is really no thought into things by Sutherland council, anyway i've had my whinge so i feel better now. Regards Roy

Thanks guys for your input, very excited about picking up new boat, just have to learn how to fish better than what i've been doing, Huey, will ask dealer about upgrading to navman 6507, and make sure compressor belt is changed every two years, achjimmy what a great name, reminds me of what my mother used to say to my dad when she was annoyed with him, he was called jimmy and being Scottish it was said on quite a few occasions. Regards Roy

Hi Guys, Took the lightning out for a test drive yesterday, weather was probably too good for a proper evaluation, but we took it out of the heads at Botany Bay, there was a bit of a swell, it seemed to cope alright with that, purposely caught the wash of some big cruisers, and it cut through without a worry, performance was above what i had expected ie. holeshot,[ my previous boat had a four stroke] i have to agree with Huey the optimax is noisey, well it was more the throaty noise that i have to get used to compared to the four stroke, but at the end of the day i was quite impressed with it and it hopefully will do me for a lot of years as i have bought it and pick it up next week, also with the navman 6500 gps combo all connected up with smartcraft. Regards Roy

Thanks Huey for your opinion, i realised that the Lightning is a superceded model, and the price i had negotiated was just over 38k, i'm not too bothered about the noise of the 135 optimax, been working on aircraft for 35 years and i'm as deaf as a post, i'm a bit concerned about what you said about being too light, does this mean that it'll not be very stable in a bit of a swell or chop? I'll keep my eyes open for that, i am at the upper end of what i can realistically afford, and i had looked at the 580 breeze but it was out of my price range, i had a haines signature 460 bowrider which i have just sold, and i was looking for something a bit bigger with a cuddy cabin, hopefully the Lightning will be as stable and handle the chop as good as the Signature or i'm back to the drawing board again, i'll let you know how i get on. Regards Roy

Hi Guys, New to this forum, i've recently sold my boat, and i'm going to organise a test drive of a Quicksilver 580 Lightning, powered by Mercury 135 optimax, i have done all the negotiations with the dealer and i'm fairly happy with deal, but i have not been able to find any info on boat tests on this brand, as i'm a bit of a novice i would appreciate any advice on what i should look for on the test, or better someone who has one or knows of someone who has one and if they are happy with it. Regards Roy

Hi Guys, First post for me, does anyone know what is happening at the Grays point [ Swallow Rock ] boat ramp, i put in there on Tuesday [test drive for someone buying my boat ] and there was a sign saying that an upgrade was being carried out between July 2007 and October 2007, a pontoon being built etc. and to use Yowie Bay ramp. There was no sign off any work having been started, and no closed signs, i was wondering if i shouldn't have used it or is it usable until they start work. Regards Roy