suttonscurse

Bugger the bull sharks - Last time I went prawning with a drag net a rather large octopus started to crawl up my leg - My mate was yelling at me not to drop my end of the net and let the prawns escape with no regards for the fact that the octopus was trying to hide inside my shorts. - Who needs an expensive squid jig??

Hi Guys At the end of each trip I also use a pressure cleaner for the boat and trailer and use a wet and dry vacumn cleaner for the marine carpet interior. ( both bought on special from a large hardware store - under $200 for both) Also wash down the rods and reels and always flush the motor , top up the Fuel tank / oil injection reservior and put the battery onto a trickle charge. After 5 years the gear looks like new and is someting I am proud of. The arrangement with my wife is that I can have toys so long as I look after them. (only problem is since the revelations on Tiger Woods she has hidden my golf clubs?) regards Bill

Hi Guys I have just had my 3 manual inflatable PFD1 jackets serviced at the large boat shop / marine chandlery at Blakehurst. Cost of $20 per unit and they advised me that they have to be inflated, checked for 48 hours to ensure no leaks and then have the gas cylinder replaced and repacked. The service record tab on the inside of the jacket is marked with date of service and name of agent. I carry both inflatable and full PFD type 1 jackets in my boat- normally wear the inflatables when night fishing and the standard fitted jackets when crossing bars or at heightened risk situations. At the least , its cheap insurance and compared to the money I spend on tackle , lures , bait etc its a minor cost. regards Bill

Very Nice - Congratulations

Hi Pelican I must admit it is a loverly green colour (reminds me of some hofrrible nights drinking Green Chartruse when I was younger - we used to call them Green lizards - after 4 drinks your eyes would bulge and your tongue would drop out) - Warning - don't try this at home children - should only be done by trained professionals

Hi Guys I dropped into the Maritime /RTA office at Blacktown Megacentre and picked up the new GREEN " Vessel Safety Label" -. Apart from some very basic safety instructions (.05 alcohol , safe speed , lifejackets etc) it seems to do the same job as the original "Boat Capacity Sticker". This must be the NSW government at work creating new jobs for graphic designers , colour consultants , printers, etc etc . Good to see our taxes at work for such a great cause. regards Bill

Hi Chris . I have an E-Tec 90 hp which I have had since Jan 2005. One of the only issues i have had is in overfilling the oil tank so that when the motor is on full tilt (or when towing with the motor tilted up on the bracket) that it was seeping oil from around the plug that has the oil lines coming out of the tank. The local Evinrude agent fixed this quickly and advised me not to fill the oil tank to the to the brim and I have not had a problem since.Hope this helps regards Bill

Hi . we went out Sunday morning as well and it was very quiet . I only hooked one good sized bream all day , which decided to spit out the bait and hook boatside (frustrating) and a couple of small whiting. Did catch a vey nice blue swimmer crab which will be Monday's night dinner but as the rest of the team have already said " the worst days fishing still beats the best day at work" and Sunday was a great day out on the water. Cheers Bill.

Hi Penguin . Good report , pleased about the fish but sorry to hear of the bust offs and damage to the windscreen . Looks like the Bay could start livening up at last. regards Bill

Hi I had a storm cover for my 5.25 Stacer installed last week by onsite boat covers at a cost of $750 (seems to be the going price) .It was very well made and fits the boat like a glove - went home via the M7 / M5 and no flapping or distortion and the boat towed one hell of a lot better . Like most things in life you only get as good as quality as you are prepared to pay for. The multifit covers are really only suitable for parked boats. Hope this helps regards Bill

THE BROKEN LAWN MOWER Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is usually the husband. When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed. But somehow I always had something else to take care of first: the truck, the boat , fishing, golf, always something more important to me. Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point. When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house. I was gone only a few minutes. When I came out again I handed her a toothbrush. 'When you finish cutting the grass,' I said, 'you might as well sweep the driveway. The doctors say I will walk again, but I'll always have a limp.

I have it all worked out . My wife told me that if i bought any more fishing tackle she would divorce me (and yes the thought did briefly cross my mind but too bloody expensive) . Now I buy her all these lovely pink rods and reels just for her so that we may share more experiences together (snicker! snicker!) So if you see a middle aged bloke fishing with a heap of pink rods and reels it's only me (I haven't jumped out of the closet ) Its the only way I get to buy more fishing tackle. cheers Bill :

Congratulations - very nice fish . Good on you for releasing it to keep on making more babies Looks like Flathead will be the target this weekend (I will just have to wait till the bream turn up). regards Bill

Hi Guys . I am probably imagining it , but I am thinking that the Bay is a lot quieter this year than last ( and I always thought that with the end of professional netting it would really liven up) - And there is certainly a lot of new construction work going on. Yesterday we used peeled prawns , worms , squid , Mullet , and mussels - the Flahead was caught on prawn and the Bream took a worm. Didn't put any crab traps out yesterday , saw plenty of floats but no reports on any crabs being caught yet Next time I go out I will have a try with SP's and try and get some flathead around the smaller bays.

Hi Guys Headed out at sunrise on sunday morning chasing bream in Botany Bay . Tried all the usual spots but very quiet. Only ended up with one Bream and a medium sized flathead ( strangely even the small pinkies , which usually make a nuisance of themselves weren't around either). Nice day to be out on the water , also noticed that the NSW Martime officers were fairly busy in the Bay. There was a school of fish on the surface near the runway about 9:30am (probably tailor?) but by the time we got close they had sounded so wasn't able to positively identify . Most boats that we spoke to were also having a quiet time - no Bream only a small number of flathead around. regards Bill

Hi. I have had an Etec 90 Hp since January 2005 . Great motor but I had exactly the same initial problem with interference with 27mhz radio when the motor was running. The only way I fixed it was by installing a VHF radio. My initial research off the net gave the explanation that as 27 mhz is not used as a marine frequency in the states that the design parameters of the Etec did not consider 27mhz interference from the motor. Bill

Hi guys Following on to my last 2 posts I have decided to keep my Stacer 525 / 90Hp Etec combo and use external storage when down at batemans bay . (again thanks to Huey from Huett Marine). I would appreciate a bit of advice re trailer lights . On the Dunbier trailer I currently have a set of of "Submers-A-Lite" lights which apart from the occasional blown globe have worked well. As i will be doing a lot more distance towing ( 260km each way) Is it worthwhile coverting across to a set of high quality LED lights? (brands? cost?) - I have already taken the standard trailer tyres off (ok for local short distance but I don't trust them for extended expressway work)and replaced them with a quality brand 175R13 6 ply light truck tyre. I am looking for reliability and also brightness of lights (the trip up/down Mt Ousley can be rather hairy when the fog rolls up the escarpment). Any advice would be appreciated. regards Bill

Hi Guys I would like to publicise the very professional and intelligent response I have received from Huey (Craig) with the quotation on the Stacer boat package. There is light years of difference between the service which Huey offers and the unnamed dealer at xxxxx who went out of their way to burn a customer not only with their pricing but in also talking down a trade in. I now need to think about whether I sell my boat privately and downsize to the Stacer from Huett Marine or keep the current boat (525 Stacer / 90 hp Etec which I love) and examine storage options separate to the garage on the Town house at Batemans Bay. I can recommend in the strongest possible terms that if anyone is looking to buy a boat or motor etc that they should contact Huey first. regards and thanks Huey - its pleasing to be able to recognise profesionals in the Marine Industry Bill.

Hi Guys I would like to publicise the very professional and intelligent response I have received from Huey (Craig) with the quotation on the Stacer boat package. There is light years of difference between the service which Huey offers and the unnamed dealer at xxxxx who went out of their way to burn a customer not only with their pricing but in also talking down a trade in. I now need to think about whether I sell my boat privately and downsize to the Stacer from Huett Marine or keep the current boat (525 Stacer / 90 hp Etec which I love) and examine storage options separate to the garage on the Town house at Batemans Bay. I can recommend in the strongest possible terms that if anyone is looking to buy a boat or motor etc that they should conatct Huey first. regards and thanks Huey - its pleasing to be able to recognise profesionals in the Marine Industry Bill.

Hi Huey Thanks for the interest. I have looked at both the Stacer and Quintrex and you are right , they are both good boats with a number of different features and advantages to each brand. I live at Carss Park (Blakehurst) and of course am talking to the people around the corner who service my current 525 stacer. I have decided to stay with an Etec for the new boat and if I can't get a deal with them on the new boat / trade in I will call you and discuss my requirements for a Stacer / Etec package. keep up the good work . You have established a great reputation. regards Bill

Hi Roberta another excellent and fun report. I am also pleased that Wendy has sold her boat so quickly. _it looked to be a very nice and well looked after unit. regards Bill

Oh great one - explained so well regards Bill

Hi Guys thanks for all the advice and comments . a) being a town house with a sloping driveway from the street entrance it is impossible to swing the large boat into the garage whilst the trailer is still attached to the car and if I was to unhitch it then the boat is too heavy to control on the down slope(apart from the fact that the garage door entry is smaller than the width of the current boat. I will need to push the smaller boat and trailer in and out of the gargage and hitch it up to the car in the driveway so I will need to be careful of weight. regards Bill

Hi Guys I am in the process of buying a town house at Batemans Bay (setting up retirement planning) As part of this I intend to downsize from my 5.25 Stacer (won't fit in the new garage and too big and heavy to use by myself now that the kids have run away). The other half of the partnership has declared that I cannot have a Hornet (no protection for her, no sun cover etc etc) so I am seriously looking at a Quintrex 440 Coast Runner but upgrading from a Yamaha 2 stroke to Yamaha 4 stroke (both 40 hp) with the option of the transom mounted cutting board and live bait tank. I intend to use this unit in both the Georges River / lower Botany Bay and also Batemans Bay/ Clyde River - towing it between these locations for 3 day weekends / week long vacations. (tow vehicle is a Subaru Tribeca). Mostly my wife and myself in the boat (or only myself when i need to hide) and probably chasing bream , Flathead etc with both bait and SP's. Any feedback / suggestions on this package would be greatly appreciated regards Bill

What a great looking location. I think I need to take an urgent holiday in Forster. (waterfront Hmm! close to golf courses Hmm! and outside of mobile phone/ e-mail range?? ) Good luck to you - Pleased that you had a great time. regards Bill