Sea Ranger

I like his trailer. I wonder how that goes with immersion in saltwater regularly.

I use a 1000 size reel. If you are only using this rig for squid you do not need the capacity of a larger reel. balance for your rod is important too. My next egi reel will be the Diawa Emeraldas. It is a 2500 size reel but with much less line capacity. Drag to suit. Bear

Looks like the boat limits only apply to gem fish. So Each fisher can catch 10 each day and can only have 20 total in possession in the fridge freezer or other. I think Bear

I had a Haines Hunter with a similar transom. That area on my Haines was only fiberglass mate. I hope it is the same for you. Bear

Any chance you could post how you go about with a handline? My son and Mrs are pretty keen on some Crab this year. I've used only traps in the past. Bear

Crab (Blue Swimmer) + 6 cm 10. 20 in possession. I get confused by NSW Fisheries. What does this mean? 10 each fisherman or 20? Someone told me you cannot have more than 20 on your boat even if you have 3 people on board. I'm probably reading too much into this as usual Bear

Hi All Quick question regarding outboards. I looked at a 2009 boat which was bought new. The owner took it out for a total of 17 hours and passed away. His wife left the boat in the garage as was for 8/9 years and sold it back to the dealer. Dealer did a full service and whacked the boat onto the showroom floor. Brooker is out of business so no way of getting details on the 525 Discovery The 80hp Yammy on the back looks new. What sort of problems would one expect with a motor that sat this long if any? I'm under the impression it is better for a motor to run than to sit Bear

looks like a ripper have fun mate

I did like it but::: I added up the costs to do what I want and the costs were getting close to buying something new. New and shiny ?

140,000 ?

Both my used boats were more than 20 years old with high hours or unknown hours as no meter. One had a dodgy hull that had been bogged up and then painted and the other had a dodgy motor which dropped pressure in a cylinder soon after buying. I fished out of a 475 Quintrex bay hunter for 5 years. You are right the glass boat was night and day. Finding a decent glass boat used is a minefield and new is simply out of the question money wise. Bear

Hi Zoran, Thanks again to you and everyone else for their input. My comment came from the Formosa offshore model I looked at. The hull had the manufacturers stamp all over it (unpainted bottom) showing it was 5083. That is how I saw it. They must not be pressed then Bear

Hi Mob Yeah mate I agree. However my Mrs keeps pointing out the problems I have had in the past buying used. If I could find a truly decent used boat that the motor isn't stuffed or soon to be stuffed like my last one I'd seriously consider it. I will be paying back the bank for this boat and can't afford 2 years from now buying yet another motor. I think my wife at that point would put an end to my fishing boat dream. ? Bear

Thanks for the reply Fab.. My old tinnie (no idea of the make as it was pre HIN numbers which might have been part of the problem) used to dent everytime I touched the dock. It would dent when touching sand lol. I want something a little more robust. Especially if I am buying new(ish). I don't need plate I'm sure but 3 to 4mm sounds fair. I don't mind the towing weight it will be less than my caravan by far. More weight equals better ride and though I don't expect Haines Hunter type of ride I want something better than al foil. I was talking to a Formosa dealer who stated their alloy was heaps better than that used by Quintrex. I could see the high tensile Alloy used in the Formosa offshore models but not their classic models. I cannot afford the Offshore model,, shame as it was nice. However I was curious what Quintrex used as their new Apex Hulls have 4mm bottom and 3mm sides which sounds robust enough for me it was just the Formosa felt more solid. I have since seen the same alloy used in other makes as well like Mclay, Surtees, and Senator. Hence my question as to what Quintrex uses. Bear

Mate I would say 97% I do not have the experience to venture offshore.. Truly offshore. I do however want to chase Snapper and maybe Dollies. Bear

I and my adult son(s) fish for Flathead, Bream, Squid, and want to start chasing Kingfish and Snapper around Sydney. We also like to drop our crab pots. Pittwater We had a 520 Haines Hunter so I'm coming from a glass boat (sold to a new owner) Any tinnie is going to be different lol I've been shopping around for something under $50k that would suit up to 4 blokes but 90% of the time only 2 The reason I asked this question is that I like the idea of no wood in the boat. No floors to rot etc. All the offshore model$ that I have looked at besides being expensive also claim that they use Hi tensile alloy (5083 I think) in the hull which is by salesman speak heaps stronger than Quintrex alloy. The same place stated Quintrex make thin hulls which we have discussed before but it does make some sense to me. A 4mm bottom has got to be better than 2mm. When we are only talking a few thousand dollars different I was curious if the claims were true and if so what benfits one might expect. The Quintrex dealer states the Apex Frontier is replacing the top ender series and works better in light offshore conditions than the Top Ender's it is replacing. The frontier has a 4mm bottom and 3mm sides. Similar to the other boat I was looking at. The Frontier has ply floors but sure has a bit of space when standing in it. I'm sure any of these boats will do fine however I'm interested in getting the best bang for my buck! I looked at the Renegades and most do not have a splash well. I did find one (a 490)with a splash well and in center console which I like but costs the same as the frontier which is 510 and has heaps more room. The dealer states the Frontier is a much better boat in the rough stuff. Bear

Hi All, I've been looking at new boats from Quintrex Especially the 510 Frontier and 490 Renegade. I cannot find anywhere on Quintrex's site what alloy they use. It just says Marine grade. Not sure I'm game on the new Apex hull but it was sure spacious when standing on it in the shop. Bear

Hi all. If one is looking for a new boat in the Sydney area it seems most of dealers either have Mercury or Evinrude Etec on their new boats. Are there any good dealers with Yamaha Suzuki, Honda, or Tohatsu as standard? I like the frontiers and top Enders by Quintrex but not so sure about the etecs on the back. I don’t want to start yet another 2vs4 stroke thread. I’m just looking for a dealer in Sydney with something other than Rude or Merc on the back. Bear

Looking good mate!!! Subscribed

The 17k is a quote with the forward controllers gauges and installation. I'd want new battery cables and fuel lines as well. I can't see getting out of it with much chance off 20k Bear

I'm working on the money to go repower but till then thought I would list mine on a bunch of FB pages. I've been overwhelmed by interest and had one guy come out and offer 8k right away. I think I have 3 coming to look at it later today. If it sells well that solves what to do, if my money comes in before then I'll probably just repower. My local dealer (5 minutes away) is a Tohatsu dealer and I'm seriously leaning that way but the next closest is Suzuki but the dealer isn't well liked and then Yamaha being about 45 minutes away. All 115hp and I would swear they are all in cohoots with quoted prices being all within a $1k Bear

Funny you say that. This one has a section on the starboard hull near the bow which looks like it has been dented. However as my Mrs pointed out the paint over it looked flawless. It was then I noticed the welds were messy on that side and had a grinder on them prior to painting when comparing to the port hull in the same location. I guessed that spot got overheated and warped the hull about the size of a football. Shoddy. Same as you I was attracted to all the deck space.

Just because I'm curious has anyone ever been out in one of these Mako Cat 485's by Alf Stessl? one for sale a nice write up When searching for the replacement outboard for my Haines I stumbled on this odd hull. I didn't think single engine cats worked very well (which is probably why these are not made anymore) Still curious if anyone has ever been out in one and how did she turn? any ventilation? They seem a bit pricey for what they are but maybe I'm missing something Bear

I have really thought about it but think I would lose heaps on my current boat when trying to sell

Nice fish mate!!