Geoff

I agree with Jig. Little bay is OK to retreive a boat your size at high tide but bad news any thing below half tide. The main problem is the ramp can have up to 6" of sand covering the concrete making traction very difficult. Also , there is a good chance your trailer may be off the end of the ramp. Sand is very soft & the wheels will quickly sink. Fish wise , there is several places for YFT, on of the more popular spots is called "The Car Park" I think it is S/E of the heads. As mentioned , contact Ross Hunter For a local contact , Salamanda Bait & Tackle. They provide a fishing report on Hi Tide. Suggest a phone call will provide the required information Geoff

Dave A guy I used to knock around with in the early 60's had a 14' runabout with a 25hp Scott. It had a hard life , very noisy moter but considering the treatment it got was reasonable reliable. I did a similar cost comparison on the 75hp Evinrude. I used 25 pounds per week which equates to 17 weeks pay back period. Not sure of the cost of a 75hp E-Tec but guess around $10,000 to buy off the shelf. A $1,000 / week is not an uncommon salary these days so 10 weeks pay back. If we assume the above is reasonable calculation that would make the 1962 Evinrude worth 250 pounds All very interesting to compare but generally could be filed under the heading of useless information Geoff

Suggest you ask the person who advised the above to provide further definition , ie , glass on top of the deck or underneath. How big an area requires additional glass , how much glass ( thickness ) is required etc. If the front deck is strong enough to walk on then I would be looking at adding some timber under the deck, say about 300 - 400mm square by 15mm thick. This will spread the load similar to having extra glass. Mount the winch through the deck & bolt the winch through the timber Geoff

Cleaning out some old cupboards at my Mum's place & came across the boating page from the Daily Telegraph dated May 1962. Here are a few pic's of interest. Geoff

Pls add Mottyman , son Andy & myself to the list. Realy looking foward to the day. First outing in 5 months Geoff

If the weather is Ok will be heading to PS next week. The two locations you mentioned are a good start. If a southerly is blowing the northern side of the Fingle North headland can be productive. The other spot on a good day is the Eastern side of the island directly out from heads Geoff

I use TUF XP. Very happy with the performance. Recently imported 3000 mt to be split up between a group of friends & my self. Landed cost , inc freight worked out around A$10.00 / 100 mt. This is around half the price for the same product in Oz Geoff

In principal I agree with brickman , especially when it comes to the motor. On glass boats check for wood rot in the transom & cracks along the keel Geoff

Here are a couple of pics that may be of interest. Made the holder from some spare timber so the cost was zero Geoff

for me. Mine is a 4.9 aluminium twin hull style. Launching & retreiving by my self is not a problem. Perhaps the question should be , not the length but the boat style & trailer set up , ie , is the trailer designed (roller set up etc ) to make self launching easy. Perhaps an hour or two spent at a busy ramp watching the activities will give you a good insite into what works & what does not Geoff

Tks to all for your well wishes , much appreicated Regards Geoff

Prior to fishing the Currarong area suggest you check out the marine park map. http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/jbmp.html Geoff

Wonnie. If your looking for stability , perhaps a twin hull may be of interest. This boat could be worth considering http://www.websterstwinfisher.com.au/boatS...four_tiller.htm Geoff

Thanks to all for your comments. Tried a few with minor sucess as I discovered it was realy caked on. Put the plate into the dishwasher when the was not looking to clean off loose grease etc. Applied several coats of BBQ plate cleaner but that only had a minor effect even with scrubbig & scraping. Finally , out with the elect. drill & wire brush. 15min later shiney , like brand new Covered with a light wipe cooking oil. Moral of the story , I need to clean down the plate properly after each use & not let any build up occur. Now just need to catch some fish to give it a test run. Geoff

Most marine shops sell paint. Costs around $37.00 / lt for the top coat. Add a further $37.00 for undercoat + thinners. 2 part epoxy cost between $30.00 up to $80.00 / lt 1 lt should be sufficient to do the interior of a 14' tinny Unless your keen to spend the big bucks , head off to your local paint store & purchase a can of oil based enamel. A lot less cost & does a similar job Geoff

Guy's Suggest you check this site , increase size to 300% & look at the area just south of Tomaree http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/pdf/psglmp-zoning-plan-lo-res.pdf Geoff

Josh If planning to fish that area again suggest you first check the MPA map as if it the area I think your reffering to , it is now clasified as a sanctuary zone Geoff

Huey Could you advise the cost of 4lt of XD-100 Tks Geoff

Andy There are a number of oyster leases around the Salamanda bay area. Could you indicate the spot your reffering to in relation to the boat ramp or the marina Tks Geoff

Pel Top marks for your forthought in this area. I , perhaps like many others have all the correct gear but in the wrong places , so to speak & your post has got me thinking to relook at my situation. You mention the epirb is in a much easier position . Could you expand on this. The idea of a lanyard is very practical there by keeping it attached to the boat. My concern is , if the boat is about to sink then so to dose the epirb. Was this taken into account when repositioning , if so it could be detached easily & hooked up to a person Geoff

Does the boat / motor etc your considering exceed 750kg , if not then from a legal aspect brakes are not required. If your assuming the brakes will have a big effect when braking , they assist a bit , depends how well they are working at the time but the car does most of the work. What are you planning to tow the boat with In respect to cost , $2700 is about the going rate for a trailer with brakes suit a 4.6 mt boat. Geoff

Another option , which is a bit more involved , is a pully system. Undo the rope from the anchor then feed the end just removed through ring or what ever the rope was attached to. Tie the rope to the front or stern of the boat , depending on which way you want the boat to face when at anchor. Approx 20mt or so from shore , drop the anchor feeding the rope from the it's storage area. Drive or reverse up to the beach. Everyone out , then taking the anchor rope along with another rope , tied off to the boat with an anchor attached , jump out. Pull on the rope attached to the pully anchor now 20mt out & the boat will move out to the required position. Tie it off to the anchor now on the beach. When you want to want to pull the boat back in release the pully rope , pull the other rope & the boat will come back in . As mentioned , it is a bit more involved but it works Geoff

There may be a problem mounting the unit so that there is sufficient strength in the hatch cover. These winches have very high pulling power. The small units , suitable for your boat have a normal working load is around 30kg but the winch has the capasity up to 120 kg so the deck / hatch need to be able to support that type of load Here are a few pic's for interest. Geoff.

I'm in the process of installing a winch onto my boat . I'v decided on a capstain style but more about that later. From my research there are , in essence , 3 styles. The drum type which is mounted on the deck & the rope is rolled onto the drum. From what I have seen these are limited in their capasity , ie the amount of rope they can hold . They are mainly suited to small boats using 6 - 8 mm rope. The most common or popular are mounted on the deck with a gypsy wheel on the side which feeds the chain or rope (normally 12mm) down into a storage area under the deck. The space beween the deck & storage area needs to be a reasonable distance to allow free fall otherwise tangling can occur. There are many brands to choose from & prices range from around $1300 to $2200 I'v decided to go with the capstan style . This is like the capstan you see on sailing boats when they winch on the sails but the electric version. Ths main reason , both the drum & standard style are unsuitable for my boat . An added bonus , the unit cost $600 Instalation. Be aware the need to run seperate cables from you battery through a switch & fuze / circuit breaker. These winches can draw up to 60 - 70 amps when under full load so 80 - 100amp cable is required. Switch & fuze , I understand the 30 amp is suitable but check with the sales person Suppliers , brands. Whitworth & Bias are a good starting point. I'v elected to go with the South Pacific brand for a number of reasons , mainly their size suited the space I have available. Have a surf around this site http://www.southpacific.com.au/new/product_H.html There is a company in S.A. that make the drum style , cannot recall their name but if interested send me a PM & I will see what I can dig up Geoff

Going through my photo album looking for "kid" pic's for the other post I came across some photo's I took in the late 90's in Penang. Early each year there is the Hindu Thaipusam festival. It goes 24 hours a day for around 3 days. It is quite a spectical especially the colours of the ladies saries . A number of guys go into a trance & without pain or blood , so I'm told , come out looking like this or numerous variations there of . It places a new aspect to those who have been unfortunate in having a fishing hook caught in their body . Geoff PS Perhaps I should mention the silver balls (bell) hanging off the sholder are also hooked on. I hope this does not offend anyone