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Tale Of Kings And Trailcraft. 1.4.07


namesay

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Hi all. I went out fishing on Friday after work in my noble for a short session. Mananged to get about half a dozen kings on squid. The problem started when I got the boat on the trailer to come home.

Heard 2 bangs and an awful grinding sound. I checked to see that both my rear wheels on the trailer have come off!!! Called the tow truck comapny but they were reluctant to tow the boat at night as it would be a very tall load and the drivers weren't sure if it would clear all the power lines. So the boat sat on the side of the road.

Miracles do happen however, a passer by - a bloke called Sean saw the problem and he volunteered to stay with the boat over night !!! He lived around the corner and wanted to make sure no theives got into the boat until the morning. What a great guy. He wouldn't take any money for his troubles or anything!!! He is a keen fisho but never caught a decent king...guess what, he now has a personal kingie trainer! Good onya Sean. You really are a top bloke....glad that there are still good people around!!!!

At first light got the boat home. It was a very close shave with the powerlines!

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The good news is that the boat is undamaged as well as the engine but the trailer is F%$#@ed Up.

Didn't feel like fishing again but my number one son really pleaded with me to go fishing on sunday. The boy IS well trained. I still had my trusty ole trailcraft. This boat was due to go to Phil's on monday but everytime I arrange for it to leave, something comes up that makes me want to keep it.

It really is a great little boat. That yammie 60 4 stroke is perhaps the sweetest engine ever put behind a boat. I have been toying with the idea of having 3 boats at home and it seems like my trailcraft will be around for a while yet! Sorry Phil.

Got to the ramp at a leisurely 7am. Been talking to Tony yesterday and he didn't turn a reel and the ramp looked relatively deserted....there was definitely a chill in the air with that southerly wind!.

We got our squid at our first spot. Had half a dozen in about 30 minutes and one really BIG one. Kept it for calamari rings. Had enough bait for a good session.

Out came the downrigger and first bait was out. A couple of nibbles and I hook a bream up the arse. The same bait catches a rat king then a tailer. Time to move on.

Went to the wedding cakes to see a car park. Downrigged anyway and got our first good king. There were bait concentrated on the southern part of the cake and a couple of passes see us onto another fish. It was around 85cm. After this fish things went quiet again.

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Tried to anchor up and fish strips but got bored after 10 -15minutes. On Friday there were acres of yakkas on the surface and the kings just slurping up the stragglers.

So I upped the anchor and tried a few other markers around the harbour. The southerly was biting and the water temps were down. It was hard work out there so decided to go into middle harbour.

It offered much more shelter from the wind but the resident kings were playing hard ball. The sun was up as well as the boat traffic and the bait had gone down but we picked up a couple more fish.

Today is the first time in about 3 months where the kings were hard to get. I can feel the big hoodlum season approaching with this colder weather

Decided to call it quits at 12.

My trailcraft is a bit like Dame Melba and her comebacks!! I guess I better keep her now!! CHeers Kelvin

Edited by namesay
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Kept a few fish. THe squid was one of the largest I have caught in a while. Pulled a bit of drag and fought hard! The squid are definitely getting larger and you often have to fight the temptation to eat them yourself otherwise you'll have no bait. Cheers kelvin

Edited by namesay
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Thats a big blow out Kelvin

lucky the boat and motor are okay

looks like the bearings collapsed or castle nut came off

hard to tell by photo

Great to see you got back out there again

How nice was it of that Sean to hang around with the boat all night

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Namesay, how did the wheels come off? Looks like from the pics that the entire arse end collapsed - most unusual.

Tuffy (Russ)

The axle stubs sheared off. I think the axles weren't rated to carry the load it was asked to carry. I will be talking to a few people about this don't you worry. But more importantly we got a few fish. You can always repair boats/ trailers/ motors but can't buy the experience of catching a fish with your son.

Sean I must thank you again. He is a top bloke. CHeers Kelvin

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Kelvin haven't met you on the water yet,but I have a Trailcraft 5m centre console-bought from Phil,and I am

happy with it,so far no major problems.I have an 80 yamaha 4st,and I put on an 8 yamaha 4st aux if I go

outside-up to 20ks on a good day,haven't had to to use it yet.So I can understand your reluctance to part with it.

I understand exactly what you mean. The trailcraft is not a sophisticated boat but it is tough as nails with its plate aluminium hull and handles the rough stuff without drama with lots of room in the hull. So much buoyancy in these hulls that it just sits up in the swell.

The ride is a bit tough but all you need to do is slow down. My yamaha 60 4 stroke literally sips fuel.Barely makes a dent in the 120litre tank.

To sell this boat means giving away a lot of depreciation! Just really hard to part with it. Lots of people have shown interest in the boat but NOT FOR SALE. CHeers Kelvin

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Bad luck with the trailer Kelvin, things could have been worse, lucky you saw the missing tyres.

It sounds like the last couple of days have been tough out on the water, but you always seem to come up with the goods.

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Thank god the everyone & the boat were ok Kelvin!

Hope you get some joy with the trailer. Can't imagine they can argue much on sheared axle stubs. That's definatley a manufacturer / weight issue.

Atleast you're still on the water mate.

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Looks like the trailer was incorrectly set up from the start, such that the two rear wheels have been taking all or most of the weight all along.

If you check the 4 wheels can you tell if the tread has been unevenly wearing out ?

Very fortunate (if you can call it that) that it came off where it did and not in traffic on a freeway..

Good on you for getting back out there. It’s a great attitude to have. Hope it all gets sorted soon.

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Thanks everyone for your support. It is one of those things. Just need to get everything fixed and sorted. Just hope to get a few more fish! Cheers Kelvin

Kelvin, you are a master at all things fishing.

I think all raiders, and people fishing everywhere should take a look at your dedication.

Like riding a bike, you just get back out there!

You can't catch fish while waiting for the NRMA.

And it definitely does not hurt when Legends like 'Sean' turn up to help a stranger out.

The little fella, looks chuffed again. Do you call him 'Padwan'?

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Talked to the guys who made the trailer. They were very good. WIll fix everything and compensate me for the tow etc. Better to be nice and get the results rather than become a hot head and face a brick wall. The Noble should be in action real quick. Still got another couple of boats to go ut fishing in so the kings shouldn't take it too easy! CHeers Kelvin

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Bad luck with the trailer Kelvin, things could have been worse, lucky you saw the missing tyres.

It sounds like the last couple of days have been tough out on the water, but you always seem to come up with the goods.

As you know Ophet, I am not a fan of a big moon with kings. A big moon seem to make fishing for kings a LOT harder. They are still there of course but seem to get lock jaw. During these times it is better to fish early and get out early.The blasted wind doesn't help as well.

I find a lot of kings hang around the bait grounds during a large/full moon especially as most full moon days have a high tide in the morning. Have a look at all the kings around balmoral in the last few days!

Also the kings seem to be more on the surface in the mornings with a large moon. If they are seen on the surface, it is often a case of a bite shut down later in the day....just my thoughts.

As you are sitting there all comfy on the GOLD COAST, we here in sydney are having the first chilly temperatures. THe southerlies are here better get used it. Cheers Kelvin

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hi kelvin,sorry to hear about the trailer dramas.that answers my question on why i saw you in the trailcraft on sunday.i thought it was a goodby fish with the old faithful. my mate told me a few years back that if buying a new boat to always upgrade the motor and trailer as these were always under-rated from stock to keep prices down.i dont know if this was the case here but something sure was not right. glad to hear all was safe and no one got hurt as it could of been alot worse.a big :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: for sean. what a legend.i can see a very big smile on his dial as the master puts him onto some hoods in the near future..

cheers...steve....

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I have an update on the trailer issue.

The manufacturers are pretty sure it was a dud axle that did it. They have made hundreds of trailers for boats and should know what they are doing. The front and rear axles were supplied by different manufacturers. Each have a load rating that combined should exceed that of the loaded boat but obviously someone screwed up.

A new axle is on the way with new rims/wheels and mud guards. Just gotta wait for the post man. CHeers Kelvin

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