Boats

[dat111]

after being on the water today i have been thinking about buying a boat

few questions:

what is a smoother ride ally,poly or glass?

what sort of boat for chasing bream and maybe going for jewies

budget $15,000-30,000

so any help would be great guys

thanks dat.

Edited October 18, 2008 by dat111

[ETTY]

dat,

There are some many endless options and opinions on boats for every application under the sun.

In terms of material, fibreglass will generally give you the smoothest ride but more maintenance and care is needed to keep it in tip top shape. Aluminium has come along way with some hull design able to perform as well as their fibreglass equivalents. Aluminium is quite hardy and durable, lighter and generally cheaper than fibreglass. I have little info on poly boats but I know of many members who own them and they could not speaker higher of them.

Some things I have noticed are; fibreglass boats are generally nicer fitted out than aluminium boats but their higher cost would obviously influence this.

Some aluminium boats you could look into are Quintrex, Stacer etc.

Some fibreglass boats could include Haines Hunter, Savage? etc.

Some poly boats could include Polycraft etc.

Do some research using some sites such as www.boatpoint.com.au or the Trading Post to find out some prices on your desired length etc.

Look in the Sponsors Section of the site to see Huey's boats of the week to see some quality boats that may suit you.

Where will you be operating the boat (i.e. inshore, offshore, bit of both)?

How many people do you want to carry?

Are you keen to stay overnight?

Do you need shelter from the elements?

Do you want to ski, cruise as well as fish?

Boats are generally expensive and you don't get a lot for your dollar so be prepared to reacess your needs to suit your budget!!!!

BOAT= Bring on another thousand!

Elliot

[dat111]

Where will you be operating the boat (i.e. inshore, offshore, bit of both)? inshore 100% not much of a outsider

How many people do you want to carry? 2-3 at max

Are you keen to stay overnight? yes

Do you need shelter from the elements? yeah im not 1 to get wet in winter

Do you want to ski, cruise as well as fish? cruise yes ski no fish deffs

thanks elliot

ur a champ

does anybody have any other info on plastic boats lol

how they ride and costs

something between

4.5 5.6m

pretty wide and i want do do breamin but i dont want to do have an open boat thanks guys

[Josh88]

Dat, Like Elliot said do some research and make sure that you know exactly what you're going to be using the boat for in terms of location, purposes other than fishing, fish you'll target etc...

We have a poly boat, its a Triumph boat from the US and we really like it. I believe that poly boats are the smoothest riding and they by far require the least maintenance due to the strength of the hull. I won't type the website in because it will probably get blurred out but put Triumph boats into a search engine or you tube and you will see the videos that show how amazingly strong they are.

Good luck with your selection,

Cheers

Josh

[Flightmanager]

You basically have 3 choices , Poly , Fibreglass or Aluminium .

Each have their pros and cons , poly's are basically indestructable , but carry a hefty weight penalty. They have a great ride , are very stable , but are not yet available in all sizes and configurations.

Fibreglass boats have a smooth ride , but also carry a bit a of a weight penalty. They have a wide variety of shapes and lengths , open , half and full cabin . They do require a little more care than a poly or aluminium boat , but many owners ( myself included ) do not find this a great disadvantage . Fibreglass can suffer from rot , particularly around the transom , floor and stringers ( a point to take note of with a second hand boat. )

Aluminium boats are very versatile , and extremely affordable . They are light , and will survive a moderate amount of mistreatment. They are reasonably low maintenance , but , there are a few drawbacks . They tend to be noisy , and the ride is not as smooth in rougher water. They can also suffer from fatigue cracks where components have been welded . Stray sinkers and other detritous can wear pinholes in the hull , but these are usually easily repaired .

Given your budget and requirements , you would be able to purchase a very fine vessel , of what ever construction. A quick PM to Huey from Huetts marine would be well advised , as he would be able to point you in the right direction ( he also loves a chat !!) .

Ross

[bmar560]

Having owned 3 different boats with different materials I can tell you that poly's ride is between alloy and fibreglass. I like the ride quality of a glass boat but you really have to be careful with the hull.

My current boat is a 4.1 poly, they only bad thing I can think about them is that it's kinda wet when the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. They are very durable and you can call the hull maintenance free, I'm not too worried if don't wash the hull after every outing. Poly boats are quite heavy compared to a tinny thus require more horsepower to push the boat, so I'd recommend getting the Max HP allowed if you're getting one.

When I was doing my research the poly best fits my budget and requirements. Oh and if you have a scratch on a poly all you need is a heatgun to mend it.

Swordy also have a 4.1m poly and I'm sure he's happy with his.

They do make a 4.5m model from memory and they have a new 4.8m model.

go to polyboatowners.com all the poly fanatics are there and they're really helpful.

If your budget can stretch further the yanks version of the poly is the triumph, they cost a lot but their finishing and layouts is something I envy. http://www.triumphboats.com/. Check out their ads in youtube and you'll see some crazy stunts they do with the triumph.

As Ross stated with your budget you have plenty options to choose from... start reading up on boats to get a better understanding of them, and also make sure you get a boat that suit your needs, so that you don't end up selling it after a few months of use. Oh make sure you get something with a steering wheel my first 2 boats were tiller steers and having a steering wheel make things a whole lot easier.

"BOAT= Bring on another thousand!" Ditto to that ! new sounders, electric motor, downriggers, new seats, deckings, carpets, etc.... it's neverending.

Edited October 18, 2008 by bmar560

[olitay]

Hey there I was recently in your position.... trying decide on what boat to buy to suite my needs.

I have owned more than 15 trailer boats in my time, from 7M alloy chunks of steel to small lure casting (fragile) glass boats. I became particularly interested in Poly boats after reading about there smooth ride, robust make and maintenance free attributes, after much research and a test drive i was totally convinced.

I purchased a 455 polycraft frontrunner and could not be happier. The hull is perfectly suited to inshore and light offshore fishing... the only negative aspect i have for these boats is the dry factor, they seem to kick up a spray from the bow that manages to splash you in even the calmest conditions, there may be a way around this.... maybe the motor isnt trimmed right (i have only taken mine out a few times) but other than that they are by far the best ride and the easiest to maintain b oats i have ever owned.

Ill hang onto this one for a while.

Heres a pic of mine