Snapper and penguins

[JonD]

Been having issues posting which may of been something to do with cookie blocker.

Anyway headed out late as usual ( 10am at the ramp) by the time we got to where we wanted to fish the wind was already hitting 25-30kmh making trying to get our plastics 60m to the bottom quite difficult. I love the handling of our rib but a big downside is the fact they catch the wind and don't seem to drift with any consistency, nudging the engine in and out of gear in reverse helps but the lack of a transome well means we take a few waves over the back every now and then.

With chop comes seasickness for my young lad but he did manage to catch a few fish before he started his own little burley trail. So after 30mins of fishing and 10mins of spewing we decided to turn our attention to trying to get a few photos of the little penguins hunting the baitballs that are still just about everywhere from the shore to the shelf.

One way to get Jakobs mind off feeling sick is to put him behind the wheel, he's a good little driver and far less crazy than his sister. After several sightings of penguins and struggling to get close we discovered mimicking their squawk actually brought them right to the boat ( yes we now all speak fluent penguin!!). My daughter managed a few photos and my son managed to clock up close to 80km of driving, so another thumbs up day.

 

[Guest Guest123456789]

Nice Snapper

Your report reaffirms my belief ladies are generally MUCH tougher than men.

Not really selling the RiB to us with the drift and chop over the back. You don't look terribly confortable seated on the gunwhale either. Maybe time for a fibreglass cuddy cabin Jon?

[JonD]

41 minutes ago, flatheadluke said:

Nice Snapper

Your report reaffirms my belief ladies are generally MUCH tougher than men.

Not really selling the RiB to us with the drift and chop over the back. You don't look terribly confortable seated on the gunwhale either. Maybe time for a fibreglass cuddy cabin Jon?

Haha I only sat there to be out of the way of the photo, there's a double seat with a folding back just behind my son and another padded double estky in front of the console. The water over the back only happens if I'm backing into chop and the self draining deck soon gets rid of any water when you move forward.

I must admit there's very little room but the fact I can head out when 6m+ boats stay at home and feel so safe out there out ways any other boat I've ever owned. My hours on the water went from an average of 50 hrs per year to 250 hrs now, being able to help out in rescue situations where bigger boats have not managed to get too has also benefitted those we've plucked from the water. It's crazy we are allowed 12 passengers in such a small boat!!!... that weighs only 315 kg. I must admit I still look at boats and like the idea of either a cruise craft outsider with the walkaround or a profile ( stabicraft lookalike) in the 6m size when the kids all leave home.

 

[Yowie]

Penguins don't normally swim too close to a boat, but a few years ago, 2 popped up about 10 metres from my boat, so I cut off a fillet from a spikey flattie, chopped up small pieces and threw it close to them. They stayed for around 5 minutes feeding on the pieces then swam off. The one and only time that happed as penguins are usually out of throwing distance.

[Regan]

nice snapper,

what do you take your photos on they are very good quality

[JonD]

1 hour ago, Regan said:

nice snapper,

what do you take your photos on they are very good quality

I use an old canon 5d but it's less about the camera and more about the flash filling in all,the shadows. My daughters both own canon 7d bodies I picked up secondhand at very good prices, infact the one came with a quality lens and flash for $550.

[blaxland]

great photos, nice fish, and good report its like a magazine!

 

[Regan]

23 hours ago, JonD said:

I use an old canon 5d but it's less about the camera and more about the flash filling in all,the shadows. My daughters both own canon 7d bodies I picked up secondhand at very good prices, infact the one came with a quality lens and flash for $550.

yeah ok look amazing

[sam bros]

On 06/09/2017 at 8:15 AM, JonD said:

Haha I only sat there to be out of the way of the photo, there's a double seat with a folding back just behind my son and another padded double estky in front of the console. The water over the back only happens if I'm backing into chop and the self draining deck soon gets rid of any water when you move forward.

I must admit there's very little room but the fact I can head out when 6m+ boats stay at home and feel so safe out there out ways any other boat I've ever owned. My hours on the water went from an average of 50 hrs per year to 250 hrs now, being able to help out in rescue situations where bigger boats have not managed to get too has also benefitted those we've plucked from the water. It's crazy we are allowed 12 passengers in such a small boat!!!... that weighs only 315 kg. I must admit I still look at boats and like the idea of either a cruise craft outsider with the walkaround or a profile ( stabicraft lookalike) in the 6m size when the kids all leave home.

 

How come the RIB is safer in rough conditions ?

Just feels like their would be more water and splash into the boat because RIBs generally sit closer to the water

[Guest Guest123456789]

47 minutes ago, sam bros said:

How come the RIB is safer in rough conditions ?

Just feels like their would be more water and splash into the boat because RIBs generally sit closer to the water

They don't sink mate - too buoyant. You can take a greeny over the bow, get full of water and still float. A tinny or glass boat you'll be turning on the epirb

[JonD]

54 minutes ago, sam bros said:

How come the RIB is safer in rough conditions ?

Just feels like their would be more water and splash into the boat because RIBs generally sit closer to the water

 

The fibreglass hull has a dead-rise of 24' and only 1.3m wide so cuts through chop and lands softly. The tubes are simply to buoyant for the boat to drop into waves hence being legally allowed to carry 12 passengers, we often have all passengers on ones side and you wouldn't notice it lean. The self draining deck with two large scuppers also means we can through as much water on the deck as we want without any problem.

The tubes have 5 separate chambers that even if all were to get punctured by a crazy mako the hull still floats independently. Due to the boat only weighing 315kg it handles like a big jet-ski, making bar crossings down here simply fun and something we look forward to to when it gets challenging, unlike other boats Ive owned. When the s***t hits the pan down here and a boat goes over in the bar its the little ribs that get among the big swell to do the rescues.

This morning there was a strong southerly and big swell pushing into Narooma bar, we were the only boat that went out (my daughter wanted a few lobsters to give to a friend in Sydney this weekend). I didn't think the conditions seemed to bad because Ive got so used to heading out in conditions I never considered in previous boats.

Its hard to show how choppy conditions are but these shots are from a far better day than today, today the camera stayed in its box as I picked my way home. Ive been in other ribs that have been very wet but the little zodiac is extremely dry.

Like any boat tart Im always looking for something better but for us its hard to beat for our lifestyle.

 

Edited September 8, 2017 by JonD

[rickmarlin62]

nice to see that other fishos appreciate our beautiful penguins...we have a nice little colony on moon isl at Swansea heads..they are a fantastic little bird and yes  they do respond to calls..luv your work keep the reports comin in j...rick

[sam bros]

15 hours ago, JonD said:

 

The fibreglass hull has a dead-rise of 24' and only 1.3m wide so cuts through chop and lands softly. The tubes are simply to buoyant for the boat to drop into waves hence being legally allowed to carry 12 passengers, we often have all passengers on ones side and you wouldn't notice it lean. The self draining deck with two large scuppers also means we can through as much water on the deck as we want without any problem.

The tubes have 5 separate chambers that even if all were to get punctured by a crazy mako the hull still floats independently. Due to the boat only weighing 315kg it handles like a big jet-ski, making bar crossings down here simply fun and something we look forward to to when it gets challenging, unlike other boats Ive owned. When the s***t hits the pan down here and a boat goes over in the bar its the little ribs that get among the big swell to do the rescues.

This morning there was a strong southerly and big swell pushing into Narooma bar, we were the only boat that went out (my daughter wanted a few lobsters to give to a friend in Sydney this weekend). I didn't think the conditions seemed to bad because Ive got so used to heading out in conditions I never considered in previous boats.

Its hard to show how choppy conditions are but these shots are from a far better day than today, today the camera stayed in its box as I picked my way home. Ive been in other ribs that have been very wet but the little zodiac is extremely dry.

Like any boat tart Im always looking for something better but for us its hard to beat for our lifestyle.

 

Thanks for the info

Is it a wet and bouncy ride in those conditions?

 

[JonD]

6 hours ago, sam bros said:

Thanks for the info

Is it a wet and bouncy ride in those conditions?

 

Surprisingly not, the 24' v compared to a flat bottomed tiny or even most deep v glass boats cuts through the chop meaning you can keep the speed going which helps deflect spay. They really are quite different from other boats and I must admit I was dead against owning one for years. The rib has to be by far the most fun boat I've ever owned, even if there is very little room in it.

[Mike89]

Beautiful photos as usual Jon D and a nice photo of your son with his snappy snap.

Great to hear you guys are learning to speak penguin! I never even realised these little guys were around Sydney Harbour until a pair popped up one morning fishing plastics with Derek around Mosman.

Awesome info on the boat. A mate was considering getting himself one of these so I'll have to link him in to his thread.

 

[JonD]

1 hour ago, Mike89 said:

Beautiful photos as usual Jon D and a nice photo of your son with his snappy snap.

Great to hear you guys are learning to speak penguin! I never even realised these little guys were around Sydney Harbour until a pair popped up one morning fishing plastics with Derek around Mosman.

Awesome info on the boat. A mate was considering getting himself one of these so I'll have to link him in to his thread.

 

Very few boats out today and certainly none of them getting in around the swell where we were.