your budget is a bit low to buy a boat to head to roto if you only have 5 to 7.5k budget get a nice dingy for a start of with and fish in shore for a while until you can convince the wife you need something bigger then get a centre console and take her out on the roughest , coldest and wettest day and she will never want to come out again and then you have the boat to your self and your mates but that's just my thoughts on it

I would say you would need to spend alot more than that to get a boat suitable for Rotto. I am sure it's possible to row a bathtub to Rotto, I wouldn't!

I can only relate my own experiance, which may help, or may not.

I started out with a budget the same as yours, looked locally for a few months at small tinnies, and in the end got sick of it. Walked into a boat shop one Saturday morning and bought brand new around the 27k mark. There where a couple of reasons for this. Looking at second hand I found good hulls, outboard, sh#t trailer. Or vice versa. I struggled to find something good all over for that sort of money. The second reason, which I think, for me at least, was the significant one was a feeling of confidance. I was new to boating, still am, and buying new gave me a little bit more piece of mind.

Paperwork wise you pretty much have it covered. The only thing I would add would be don't discount insurance and a membership at you local sea rescue.

BTW I ended up with a 4.8m Ali and have been told that it is too small to participate in the Rotto conveys run by my local sea rescue. They require a minimum of 5 or 5.5m. Can't exactly remember. I have been 7 NM offshore in it on good days and it certainly feels alot smaller when you are that far out. However like I said it is a confidence thing, just dont be foolhardy. Conditions change very quickly at times.

Cheers

Dave

I just bought a brand new 5.29 m stacer northen fisher by the time I had the stuff I wanted fitted to it it cost 38k that must be a hell of 4.8 meter boat for that price , I want to do the roto convoy also but have the same problem size of my boat is to small apparently

Stessco FH 480, upgraded the outboard to 70 Yamaha, came with a 50.

Came with a hummingbird max 10. (something like that)

About 7 years ago now

(Sorry should mention it's a glorified tinnie, walk through screen etc) Sorry If i confused anyone.

Bide your time .. winters a buyers market . Be looking at a older glass hull with a good rep eg savage , chivers , pacemaker , penguin etc just check for soft floor , transom soundness etc . Still plenty of well maintained and reliable older donks out there just got to find them ,  bonus if there's paperwork service history . The trailer obviously just check the springs and chassis haven't rusted too much .  Ideally have someone mechanically / boat minded to tag along .

You just need to smarter than the average bear to get the type of boat you want on your budget , thats not going to comeback and bite you .. have a look at as many as you can and don't be impatient ( thats the hard bit lol ) . Get in them jump around , lift things up carpet hatches etc .. run hand along glass checking for bumpy bits . Grab and pull all fittings etc etc

I had a quick look on gumtree .. here's a wifey friendly one with cabin and some bonus fruit but no pics up unfortunately , but might be worthy of a look ..

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/rockingham/motorboats-powerboats/chivers-thunderbird-mark-5/1021479782

Guys the rotto convoy is obviously under strict safety guidelines as thats the whole reason for it so they go for a bit of overkill on boat size.  They have to protect themselves which is fair enough.

To give you an idea I just recently sold a quintrex bayhunter that was 4.75 and I would fish 25nm out of ocean reeef regularly which is more than double the distance to Thompson bay Rotto But like any small boat owner you really have to be vigilant with checking weather and monitoring conditions.  When I bought the quinnie it really hadnt been looked after, when I bought it the guy had left empty stubbies and shit in it and over the 5 years I had it I fixed a few things up and sold it for about 2.5k more than I paid. I wouldnt have even spent that on upgrades 

If your prepared to do a bit of work yourself there are plenty of boats in your budget that need a bit of TLC.   Most trailers can be repaired with a little bit of know how and just because a boats got an older 2 stroke doesnt mean its a piece of sh%t so long as it runs ok.  cosmetics like bimini's chairs, paint and carpet are easily fixed, changed out over time.  This is of course referring to aluminium as for fibreglass in that price range a rotted hull is a posibility and a major headache

For around $7,000 or a tad more if you can convince the other half, you can, if as above, your patient, get a half decent older boat that will do a pretty good job and be reliable.

Whatever you buy get someone who knows boats to check it out before parting with the cash- there are al lot of things to look out for in older boats. Most marine places will come and inspect a boat for a small fee which if you don't know what to look for could save you blowing your whole budget on a lemon.

Good luck

Hi Peo, as others have said, your best bet is to either have lots of patience and some know how to wait for the right boat, or think "smaller"and get a tinny or increase your budget significantly.

Now I'm going to assume that you don't want a tiller steered tinny which restricts you to onshore / estuary only.  I also assume you can't get the budget to $15K.

First of all, you need to really take a good look at your own situation:

Q. Do you have the room to store a trailer boat at home?  Remembering that a trailer boat spends 95% of the time on the trailer

Q. Do you have the companions to take the boat out with? A single person launch at Cockburn on a Sunday morning by a newbie is not pretty.

Q. Do you really want to go to Rottnest and beyond?  When was the last time you went and what did you do?

Q. Can you spend more on the boat (budget $3K ++ for first year), coz BOAT stands for "Bring On Another Thousand".  Things will break, Fuel costs a lot, Insurance is already $800

Once you are satisfied with the above, then start looking everywhere.  Don't just stick with boatsales or gumtree or classifieds here.  Look everywhere!  The good buy is the place that no-one else has seen as it was advertised badly.  Although the thought of picking up a Seafarer / Haines Hunter / Signature / Cruis Craft / etc etc is great, your budget will not allow for that.  So look for more obscure names.  Look for quality in the hull material / design / shape rather than just names.  You will most likely be looking for an 80's half cabin in fibreglass.  I don't know much about alloy so will not comment on those.

Ideally, you want to find a mid 80's fibreglass half cabin (cuddy cabin wasn't the thing then).  It should be about 5.5m (18 ft).  You want it to have a 21 degree deadrise.  it should have a 75hp - 100hp 2 stroke with power trim & tilt, also oil injected.  It MUST have solid transom and floors - jump on all spots of the floor, tilt the motor up and jump on that - if the transom moves before the trailer - walk away.

The motor should be checked out by a mechanic for everything including compression test (accept no less than 5-10% difference in compression).  Motor's cooling and oil injection should be perfect.  The skeg and prop shouldn't have big dings in them.

Trailer should be in somewhat roadworthy condition.  Rust on axles and springs are nothing to worry about, but check the main frame.

Things that you can accept without fear;

- Hull is most likely oxidised and nothing will shine

- Carpet or upholstery will not be pretty, and if it smells like fish, that is a good thing as it means it has recently been used.  (A regularly used boat is usually a better one than one with 100 hours on it)

- Too many holes and spaghetti mess in the wiring on the cockpit dash - old boats go through a few upgrades and then things gets removed.

- There will be scratches in the gelcoat under the keel of the hull - as long as fibreglass matting isn't showing, its an easy fix

- Motor will smoke and smell and rattle - it is an old 2 stroke!  As long as it checks out and runs well at all RPM under load.

The buying process with a boat usually involves a sea trial near the end of the transaction.  What I mean is, you are usually happy about the boat, have handed over a refundable deposit, then you go for a sea trial.  Please don't be like some inconsiderate people and ask for a sea trial if you have no intention of buying the boat.  Sea trial on the river is better IMHO as it allows you to go WOT.

If you wish, PM me when you find something you think suits.  BTW, where is motherland?

Good Luck!

Some other things to consider.....

insurance

registration of epirb

old flares will be illegal in a couple weeks time, so there is another $150 you may need to fork out.

Check the trailer properly.  Too many boats are ruined when the trailer snaps in half!

storage at home (under cover preferably)

tow vehicle?

good luck

 My two cents worth I reckon a minimim size for Rotto would be 4.8m in very good conditions. In summer you have to allow for the howling seabreeze which comes up very qucikly. As far as price you'd realistically be looking at $10-15k minimum for something half decent. Old story you get what you pay for. Go private but make sure you get it checked out by someone proffesional. Goodluck mate I'm sure if your on a mission you'll eventually find what you are after. Just tell the mrs you need extra funds for her comfort ;).

I would agree if your budget is low, settle for a tinny. Get the grips of boating in comfort and safety on the river/estuaries and perhaps Coburn Sound. Learn the ropes first.

Also a nice way of introducing the Mrs to Boating without the possibility of scaring the sh*t out of her. With tinnies you shouldnt loose much doh when you upgrade, and if all go well she will be on your side.

For your budget you wont get much IMO, and certainly going to Rotto could be dodgy.

As a youngster we had a tinny in good old basso, and ran amock on the river. When the boat(s) got bigger it was no problem manageing them because the basic was learned. So my father let us take his 28ft Deepwater to Rotto for dives, weekenders and school holidays when we were late teens, but not before we were drilled in everything safety/mechanical etc wise. If we didnt have the years in tinnies I doubt that would have been the case, and I have to admit there never was an issue because we knew the rules etc.

EDIT: PS. Welcome to the site Peo. Enjoy.

 Go halves with a good mate. Twice the $$$ to spend on the boat and cut all the expenses in half. Just make sure he's a good mate...... Don't wont to lose a friend over a boat

Start small and decide if you like it first. There's plenty of smaller craft around that will get you onto the water and into the fish albeit close in but we all have to start somewhere. Choose well, look after it, do your own work on it to personalise it and when you upgrade its unlikely that you will lose much on the changeover.

Good Luck and welcome to the boating fraternity.

cheers

 I sold my 93 cruisecraft run about for 9k last year. Was an absolute peach and ideal first boat. So you can get a good setup sub 10k...but, I'd save and spend 20k everytime as you get so much more.

 Hi guys,

Sorry for the late reply been away with work.

Some great advice from everyone and I will be taking it all on board (get it?!) I think for now I'll look at picking up a tinny and use that on the weekends to get to grips with the whole boat scene. I don't really fancy laying out $5-6,000 for a half cab lemon!

Thanks again for your replies and time.

Peo