Formosa 480 CC Offshore
Submitted by GUV8 on Wed, 2018-09-05 08:23
Hi all,
Just about to (maybe) plonk the money down on a new 2018 Formosa Tomahawk CC Offshore with a 100hp Honda on a Duniber trailer.
Before I do I would ask if anyone has a any comments on these boats, good or bad.
Was looking at Quintex, but decided on a plate boat for a bit more robustness.
Last boat was a 28ft Seaswirl walkaround with twin 115 johnsons, but at 3.2t it was just too big for an old bloke to launch and retireve without assistance. Not to mention it drank fuel like a drunken sailor consumes rum.
This one is for maily around Mandurah, with some (near) offshore fishing between Esperance and Exmouth (but never in heavy seas).
Thanks,
Kim
____________________________________________________________________________
Life is good
ace rimmer
Posts: 187
Date Joined: 19/08/13
go for a test run
I would go for a test run to make sure you are happy. Don't know how they label a 4.8m tinny as offshore though
quadfisher
Posts: 1146
Date Joined: 28/09/10
Solid.
Yeah a test run is prob the best , try before you buy , but all the tests seem good , they are a very solid boat , a couple of sites list
hull weight as 550kgs plus , and its rated for a 115 four stroke , so its not exactly a quinnie or a pressed stacer.
And I say some well designed 5metre boats could be better than a poor 6 metre in a following sea or challenging conditions , I think the 4.8
your looking at have floatation and a self draining deck , so potentially it could go offshore within limits.
quadfisher
quadfisher
Posts: 1146
Date Joined: 28/09/10
doulble post
delete plz.
quadfisher
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
Cheers guys. No real chance
Cheers guys.
No real chance to take for a test run as there are none in the state.
A mate in Qld has one that he swears by, and I have been in that both on the Noosa River and up at Tin Can Bay and 1770. Sea was up a little off 1770 and it handled it well.
For what I want out of a boat the size is good, about the furtherest I would go out is to Rotto in summer, and the only issue would be the retrun in a stong following sea breeze. But it is a high sided deep boat.
Starting to seriously think of signing on the bottom line.
For 50k, with a bunch of fruit including intergrated Lowrance Elite-7 HDI (accommodates honda motor display) boat and trailer licensed as well as all the safety gear for 5 people, it is a price hard to beat.
Life is good
quadfisher
Posts: 1146
Date Joined: 28/09/10
Pulling the grenade pin.
Having just bought a 2nd hand haines after being boatless for over a decade , I feel your pain , do you sign up or wait till you see something better,
more suitable , cheaper , better deal etc etc etc , how do you go for warranty in WA , is there a dealer here that will stand by the boat and fitout?
Ultimately all you can do is go by your gut and throw some brain in there for good measure , if your sure its for you , then theres your answer , dont
forget they will be there next week and the next , so if theres no rush have a bit more of a think about it and do what suits you., cheers .
quadfisher
Nelly
Posts: 518
Date Joined: 04/05/08
I looked at a few boats when
I looked at a few boats when i was boat shopping such as the formosa and seajay but.
I question any boat that claims to be a plate boat but still has a unsealed deck/ply floor.Much rather a full welded,sealed deck.Adds alot of rigidity and the safety aspect.
I settled a coraline 525 plate boat.While it does look agricultral its built like a tank and im very happy with it and would not hesiate to tackle most conditions.
I got change out of 50k with a full aluminium trailer.Pot winch/tipper and few other opions.
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
The offshore is not ply
The offshore is not ply deck.
It is all ally.
Life is good
quadfisher
Posts: 1146
Date Joined: 28/09/10
Look its a seal!
Yeah its ply on the classic model it says , but all offshore models say fully welded sealed ali deck , with under floor tank and flotation.
And reading on the site the 4.8metre offshore jobbie old mate is looking at is 125kg heavier than the standard classic model.
.
quadfisher
Nelly
Posts: 518
Date Joined: 04/05/08
It would appear they have
It would appear they have upgraded some of there models since i was looking.Looks good
Hose A
Posts: 31
Date Joined: 10/05/16
Boat show just around the corner
Maybe keep you cheque book in your pocket for now and have a look around the boat show, as it's only a couple of weeks away, you might see something else that meets your needs or just to confirm your current thinking.
Cheers John
“There's nothing more dangerous as a resourceful idiot”
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
bloody hell mate
just dont go for 1 of those chinese made trailcraft they are chunks of shit , i made the mistake of buying 1 and got rid of it after 6 months
Josh
Posts: 279
Date Joined: 14/09/10
I have an 1851 seaswirl,
I have an 1851 seaswirl, they come in a cc, I rekon you will miss the ride of the glass boat and the features of the American boat
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
Won't miss it, the only
Won't miss it, the only thing I will miss is being able to go out a 100kms.
Life is good
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
I thought about waiting for
I thought about waiting for the boat show, but the fact is this has already been 6 months in the process from looking for a new boat till now, and I want a custom boat this side of Xmas with the extras I want.
If I had five bucks for every boat I have seen, and every salesman that claimed what he was flogging was the best, I could have paid for the boat lol.
All the local boat yard boats (4) I have tested on the water, nearly all with a bigger price tag that what I am paying for the same amount of fruit, were much of a muchness.
With the Formosa, I could have gone to the ACT and paid less, but with a couple of grand in fuel there and back, along with being told that warranty is not by any dealer Aust wide I thought better of it.
Size wise the 480 (4.9mts) is plenty big enough, it was a toss up between the 480 and the 520 (only a grand difference in price) and the 480 won out.
So, thanks for all the input gents.
I have decided to go ahead with the deal.
The only thing to resolve is colour lol.
Do I go with royal blue sides, of colour code it to my Nissan Patrol, which is desert gold.
Life is good
XF347
Posts: 100
Date Joined: 02/06/17
Just saw this post, I have a
Just saw this post, I have a 550 Formosa centre cab and I love it. I think you'll be happy with your purchase, they are a very beamy boat and very stable at rest. I got mine just over a year ago from mike at seasport marine. They were great to deal with.
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
Cheers XF347. I am also
Cheers XF347.
I am also going through Mike at Seaport.
Life is good
Mulie
Posts: 546
Date Joined: 20/02/11
You can get a Northbank 550
You can get a Northbank 550 with a sounder for that money. Much nicer riding boat.
Mulie
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
Had glass boats, don't want
Had glass boats, don't want another.
Does not fit what I want out of a boat.
Life is good
avatinni
Posts: 141
Date Joined: 06/06/10
Mate i looked at them but
Mate i looked at them but for the money i went for the 499 fish hunter cc , locally mate buy bullet boats for midway marine & it,s as tough as nails.
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
Fish hunter, by Stressco,
Fish hunter, by Stressco, are not locally made if that is what you are saying.
They are made in Qld, like Formosa.
Took one from midway for a test run, still went with Formosa, much tougher and better built.
More beam, higher sides and more room for the boat size.
Life is good
tot
Posts: 1149
Date Joined: 31/01/10
Different boat
Type fish hunter boats into google and you will find it’s a locally made boat. I’m looking at upgrading to a 5.3 runabout that will hopefully fit under the garage door..
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
Fair enough, but the 459 Fish
Fair enough, but the 459 Fish Hunter I test run was a Stessco.
Same dealer though.
Life is good
Skull
Posts: 630
Date Joined: 03/01/12
Millard Marine
Have you been to Millard Marine in Bunbury, they stock Formosa boats
Have a few in stock, perhaps check out their website.
Skull
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
They only have the Sea-Rod
They only have the Sea-Rod Classic (ply wood deck) series from Formosa, they have a ballast system that is very hard to clean out as well. The Formosa Tomahawk Offshore series is all metal with no ballast tubes, and the only mob in WA who can sell them are Seasport Marine in Kelmscott.
Moot point anyway, I have bought the boat.
Life is good
Tamery
Posts: 6
Date Joined: 28/08/15
I have the Formosa 550
I have the Formosa 550 Territory with Yammie 150.
Great boat for the money and well built.
My work colleagues has the 480 SC with a Suzi 90 on it. It handles well and has been up the Buccaneer Archipelego without issue. As with any open boat travelling with a side-on sea is a wet experience!!
The ride difference between the Formosa 480 and a Stessl 500 Truck is chalk and cheese. The Formosa feels and handles like a bigger boat whilst the Stessl was like a tinny!
I would be very surprised if you receive your boat before Xmas. Mine took approx. 5 mths as did others who have ordered from the factory.
GUV8
Posts: 12
Date Joined: 25/11/12
Cheers Tamery, good to hear
Cheers Tamery, good to hear your comments.
The Stessco I went for a run in was not a Stessl Truck, but still a "pressed" boat, not a plate, and I would go a quintex before anything like a pressed ally boat, and I would only consider one of those after I had sold my first born and then committed ritual hari kari lol.
As for getting wet, I got wet on my 28ft seaswirl on a side on sea, which was a blessing really, it was the first and last time the wife came fishing with me. Too much "ohh, it's bumpy, you're going to fast" and "can we just go in for lunch" we were 15k's west north west of rotto at the time... :(
Life is good