My Advice for that sort of money would be a Tinny from 3.8-4.2m. Best value for money boat that you can get. Capable & light. Can beach launch easily.

I have had serveral and they hold there money, I have sold them years later for the same money.

As for Fishfinder/gps you do not need to go top of the range, I have an expensive one in my Chivers and a cheap one in my dinghy and both produce well in shallow water. The one in the Chivers comes into its own in deeper water. Unlikely that you will go that deep in a tinny except if you go north.

CCC

Agree with CCC

It the lightness of a tinny makes it alot more economical and gives you the versitility of a beach launch further north to get into some even better ground.

with a decent tiller control pull start there isn't too much that can go wrong

 Yes You can easily get a decent tinny and modern outboard to power it for that Money.

Make sure that you allow $$ for flares, epirb, Handheld radio and PFD'sto comply with all safety rules and to give yourself the very best chance to come back safely every time.

Having a dinghy is making a fishing expedition down south or north for that matter just so much more enjoyable!

Plus a dinghy makes a wonderfull trailer to cart all sorts of gear.

Have a good look of what you want to get, and get one with as much freeboard as possible and forward controls if at all possible 

All of the above. I had a 4.2m Stacer with a 30hp Mariner that I got for 5k and sold for 5k. They really hold their value and are extremley easy to handle. You can mount whatever you want on them being ali. I wouldn't go old fibreglass unless i got a structural check. Better value for money in a tinnie.

 Best value for money by a mile, and also the best way to learn how to handle a boat!

Even a 12 footer with the right safety gear will get you out 3 or 4 miles so. Garden or even Carnac island will be within reach, and at places like Exmouth it wil get you into anything! And there's not a lot to go wrong with them, which means less $ spent, and believe you me, boats are very good at helping you empty your wallet...

 I have been around all sorts of boats commercial and rec most of my life and have owned a few as well in my experience for a first boat would be an old savage Tasman fibre the have a nice deep flared hull very stable and very nice handling the last one I had was cheap cost me 1k and I spent another 1k on it for repaint and reno made it look brand new and was a good project as well they are very customizable and have lots of storage now I know it sounds cheap but this boat had nothing wrong with it guess you could say they don't build em like they used to lol now there are a few bad ones about don't get me wrong I bought mine off an older guy who had it 20yrs so it was looked after he was to old to use it any more if you are unsure of what to look for there are people who will inspect it before purchase for you kinda like a car per purchase inspection my best advice is buy something reliable at a decent price and make it yours I feel 15 to 16ft is a good first boat not to big and not too small and they can handle a bit of weather if it catches you by surprise lol feel free to pm me if you have any more question or need any more info on what to look for 

have a good check of the welds , particularly around the transom in a tinny, and check under floor.

Good point Grayzee. They will corrode if left outside and leaves and other shit gets in and is left there. Especially if it has a floor in it.

Check the trailer is not shagged with rusted springs, frame etc.  Last thing you need is your new boat sliding along the highway.  I see so many boats parked on the side of the road cos the trailer has issues

 Thanks fellas, some really good advice already. The tinny seems the go so far, which is kinda what I was leaning towards- just there are some good looking deals on fg at this price point. Probably a reason for that, and yeah I must confess I have seen my share of boats on the side of or even directly on the road around Safety Bay here.

As with every buyer limited with a budget if I could raise to $6000 I would find what I want easily, but honestly I can't afford the $4k I set I've been told- and she's probably right (hate that) so with a lot of luck and some time I'm sure something will come along. An EPIRB is so expensive but we drifted on a NW heading at about 3-5 kph on Friday, so I can see why it would be your best mate out there should it all turn pear shaped.

Having Long Point, Warnbro Sound, Point Peron, Cockburn Sound and the back of Garden Island all within 20 minutes of home, it is going to happen though. The weight of the tinnies and them holding their value sounds good to me, thanks again for your help. Its very much appreciated.

*edit* What does anyone know about tohatsu outboards? Are they like the equivalent of hyundai lol? (can be great new but don't take long to be very second hand and expensive) I am kind of old school and tend to think evinrude/johnson (same thing I believe) mercury, yamaha type of things are probably favoured over say tohatsu?

 Nothing wrong with the Tohatsu's. Been around for years. I've got a 40 hp 2 stroke merc behind my 4.5 m tinny which is actually a Tohatsu just been rebadged as a merc. I have done heaps of hours on it and it has never missed a beat. Love the tinnies mate tough as nails & on the right days you can go quite a long way out in them. Same as the guys have said though make sure you have all the safety gear and head in as soon as the sea breeze starts.

Cheers happy boat buying

 tim have you looked into jetskis, they can be decked out nicelly for fishing solo. i used to fish off a kayak and land good fish when i lived in Melbourne. a jet ski would be ok over here quick and safer than a tinny if the weather turns sour? id say you would be able to pick one up vor around 4k???

Old Salt

 Tohatsu sweet outboards.

Have an 18HP on the back of my 3.7mtr tinny

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