Is it big enough?
Submitted by Misko on Sat, 2013-11-02 19:01
Hey guys I'm currently looking at a 4m (13ft) fiberglass half cabin for my first fishing/crabing boat, it has a 30hp mercury on the back bilge pump nav lights bow rail so on so on.
Would this be ok to take to rotto for a day or two?
Also what are people's views on fiberglass boats? The one I am looking at was made in 1970 but has been looked after by the owner for the past 7 years and in that time it has been repaired and resprayed in marine/aviation grade paint.
Views and advice anyone?
Cheers
mike
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Some people might shoot me
Some people might shoot me down here but i dont think its big enough. Sure on a good day you will get there . How much fuel can you take ?
Sorry just too small in my opinion!
Nothing wrong with glass boats if they have been looked after. Just check for rotten stringers and stuff like that !
Would make a good sound/river boat!
fishy fingers
Posts: 1719
Date Joined: 28/04/07
your kidding
please tell me your kidding!
Misko
Posts: 9
Date Joined: 22/10/13
It's my first boat so I
It's my first boat so I wouldn't know what size boat would be a good size for a rotto trip, I mean I'd mainly be using it in rivers and off the coast abit, just want to know what it would be capable of for its size. Didn't really bother me if its too small to go that far haha.
Just all excited with all these new trips and spots I can explore now that I am looking into boats :)
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
I have done Rotto in my old
I have done Rotto in my old 16ft runabout but it wasnt much fun. Much happier in my 21ft glass boat haha
I wouldnt be taking it too far out of the sound.
fishy fingers
Posts: 1719
Date Joined: 28/04/07
rottos a long way
in a bathtub...stick to the rivers and cockburn sound it can get hairy out on the blue even for a 6m boat......stay safe
Oracle
Posts: 355
Date Joined: 22/11/10
I wouldnt go that far
Not even sure it's legal. Isn't there a min size of 4.5 m to legally head out to rotto?
PJAY
Posts: 1005
Date Joined: 12/05/09
if you haven't done so
if you haven't done so already......get your skippers ticket first, talk to others on the course, talk to trusted sellers of boats and read the forums..........I would not be taking a 4m boat out of Cockburn sound??
The Kimberley....perfect one day and more perfect the next!!!
Spitfire56
Posts: 128
Date Joined: 29/07/12
Crazy in my opinion
Maybe do the trip with someone in a bigger boat, you will quickly see why not to do it in a 4m even in food weather
JohnF
Posts: 2836
Date Joined: 07/07/10
4 m boat is fine to go to
4 m boat is fine to go to Rotto in perfect weather. For the other 364 days of the year, it is a great way to learn how to swim.
Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.
catchalittle
Posts: 1875
Date Joined: 04/09/08
I have taken a 4.98 centre
I have taken a 4.98 centre console over to Rotto once and since then have owned much bigger boats and quite a few times have come back from there and thought even the 6 metre boat wasnt quite big enough with some of the swells and chop that come up so my advice would be either look at a bigger boat or just stick to the sound or the river thats all a 4 metre boat is suited for
Nathan
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Its a matter of could vs
Its a matter of could vs should. Could you? Yes. Should you? No.
Its not the taking of it there which is the problem (on a really calm day), its more what happens when conditions change and you're not prepared for them. If the breeze comes in and you can barely get on the plane as you get washed around, what are you going to do?
spinksy
Posts: 266
Date Joined: 06/10/10
on the right day
You can do it in a dingy. The saftey convoy has a minimums about of 5.5 meters i think and saftey wise that would be about right.
new age
Posts: 330
Date Joined: 15/03/13
I Could just imagine some
I Could just imagine some bloke who has had some sort of tragedy happen and he's charging out there on his 4m like "is that all you've got?" Shaking his fist at the sky.
MattMiller
Posts: 4171
Date Joined: 15/06/09
Another
Fisherman1992 by any chance?
CURT
Posts: 338
Date Joined: 05/02/08
No
No
tim-o
Posts: 4657
Date Joined: 24/05/11
Would rather a 50 on a boat
Would rather a 50 on a boat that size for rotto trips, Id want it to be able to do 40kn for swift trips to and from rotto and have the ability to dance across the seas when it blows up like a cr500 on some whoopies
I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.
uncle
Posts: 9474
Date Joined: 10/02/07
my old boat is 5.2
lost track of the times its been to the fads or westend,north end, you have to pick your days and be ready to scoot! have been to rotto in a 4.3 on some glass offs, always keep saftey in mind and its the unexpected that can catch you out, think if you need help[breckdown, etc] you would look and feel pretty stupid to the rescue guys, still catch good fish in close ffb etc
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
antsey
Posts: 134
Date Joined: 13/02/10
hahaha i took a 3.5m smart
hahaha i took a 3.5m smart wave to rottnest probalby the worst idea my mates came up with! never do that again but i go all the time in my 16ft centre console and gets there and back quite easily :))
D_d_001
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 09/03/13
what some people don't
what some people don't realize is that with trailer boats for every 1 meter larger the boat becomes really twice the boat (capability and price) so the stories of ppl taking 5m boats to rotto is not so bad an idea if you are a capable skipper because a 5m boat is twice that of a 4m boat.
moving up a 6m boat is generally twice the boat of a 5m.
I certainly agree with anstey above (i'm sure it was the worst idea)
4m boat to rotto. = you are looking for trouble
Iceman
Posts: 747
Date Joined: 17/03/09
Sea rescue point of view
From a sea rescue point of view definatley a no on this. Our minimum for our safety convoy is 5.25%
Had a situation many years ago where 3 bloke took a 4 mtr boat to rotto a day after they bought it. Ran out of fuel on the way back. The hard part was locating the boat due to its size. The reason they ran out of fule was due the conditions going from good to bad as the seabreeze kicked in on the way back. Other issue was we aksed them to put up a parachute flare - they asked what was I talking about.
Please do not even attempt it in a boat that size, you are putting yourself and your passengers at risk.
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