Opinions on Upgrade
Hi All
I am in a bit of a dilema at the moment (albeit not bad one) and chasing some opinions from others.
My current boat is a 6.4m ali hardtop made by either Penguin or Star im not entirely sure. It runs a 140 yamaha 2 stroke has a HDS 5 sounder and HDS 5 GPS and 120L fuel capacity. Its a great boat for what i paid for it and was great as a first boat. The ride is good and is fairly stable at rest and the deck room is massive compared to others in its class.
The problem is i am at a point where i want a bit more from the boat to do some longer trips and over nighters like Abrolhos Islands and maybe the Montes.
I am looking at the following things in a boat.
300+L of fuel.
4 Stroke Motor
Much better electronics
Anchor winch.
My question is would i be better off doing these upgrades to my boat or would it effect its balance and stability adding the extra weight?
Or should i start looking for a new boat that has all of these features already? I think i could get away with all the mods for roughly 25K.
If i sold my boat now i would probably get around 20K for it so between that and the money i would use for upgrades i would have roughly 50 to spend on new boat.
Every ones opinion welcome.
This is a pic of my boat now so you know what i have to work with.
Tank
Posts: 358
Date Joined: 12/05/12
Options- found this
Good looking boat you have there but if looking to do longer trips carrying the gear needed I reckon you will overload the single axle trailer pretty quick...a few boats have been popping their head up here in the Pilbara forsale...here is one below for a example...have fun working through the pros and cons
2006 7.7m SEAFOX – 2006 SUZUKI (APPROX 200HRS), ELECTRIC ANCHOR, HDS5 x2 – ALL THE FRUIT. COMPLETELY REWIRED THROUGHOUT - SHE FEATURES A HARD TOP WITH ROCKET LAUNCHERS, SPREADER LIGHTS, A CLOSED TRANSOM, INTEGRATED LIVEWELL, MACERATOR, FISH BOXES, FRESHWATER WASHDOWN, RAW WATER WASHDOWN, FRESH WATER SINK IN CABIN, TRANSOM BENCH SEAT, TRIM TABS, STAINLESS STEEL PROP AND SO MUCH MORE!!! $50,000 ONO 0427 273 814
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Cheers mate Yeah the trailer
Cheers mate
Yeah the trailer would be another part of the upgrade.
That boat above still doesn't really have any better electrics. And the other thing I have to take into account is the weight. My tow vehicle is Hilux so limited to 2250kg I think it is.
D_d_001
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 09/03/13
If you are limited to your
If you are limited to your towing vehicle 2.25 T and not prepared to move up in vehicle it really limits you to that size only in ali boats. (which makes it really hard)
you may have to consider upgrading the hilux if you are serious about going to Abrolhos and monties
although I havn't seen the boat or motor it looks like it's worth a bit more than 20k. hard to get a 6.4 ali hard top for that price.
the trailer is a problem...personally wouldn't have a single axle trailer. (may put buyers off)
have a look at boatsales for similar (you prob have already)
good luck with the search
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Yeah a change in vehicle is
Yeah a change in vehicle is definately on the cards. I still have just over a year left on the lease with the lux then i will be upgrading to probably a colorado.
The trailer is a problem and tandem would be much better. How ever that one is rated to 2t and the boat and trailer still only come in at 1.8t while loaded so its still legal. But if i where to do upgrades the trailer would be one of them.
Haha and yeah i spend alot of time looking at boatsonline.
Cruise Control
Posts: 971
Date Joined: 03/11/10
Its been my experience in
Its been my experience in these things that a changeover is often the better choice.
Unless you are going to make changes to your boat that you can actually quantify you may end up taking a good boat and turning it into a pig. For example you may inadvertently alter the weight distribution and affect trim and balance. It may also end up costing a swag more than you anticipate and once changes have started its a little difficult to stop. You also need to have the time available to invest.
Having said that however there have been many successful rebuilds documented on this forum. For me the choice would be easy, sell and upgrade. I would have thought that you should not have that many problems finding something second hand that would fit the bill. There are plenty of quality boats around that would suit your requirements, Haines boats for example.
Good luck, whichever way you decide to go it will be an interesting journey.
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Yeah thats the thing i am
Yeah thats the thing i am worried about is changing the way it rides and handles.
peterm8
Posts: 45
Date Joined: 25/10/13
Upgrade
I've just been through this exercise myself and came to the conclusion that spending 20K and ending up with basically the same boat with a 2 stroke on it is not the best investment. The boat looks like a Star - We used to fish out of one in Port Hedland many moons ago and they are great boats, but most had inboards for some reason. Go the changover. You might be surprised what you can get for your boat too, just at the moment.
Pete
Ambition and Ability - Don't confuse them!
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
? you need to ask is what's
? you need to ask is what's stopping you from doing the trips you want to now.
From your list of wants - motor and fuel (and trailer) would be the ones to consider most the rest such as winch and electronics can be added to either yours or one you upgrade to pretty easily. Probably not going to find one with it all there already.
Don't write off upgrading yours - you know what you've got at least, buying another can end up with a pig anyway.
Do the sums and consider resale value with that..
Youtube Channel - FishOnLine Productions
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUVNa-ViyGm_FTDSv4Nqzg/videos
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
yeah motor and fuel are the 2
yeah motor and fuel are the 2 major ones at the moment. While there is nothing wrong with the motor thats on there now it would be nice to have a fuel efficient 4 stroke. No 2 stroke smoke much quieter better on fuel and one would hope more reliable that a 14 year old motor a long way off the coast.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Star
Its a Star make of boat.
All you need except for the fuel capacity is there already.
Get an ali welder to have a look at installing extra fuel tanks low down on each side with a balance tube between each tank. You will probably get out of it for under $3 grand.
If you find it lays in to the wind like most planning hulls do get him to add some sponsons on each chine, again probably $3 grand and you'll have heaps of change and a top boat.
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Cheers. I remeber you saying
Cheers. I remeber you saying it was a star when i first got it but my rego papers say penguin but i cant find info on either so i got no idea.
My brother in law is a project supervisor for a poly company and he seems to think he can make a custom 250-300L poly tank for it for about $500. I just dont want to do it then find out its wrecked the ride.
We generally fish 3-4 people so if you had another 200kg of fuel it would be the equivilant of fishing 6-7 people. The boat already sits fairly low in the water .
Thanks for the input guys i will keep thinking about it and try work something out.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Sponsons
Putting sponsons on each side would increase its buoyancy and stability counteracting the extra weight of the fuel tanks.
wazza5
Posts: 4
Date Joined: 30/06/09
My boat is on the market
Whilst my boat is not ali, it fits most of your requirements. no need to upgrade car, on 2t tandem trailer PM me I can give you the details
iana
Posts: 652
Date Joined: 21/09/09
An important thing to look for.
Alloys suffer from stress corrosion, this is different from the corrosion you normally see, i.e. pitting, corrosion salt build up etc.
This corrosion weakens the grains of the metal, and can effect large surface areas. You will see dark interconnecting lines showing on the surface, perhaps in the bow area, always following the metal granules, never in a straight line like a scratch.
If you try to weld this, the metal will crack again around the outside of the weld as it cools down.
If your boat has any sign of this problem, sell.
Now to date I have only seen one boat with this, but then again, I havn't really looked either, that's why I have a glass boat. Again you can Google this to find out more.
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Yeah cheers mate. One of my
Yeah cheers mate. One of my good mates is a fairly skilled marine mechanic so he keeps a pretty close eye on the boat for me.
Josh
Posts: 279
Date Joined: 14/09/10
G'day Jayce I have been
G'day Jayce
I have been looking at all boats up to 25k for a few months, and I haven't seen anything like yours, unless it has a serious mechanical issue, aside from one tri hull hard top for 22k, it's a sellers market at the moment, now would be a good time to get the cash for it, but then it leaves you on the land till the next one comes along. I'm high and dry atm, wishing I was out on the blue
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Yeah its a hard one as i like
Yeah its a hard one as i like the boat its only these few things that i want changed. i spend a fair bit of time looking and there isnt alot around at the moment.
i paid 20k for it in march last year and for that price its turned out to be a hell of a boat.
Good luck in the search
Rob H
Posts: 5745
Date Joined: 18/01/12
start sniffing around for a
start sniffing around for a used Suz DF140, probably around a similar weight and you will effectively almost double your range straight up.
With time you can probably get one for $9-$12K and get maybe $3-$7K back for yours.
120 litres (with the 4 stroke) is about what you'd use for a 3 day Abrolhos trip around the Southern Group (based on my trips with an F115 Yam) so youd need a few jerries as your backup reserve.
Your boat itself if its sound is ideal for Island trips, solid, deck room for swagging, dont need to worry about bumping the coral and scratching etc.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Thanks Rob. The boat itself
Thanks Rob. The boat itself is in really good condition and there is nothing worng with the motor other than iit chews threw more juice and has the 2 stroke smoke that makes some people (including the missus) feel crook.
Do you think a 140 4 stroke would be underpowered after taking a 2 stroke of similar size off?
I have been looking at the weights online of different motors
Current motor 158Kg
Suzi 140 180kg
Suzi 150-175 220kg
yamaha 150-200 220Kg
Honda 150 220kg
Would it be benificial to go to one of the larger motors for a bit of extra torque and power or is the weight difference going to effect things to much?
Cheers for every ones opinions. Its good to have everyones experience when making these decisions.
Rob H
Posts: 5745
Date Joined: 18/01/12
the 20 odd kilo difference
the 20 odd kilo difference between the DF140 and yours will be partly off set by your oil reservoir so not far off the same weight-negligable. Moving your batteries forward would more than compensate
Depending on the age of your 2 stroke (could be crankshaft hp rather than prop as nowadays-(maybe 10-20% difference), the DF140 will probably be slower on the takeoff.
But the quiet running and economy would astonish you I reckon.
Is it well powered now or sluggish? How fast at 4000rpm and flatout?
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Ok then thanks for that.its
Ok then thanks for that.
its well powered now. it really gets up and goes. At about 3000rpm i am sitting on 28ish knots. And the only time we have taken it flat out was in the mandurah estuary when testing it and i wasnt paying to much attention to speed or revs.
At the end of the day its not all about speed anyway. Just as long as the motor is enough to ush the boat along at reasonable speed while still being fuel efficient.
Narcosis
Posts: 7
Date Joined: 10/09/13
Upgrade yours
I agree with Pau G and Rob H you have a perfectly suited boat for the Islands,I have recently upgraded to a 6.4 Ali with a 150 oil injected 2 Stroke on the back, it uses approximately 1lt per NM.
The only problem you have is capacity, and as Rob said a few jerries of fuel for backup.
My mate has been carrying backup jerries for years, until he upgraded his fuel tank. This did not affect his ride, stablility, or handling.
jayce
Posts: 564
Date Joined: 10/12/11
Cheers mate. I am starting to
Cheers mate. I am starting to lean towards the upgrades on my current boat. Looks like a can get a 250-300l poly tank for about $500.
The only reason for wanting the 4 stroke is fuel smell and noise.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
I have a Trophy that fits
I have a Trophy that fits that spec for sale!
But looks like a pretty decent boat to me, and would do a good job. A 4 stroke on the back would make it pretty good!. Get a drop in tank or a fuel bladder!