Hi All, 

Last winter we rebuilt a 24ft Savage Hardtop in to a budget Centre console rig,smashed the full rebuild in the backyard  over a few months ready for Summer. So after using her for a period and realising what works ,what didn't and what we still had to do Winter is upon us. We thought it was a good time to get busy and still be able to use the boat while the majority of the work is being completed.First job was to remove the forward cabin, when we rebuilt her last Winter we decided it would be a good idea for the sleep overs at Rotto or Abrolhos islands and storage, wrong didn't use it once pissed me off if I had to anchor in shallow water as we couldn't use the Buoy retrieval system and just ended up with gear thrown every where in the cabin so the rest is History, now replaced with two insulated ice boxes either side and a infill for the centre to make one large bed.

Ran out of time last Winter  to build a bait board and refused to spend $350 on a stainless board or buy a cheap plastic one so cutting bait and prepping fish on top of a esky was just not fun. Made a Malamine mould and laminated this glass box and board on top for a custom bait station with a storage shelf for tackle bags and room to store a 80 litre esky or Waeco/ engel under neath. I was going to put doors and draws on the back side though this is a budget rig and simplistic so I decided to keep her that way.

The trailer we bought with the hull had seen better days, Gumtree provided a good c section trailer that has been regalvanised, put new bearings and brake discs on her and the old which post from the other trailer and was good to go.Might do some checker plate alloy guards though I think! The frame is a little narrower than I hoped as it was built for a Jenks craft 25 though cheaper than making a custom alloy frame so win,win for the bank account.

Last job this Winter will be to build a Foam Core Hardtop and do away with the ugly square canopy! Hey it was free so it did the job. Summer will be here before we know it all that is left will be outriggers on the hardtop a rocket launcher  maybe two one the back of the hardtop and one in front of the console that is removable and some more rod holders in the deck, a hatch on the anchor well and new floor hatch in front of the console. I think that will be it for Refit 2 following winter will be reflow coat the deck and do some fairing and gelcoat repairs on the outside click on question marks for other pics sorry I'm useless on computers.

 I've got a 6hp and when I got the 3 month service done he said it was still not completely broken in. My next service is due in November and I am keen to have the timing looked at in the meantime so is it easy enough to do yourself with a timing light?

the dinghy deck needs a new bit of carpet. just standard blue, non-ribbed, marine carpet has always done me well.

just seeing where peoples best prices have come from?

Can anyone give me an idea whether a 90hp 4 stroke on a 5m glass boat (600kg) would be fine for pulling a wakeboarder out of the water and pulling 1-2 biscuits behind?

hi can someone please give me advice on my outboard position

 It is currently spraying up the sides of the outboard when travelling

and sprays higher the faster I go, do I need to lift it a court of holes?

the cavitation plate is just below the bottom of the hull

I have modified the trim switch on our inboard Volvo Penta. In the past I have replaced these switches with the genuine item but they are super expensive and only seem to last a few years. In addition I don't really like the genuine switch, as to lift the leg above a certain point you need to simultaneously press two buttons. From the photo you can see that joining the white and grey wires will make the motor go down, joining the white and brown wires will make the motor go up (to a point), after this point you need to join the white and brown together and then also the green and yellow together (Beach mode). The wiring is fairly simple the white (power) and the grey (down) and Brown (up) all go directly to the trim pump. The yellow and green however go to a series of relays.

What I have done is simply permanently joined the yellow and green wires. This has allowed me to use a simple toggle switch and the white, grey and brown wires to operate the trim. What I would like to know is does anyone know if joining these yellow and green wires permanently might cause an issue? When they are joined it activates both the relays that they are connected to. Im unsure if having them activated 100% of the time is likely to cause any problems? Would they be using power to stay open or closed or crossed over or whatever they do? Do you think they could be eliminated from the system altogether?

 Hi Guys

as the title says, im looking for some information from anyone with knowledge in marine electrics

I will have a Single motor

with 3 batteries - one for start, one for electronics only and another spare start-up or  maybe just running 2 batteries

solar panel charging

c-tek 240v charging at home

looking for wiring diagrams and the best way to hook it all up.

Hopefully someone on here can point me in the right direction..

Cheers

JC

Was just wondering do people store there outboards tilted up or down between uses and for what reasons

Thanks

 Hi lads 

I have a fish finder issue, when ever tinnie goes over say 7 knots the finder (can't remember brand) goes out of range and will read 100-200m, not sure if anyone has encountered this same issue but any tips would be helpful!

cheers

 Genuine Bearing Buddies where to buy in Perth ?????

  Anyone know who sells Genuine ones , i need part No 1980 To suit A USA Trailer

   Not interested in any other Brands

    Cheers For Reading

     Paul

 Hey all, looking for plans and cnc files for a ~6.5m hard top. The only company that I can find that will supply plans plus cutting files is cncmarine.com. I'm pretty set on their new 6.5m design but want to make sure I have looked at all avenues before I hand over the cash. Someone told me there are quite a few people on here that have built there own boats? Would be good to know what you guys have built?

Also for the guys that have built before, did you keep track of hours spent for the different stages?

I'm thinking around 400 hours for the hull fabrication then another 250 for paint and fitout for a 6.5 ht?

 Hey guys,

I've got two  batteries on my boat with a switch to have power to battery 1 , battery 2 , or both.

My question is how is the best way to run them ie; both at the same time ,or battery 1 going out , battery 2 coming back in ?

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers Paul

Hey Guys

Looking for someome who can test my VHF. Have had a problem for some time and have replaced my antenna with a new Shakespeare (US) but still seems to be a problem. Can anyone recommend someone who can test the output and receiving on a VHF so I can work out if I need to get a newbie. I am located near the hills but work in Kewdale so if anyone knows of a business within 20 minutes or so who could do the test for me and could pass their name on to me it would be a great help.

cheers

Hello all

Over years of use winching etc with my quintrex 6.1 m boat the aluminium bow eye is worn to a point where I should get it re welded. Any experience or recommendations for this kind of repair and who do you recommend. I live in Perth north of the river?

trueblue

 Can anyone advise me what is the engineering standard is for the construction of aluminium boats in Australia (7m)?

Better yet if anyone has it and could email it to me that would be awesome...

Cheers...

 Hey all! So after building boats for other people for 10 years Its time to build one for myself. I've never owned a boat and have very little boating experience so looking to you guys for some opinions on which design to go for.

Thinking of something around the 6m mark with a 150hp four stroke. Like the idea of having a small cabin I could sleep in every now and again but not sure how useable it would be on a ~6m boat? Although it would be good to have a small cabin the boat will be mainly used for fishing so thinking a centre console or a walkabout could be the way forward? Must be annoying being on a boat fishing and not being able to move to the front of the boat if thats where the fish wants to take you. 

Would be good to get some input from people that have spent time on different designs who know the pro's and cons pretty well!

G'day everyone,

Recently I lashed out and bought a little 5.2m tinny with a 60hp Mariner 2-stroke on the back that was sitting on a John Papas trailer.

Whilst not a particularly nice looking rig, she's a tough old girl with the entire hull made of 5mm aluminum. I have been told that it was an ex sea rescue boat out of Geraldton. I can't confirm that but did find an old advert for it from years ago when it was fitted with a jet engine (since replaced with a little pod on the back). It has a self draining deck and a dual battery setup for the radios and HDS5x sounder.

The hull is a '99 model, the trailer is an '05 modelas is the Mariner. I can't find anything about the manufacturer of the hull but it does seem to be a custom build.

So far the list of work to be done includes:

- removal of the little aux Yammie

- installation of a new sounder

- inspect and repair the electrics and wiring

- start saving for a replacement donk... I can't see a 60 pushing this around too well.

On the whole it appears to be in good shape. As always with older boats there's some quirks... It only has a 30odd litre fuel tank which is situated on (not under) the floor in the center console. The primer has been placed before the in line fuel filter 3 inches from the tank and a couple of meters before the engine. I might be wrong but I have always had the primer just before the engine, after the filter/water separator?

Any thoughts on the project are welcome.

Cheers

I'm looking to prolong the life of my back by getting a smoother ride in my 6.5 m ali.

Has anyone put one of these Kab seat in their boat?

http://www.kabseating.com.au/Category/truck-seats

I was recommended the 414. It come in at $2k

Any other suggestions appreciated

Hello just wondering if someone could maybe help me, just recently i noticed my yamaha fuel gauge was reading empty when i know i got half a tank still available. I thought maybe my float was stuck but after removing it and cleaning the sensors im still not able to get a reading.
Any info on this would be great.
cheers

 Has anyone tried mounting a Trolling motor like the watersnake GPSmart or minnkota st ipilot on a transom instead of the bow?

I understand that offset bow mounting is an option, however am curious if you can calibrate a bow mount " in reverse"  and use it as a push instead of pull. 

Im thinking that on auto hold the bow will swing into wind and the motor will just hold in location, whilst if on a transom it may result in either holding into wind with the stern or pulling circles as the bow swings and the motor tries to stay in location.

Sorry Bobakers,
not clever enough to insert pictures into existing post.

Gunner

Hi all

Has anyone fitted a M260 transducer in a baron sportsman (outboard). Looking at trying to fit in in the rear bilge just off the centreline and was hoping that it was solid glass in that area.

thanks in advance

Bob

 I've been building this centre console the last couple months. got the bare hull from GKS and this is how it finished up just need the rego done and off i go, fingers crossed for some good weather to test it out.

Hull based on 17.5 foot pacemaker trendsetter with 115 suzuki four stroke

hey guys just about to buy a trophy 2002, year 2000

it has a ezy loader i think (american trailer), its a drive on trailer, dual axle

it says aggregate trailer mass 2000kg, does that mean it can only tow 2t?

its got the 175 optimax on the back 

is this trailer fine? its galvanised ali

been reading a few topics and not sure if the boat loaded will exceed 2000kg

also will this boat be under the 2.5m width so i wont need a towing permit?

cheers

 I am after some advice . I have a boat with in board fuel tanks, due to work i have not used it  only started it and ran the motor every month for 5 minutes.  Now the fuel in the tanks is 18 months old . I plan on removing the fuel next break . What is the best thing to do about the tanks leave them empty or what ? With the old fuel can i top up the car with it any advice would be appreciated. 

         Ross 

Hey guys Im looking at buying a 2002 seafarer Ventura 5.5m with an 09 150 Johnson<150hrs... its looking really promising,.. covered, polished and serviced constantly.. I know Haines took over the company just after this boat was produced, but has anyone got some feedback about it... the Mrs wants it, so do I, but a decent iinvestment in a private boat, just wanna know itll be the goods when I wanna get out a bit wider

Troy

 Hi guys.  

Just found out that the previous owner of my boat has been using incorrect plugs for the Johnson outboard. The plugs thats in the outboard are NGK BZ9HS-10.  The correct plugs should be Champion QL78YC. Based on google, some people are using the NGK equivalent which are BZ8HS-10. Have found mixed online feedback for using Champion vs NGK.  Champion plugs cost more than the NGK equivalent, $35 (for 4) as opposed to $20 (for 4) for the NGKs.

Which do you think I should buy and use??

Just wondering what others would do in my predicament.

we have recently bought a boat (Fraser fly-bridge). apart from interior repair its in good nick. however, today i decided to check out an area i was getting water seepage in, appears that the edge of the floor in the cabin has worn and needs to be repaired, no big deal, however i decided to take the pipe work out of the boat that is for a toilet, we don't have one so don't need that pipe, however i noticed water in the floor. decided to soak it up. this got me thinking, the front of the cabin has no storage, so cannot see if all is dry, so after messing around i managed get some rope down between where the pipe as mentioned above went through the panels, pulled it out and its wet. it looks like its mainly seeped down from the anchor well, there is slight damage in there where the coating has been broken, and underneath was wet after the rains.

the boat has one bung, this bung leads to an under floor storage area that has solid sides, this is where they have installed a bilge. where the fuel tank is i have installed another bilge as this area also had water in it when we got it, not much and possibly from the rains we had, and again all solid sides.

so what would you do in terms of the water that i cant physically get to? i don't know where under the deck the foam lies for floatation.

i have a couple of scenarios i could do, but before i go about doing one of them i wanted to see others thoughts on this, maybe someone else has had same problem.

From top,

the boat

transom with one bung

fuel tank fully encased with side walls

where toilet was, the hole goes into the hull where i have no way to look inside

floor in cabin where i found seepage

rear storage

rear storage where bung hole is located, again fully enclosed compartment

Hey Guys, I'm looking for a good manufacturer of boat covers. I used a company in Wangara for a previous boat which worked out well but looking for a few options for my 6.5m powerr catamaran with centre console/wheelhouse set up. I'm NOR but would be prepared to travel to SOR for a highly recommended solution. Thanks

 has anyone dealt with freight companies going from east to west!?

i have one quote of $6k and another quote for an open deck/transport for $3630 from Victoria to perth

i have a boat that im super excited about but dont know if its worth freighting over, has anyone has experiences with insurance and gravel damage???

ALSO would it be worth driving it back myself!? or would that be even worse!?

thanks for the feedback!