Hi All,  long time lurker, first time poster, but i would really appreciate the input from the experienced crew on here.  

I have a 5.5m plate ali with a sealed deck,  the sealed deck is leaking via deck cover over the fuel tank.  My plan is to drill out the rivets, clean it up and and re seal it with Sikaflex.  I have 3 questions for you guys:

1.  When i replace the cover, should i use aluminium rivets or stainless steel screws (with duralac)

2.  What is the best way to remove the old sikaflex

3. Any other tips or tricks

Thanks

 Anyone priced up a 50hp tiller recently? Happy for people to send PM Cheers 

hey guys, I’m nearing the end of a 2 1/2 year rebuild of an old huntsman 20(same as Bertram 20/ pride Bahia mar), and am getting to the pointy end where I need to figure out what I’m going to need for insurance being a rebuilt boat. I am wondering could anyone give me any info on anything  I could have possibly missed or handy tips for this end of the build, plus the contact number of a good marine surveyor I can speak with it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance  

paul 

Hi Guys, Just after some advice on some opened rebound clips on the leaf springs on the trailer - Is it a major concern? and can I fix by clamping the springs and or trying to close them. Thanks for your advice.

 Hi, does anyone know where to get a small piece of starboard NOR or if anybody wants to sell  a bit.  I need a piece about 100mm x 800mm in 10mm or 15mm to mount a light bar on. 

Thank you in advance. 

 Hello all,

Has anyone got a relatively new surtees which sits on the new model Dunbier trailer (the trailer with black keel rollers and 2 black skids)?

I have the same trailer and I am interested to see how the launch/retrieve mechanism works and how it fits on.

If you are north of river, can I please come over to have a quick look?  

I am in Stirling.

Cheers in advance. 

Chris

Hi all,

I've recently purchased a 5.5 plate ali (2.2 beam) and am considering adding a hard top to replace the bimini which is currently attached to the ali launcher.   After opinions from anyone who has done this or considered as to what difference it makes to stability and handling given the difference it would create in the centre of gravity of the boat.  Is this a significant issue?  

cheers 

Hi all.

Looking for some suggestions on replacement 12V starter batteries for a 250 Suzuki that will last longer than 2 years.

My latest pair, a couple of Delkors, appear to be giving up the ghost after 2.5 years.  One is showing full green on the SOC indicator, but drops to 10.7V even after a decent charge and recondition - shorted cell i guess.  The other is showing mostly black with the the tiniest hint of green on the SOC indicator, but still measures 12.6V a few days after a charge and recondition.  Lucky i check these things regularly because i run my batteries in parallel pretty much all the time, so could have ended up with 2 dead batteries on the water.  My mates continuously give me shit about it, but it's in my blood and pretty much my bread and butter.

I went Delkor once my Yuasas failed after less than 2 years in service, and had Centurys prior to that which didn't last much longer.  Delkors are supposedly better, and this view is definitely reflected in their price, and was really hoping to get more out of them.  The batteries are cared for and receive top ups from a CTEK every few months and and get a recondition annually.  Givem the batteries pretty much always in parallel, they see the same load cycles and charging cycles, so i am puzzled why one battery in this instance failed as it did.

Look forward to hearing about some battery success stories based on actual experience.

Cheers.

Tom.

 I have a mid 70s 20 foot Guardian half cabin that has got to the stage where I need to spend alot of money on it or I move on to the next boat. It was my Dads and he purchased it in 1981 and we have done alot of fishing out of it. Its a great fishing boat ,plenty of deck space and freeboard. Rides well but can be a bit wet when its sloppy coming home. It spends most of its life in a shed at a small coastal central west town, only gets used when I get over there, wouldnt do 30 hours a year. 18 months ago it didnt pass a condition report due to some issues with the deck that the old man had a bloke do a repair on, the transom was also a concern where the bolts go through to hold the motor. Not critical he said but will need to be sorted. After 4 or 5 hours fishing when I undo the bottom plug about a litre of light brown water will come out, looks like weak tea. Stringers are stuffed ??. The boat is showing the usual signs of age , faded colour and a few dings from craypots etc. The deck is not spongy as far as I can tell.

The engine is a 2001 Johnson 115 HP 2 Stroke which is in very good condition , I doubt if it has done 600 hours. Trailer is a 2005 Roadmaster tandem axle that has had new gal springs put on 2 years ago and is washed every time I use it and is in VGC. The boat has Hydrive hydraulic steering , pot winch & a shit homemade tipper. Navman sounder and Raymarine plotter & VHF radio.

Given the amount of time I spend in it I am having trouble justifying buying something else that I dont know much about . I dont have the time or knowledge to give it a birthday, GT Fibreglass seems to get high praises on this sight.

2 Questions, is it worth spending money on a boat this old and how much coin would I pour into it ?

At the moment the boat doesnt have a canopy ,just a windscreen that is right on my Eyeline, the boss who is my decky is demanding some shade when we are out.

Sorry for the essay , but would appreciate opinions of others who have been down this path.

Also I want to stay with fibreglass Im 53 and ali boats hurt me.

Current have an old 79 Guardian, licensed at 5.7 meters running a 1995 115HP Johnson 2 stroke - 136kgs.
Transom is still solid, no flex at all, ass end has some small gel coat cracking as expected for a boat that age. Pass Inspection late last year.

Ive Just bought...Pick up today a second hand 2005 135HP Merc Optimax - 205kgs so a jump of 70kgs. Found the below calculation on line

Australian Standards Calculation AS1799
Length of boat X waterline Beam width at transom x 16 less 67 then x 1.34 = HP rating.

so I'm getting 5.7 x 1.85 = 168.72 less 67 = 101 x 1.34 = 136HP so basically its on it limit but not massive over kill.

Anyone with shipwright / boat building experience as such on a change out like this on the older boats ?

Yes, inspection and insurance will need updating.

Looking at several trailer boats with 220hp petrol Volvo Penta coupled to duo props, with reasonably low hrs. Has anyone had experience with Volvo?

Servicing costs?
Parts availability?
Continuation of parts manufacture ?( have read on the internet that manufacture of certain Volvo marine engines will stop)
Have spoken to several service people who say no problems, but are they bias? Who knows.

 Hi

Anyone have an idea what it would cost to store a trailered 7.5 m boat on a NOR hard stand per month/year ?

Cheers 

Brad

Hey guys,

Getting quotes to repower my boat and saw references for suzuki to a guy named Brett Ward who was apparently well priced and competent... (i know right, a unicorn!)

Anyways last post i found was from 2017 and have found his name at "west coast suzuki"/ leisurecat in henderson and "bravo marine bayswater".

Any idea if its the same guy at both businesses or is one an old premises??

Im replacing 2 x 90hp 2 stroke mercs and would dearly love to swap for 2 x 90hp 4 strokes but $$$ will be a tad high so looking at single 150hp.

Also interested to hear about any other recent well priced good repowering experiences in perth.

Cheers

 Hi,

I recently got hold a of a cheap old (early to mid 80's I'd guess) Guardian 5.65 hull. It definatly requires alot of work to bring back to life, but when costing the project realized I've never even been in one and know nothing abut them. Does anyone have an opinion on them. I want to restore it but dont want to pour a heap of money into a hull that never was and never will be any good. If its a crap hull I may as well forget about it and try to source another hull to use as a project...

Thanks in advance! 

Has anyone installed the Eva boat flooring in their boat? There are a few different DIY brands online just not sure if it is worth it or just get new carpet

 Hey guys,

Can anyone recommend a quality business/ person that knows about and can custom install a drum anchor winch on a 5.6 metre fg cuddy cab?

My boat only has an anchor well inside the front hatch so it will need to be mounted on the nose with serious reinforcing.

Ive read about Micks winches in South oz and it seems thats what im looking for, someone who knows his stuff, unfortunately Im in perth.

Im not looking for something dipped in gold, its not that sort of boat but it does have to be functional and as neat as possible.

I do have one guy i know can do it but hes not cheap as a rule but just want to see if theres any alternative options.

Any suggestions much appreciated

 Hi all,
 

I'm trying to replace the carpet in my runabout, but am having trouble removing the marine screws that hold the mounting brackets for my removable seats. 

These are marine grade Phillips screws (say 25 years old) that are screwed the the seat bracket and into marine ply.

No issue with rust, but from the screws I have removed, there seems to be a build up of crap or maybe even glue within the top 1cm of the thread.

I managed to remove one of the seat brackets, but the screws in the other one won't budge. Or I've ran out of strength :)

Only thing I've tried so far is put screw driver in the head and then hitting with hammer. It helped loosen some a little bit.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Shane
 

 Guys thought it mite be a good idea to change my boat trailers wheel bearings. Single axle, mechanical braked 1500kgs. Has been 5 years and about 20000kms done since l last changed them. In that time there's been no repacks or added grease. Usually l do them every year and replace good grease and bearings but lve been slack and just left them.

This post is mainly a info post for people who question whether bearing buddies and fresh grease pumped in regularly are needed over just caps.

I will admit l worked in the trailer service industry for a few years so lve changed more bearings than most. I have seen many failed bearing due to water ingestation from bad servicing and or use of B/Buddies. 

What do l use , caps or B/Buddies. All l use is caps with a bead of sealant around to water proof. Also l make sure where the rear seal sits is smooth and clean. Using fine emery paper fixes any issues in this area. If there's rust here water will seep in.

One thing l also have which l take on any trip longer than a local run is a dedicated tool kit with everything to change wheel bearing on the side of the road. l used this kit last Exmouth trip when l can across a guy an hr out of Carnarvon on a Sunday with a collapsed bearing.

So here's a few pics. 1 of my tool kit,  also my hubs and bearings. You will see the grease still has a good blue colour with no sign of water or heat. Really they could of been used again. 

So for me it's caps over B/Buddies, JMO.

My hub discs are 7 years old and pitting with rust which  to clean up l used a flap disc on a grinder,  thus is the down side to long maintenance.

What's in the tool kit.

Pliers, side cutters , 5/8 or 16mm spanner, shifter, multi grips, hammer, screw driver, cable ties, spare bearings, caps ,castle nuts ,split pins, grease gun, bearing grease packer, spring hanger ubolts, wheel nuts, 16mm mild steel rod, race fitting tool, emery paper, wheel nut socket, brake pads

Hi all,

Bit of background.  

I recently upgraded my twin 2010 Yamaha 150hp 4 stroke engines to 2020 models.

With the old engines I had 4 rectangular guages that gave me everthing I needed.....fuel, trim, voltage, engine hours, trip hours, fuel burn rate, NM/litre, total fuel used, speed, engine temperature.  All there staring at me.

With the new engines, I opted for the Command Link 6YC LCD screen.....it seemed like it was the better option.

Frankly, I am underwhelmed.  Whilst the screen is able to show everything I need, only a small subset is viewable at any one time.  For example, to see trip hours or total fuel used, I need to navigate to the menu section.  Its many button presses.  Normally I want to just see it, then go back.  Similarly, there is 3 other "panels" that show various bits of info, but you need to navigate between them.

My question is this.  Is anyone else like me and would rather see everything at a glance?  Have you coupled other guages with the 6YC LCD?

I have lots of room on my dash, so putting other guages there is no issue.  

Interested in others views.

Cheers

Belly

 Does anyone on here have a Bill Plug/Oceanic 8 meter or thereabouts, especially twin?
Chasing a bit of info on axle placement for my trailer build?

 G'day all,

I need to do some repairs to my transom and replace wash well washers as they leak and to do this I need to remove ,my outboard motor. It is a Mercury Saltwater 125 and I'd image very heavy, so just wondering how I'd go about taking it off and storing it on the same thing that can lift it while I make the repair. Is there something I can build or hire to do such a job? 

Thanks 

Geoff

On my last trip out, my Yamaha Trim Tilt display was showing that it's all the way down, stuck on digital gauge only.

Even though I was able to move it up and down via button on Control stick, ie even if I lifted the prop all the way out of the water it stayed like image below.

Switching off everything and on didn't reset.

Does anyone know why?

This didn't effect what the Trim tilt function did on motor, it worked fine - i just didn't know how high or low the prop was in the water without physically looking.

Then after motoring on the water for a couple of hours (runtime), all of sudden my port QL Tim tab went all the way down and locked all the way down!???

I couldn't undo that. (Have a 7.2 Razerline Hardtop)

Question: is the Trim Tilt function of the Yamaha, somehow connected to the electronic smarts of the QL Trim technology?

Any ideas?

Co-incidence?

Cheers Guys.

Hi all.

I do recall in the past some have asked about aluminium roller doors for cabin security, but the search function on this forum is broken it seems.

Google has also been pretty useless.

I'm looking to retrofit a cabin door on my boat and am comsidering the roller option given the config of my boat.  Does anyone here have some leads on where i could get one made up, or at the very least buy some interlocking slats and tracks.

Cheers.

Tom.

Time to replace all the Bilge Pumps in Killa.

Keen on thoughts, experiences or comments on the best performing pumps on the market.

 Hey all.  Looking at buying an older, locally built boat.  It's a Seeker  20' Reef Raider, re-engined with a carby 5 litre Mercruiser and an AlphaOne leg. Motor has tested okay for compression and has a service history.  Recommended by mechanic to replace exhaust manifolds/risers in the next 18 months (Cost around $2800)

Hull has had new stringers and floor in the last twelve months. Good overall condition and asking ~$14k.

Just seeing what people's experience is with a 45 year old Fibreglass Hull?  And yes, I'm a little scared of an older mercruiser v8 5.0 LX, albeit in good nick.  Boat will be used in geographe bay and west coast

With eyes wide open of course

 Hi guys

I have a 5.5 mtr Searider that currently has a Johnson 115hp 2 stroke

I am looking into repowering with a 4 stroke, either 135 or 150 hp if I can get away with it

The hull does not have an ABP and I am just talking to a marine builder about getting it specced for one.

What 5.5 mtr hull do you guys have,  what size 4 stroke and are you happy with the power

Cheers 

After a recent overnighter to rotto - and with the kids getting old enough to enjoy days on the boat (2 and 4 years old) - I'm looking at putting some shade on my 5mtr swiftcraft.

First thing I did was started to draw up some plans for a targa top sort of thing, to be made of stainless steel complete with rocket launcher, a basket on top to hold things and all the fruit. Haven't sought quotes yet but I cant imagine it I would get any change from $2k. 

Then during my research I came across this: Oceansouth Targa Top

So naturally I did more research...this was really the only thing I could find available "off the shelf" BUT it does fit the basic requirements (and would fit the boat without modification) for what seems to be a good price.

But $500 is still $500 ! So I wanted to check some other people's thoughts on purchasing something cheap (and potentially nasty?) like this compared to spending more for a custom job ?

Also, would a targa top like this put too much pressure on the fibreglass ? Even with the custom design I've drawing up I plan to use plates on the inside and outside of the fibreglass to distribute the load - but I do worry about how strong the old swift's fibreglass gunnel might be.

Interested to hear any thoughts for/against.

Thanks !

 Hey all,

Currently looking at purchasing a boat which has a larger motor than the ABP suggests. What's the process of getting the vessel re-evaluated to be approved for the larger donk? I've seen a few online companies, anyone used them before? Alternatively, is there someone local in WA who could provide this service / anyone recommends?

I know it's not illegal to run the larger outboard, but insurance could be a pain in the ass if you ever needed to claim for an on water incident.

Cheers,

J.

 Noticed some oil under my motor a few days ago. Had a look and its coming from the drain port on the gearbox, the plug was a little loose so nipped it up and it still seems to be leaking. Do these motors run an oring or a gasket? are the prone to failing? Alwas seem to happen when you want to take the boat out and its holidays !!

My LED trailer lights not functioning correctly and Found water ingress. Can anyone recommend a good waterproof set? I’ve a large boat which requires the trailer backed in the water quite deep. Cheers