I inquired at a local supplier about the Grey tube matting for my boat and I want  the grey colour tubing, I don't like the dark blue or black tubing they have in stock.

If I want to buy the grey colour I have to buy a 10 metre roll at 1200mm wide.

I need 6 metres for my boat, but I will have 4 metres left.

Is there any interest for the other 4 metres?

Aprox cost would be $250  for 4 metres 1200mm wide.

Cheers

Ken

Ok, Ive put this together using my own words, no cut and paste etc. Turned out to not be as easy as I thought and Ive chopped it around alot.

Its intended for those in say Cockburn Sound, Dampier and Port Hedland where there is heavy commercial traffic (both volume and displacement)

Its NOT comprehensive and as skipper ONLY YOU are responsible for your safe navigation.

Im assuming that you know the basics in daylight, otherwise this will be total gobbledy gook.

There are others here who know more than me and may spot an error or  something missed etc, more than welcome to comment or better (to save confusion to others) shoot me a pm. That way I dont look stupid if Ive overlooked something as well

In the Colregs, there are some simple (ish) patterns to understand which once understood make it a lot easier to interpret not so much exactly what is going on but when you should stay back.

To make it simpler I am assuming you are just a powerboat with no other special circumstance and have a basic knowledge of the Colregs in daylight.

You should always make your intentions obvious and clear with course changes in plenty of time.

Keep VHF on 16, and if you hear 5 short blasts on a horn it means someone BIG doesnt know what someones elses intentions are-LOOK AROUND YOU NOW!!!

Any blasts for that matter.

1/ simple rule-in a close quarters situation GENERALLY, you should take evasive action to stb not port whether in the right or not.

Turning to port will usually make it worse as you will be turning into the other vessel whether crossing, headon or being overtaken.

2/ simple rule-any steady white light, give way.  

It is either a boat at anchor, or the stern light meaning you are overtaking. Either way you arent the standon vessel. It could also be a boat under 7 meters-but you should still be cautious due to swamping.

Lastly it could be the floodlite at the end of a jetty hence you should also give way :-)

A black ball from the mast is the day shape for anchored

3/ simple rule-if the mast (christmas tree on bigger vessels) has anything lit up other than a single white light-it is telling you something you need to know. STAY CLEAR and make it obvious you are. They are not party lights :-)

Could be restricted ability to manoeuvre-due to draft, towing, under pilotage, damaged steering etc. Its not important except that they are telling you to stay clear.

The most important thing with this though is to make your manoevers obvious and DO NOT pass behind without ensuring it isnt towing a barge. You likely cannot even see the tow wire as it will disappear into the water 10 meters aft and reappear at the barge. But it could be 50mm wire under 20-50 tonnes of tension, might as well be a brick wall.

If this vessel has to effect a crash stop in a channel due to your actions-the consequences are likely to be massive. Barge grounding or up the tugs ass, either way could easily be in the $1M's.

Read this report if interested

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2010/mair/277-mo-2010-006.aspx

4/ simple rule-a steady red or green alone or one above the other should be a vessel under sail or similar.

It may also be confused with configurations in (3), either way STAY CLEAR

If you are just a powerboat he has right of way no matter if you see red or green or both.

If he is under power he must show a white light above it (steaming light) and is a powerboat regardless of whether his sails are up or not.

5/ There are no marine vessels which have any sort of flashing navigation light.

The only mobile flashing light I know of that is a possibility is a hovercraft, which isnt a boat as such. It will show a yellow flashing all round light.

Of course a Police/Patrol/Fisheries Boat may have flashing lights but these are not navigation lights.

So other than that if you see a flashing light of any colour except the above it is some sort of fixed navigation marker and not a boat-identify it from your chart or its configuration.

6/ At night ship bigger than 50 meters will usually have his sidelights and masthead (white) toward the stern in your typical aft wheelhouse bulk carrier. At the bow will be another white light which indicates it is probably over 50 meters.

He doesnt have any special priveledge other than if he is showing other lights such as restricted by draft/manoeverability etc. But let common sense prevail and give him a wide clear berth.

7/ Tugs in any harbour-may look quite small but carry serious horsepower and draft due to Zpellor drives that are vulnerable and may draw up to 6 meters. They may need to stay in the channel and could easily be showing lights to indicate this.

Recognising and avoiding a collision situation

Forget for a moment whether you are standon or giveway vessel.

1/ If you see a vessel coming closer to you but still well clear, hold your course, sit still in your seat and line him up against a part of your boat- window frame, corner of the bimini etc and after 30 seconds he is still in the general direction(relative bearing unchanged) you are going to come close to colliding eventually.

Doesnt matter which direction he is approaching you, this stands til someone changes course.

If he moves relative to you in either direction you should clear.

2/ As right at the start, unless there is a specific reason you shouldnt take evasive action to port for the following reasons 

-in just about any collision situation if you turn to port just as he does what he is supposed to do, the situation has been made worse and you may be blamed.

This goes whether head on or crossing from either direction.

3/ We've all seen it-some gumby coming up a channel on the port side because he doesnt know better. You move across and he goes further. Theres no use arguing, he wont realise he was wrong until after your all dead.

In my opinion the best bet is to stop, and let your vessel show him a port (red) sidelight.

If you cross to the wrong side and he goes to the right side-BOOM, your in the deep end.

You wont be able to go to stb unless you can leave the channel.

By stopping-the collision damage is reduced by both speed and making it a glancing blow, and he will hit where it is obvious who is at fault.

 looking at a fiberglass run about boat. 5-6 mts something that isnt going to rock at rest. looking at spending around the 15 grand mark. if anyone has surgestions or something for sale would be great 

 Im curious as to whether there is any interest if I put together a simple guide to the Colregs-not the full bottle but a few simple rules that may help those in busy places like Cockburn work out which is what?

I know most are (or should be) aware of a simple nav lite, but there is a method to the madness of lights that can help to understand when you should be staying clear despite seeing a green etc.

 Hi guys I have recently purchased a 24ft 80s Blaxell flybridge and am in the early stages of attempting my first nautical refit! 

Im looking to move the drive console as it currently in an awkward position for my planned refit and I would like to get the whole tub professionally rewired in the process as it is an absolute mess at the moment!

does anyone know what it is worth to get an auto elec to rewire a whole boat? 

And how hard/expensive is it to extend/replace the hydraulics for the steering, throttle and gear shift?

Hi Everyone,

Since my last post. I have trolled for various Dinghy's that can carry up to 6 people. My budget was around the 15-16k mark but was told that may not be realistic. I found this boat on Gumtree and was wondering if it was worth the money or not. Is this boat to old? will it need more money spent on it? This is where I need advice badly or some links to see other particular boats I should be looking at. Honestly sitting in front of a computer monitor is no fun for the eyes at the end deciding on nothing because of my lack of knowledge. The reason I was talking about 6 people was because the relatives will be over later in the year and I wanted to take them to a few spots in that 2-3 weeks they are here. After that the boat would at most have 3 people on it. So I throw this post open to all who would like to help. I look forward to hearing from you soon. My link for the boat is as follows

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/thornlie/motorboats-powerboats/leeder-710-23-ft-a1-condition-don-t-pay-30-k-or-40-k-/1045484759?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ActivePlus-boats&mpch=ads

Cheers

Kim

Hi Everyone!

I am calling on everyone that can give me valuable advice on buying a second hand boat to be used for open water eventually. I have never owned a boat and I have been told a long time ago I should look at a 5m minimum size. Half cabin to protect from the weather would be good. I have been looking on Gumtree at lot of boats as well as Ebay Australia wide to find something fairly inexpensive to start with. A lot of them are around the 5k mark and aged. This is where I need the help and guidance as I am not sure of make, year, etc.. If you can help me I would be very grateful!

Cheers

Kim

Need some help with recommendations for both LED strip lights for inside and onto the deck plus a decent handheld spotlight for my 6m boat. I was think of going LED for both. I have a cigarette Socket at the front.

Would prefer not to wire them to the boat batteries. Was thinking of a rechargeable spotlight (That can utilise the cigarette plug) and Strip LEDS that are powered by a 9v, AA batteries etc.

Any experiences or advice welcome.

 Curious to hear anyones thoughs on these tubs & hulls especially previous owners...

Also curious to hear any boat builders opinions on possibly removing the stern drive adding at fiber pod and mounting outboards on the hull

is the 27 trailerable?

trying to find any info on changing to an outboard but cant find anything on the net...

thanks all

Dear all

The following site has CTEK battery chargers at what seems to be nearly half price, has anyone had any experience in purchasing from this site.

www.autoelec.com.au
https://www.autoelec.com.au/ssl/public_autoelec/store_v2/product_detail.asp?id=415&cat=45

Cheers

 Hi guys, after a bit of advice on boat options.  

Currently have a 4.2m dory.  I am just thinking of upgrading to something a little bigger, deeper and more h/d. The back doesn't like having to sit down all the time in the current boat.

most of the fishing is around busso, coral bay etc. if I could beach launch that would be great.

was looking at options in the 4.5 - 4.8m

Can anyone recommend  a brand of boat. ( quintrex, mako, goldstar, etc ) that would suit. 

Would I be better to stay with a open dinghy or look at runabouts?

josh

Hi crew,  With work slowing down i have had some spare time to work on the boat. Ive been doing this for nearly 3 years but in reality have only spent about 8 weeks on the project. Unfortuantly work comes first but i hope to finish it off over the next month.

There are too many things to cover all of them, but i had to strip the whole boat and flip it over to repair the hull. Some of the stringers had broken and punched holes in the bottom, so I had to cut out sections and repair the damage, then weld in plates to finish it off. (sorry no pictures )

The fuel tank was in bad shape with holes and pitting so i decided to make a new one . I had to stay with the same shape to fit it under the floor but made it alot thicker using 4mm alloy .

Fuel tank in progress

All the inside joins were welded on the bottom section

The top section was welded from the outside only , the bottom section was welded from inside and outside.

The lap joins welded

By the end i was getting some nice welds.

Here is the tank with all the fittings in place,Sender unit and pickup . It has been preasure tested and ready to go in the hull.

I cant aford to replace the motor yet and being a 2 stroke i realy needed to sort out the remote oil tank. It was broken and the plastic was too brittle to do a cheep fix up.

So i went to get a new one. Found one at a dealership and got the price. At $980 complete, or $280 just for the plastic container , i prompty told them to go f@ck themselves and returned to my factory to make my own. Now i know boating parts cost alot, but that was just taking the piss. IMO

I removed the pump and fitting to see how bad they were. Just surface rust on the pump so applied a rust convert and paint. Then came up with a design so the tank would fit into the side pocket on the boat out of every ones way.

I fitted sender unit , the filler cap, and the pump went into the back of the tank exactly like the original. 4 hours later i was glad i still had a grand in my bank.

Another problem to over come was the gauges for the motor. They had sun damage and scratches so bad you could hardly read them.

Again i thought , I'll just replace the covers. No you cant get them, you have to buy new gauges. Ok so i'll price them up, $700 thanks mate. Again, I not so politely refused their mates rates offer and bought a lense pollish kit from an auto shop. A couple hours later and some elbow grease they were good to go. Not perfect , but good enough for me to use for a couple of years.

Went to buy a bait board, again came back and made my own complete with a 3 tackle box rack.

I repianted the hull last Xmass . For my first try at this ( I got alot of advise first ) It came up pretty good for and old boat.

I now started on the T-top. After looking at ideas online i got the frame work in place . I made it bolt on, so i can remove it if needed. I reinforced the console inside to prevent it moving around and tearing the aloy.

I fitted the marine radios up high and gave it a lick of paint.

The console is starting to look good with the in struments in place.

Many other items done ( too many to list ) but she is starting to get close to the final fitout.

Thanks for reading and i have more to add, but will post some more pictures on a new thread as this is aready pic heavy.

Cheers Grant .

 which Anchor are you using / is the best? 

I bought aCooper Anchor, and it is supposed to be for Upto a 6m boat. It drags through the sand, so thinking of getting another Anchor, an old bloke I know who has been round boats for ever swears by the Bruce. 

 Anyone here own a small Tohatsu 2stroke? A guy I know wants to sell his Tohatsu 5hp 2stroke 2013 model. My dad has a 10ft Ali Tinny and needs a  motor. Thoughts?

 I would like to hear some feedback from any trailer boat fisherman that uses a FCV 295 or FCV 587

I am in the process of making a decision which unit to go for at the right co$t.

I am getting into doing some drop lining In water depth 300m to 800m. 

I have a 6.0m custom built cuddy cab plate alloy with an OB.

I intend to use a transom transducer  ( TM 260 model 1kw 50/200Hz)

I have herd some forums saying it is a waste of $$$$ Going for the FCV 295 on a trailer boat ??

Any feedback on this would help.

ShipSterns

Hi everyone,

I'm starting my research for my first boat. I probably won't be getting anything until about next winter, but thought it might be worth starting now so I've got time to get my facts straight instead of doing a mad rush at the last minute when I've finally saved the money.

Preferably, I'd like something that could make it to Rotto for day/overnight trips with mates (when the weather is right). There'd most likely be 5 of us on the boat, only 2 of whom would fish. I'm sure the others would laze about and have a few drinks. Wouldn't go futher than Rotto. I don't know if it's possible to have something that can make it to Rotto yet still be suitable for cruising the river to drop some crab nets and let me have my first go at prawning. I'll also be getting my dive ticket this year so I'd like to be able to give diving for crays a crack when I'm confident enough.

It'll be half recreation and half fishing, I doubt I'll be doing solo trips on it often. Definitely something second hand that's already been set up with sounder/radio/extras (live bait tank would be awesome, but wishful thinking with my budget) since I'm a little clueless about them too. Trips to Rotto would be an occasional thing, but something that could tow a tube for my nephew & niece would be a nice bonus.

I know there's no "one boat" that can do everything, but at the moment I'm still considering the pro's and cons of both ends of the spectrum. Budget would be a max of $10k which is probably pushing it, but I'm willing to wait for a good pargain to pop up. I'm currently only driving a Cruze SriV, but may be upgrading to a Commodore in the future or I could just steal dad's car when needed.

Could anyone advise a good first starting point when looking at boats on Gumtree, just to give me an idea of what I should be checking out in regards to size, outboard size, brands?

Gday all..

Looking at a few different options at the moment, and wondering what advice people would have on the whole 2 motors Vs. 1 motor - mixed up with "everyday" 2 stroke Vs. 4 results.

Looking at some 4x new 165R13LT or C tyres for my boat trailer. Any advice on best place to buy them from.

was wondering what this boat is valued :-
2011 Bluefin 4.2 mt 'rogue' dinghy
2011 Dunbier Sports 13L 4.3 mt trailer
2011 Honda 30 hp 4 stroke long handle tiller BF30D (with gas trim/tilt and key start)
A mate is going o/s and is selling.

Hi Guys

I have a 5.5m ali boat and the paint is peeling off and bubbling everywhere. i was thinking of sanding it back myself and repainting it but seems a massive job, maybe a little to big for a driveway job.

Has anyone recently repainted their boat and what was involved? Do you have to take the engine and all electric components off? Is sandblasting an option.

if you got a professional to do the job what roughly was the cost and reccomendations.

Cheers

 ok warning may be a bit strong! but just to let df140 owners know that if you need a part and they (suzuki) tell you it's not available dont beleive them.

A Few weeks ago I had a problem with my df140 idling at no less than 2000 rpm, after researching this I found the problem may be the "air bypass screw" it's located in the throttle body, when I found it I found that the head had been pretty badly chewed up, it's plastic! (by the bloke who did the pre delivery in 2012 no doubt (I dont think it would have come from the factory like that) eventualy with a bit perseverance I managed to get it out but it was beyond reuse, so I jumped on the net and couldnt find it listed as a part although I could see on the digrams at browns point marine in the us the place where it should be, it's in the throttle body, so I emailed them to ask about it they told me it was not available as a seperate part and was part of the throttle body...about $650.00 us so I thought Bollocks to that so emailed suzuki marine in aus and they said to contact my local dealer which I did only to be told the same...not available as a seperate part so I thought Bollocks..again and started doing research on this little screw,

well it appears it IS available as a seperate part....but only if you have a df60 70 or 300! so I again contacted my local dealer and give THEM the part number and they ordered it for me and it's now in my possesion, so just because somethings not listed as a part for your motor use the advanced search at browns point and you may find the part is used on other motors but not listed for a df 140. the throttle body here is about $900 ............the screw cost me $12 something!

 Can someone offer me some advice please, ive been told that on a glass hull this is over hung too much.

Not being an expert on this stuff i thought id throw it to you fishers.

 Hi all, look at getting a smaller boat while I build the new house. Putting most of the coin towards the house.

Down to a couple of options the ocean whaler or south wind ub580.

Just wondering if anyone has any experiences with these hulls good or bad or if anyone owns one.

I will using it for inshore and venturing out to the 40s.

Thanks in advance

After purchasing my boat late last year with 180 hours on the clock, the 90hp E-tec is now nearing its 300hr service - I think that is a good thing but not sure about the missus.  After doing a bit of research, it seems that the 300hr service is the major one and a mate in the Pilbara indicated he was quoted over $900 to do it up there - he is a mechanic and could buy the software and parts for about $250 and do it himself.

Could anyone advise their experience with this service?  Particularly, who would be best north of the river in Perth to do it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Can anyone advise the best product to periodically coat the trailer with to seal it?  How often should this be applied and are there any "tricks"?

Thanks in advance for any advice. 

Hi All

i`m chasing a trim/tilt motor from an early 90`s 75HP mercury if anyone has one or knows of

anyone wrecking an old motor.

cheers

Mark

Hi guys.

I'm thinking of adding additional electrical goodies to my boat, eg: led lighting, flood lights, live bait pump etc. but have run out of room on my 6 gang switch panel. Thinking of wiring up a second switch panel. Is it ok to do so? Should I connect it directly to the isolater or to the first switch panel?

 hey guys im looking at buying a johnson 115 two stroke, the guy says its done hardly any work and looks in great condition, has anyone had one experience with one before?

cheers dave

Had an interesting experience at Henderson yesterday, about 9:30am'ish, took my boat out for a test drive, leaving CPBA ramps, and keeping well to the right, close to the mole.
As I rounded the mole, another boat was coming straight for me.
I raised my right hand across my chest pointing to the left and indicating he turn. But no response, so I had to give way and turn to the port, otherwise we may/would have collided.
Now that entrance to the ramps must be 500meters wide, plenty of room for both of us.
Well we passed close by each other, giving pleasant greetings and suggesting he brush up on the boating rules.
I realise now I should have recorded details boat rego etc. I have just now looked at a "Marine incident report" and now have an idea of what's required. Will know better next time.

 Hey guys looking at getting a swiftcraft Viking, does anyone know much about these boats. 

Cheers