Looking to borrow or buy a hinge pin tool for a mercruiser gimble housing 

part number is 91-78310

thanks

 I'm going to upgrade the tinny soon and I have decided on a plate ally center console around 5.5m.

i have my eye on the coraline boats at the moment but was wondering if anyone can recommend other boat builders or any good secondhand hulls to look out for, I'm after something with a 4 stroke with around 30k budget 

cheers matt

 Ok so here goes! I have recently become the proud owner of an aluminium 4.5 quintrex fishabout thanks to my generous best mate drew cheers! Anyways I am scrapping everything on the boat and starting fresh from the bare hull up.i will be removing the front seating steering Ect. I will also be cutting away some of the front sheet metal and the dash and then reinforce it all to allow for more room up front and a larger casting deck area. The reason for this post is I am after advice on a couple of things I have in mind firstly I would like some advice on console positioning after looking at hundreds of pics of smaller centre consoles and I have noticed that most smaller boats have the cosole a Long way forwards towards the bow.my main reason for my conversion is to get a more comfortable ride for me the skipper! What I would like to do is have my console further back using my existing back seat as a platform to mount my new seating on, so I'd like to have the console standing room forwards of the back seat and what concerns me is 1.. Is this to far back and will affect the boats handling to much overall?? 2.... Will there be to much weight at the stern of the boat I plan on having me 100kgs plus 2 x 25litre fuel tanks also a large deep cycle battery. 3... Can I relocate the fuel tanks to the front of the boat to redistribute some weight and free up some space down the back for storage without causing further problems.? Also I plan on building a new floor and casting deck up front I am wondering how high up I can raise the floor for more storage underneath without hurting the boats stability and safety? Thanks for taking the time to read any advice and opinions would be great! I plan on doing the entire refit myself including wiring painting welding the lot I am a tradesman and great with my hands oh and if anyone has any cheap boat parts to get rid of pm me I looking for steering and electrical stuff. Cheers guys and gals Adam 

I'm hoping this is not a dumb question...

When operating the starboard tim tab switch, does it activate the starboard trim tab or port trim tab. I've asked around and had contradicting views.

To me it seems obvious that stbd switch activates stbd actuator but others tell me otherwise

thanks

 Has any one imported an outboard from the states. Just curious as there seems to be a few people saving dollars importing boats but haven't heard much about outboards.

 I thought i would share this experience with Hella marine , great to see good old fashion service still exists...alot of manufactures could take a leaf out of there book

I recently sold my first American import boat because it was too big so I have been looking around at boats in Perth and I cant find one that I want....

They are either too expensive, too old or dont have everything I want... After finding most second hand boats not meeting my needs I decided at looking at new ones. I got quotes on new plate aluminium boats and new fibreglass boats... for what I want it was going to cost me $80k plus

I was doing some looking online and I have spoken to a dealer in Fort Lauderdale in America who has been extremely helpful..... I can get a 2013 23 foot seafox with a brand new 200HP yamaha four stroke for $55k or a 23 foot Polar with twin 115hp yamaha 4 bangers for around the same price... so judging by what I paid last time for my first boat (which was bigger) I could easily get any of these boats over here for a lot less than $80k.... I would even have enough change to buy an expensive sounder.

Now I have to decide on what I really want to do................

Hey all

Have got a week off work next week and have been collecting a few things to give my boat a tidy up.

The boat is a 5.4 metre aluminium Centre Console built by Legend Boatbuilders with dual batteries.

I have decided to pull up the carpet and apply something called seadek. In order to lay this i will need to clean up the deck that has old glue that previously held the carpet in place. I am thnking I will try and clean up the glue with metho and a scraper and then, once cleaned I will paint the bare deck. Any ideas on what would be best to clean the deck with and what paint I should be looking at using?

After that I will be installing a bilge pump, removing the old MHZ radio and aerial that have seen better days and the old stereo and speakers. These will be replaced with a new fusion stereo, new AM/FM aerial, installing a wiring panel. I will also sand back the wooden doors on the console and paint them with a glossy paint to tidy them up and seal them to prevent warping etc. I have also got a new inspection port for the back as the plastic has perished on the old one.

I am not a particularly mechanically minded person so any advice or products you can recommend or advice for getting this right would be appreciated. I will post up some before and after pictures after the work is done and hopefully a bit of hard work will give the boat a few more years of trouble free adventures.

Cheers

Phil

Hi all,

I have a centre console with 2 fuel tanks. The front tank is located in the middle of  the boat with a fuel line length of approx 6 metres from the tank to the motor (140 Merc).

The issue is that at anything above about 5-8 knots it will run for a while and then die like it isn't getting any fuel. If i stay under that it will run OK with no cutting out.  I don't have the problem with the rear tank. Its not a breather issue either I believe.

Any suggestions on what it could be or tips to try and isolate the problem.

cheers

I've got an Airmar TM-260 installed on my Wellcraft which is penned. The growth is unbelievable!! The boat is due for anti-foul so I'm thinking of giving the transducer a very very light sand with water paper and then applying the same anti-foul to the transducer as the rest of the boat. Any advice?

thanks

this pic was day one, never been in water......it looks pretty shabby now

just seeing if anyone would like to lend me one for a carton / or $50 to see if i get any change in the boat befor i go out an purchase one.

Hi guys

Looking at getting a gps/chart plotter for my 19ft old girl. I'm not looking at spending thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest, just looking for something I can load with maps of local waters/ rotto/mandurah etc to help navigate offshore.

I've been a boat owner for years but never had the confidence in my boat to venture any distance offshore. Current old girl has a great solid hull  ( chivers thunderbird) and I've just repowered with the latest mpi mercruiser  (8hrs) so I'm running out of excuses to stick to the river, except for the navigation nightmares. I have some charts but would prefer some maps I can reference quickly.

Just after your thoughts and recommendations  on a suitable gps/chart plotter that doesn't cost the earth, is reliable and will do what I'm asking off it.

Bring on the debates !!!. Thx.

 hey guys,

Just wondering what the main costs would be for owning a boat of around the 5m mark. And the pros and cons of fibreglass vs ally.

Cheers

 Can anyone recommend a good place to get my boat serviced.  I have a 4.75 Quintrex with a 50 Honda on the back. I live in the ellenbrook area so anywhere within half an hour from here would ok.  Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 A friend just installed a fuel separator on his rig, he put the bulb on the engine side of the filter which from what ive red is fine. The unit has a 4 plug system and as far as we know we have the hoses in the right ports. We ticked the merc over today and after the fuel was run out of the lines it cut out and wouldn’t suck any more, the bulb wouldn’t suck any either so im all out of ideas. I’ve heard the hoses can sometimes have a lining which blocks the flow but my friend‘s fairly certain that’s not the problem. So I was hoping someone on here knows what the issue could be.

Thanks Miles

Hi All

i`ve just bought an old 5m quintrex centre console that has been painted a few times in it`s life and needs another going over.

just after some ideas of the best way to strip all the paint off if anyone has done it before.

when i get around to doing it (won`t be until winter) i`ll post up some before and after pics.

cheers

keg

Hi Guys,

Can any recommend a marine mechanic / electrician that is in the armadale

area or close to.

Haven't put the boat in the water in 6-7 weeks

put boat in the water, motor won't turn over, both batteries flat and sounder wont turn on

remove boat from water, charge batteries for 30 mins, motor turns over. sounder still won't turn on, gps does (seperate unit)

launch boat again, motor turns over but won't start and after 5 mins of trying starts to turn over slowly (battery going flat),

checked saftey switch, fuses, fuel etc.

remove boat and bring home.

A big thankyou to the guy at woodman point with the red & white boat that waited while I launched and retrieved infront of him.

was good to see fisheries there doing safety checks too.

I'm figuring an electrical problem somewhere, but where I don't know. Motor and boat ran fine when last used.

has only done about 25 hours since last service.

Suggestions gratefully accepted.

Norty.

 Hi tthere can anyone gives me some advice on installing fishing rod holders in my ali dinghy to the top plate near my stern rails.

when I cut the hole with a hole saw, do I need to cover the exposed aliminium up with any product to stop it from rusting at all?

also same as screwing a marine floor into the bottom of the boat, do I need I use special screws?? 

thought Id chuck something up for the DIY'ers on here.

When I replaced my boat, the baitboard was missing but the mounts were there, and at 750 apart quite large.

I looked around for one but while there were some nice ones available on line, I didnt fancy forking out $400-$600 for something that might look vastly less appealing in the flesh.

So I decided to attack something myself-starting with a drawing

then borrowing a router trimmer, started chopping bits out

lots of routing as I wanted it strong and well fitting if it couldnt be pretty!

there was lots of shit to vacuum up as the router and rip saw made a hell of a mess especially with the shed door open, like snow!

slowly taking shape, I wanted plenty of storage underneath i

trial fit up, looks ok?

and the final product!

As usual there are a few bits still to do, hose holder, rod holders, and especially a baitbin to go under the chopping board, but I dont really want to lose the storage space underneath.

So maybe the next project is to insulate the live bait tank you can just see in the left of last pic, so it can be used as an day icebox/killtank (will fit a few good size fish and drain overboard)

At the end of it all, did I save money? not sure, who gives a shit?

Did I save time? jeezus no

why do it then? Well if ya have to ask then its not worth explaining!

Does anyone know any good places in rockingham to get a 15hp yamaha serviced

 My hds5 lowrance has shat itself, does anyone know where i can get it looked at. 

It is no longer in warranty.

Cheers,

Pete

Bought a boat last year , 23 ft + 2ft pod , 225 yammy , guy I bought it off said It was a leeder which I disputed , can anyone tell me what it is , I reckon its a Baron Sea Eagle Targa that been tampered with .

It hasn't let me down at all and overall have been happy in all respects but curious to know what I'm riding on

Hi all,

Just a question

I have a fraser 626 fibreglass boat that currently has a yamaha 2-stroke 1990 150hp v6 (600 hours). I have a spare motor which is a mercury 2-stroke 2006 115hp optimax (150 hours). Thinking of installing the mercury and getting rid of the yamaha.

What are peoples thoughts on this? The mercury runs quiter, uses less fuel and smokes less. But how would they compare power wise?

I can't find any specs anywhere for the yamaha

Thanks
Shaun

Hi guys,

General question, how long would it take to get to Mandurah by boat. From fremantle

A casual, laid back trip, say 15-20knts, just a ball park time as they say rotto is 40mins, surely mandurah isn't all that much further .....

Hi guys, new here so hi to all.

Just after your thoughts\recommendations  when it comes to running in a new engine, other than the obvious as stated in the manual.

The boat is an early Chivers thunderbird and I have repowered with the mercruiser 135mpi sterndrive.

If I can get out of work by lunch tomorrow, it will be getting wet for the first time with a gentle run on the swan.

Thx in advance for your advice

Things were going fairly sweet, I had a nice new 5.7m ali boat and was getting out and amongst it reguarly. That all changed on 11/01/2011 when the floods hit Brisbane. We had invested in property and took a big hit when the insurance company decided no deal. Something had to give and unfortunately it started with the toys. I had to sell my boat but was determined to keep boating & fishing one way or another. That's how i ended up purchasing this boat -

1978 18ft Mustang 1800

90hp Evinrude FICHT (it's ok, the problems were mainly with their V6's)

It had what I was looking for, solid hull which had been garaged most it's life, nice deep bow, new trailer, low hours motor and suitable for chop & change

And so the project began. What I wanted to create was a centre rear console boat suited to fishing inshore reef systems, squidding and cruising the river. I wanted the console as far to the stern as possible creating maximum deck space and a smooth ride for the skipper.

Start stripping and out with the grinder and recip...

They love helping their uncle

I built a new under cover area off the end of my workshop and pushed her into her new home for the next 14 months.

Gunwale detail

Foward bulkhead, casting deck with floor hatches. The larger for relocating the fuel tank.

Forming new shape with expana foam

Shape it up & glass it in (middle of summer, had to work fast)

used 200 pair of latex gloves!

A big tin of filler and a crap load of prep work later, ready for paint

All painted, ready for carpet

From there I moved onto the fit off, electrical rewire, installing instruments, reconfigure the remote control, reticulate fuel & oil lines, setup hydraulic steering etc. I updated the stickers, added a bit of bling and it was time for a much anticipated water test. It needed the console stripping down again to get it through my garage and out to the street so once out it wasn't coming back in again.

On the water...

Once I trimmed the motor correctly she went like dream!

Very happy with the wet test, now save some more bikkies for the bar work.

The local top bloke ranger warned me for having it on the verge (quiet cul de sac)! so no choice but off to ABB for storage

Thanks to trevor @ Nautec Fabrication for building the targa we designed. Sets it off nicely.

I improvised with a pre made bimini canvas and made it work for now, also trimmed the skippers seat with foam from an old boat cushion I pulled from a bin and yoga matting. 

Almost finished -

What it's all about...

It turned out a great boat for what I want. Really glad I did it although it was a little ambitious given my wife was 4 weeks away from having our first baby when I started it. It was a lot of work, you start one job and create 5 more and it absorbed much more time than I was prepared for. I made plenty of rookie errors long the way but thats how you learn. Would love to do it again one day.

Thanks for reading guys, see you out there!

Cheers

Jude

this has probably been asked before but is a 70 hp 2stk big enough to push an 18ft fibreglass boat.i don`t want super speed

but enough to get on the plane and get out fishing.

cheers

keg

 Hello all, hoping some of you can help me out with your own experience.

As the title suggests I'm looking for a prop to suit a merc 60hp 4 stroke that I recently repowered a Hinton 4.5m runabout with, Hinton is a direct knock off of the Haines 445r.

The motor is still being run in so I can't tell you what my current max revs are, but I can tell you I struggle to get on the plane with the factory 3 blade, once it's up it goes well until it drops off the plane which happens easily. I slowly climb on the plane at about 3200rpm and 12-15kn at 4500rpm I'm doing 22-24 kn

Anyone else have the same motor/445 hull combination, if so what size prop are you running and what set of holes are you mounted on? I'm thinking I may lift the motor another hole

Thanks in advance

Josh

 Oceansouth boat covers.

Hi guys, I am looking for anyone that has personal experience with the large jumbo boat covers from Oceansouth. It is for storage only and I have felt the material and it seemed quite thick. I have my boat parked under a Jacaranda tree and it is constantly getting filled with leaves. I think the cover will do the trick but I am wondering if anyone has has one for a period of time and see if they stand the test of time and how do they go with leaves. I have been through the search and read all the threads on covers and I don't need anything fancy like a custom made one, just looking for feedback that has had these type of covers and had them for a period of time. 

Thanks in advance.