Hey Guys

Looking for mobile marine sparky south of the river to do some work for me, I am in Forrestfield.

I am currently getting some power "leakage" through my battery isolators. After I switch off all power I seem to have some residual power coming through to some instruments. After some time the "leakage" stops and all power is isolated so a problem somewhere. Given that the setup is 13 years old, its probably time to replace with something that I can absolutely rely on. At the same time I would like to wire in a house battery to provide power to Radios, sounders, lights etc. This needs to be isolated from starting the engine and should charge up after my starting batteries are topped up. This is all a little beyond my "auto electrical 101" experience, so looking for someone to a good job.

Any recommendations or if anyone is interested can you please pm me to discuss ?

cheers

looking at upgrading my anchor winch on the Commodore Abrohlos 8000, as the one that's on there (windlass) looks to be what was originally fitted, can't actually hold the boat... Every time bow goes up she lets out rope and winds out, as if it's not designed to handle the weight of the boat... Also is painfully slow at letting rope out when trying to anchor up on spots.. I mean PAINFUL!

can anyone recommend a decent windlass that can handle a boat probably pushing 3.5 tonne loaded? Or do I bite the bullet and install a decent sized drum winch on the bow..

I do have a viper pro 1000 drum winch sitting in storage I bought for another boat but think that may be a touch small even though they say suits boats to 9m...  

I want to be able to safely anchor and fish in water up to 85m depth..

Hi everyone

I was hoping someone could give me some advice on the best method to do touch up painting on an aluminium boat 

I have only just purchased the boat

It is a white trailcraft and it has a lot of chips from sinkers ect along the side but apart from that the paint job is in pretty good condition

Any help would be appreciated 

Thanks

G'day All ,

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience in these set ups  , mostly fish within 15 ks of metro but venture north a few times a year .Stability ? ride ? Expect to get a bit wet but deckspace for a smallish boat looks useable.

Owned a 4.2 tinny before and just got rid of my old glass haines ,yep totally different  than the old boat but am considering a Profish 4.5 .

Cheers for any feedback

Andy

 I have dual batteries fitted with a colehursey isolation switch. When attaching a battery trickle charger is it necessary to disconnect the leads from the batteries or is it ok to leave them connected when charging and leave the batteries in the off position. Over to the gurus for some advice. Cheers lads.

Hello fellow fishwrecked people,just wondering if anyone has a 17inch prop to suit a 115hp Optimax. Not fussed if alloy or stainless as I just want it for a spare and an option when running a heavily laden boat.
I currently run a 20inch laser and it works great for top end speed,but a bit slow out of the hole.

Probably a subject done to death but I still have a question or two.

When you replace or repack your bearings, do you fill the whole hub with grease as well as the bearings or do you only grease the bearings ? I have been using Nulon high pressure grease, the red sticky stuff and have found that to be of good quality, it doesnt melt and seems to cope with the water OK. Any other suggestions as to a good grease ?

cheers

 I'm looking at replacing my pressed Mako Dory 460 (plate sides, but you know what I mean) with a plate dinghy.

Chasing a sealed floor mainly, for peace of mind flotation wise.

Question is this, 

There's a few plate designs getting around now with pronounced reverse chines. They look very nice indeed and look as though they would offer excellent stability, and combined with a reasonable deadrise at the stern, would be a good ride in a bit of slop.

I don't know if I'm over analyzing this, but would the reverse chines make the hull ride harder than without the chines? 

It seems to me that on a good impact, the hull would come to a quicker stop once the chine line is met, rather than pushing through and using the bouyancy of the hull to halt the downward force.

Like I said, am I nit picking here?

There's a bit of conflicting opinion on this on various sites. Just hoping someone here could add a bit of real life to my theorizing.

Cheers, Craig.

 G'day All , looking at a new rig and a nice one has popped up , don't have any experience with optis, has a 2007 90 hp optimax with @200 hours pushing a 5.5 quintrex sprint .

have read a few reviews and fuel consumption looks good on paper but would preciate any info from someone who has an opti ?

cheers Andy 

hello all can you guys point me to wreckers that deal with Volvo penta. I'm after a exhaust manifold for a 250a. 

 I'm looking for a recommendation for a mechanic to change a gimbal bearing on my Volvo Penta Duo Prop leg who knows what their doing (and hopefuly won't make me mortgage my house to pay for it). I live in the Armadale area so would prefer to find someone sor, but highly recommended is more important. I searched but couldn't find recent or relevent results. 

Thanks

Andrew

Hi all,

Still researching my (hopefully soon) boat purchase. I have been looking at a few boats with a 60 Merc 4 stroke fitted, one I really like is 2012, another is a 2003. Other than the age and hours run, are there any major differences between the two year models ? Have done a bit of hunting around and cant find much out.

Thanks in advance for your replies,

Cheers

Dane

 hi all looking at a 625  cruisecraft any info would be good I have had 660 assassin hardtop which was an awesome boat   only thing is fuel tank size on 625 is only 230 L  not that big  for long trips

Can anyone recomend a provider that I can get to do a pre purchase condition report on a boat I have an offer on?

Am looking at using All Boats as the outboard is a Suzuki so has anyone used them and happy with the assessment? Am also open to other reccomendations others have used.

 hey guys just wanted to send a bit of a shout out to everyone who helped me in the decision making process of buying my first boat

i know i was swaying up between fibreglass/ali, half cab/CC/walkaround , budgets and all!

i ended up choosing a fibreglass hull with the full walk around capabilities

its a 2000 hull with a 2006 mercury 175HP 2 stroke engine

a special mention to Mike and Rob who helped a lot in choosing this boat (i know its a bit bigger then what you were recomending Rob! haha) 

iv taken it out twice now and goes extremelly well in the chop and swell!

all your feeback was great and i know im going to have 100 more questions moving forward! iv already learnt so much about boating in the last month

again thank you all for your help! now to land those dream fish!

hey guys just baught a trophy 2002 and the bimini has never been taken down so its completelly seized up

i want the bimini to go down so i can put the cover on it but the only way it gets down atm is if we unscrew it off which is a total pain in the ass

iv used anti-seize coupled with a hamer and still cant get the thing to fold down!

has anyone had this issue before? maybe theres a way i can soak it to clean up the metal poles?

help would be appreciated thanks :) 

 Hello boys the old aq120 finally threw a valve after 38 years. I have come to the conclusion to rip out the inboard/leg and go a full width transom hull extension. My question to you all is what plus and minus will it have on performance.

 Hi all,

Just after some advice with a new tinnie rig i am setting up.

Boat is a 3.6m Bluefin Rascal, motor is 15hp 2 stroke yamaha. I have decided on these to keep the weight down as this rig will be beach launched almost every day in cray season and up north on trips as well. I will be towing this setup behind my suzuki jimny and as said launching at beach and also ramps. 

I am getting the trailer custom made to match the suzuki jimny it will go behind. So that it will run in the same tracks as the vehicle. I have towed a wide trailer behind my narrow 4wd and it was not ideal. As space is also a luxury with small setups i was thinking of running the same size wheels as the car so i would only need one spare.

Does anybody know beach launch a tinnie with 15" trailer wheels?

Thanks

 Hey crew, just a heads-up re the latest promo from Yamaha - Free rigging (controls/gauges/prop) on all FWD control 4-Strokes from 30 to 150HP.  Also factory rebates on tiller control models too!

Cheers!

http://www.jetpoweryamaha.com.au/promotions/marine-outboard/free-rigging-f30-f150-outboards

 Hi all I recently bought myself a Westerncraft plate ali 5.2m

Its says its an Ally Fisher. Its a 2000 model.

I cant find any info online about these boats or other western crafts. The closest looking hull design Ive managed to find is Koolyn crafts.

Anyway although I havnt taken it out yet (needs some small things done) Im very happy with it.

I'd just like to know more about the maker etc.

Thanks in advance.

 I need to buy some propylene glycol to install an M260 transducer. I was going to use a coolant, but everything seems to be ethylene glycol which isnt real good to use.

The last place i phoned wanted a doctors script.

Anyone know where i can buy some at a reasonable price?

I only need about 2 liters worth.

Thanks

Looking for some advice on this

I've got a GME GX600D which is having issues

It powers up but it's struggling to get any reception.
I've replaced the VHF antenna and ensured the connector is tightly secured and squelch is set correctly

Just past the heads I can barely get Sea rescue and last time while trying to communicate with them the unit powered off like it blew
Later when I was washing down the boat I tried the radio again and it powered up?

Seems dodgy to me but it's two years old and outside the GME 1 year warranty for it, plus i can't find the receipt

Anyone sent a Radio in for repair with GME before and rough costs?

 I know there are a couple of posts on this topic already but they are a few years old and perhaps now outdated.

Im in the market for a winch, thinking more so drum for my 6.6 trailcraft trailblazer as im sick of pulling the anchor everyday and it limits our fishing. There are so many options out theres which has made it bloody confusing. Free fall, fast fall, power up/down. Then theres the brands who all claim to be better than each other in some way or another. 

I did look at the lewmar windlass but im not sure if the trailcraft well is deep enough plus id have to get a plate welded for it to sit on.

I know stressfree is a top unit, but it is also the most expensive especially if going for the freefall.

Lone star has caught my eye as they seem to be reasonably priced, widely used, have a perth dealer and a new model has just come out.

Then theres micks winch, sav winch, muir, tuff winch, wolf winch and more.

What do you guys have on your boats? Did you self install? What were the costs, is free fall a must? and how is the winch going  now?

My tinny has a small amount of surface rust that arose after drilling in the boat but not cleaning up afterwards. I've tried a green scourer and am keen to hear any suggestions that may help to remove/treat the surface rust. Is a wire brush a bad idea? Many thanks

 've done a fair bit of research with the view to eventually fitting an electric anchor winch to my Swiftcraft Dominator. I currently use an ezi-lifter anchor clip under a polyform float setup, and have for many years now, not hard work at all. It was easier with the CC I had previously , as you just tied off to the bollard, and, when retrieving, just fed the rope directly into on of the two storage areas directly underfoot. The Dommie, being a cuddy, complicates matters, and to be honest, issues with that sort of thing are what kept me away from cuddies for a long time, as well as the reduced fishing area compared to a CC. I still reckon anything with any sort of superstructure forrard is an old man's boat, but that's what I am now  I have worked around this, and removed the need to access the front deck, by having a 16mm bow rope permanently attached to the front bollard, with an eye spliced in the free end, which is just long enough to not foul the prop . The anchor rope gets tied to to this when you have enough rope out, just not as easy to fine-tune your length as with the CC. This also doubles as a handling rope when launching/retrieving. I often fish alone locally. The rope coils into a fish bin which lives under the outboard well.
I fish two distinctly different areas over the course of a year, with differing requirements. Locally, I am usually anchoring between 8 and 14 fathoms, over either sand or reef, never mud, no strong tides, usually some swell, but never big ones. When I go north in winter, it is usually a bit deeper, pick going over between 12 and 22 fathoms over coral reef or rubble, often with a lot of tide and some swell. The float, in both scenarios, gets clipped on so it it usually 10-15 metres in front of the boat in its finally position. Having the float pre-positioned on the rope also allows you to drop the whole lot quickly if a fast-running fish is rapidly emptying the spool--usually a sailfish which has taken a floating gar meant for a spaniard. 
So, the options are either a gypsy-or drum-type reel. So much of the chat on these, I realised, comes from PPB snapper or SA whiting fishermen who are anchoring over mud/rubble/weed/sand bottoms, hence all the use of Sarca's or ploughs, and generally pretty shallow water as well. So not really relevant to my type of fishing, although it would be when I occasionally fish Shark Bay.

So my questions

• Drum type winches need to either be mounted in the well or cabin. The Dommie has a capacious well under the foredeck, but access for mounting inside it would be limited. I have seen them mounted in these boats forward in the cabin, which involves having a hawsepipe running from the foredeck, surely this would bring a lot of water in as you retrieve, messy. Drum winches would also need to have the rope end fixed to the drum, no option of dropping the whole thing if you need to, short of cutting. Also more expensive. Does anyone have any pictures of mounting these on this hull that aren't already on the net? I've seen quite a few.
• Gypsy type--the South Pacific 710 with a stainless gypsy, free fall and the appropriate rope and chain seems to be the choice--many "issues" with these turn out to be incorrect mounting(not enough space below) use of incorrect rope or chain. End does not need to be secured, although I'd have the last 10 metres clearly marked Normally have 110 m of rope , would need to replace the 12mm silver rope with a nylon rope for consistent results. Anyone used on of these on this hull?

Most manufacturers seem to specify the use of a snubber to take the load off the winch when anchored, I certainly wouldn't be climbing out through the foredeck access to do this every time I anchor. Anything else to consider?
Thanks in advance

So as part of the winter maintenance regime, I thought I would lift the rivets and have a look at the fuel tank. I mainly wanted to see what size it was as I found conflicting information regarding size and the previous owner said he upgraded to a larger tank when it was built but couldn't remember the size.

So... I measured it and it looks like its 200L however every time I fill up I can only ever put 80 or so litres in it until it start to come out of the breather? Any ideas? 

I also had a look at the fuel sender unit and it's different to the ones I've seen around. It has two red wires leading down a piece of aluminium channel. The black "float" I'm presuming floats up and down the aluminium U channel. Anyway, I'm thinking of replacing it. What's a good accurate unit to replace it with?

goign to replace the various hoses and have a look at the unused thru-hull transducer etc anything else I should have a look at while the floor is out?

cheers

Hi , does anyone know of someone that can rebuild jetski motors ( 2001 seadoo gtx di ) ?

Cheers Paul

 Hey fellas need to get a couple of ally rod holders welded to the rocket launcher. Was hoping it could be done at my place, without removing the rocket launcher as its through bolted to the hardtop and I wanted to maintain factory seal if possible. 

Would it be possible to protect fibreglass hardtop and deck from damage with welding mats etc or should I just remove it and take to a fabrication shop? 

Any mobile ally welders NOR ocean reef area? 

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 hi guys , girls iam very new to this site hey lol , So be nice hahaha !

been looking at a second hand tinny for around 3 months now found a 2008 660 melcom douglas sportscab good boat got a few extras hey as the standard 660 sportscab , been used a bit still looks ok trailer good , electrics are basic navman gps an sounder , vhf , stereo etc the thing is it has a 175 optimax 279 hours on metre wich to me dosnt sound alot ..

Not more than 60 kms away there is a 660 trailblazer looks like brand new me mate tells me 2005 year, all the fruit better electronic gear as well as trim tabs etc its got a 175 suzuki 4 stroke 900 hrs on it . 

This is whats doin me head in 2 stroke  or 4 the end of the day same hull sportscap v berth , trailblazer not , both do same job I recon both boats rough around same price

Cant deside on motors .. help lol

 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.