Picking up a HDS 7 this weekend.  While Im of the opinion (and so is the seller) that the 50/200 is going to be the transducer I want, can anyone tell me if it is THE choice in lowrance transducers for fishing 25-80m deep but also in the rivers and shallow bay stuff as well?  Ive found CH Smith recommend the 83/200 for up to 100m which I may get out to up in exxy but not down here.  Price isnt an issue (well to me it isnt, but the mrs will say otherwise)

Personal opinions and experiences welcome.

Cheers

 Hi all just a word on warranty my Honda 05 model has run no probs at all till recently had alarm go of getting looked at have been told it oxygen sensor so could maybe get this on warranty cost being $1500 with computer so my mechanic puts in claim to be told 5yr have expired but at only 244 hrs on clock not really five yrs running time was our argument for Honda to say o well should of used it more not happy so I say to fellow boaties have yr gear cheaked if close to warranty and save ya self some pennies :)

Am curious there is a thread on the cost of servicing the motor, how many of you take your road vehicle in to the garage, and just get the motor serviced. What about all the other items on the boat?. Life jackets, fire ext. electrics, epirb etc etc.

Then there is the trailer.

Does just servicing the boat motor make you feel OK.

Have any of you guys had experience with this boat builder? Good/Bad?

ok, I know we have had many threads of different issues of servicing and costs etc.

So lets keep this one to s simple statement for us all to compare.

Motor: 2001 Mercury Salwater EFI 250HP 

cylinders / stroke: V6 / 2 Stroke

Serivice type: Major

Cost: $867 per motor.

Where: Hillaries area ( dont name dealer, just area)

This way we can get a good idea of what we getting for our money these days.

I was shocked that my 2 strokes service costs where as high as a 4 strokes these days 

I have written the "Subject " heading very tongue in cheek - and have read previous articles and had a good old laugh about the comments from the fisho's out there.

I have read all the pro's, con's & views with many passionate comments, but where will the end come ?

What is better ??

If we were to compare a 115hp Etec v 115hp Yamaha 4 stroke on the same boat ( fibreglass or Ali ) over a 5 year period, each doing 100 hrs each per year and having 1 service ( except the etec of course ) - which owner would have more money to spend on our accessory sports called - " fishing/diving/boating ".

Does anybody know of an article out there - that does actually sift through the clever manipulation of the big brands, and actually just give me some facts !

I would like to know a real comparative ! If the gearbox blows up - How much for an etec ? How much for a Yamaha ? I want a new set of spark plugs ! How much for each ? Just the items that are similar and can be compared.

And at the end of their 5 year career ( I know, not alot ) - What is the resale value of each motor ? 

I know this an open ended question ! So who out there does have an unbiased view ???

I was drilling into my transom installing a transducer when I noticed water seeping out from the holes. It looks like the plywood in some areas underneath the fibreglass is soaking wet. You cant see anything wrong with the outside of the boat. Just wondering if this is something I should be extremely worried about or not?  I cant think of how to dry it out other than riddle the transom with little holes and let it dry out over several months (cant use boat ,bummer) I could try that and just have more water come in from somewhere and wet it again anyway... Just wondering if the ply will rot out or what?

It's a 89 haines hunter.

G'day everyone!

I'm currently on the hunt for a new boat and I've preetttty much decided on a Trailcraft 5.0m+ with something 4s on the back... As a general guide! I've heard they're brilliant fishing boats and handle the open water well.

But before I rush out and get one, thought I'd just double check with the people in the know on this site to see if anyone might have any other suggestions for a boat I could have a look into.. One with similar attributes?

Cheers

Just putting it out there - looking for opinions on the Barcrusher 560 and other lengths !

I just bought mine 6 months ago and could not be any happier with the way it performs. I know it's an east coast boat and I will cop a flogging in opinions  that there are much better boats out there !!

The biggest thing I find with these boats, is that the worse the conditions are on the water the better it handles - it is hard to describe, but the harder I drive this rig - the better it gets !

On the downside - these are the things I dislike ( but this is just my opinion )

1. Needs trim tabs

2. Has a narrow feel

3. Design of dash on passenger side is kind of lacking

Any opinions from other B/Crusher owners or otherwise would be good

Hi guys,

Looking at cuddy cabs around 5 - 5.5m.

The brands I am interested in are Haines Hunter and Haines Signature. 

Which of these two brands would you recommend?

Cheers.

 Hey guys,

Just wondering if there is a boat name register?

The names (not rego numbers) that you see on the side of boats is something that seems like you'd want to keep unique, for ego purposes as well as identification and sea rescue etc. But after a search of the Dept of Transport website, I can't see anything about registration of boat names.

Any advice?

Good arvo gents

Im looking to get a length of 4mm aluminium plate welded onto my pod so that I can bolt on a dive ladder

I normally work from 6-5 during the week so its extremely difficult to take the boat to a welder during the week

any suggestions for mobile welders or anybody handy enough free this weekend?

Gday Guys,

Was after some info from someone regarding an issue im having with my live bait tank. Most of the time it runs fine but everynow and then it looses prime and wont suck water resulting in dead live bait very quickly up here in the heat in Broome.

You can hear the motor still working but it just wont pump, sometimes it take 5 mins and itll kick in again, other times it doesnt for several hours? Alot of the time it will be when moving from spot to spot it will stop and other times we will just be sitting there  and it will will stop?  As i dont have a hose/deck wash on board to reprime it and I dont feel real comfortable hanging out the back of the boat in the Kimberleys dues to big lizards with sharp teeth anyway is there anything anyone can recommend?

Any ideas much appreciated, Cheers Guys.

Went to a welding supplies shop asking about Pickling paste / Pasivating paste (cleaning up welds on stainless steel). Was told you need a licence to buy that now. Is that true?

I start doing the checks on the boat and getting ready for tomorrow. I just running it up when an alarm started going off at the control. There is a heap of oil in the reservoir. Its a mariner 75hp 2001. Does anyone have any ideas. I think maybe a sensor stuffed.

I currently have a furuno fcv620 with the 600w airmar.

It's perfect for the type of fishing I have been doing, namely fishing between 14 an 40 metres out from Busso.

I am gearing up to go around the Cape (Nat, or put in off Gracetown) and do the hunting for the deepwater species.

I have my eyes on a furuno fcv585, obviously for the 1kw capability, and the higher pixel count is nice too.

I am getting stumped when it comes to choosing the right transducer.

Open to any advice on what would suit, I still intend to look for rubble and small features in Geo Bay, and this will be the job 75% of the time, but I want to make the right choice so that I don't blow my coin on something that doesnt cut it when I head deeper.

A transducer that keeps popping up in my search is the airmar tm260, would this be suitable?

Thanks for reading.

Cheers, Craig.

Looking for a Aluminium welder to fix a few cracks in my bimini. Im located in fremantle. 

If any one can recommend someone that would be great.

Peter

Back on 5th January, me n a mate were heading out to the fishing grounds to try & grab a feed.

Was a stunning morning, so was just cruising along around 25kn before sh*t happens!

On trimming the motor, the motor audible alarm went berko.

Switched everything off, and tried to find the prob was. Found that the whole wiring harness has fried, the tilt motor has cooked, the tilt harness is now just non-existent - (turned to ash!), motor cumputer is stuffed etc etc!  Turns out that the motor tilting has cut thru the outer cabling and cable protectors over time, and made the motor live, and fried the whole she-bang!!

Filled in the claim forms a coupla days later, and sent the quotes to Club Marine on 17th/18th Jan. Assessor out 2½weeks later. Now just rang insurance and they're still waiting on a final report from assessor. Its now 4 weeks since I sent the quotes thru, n I thought it shouldn't take that long. 

Am I unrealistic in my expectations???

Getting moody now with no fishing happening! 

This shows how untechno I am, but I have confused myself. Is a Trailcraft hub and wheel Holden or Ford??

Cheers for this stupid question. Please dont laugh and I am not trolling.

Neels

Does anyone own a sea fox or owned one previous, that has first hand experience with the quality of these boats?, i am currently looking at a late model 236 WA sea fox, 2300 wellcraft and 23 keywest,

the sea fox is priced the best value for coin.

I have read alot of forum reviews from the yanks, and they bash them a fair bit, however i think they are all grady/boston owners maybe a little bit bias?

Gday fellas

I run 2 batteries in my boat and with all the equipment on board ( large winch, combo sounder, deck wash, live bait tank etc ), I was wondering if I would need to add or improve my power source to keep up with all this stuff. My main reason for this question is that I will be doing some night fishing in Exmouth this April and will be using the lights more and also a small fan possibly. We may camp on boat or beach but wont take waco80 as I can freeze large milk bottles in the tuckerbox that will stay frozen for a couple of days in the boat esky. I have a few options and all these have the main objective of not being stuck out at sea with a flat battery.

1. Jump start pack (carry on, easey storage, limited uses ) 

2. extra battery ( to be alligator clipped on if necessary or hard wired to other 2 ) ( does it have to be same size, big cost )

3. solar (type, size and output, fiddely and or unstable )

Any info / thoughts greatly apreciated

Cheers neville

hi guys just wondering , has  anyone one caught my camp chairs yet @ the eshed  ..i was fishing with mates and there kids a couple of saturday nights ago when we had a gush of wind and got swept of the wharf  into the briney. not like i want them back or anything just curious...

 i had a mobile mechanic do my 40 4 str yammie carbie model today and got charged $470 . good value i reckon 4 hrs labour plus parts. thoughts on that???? besides doing it myself which would have taken a week.....

 Looking at getting my boat into my shed whil;e Im away at work, has anyone got or know where to get "stowaway wheels" to lower the height?

Im about 50mm too high even with tyres down bimini dropped etc

Ive tried Martins but they dont have them in stock and are getting back to me tomorrow about them.

Hi everyone

My bimini needs some TLC.  There are a few plastic clips and stoppers that have been lost etc.

Is there anywhere north of the river in Perth you'd recommend?

Thanks

Tommo

Hi all,

Does anyone have any info on boat hire companies in Perth (preferably north) around the 6 metre mark or adequate enough to get to Rottnest?

Cheers.

Can anyone tell me where I can get a boat and trailer weighed in the rocking ham area , cheers 

HI all,

Just chasing a bit of help with one of my yamaha gauges as it is no longer reading the trim of the motor. The motor is a 70 Yamaha '06 2 stroke.

The gauge is reading that the motor is trimmed all of the way down regardless of its position. The same gauge appears to be reading revs and oil correctly.

I hadn't used the boat for about 2 months due to holidays and the day before I installed a new pump for the livewell. This was rigged to the switch pannel and I had to work around the inside of the gauge. From what I can tell and remember I didn't knock anything loose while doing this.

I took it out yesterday and the motor and trim worked fine, there was just no reading of the trim  and motor position.

Any help, ideas or experiences on this would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Nath

Sweet looking Contender 21' delivered lucky customer on weekend

250 Yammy strapped to the back was always going to guarantee a zippy ride !

test run: 44Kts @ 5500rpm - with 6 onboard, full livewell + 100L fuel - yeeeeeeewww !!!

Guys,

I have a 2009 Mercury 115HP 4 stroke that needs a service. Obviously, it's still under the 5 year warantee. It used to be done by Saltwater as thats where my boat came from, but I'd rather not use them again.

Last year I had it done by Hayway marine, they did a great job but it was really expensive, plus they are closing down.

Can anyone recomend a good service place for Mercury, pref South of the River, but open to suggestions.

Cheers

Craig