TheCount

"Audio" retailer/wholesalers like RS Components (https://au.rs-online.com/web/) or Amber Technology (www.ambertech.com.au - wholesale only, but they will recommend a retailer in your area) to name a few. I think Jaycar has a limited range too. As a guide, each piece is around $10 wholesale.. TC.

I know I'm late to the topic. I've been running 3 x 100W panels to individual 2 x 10A MPPT and a 1 x 20A MPPT chargers to the 3 sets of batteries for 5 years - starter, accessories and a pair for the Motorguide electric (cable between them disconnected to bring them back to 12V). Volt meters on all. Use the thickest cable you can get to minimise the voltage loss - but that does depend on the distance between the panels, chargers and batteries.. I work for an audio company so thick speaker cable is in my system - but I also ran it through conduit all through the roof cavity.. Not one of the batteries has failed (so far) and every month I disconnect the charging cables to give them all a rest. Neutrik 30A connectors are used for easy connection. The females are setup in a stainless panel and male ends from the chargers. Dealing with power - don't go cheap. TC.

Good questions! I run an 80lb Motorguide and have the 120mAh batteries setup as 24v.. Short explanation = I charge everything from solar panels on the roof and being a 12v system, I run a thick cable between the two batteries (with Anderson plugs) so they when the cable is pulled apart, the batteries are back to being individuals at 12v. Longer explanation = I've built an ss316 chassis at the transom to house Neutrik connectors that are connected to the 4 batteries on the boat. 1 main, 1 accessories, 2 for the Motorguide. When at home I plug in the charge controllers to the panel and each battery is looked after. The 2 batteries for the Motorguide need to be disconnected from each other before this or you'll start hurting things. I didn't want to go to a 24v charger as I had the 12v solar in place and apart from their purchase price I now charge the boat plus a multitude of other things at home from the Sun. Cheers, TC.

Maybe this helps you...A version of what the guy has on eBay - I had this plate made from 3mm stainless 316 bolted to the boat and then the motor attached to it. Cost me nothing (sorry I know that's not helpful) but it's just a piece of plate steel with then edges bent to give superior rigidity. TC.

Yesterday morning put in at Woy Woy, looking forward to a few hours by myself was almost crushed when attempting to start the motor... Dead, dropping to 6V when the ignition was turned. After a few choice words (as the engine fired up fine the day before) there was enough power to bring the engine back up and I engaged the Motorguide and off I went and happy to say I got those few hours by myself!! It's the 24v model and would have been on for around 3 hours and systems voltage dropped from 12.6 to 12.5 which is absolutely perfect... I've got the main battery on recondition mode with my Ctek so I'm hoping it's just a blip and not terminal... TC.

Thanks for confirming the Coast is better, but I'm just never home till 7 or 8... I'll do a drive-by visit to some areas close by like Abbotsford and Cabarita next week - thanks Waza. I won't fish around Rhodes due to the residual dioxins so aiming further East is a better option. I'll have a crack this weekend and see what happens. Cheers, TC.

Aiming to get out on Sunday morning at similar places.. Taking bait and we’ll see what happens.. Whereabouts do you get yabbies? I usually run with chicken for bait but when Spring hits I’d love to try the little guys. Cheers, TC.

Living on the Central Coast and working in Sydney means leaving early 5 days a week to miss the traffic. I'm thinking that I should not be so keen to get to the office but bring a rod and gear with me and check out some areas along the way. Work is at Rhodes, so trying anywhere close is not going to happen so I'm asking for ideas where I can have a go (land based) and I'd love to target squid. Thanks, and I look forward to writing a bit about the experience. TC.

Hardys Bay and the surrounding area produces all year round and a decent variety of species with the majority being flathead and bream. I hit that area first each time I go out, and rarely leave empty-handed. TC.

Check the frequencies used on older models as the Fed Govt has sold off a lot of bandwidth over the past few years. There is less need nowadays with mobile coverage, but it never hurts to have a backup. TC.

"Bang for buck" hands down Motorguide every time. I know I've had mine a short time, but it performs brilliantly. As onearmedfisho also said - the GPS is far more accurate that any video, and the price savings are not to be ignored. Good luck! TC.

The issue is with salt in the air whilst out and about - as we all know it gets into EVERYTHING.. I'm not going to spend time worrying about it only because you could go through the time and cost of coating/spraying the join over X years (not to mention the number of times I'd forget) and still have a problem. If I run into issues, just cut and re-crimp into new connectors. TC.

I see where you're going with it, scrub out a letter etc etc. I can't see anyone getting the chance as she sits on my property with the bow to the street and covered to the trailer line. If anyone comes near the house I'll get them on CCTV. Appreciate the concern but I'm comfortable with it. TC.

Hi Fil, The turtle I saw was at least 50cm across, so let's hope there's more than a few of them around. Cheers, TC.

Hi anthonywardle and 61 crusher, No name as yet. I'm working on a large format sticker design with, you guessed it, The Count as the focus. In the meantime I have ordered the plain lettering of "The Count" to go across the stern so at least she'll have a name. I'd better check the registration records to make sure I can use it though...... The boat is a Quintrex 475 Freedom Sport (bowrider) with 75hp 2-stroke Mercury which has been turned into my fishing boat purely through lack of use by the rest of the family. I'm going to put up a more detailed description in the Members Boat section with the mods once I'm done. Next round is to start working on that bait board and next week I'll get some additional rod holders installed just to make life a little easier and provide more options. Cheers, TC.

Thanks JA1990. Right now I'm happy to stay in Brisbane Waters. Living at Kariong gives me a choice of launching at say Koolewong if I want to head towards Gosford/Erina or launch at Woy Woy if heading South. The calmer waters definitely appeals and the more I fish, the better I'm getting and am at the stage where I 'always' bring something home for dinner. At some point I will start to venture wider and that is only a natural challenge I'll put on myself. I love learning new things and although I don't post a lot the information is definitely gleaned and used. I've been itching for the Motorguide for about a year and now I have it, I feel my horizons will expand. Just the sheer ease with which it responds to your commands is sublime! Cheers, TC.

Great time on the water - agree 100%. Water temp feels around 21/22 so there's got to be plenty of fish around, right? Leader clean cut through twice as the bait was taken, pulled once (but hey, could have been the knot), and lost once to what felt like a cut after a few minutes of struggle.. There's definitely flatties in the area as well as blue swimmers. It was after sunrise when it happened but I didn't have my sunnies on so I really can't say what it may have been. The second part of the reason I moved from drifting the channel (apart from the lack of fish in the esky) was to get out of the armada of boats returning from whence they came and there was plenty. Add to that the growing number tearing through the area in their rush to get outside and add a healthy quantity of water skis - resulting in the area becoming chopped up. Moving no more than a hundred metres East gave me clear seas with a hint of rising tide and that day it worked out for me. I was quite oblivious to the growing number of craft out on the day and leaving my new spot around 11am revealed the true extent of the situation. Between the sand flats of Booker Bay and the wharf at Woy Woy I would have passed 50 boats, with the vast majority at anchor wetting a line. Makes me happy that I chose to get out 5 hours earlier! Cheers, TC.

Headed out on Monday (after fitting a new Motorguide) from Woy Woy about 6am for my first trip for around 3 months. The water was as calm as I've ever seen and it was a joy to be out in the morning fresh air. Turned right and headed past the Rip Bridge to work the channel opposite Booker Bay. Had some early whacks and bust offs and to be honest I had no idea what it could have been - and didn't really care. I was out on the water and wetting a line again.. My rig was running 8lb braid with a 6lb mono leader. After a few hours I had nothing to show for it so with the trusty anchor mode on my new toy, I relocated closer to the oyster racks and revelled with instant success. As soon as the first cast broke the water surface, the big bream in the photo took and swallowed the bait! In no time she was in the boat, measuring 36cm (a PB) and put on ice. The next half hour saw the other 3 join her in the esky and as they were getting smaller on each retrieve I thought I had enough and headed home. Garlic chicken was again the bait of choice... Throughout the morning I saw a number of bait bust-ups close by. The image was like a washing machine for a few seconds and then peace once again. I may have stumbled across the answer as I was leaving my new honey hole - a sea turtle swimming alongside me... Great to think our waterways are so clean that species like this are in the area and now has me thinking to get the GoPro sorted out to start accumulating footage of these little events. Will head out tomorrow morning on a flatty hunt around Riley Island - hope it leads to another story! Cheers, TC.

Long weekends are great for lots of things - visiting family, doing some chores and more importantly finally fitting new toys to boats!! Last Friday I got to install my new Motorguide 80lb 60" GPS model and I'm happy to say it lives up to my expectations handsomely. You can see the conditions were beautifully calm so it made the maiden voyage a good one for becoming familiar with its functions. From its power when underway to the accuracy in anchor mode, I couldn't be happier and look forward to when the swell or tide or wind increase so I can really test it out. I feel that due to the easier way of staying in one spot it allowed me to get closer to where I wanted to fish and some of the results There's a 3mm 316SS plate under the quick release secured with rail (or well) nuts - they are a rubber grommet with a brass nut inside that stops metals touching when going through the hull. All the reading tells me to mount it as close to the middle as possible so I feel I had a win there. The rail cuts have been loaded with silicone and I'll find some furniture caps to fit. The Motorguide power goes to a 60A breaker on the right and then to an Anderson plug on the left, leading back to the batteries. Added into the 24V mix is an Anderson between the two 110Ah AGM's which when disconnected reverts each unit back to 12V and in conjunction with disconnecting the motor is then able to be charged with my existing solar panel system. A voltmeter has been also added to each battery and when I have time will be cut into the battery boxes so I can see how they're going. Next step is then to secure the battery boxes under the dash out of the way and start working only next project - a new/proper bait board and storage unit... TC.

Just gave me an idea to use leftover irrigation from the garden Reno... TC.

Done. I used the $$$ that I really spend and not those I tell the Countess. TC.

G'day Mahmoud, I'm going the other way to you - turning my Freedom Sport 475 bowlder into a solo fishing vessel. Youngest kid is now 20 and we've grown out of the family outings. The boat is very stable and has plenty of room for people but very little storage for "things" in the sides or under floor. We've had 3 adults and 3 kids or 2 adults and 4 kids regularly skiing and fishing. We've got the 75 Merc 2-stroke that has been as loyal as you'd ever wish for. Best of luck when it's time to choose, I'm a +1 for what you're looking for. TC.

Started out drifting between the Rip Bridge and Killcare early morning on the run out tide with a few rods out the back baited with chicken or prawn. Picked up a nice 36cm Bream in the first half hour so decided to keep doing the same. One drift came to an end and I started bringing in the line to go again. There was a noticeable weight on the line so I turned the handle a few more times and gave a small tug to see if something was on.. No reaction, meaning no fish and I return to steadily retrieving my line. Within say 10m of the boat, the line lifts and it looks like I'm dragging a branch across the water top so I continue to nonchalantly retrieve and keen to get on the move again. I next took notice when "it" was within a few metres of the back of the boat as "it" had sunk down from the water top and then when it got really close I noticed "it" was actually a blue swimmer! Never caught one of those before and was keen to add this to my species list. At about a foot from the back of the boat I could see it had a claw gripping my line so obviously not hooked up. As I moved the net into position to approach it from the side I swear I saw the little bugger wink at me, open its claw and sink back to the depths of the channel. It was such a surreal experience I just had to share it... Same place later in the day I was busted off by a very nice size flattie, well over 60cm. I think I was too quick with my retrieve but happy to learn that lesson for next time. Using 6lb leader I need to be more patient. TC.

Looks good! Is there a plate between the hull and motor? What Motorguide model is it? I'm about to hit the "add to cart" button on a 24v 80-lb 60" shaft and I guess I want to make sure I get a good deal before committing. I'm about to go through what you have just completed and just waiting for the bits to arrive.. Cheers, TC.

What battery did you end up with?