ant180

It's pretty similar in hull design. Mine is probably a touch longer, but it is definately made to sit down in with a steering wheel directly in front.

Hehe I appreciate that the post isn't really fishing related. It WOULD be fun flicking for kings inside pittwater, however! The fun and solitude of a yak with the speed of a boat kind of appeals to me. Just need to find a spot for the downrigger and sounder (or not). Hmm, a lure I could troll at 40mph. Sounds like a recipe for loosing 800m of 15kg in about 45 seconds. Let alone if i actually get a strike.

Hi I have just been given a fiberglass hull on a trailer the likes of which I have never seen before. It is like a tiny little 1 person speedboat, wide and ultra low at the stern, and a super pointy bow. It is forward controlled, with old school cable and pulley steering (which is going in the bin). The topside of the hull is enclosed except for where the driver sits, basically with your bum on the waterline and the top of the hull maybe 40cm above. The whole shebang is super light, two people can lift the hull and trailer right off the ground. It looks like it will be a heap of fun on flat water without the need for a PWC license. The hull looks to be in great nick except for someones idea of a transom mod to run a shorter shaft motor (No problem to repair). My main questions are: What size engine would get this thing to 30-40 odd knots? I'm taking a stab in the dark at 30hp with an appropriately pitched prop to suit the light hull How do i find out the max transom weight? What are these hulls originally built for? Are these things even able to have a decent size motor bolted up and then flogged around the river?

It's all well and good to set a low drag, but I have hooked some monster squid before that have pulled considerable drag and taken me into the kelp. A bit more drag and a soft rod does the trick now. And all you guys fishing 2-4kg rods with no backbone would have a hell of a time lifting a monster up onto a rock platform!

That pic of the Rapala rod gives me shivers. I've heard the horror stories, i've seen the pics, I HAVE ONE OF THOSE RODS! Every time i use it i hope i don't have to lock up the drag or high stick to control a green fish.

Flattie: You'd have to buy a whole guide to get the guide insert anyway. Besides that, the insert is usually grooved for the metal guide body, and you'd be doing well to get it out, and then into the guide body on the rod without cutting the metal guide body or destroying the insert. If you have a guide and araldite, all you need to do a cheap DIY rebind is a little nylon rod thread (there ARE better epoxies than araldite but it works well enough). Heck, i've even used thin braid to do the job when i'm in a pinch. It's very easy to do it yourself reasonably well.

My next lever drag overhead will be a Daiwa LD30 2 speed, and i'm a big Avet fan (the newer style Avets with plastic handle knobs and silent anti reverse dogs are way smoother than the older style and blackmagic style). The Daiwas look very well built, great feeling drag and super smooth. Double anti-reverse bearings on the single speeds and silent double dogs on the two speeds. You can certainly cast a lever drag like this a long way, provided you have a trained thumb, patience, lots of spare line to learn with, and a suitable rod.

I have used an older diawa 10kg(?) one on a charter as a bottom bouncing rod once, (lost 3/4 spool of braid on my own reel). For that purpose it was fine. But the line drag was noticeable when dropping, and if the tip was pointed at the water, the line drag disappeared. Based on that experience i'd say they probably wouldnt cast that well with light weights, but might be ok for heavy stuff.

I have painted a couple of boats. I like a chemical stripper, then an orbital sander with 180 grit. You need to get all of the aluminium properly sanded then etch primed to get good adhesion. If you use the products available to the general public then it will peel. 2k catalysed urethanes are about all that will protect and keep a shine. Not worth it on a $200 punt. My punt has more money worth of paint on it than what it is worth, only because I had the paint laying around.

Spiral wraps, or Acid wraps, do work really well. I rebound the guides on one of my rods with the same results. No twist, no wobble etc. There is still some debate about whether they cause more or less torsional stress on the blank, (there is debate about EVERYTHING on the internet!) but in the real world they work great. I'm not sure they will ever take off, as the idea has been around forever, but it is a hard sell when the guides aren't in a straight line

An 11t crane truck couldn't lift 11t with the boom extended. Maybe 1t with the boom all the way out. But i do see your point! Bear in mind, the cost of building to boat to full survey requirements adds up fast. Beaurecrats...

Unilight is a great drag grease. Up there with the best for carbon washers. On felt i use a very light machine oil made for lubricating pneumatic tools. I've used many different light oils on felt washers and never noticed a difference. I've also used grease, but it the grease tends not to soak in to the felt. Just don't overdo it. I usually massage the oil into the felt, then dry them as much as i can with a clean rag by squeezing the washer in the rag. This removes the excess.

I am assuming your chosen colour is a solid and not a metallic? Metallic can be done, but is extra work for someone who isn't experience with painting. Berties are fibreglass hulls, right? If so, you are painting over gelcoat. You can scuff and shoot 2K solid straight over it, but personally, I'd wash and scuff the whole surface you intend to paint with a scotch brite pad, Morning Fresh dish soap and water. This will remove any grease or silicon, which the primers and paint won't adhere to. Sanding the cleaned surface with 320 grit on a pneumatic orbital (whizzer) is best, followed by a good clean with prepsol, and then epoxy sealer, eg Protec's Epotec. The epoxy isnt totally necessary, but helps seal the fibreglass if the gelcoat isn't perfect. It also ensures good adhesion and a solid foundation for the paint. I would definately recommend it! Stay away from high fill style 2K primers, they are too porous for use on a boat. If you choose to epoxy the hull, let the epoxy cure for a few days. Then sand with 600. Prepsol the hull thoroughly, and allow a good hour or so for the prepsol to totally evaporate. This is VERY important, as any remaining prepsol can interfere with the 2pack. You are gonna need a gun with a big cup for that boat, and will still probably need a helper to mix paint etc as you spray. I would suggest investing in a decent gun, eg a good Devilbiss or Anest Iwata. Cheap spray guns are much harder to get a good finish from! You will also need a good sized compressor. Spray guns eat a LOT of air! Don't even consider doing this without investing in a top quality respirator from 3M at a minimum. The Isocyanates from the paint are not good for your health. Remember, you are not in a booth, and the overspray will be hanging around. It is also technically illegal to apply 2pack outside a booth. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Alveys work best with Mono, as line twist does develop, and braid will never develop enough of a torquing force to turn a swivel and untwist itself. Stick to 10-30lb mono depending on your application, and always use a small swivel above your rig.

Prepsol is okay if it is allowed at least 30 mins to evaporate. It is quite a slow evaporating solvent, and though it may look like it is gone, it hides in scratches and pores for a little while. Make absolutely sure you use an etch primer on aluminium, as most paints will not adhere for long without one. I try to stick to 2K etch primers, and 2k paints, as I feel that the catalysed products are more hardy than paints which do not have a catalyst. One little tip, if possible get an etch primer that will allow you to "wet on wet" the first coat of paint on top. This causes the first coat to "burn in" to the etch primer and get a better bond. Edit: I will not use anything that comes in a spray can, from what i've seen its all junk. Be careful spraying any paints, especially 2K paints, which contain Isocyanates. No respirators are rated for Isocyanate use, and technically these paints require a full face mask supplied with air from away from the spraying area. You only get one pair of lungs.