davebrewer

I'm off to rebind my old luderick rods now,haven't fished the rocks for years but now feel the urge.Many thanks for a top-shelf post. Cheers,Dave.

I'd be looking for a late model Polycraft Warrior 5.3 cuddy with a 130 Yammie 4st or similar if I had the go ahead,but that's just me.Will never go back to glass.If you do repower I'd take the 115 Yammie 4.

Exactly Paddy,the other parks were brought in on the basis of scientific advocacy,not true science,without which their existence,particularly the exclusion zones,are no more valid than the Sydney ones would have been.It's a case of simple justice,a fair go,to continue supporting the cause of those who have so strongly supported us, until the existing ones are removed pending a new acceptable approach by government to the whole matter of marine reserves.I trust any politician's promises until the day after the next election,I prefer to see them translated into legislation,so that our rights are safe for longer than just now.

A couple of points:it would be a mistake to lump all "greenies" in as supporters of this stuff,many green oriented people posted over the last few weeks on the Support the Lockout fb page their disgust at the way the matter was handled and were against the lockouts;incidentally, there are plenty of people among them who are well aware of how the traditional owners and subsequently rural fire services managed the bush by appropriate use of burns until they were limited.The enemy is the small but active ideologically based core which try to affect public and consequently political opinion using emotive argument devoid fundamentally of valid scientific basis.We are in our own way conservationists with a more vested interest in the marine environment than the opposition and should be glad of any support we can get. The other thing to keep in mind is that nothing is cast in concrete yet,the Shooters and Fishers are about to table a bill for a 10 year moratorium on new parks which will be a step in the right direction,but those existing at present also need to have the lockouts lifted,and a new process for evaluating all marine parks based on sound scientific evidence needs to be established.This could be the Libs big chance to do this right and create a decent legacy,but I'm not holding my breath just yet.It is vital that as a group we keep the pressure on now;you can bet the green opposition is already working on their next strategy and it's not unheard of for politicians of all ilks to go back on their promises.

You'd be surprised how light a ply epoxy composite can be,much lighter than an all glass-polyester layup although still heavier than aluminium of course,but much nicer riding.

There are lots of achievable designs around for homebuilders,Ross Lillistone,David Payne and Mark Bowdidge are 3 Aussie designers who produce great plans.

I've built 3 ply-epoxy clinker boats and a few stitch and tape canoes.If I had the time and room I'd build a BMD Sea strike next,what kits are you looking at Jim?

Check your inbox Craig.

They expand enough (hopefully) to break the bond.

Heating them with a soldering iron is always worth a try first.

If it's going to be encapsulated in glass and epoxy then BB orBC external is fine-but don't touch structural.Plenty of composite hulls are built on exterior,so upperworks are fine.Incidentally,BS1088 has been bastardised for years by cheap Asian ply manufacturers to the point where it is meaningless,the last premium light marine I bought had to come up from Adelaide,imported from Holland.You can't beat glass-epoxy for durability but you must use one of the epoxies with a hardener designed for UV exposure such as WEST 207. Normal epoxy will degrade in sunlight very dramatically,and in fact the job should still be varnished for further protection to preserve the epoxy,and recoated as required,at least annually-a little maintenance beats a complete refinish,ask me how I know.There is a third alternative,Deks Olje,an oil finish with which you build up successive coats over maybe a week until the timber is well-sealed-the gloss is very durable and develops a deep warm appearance. It's dead easy to recoat,much simpler than epoxy and/or varnish.I would have a look into this,many small ply boats are completely bright- finished with this system.I avoid clear-finishing epoxied ply these days myself,too much maintenance for me-I either paint or give the epoxy a miss if it's not structurally necessary and use Deks instead.

I just want to point out that the SLSA is a totally independent oganisation with no government involvement or funding,relying on public donation ,I make a $24 contribution every 4 weeks and urge other Fishraiders,particularly the rockhoppers,to consider doing the same.It may well be you or a family member or friend who needs saving one day.

A girl was killed at Terrigal a few years ago walking off the beach with a friend who was carrying a rod.

Jeez,people have short memories-have a look at the old posts regarding the introduction of the Bateman's Bay Marine Park by Labour-very illuminating.

Polyester doesn't bond very well to timber,that's why epoxy has taken over for boat construction,but you just need to keep an eye out for cracks etc down the track,hopefully you'll be OK,plywood is very dimensionally stable.