oz_brett

I keep track of all my detail in excell - mostly just a record of boat usage- Location trip hours, engine hrs, kms, average speed fuel used how many on board sea & swell total caught for the day. also add any repairs service cost & other expenses related to boat & trailer starting a new page for each year I can look to see how many outings each year & total expenses Also have pages for years to come with reminders as per when flares are out of date & life jackets need servicing etc etc. Brett

dial 1800 SEASICK they will take your order & post them out. They are very good!

LIKE Ha Ha Im sure we had this chat about 3 years back Cheers Brett

I dont think many people bother with a spare prop these days, to be honest there's more chance of having contaminated fuel, are going to carry a second tank of fresh fuel & fuel line with you every trip? However the guys from Solace certainly know there stuff and are extremely helpful , you tell hem your boat & motor they will advise the right prop. then ask your Merc dealer if they have that prop for you to try. Brett

this will become a very long & dragged out thread. My Choice = Aluminium Reason = Fibreglass is quieter & smoother but keep in mind this is because the fibreglass flexes more then they alloy is this a good thing Im not so sure, in the alloy I slow down when its gets rough, looking after the boat & my body. I can say I took a Formaosa for a run when I was in the market & I was impressed with the ride & handling also well made boats only there design didn't suit our needs. The whitley Ive never been in one but I do like them I always eye off the whitley weekender style boats nice design.

If you end up anywhere close to Sydney Call me I'm sure I can take you some where to get over the blues. You know I wont stay inside an estuary though, there's plenty of variety offshore during winter. Brett

Thank you for the tips there Croydon, We actually started searching contour lines Last Monday only to find a school of young Mako Sharks around the 95cm mark in 500m. I was happy with the sounder on the day it was holding bottom & showing fish up to 305m pretty good for a stock transducer I am still yet to buy a 1kw but keep putting it off its a lot of money to spend when your having fun doing things the hard way, One of these days I will get to do a report with a decent brag photo! Cheers; Brett

Nice haul much better then the Sydney reports at the moment, Brett

Ive just read your post Croydon looks like your having a great time down there! Ive been trying my luck around Wollongong area with hope to find a deep drop location there but no such luck as yet, Previous years Ive been fishing Browns but its over populated & further from home is making me sway towards Wollongong. Brett

G'day Guys I've not been out to try my luck this year but I have heard along the grape vine that there's nothing at all out in the deep, I thought this was a bit strange so just thought I would confirm if its just a rumour. Has any one heard of Gems or blue eye being caught lately? Brett

Thanks for the info guys, seems the rules are a lot harder here. When we were in S.A. the rules were max 300 per person with of course a size limit but was still with in reason. We only took 30 between us & didn't spare any for bait they were great eating! Brett

Hi Guys We had trip to South Australia in January & the highlight of the holiday was getting pipis. Now that we are home the wife is at me to go get pipis but where can I get them around Sydney & is there a time of year for them or are they all year round? Ive heard you can get them at Stockton beach is there somewhere closer? Brett

What happened there Neil? Sorry I dont check F/R very often just stumbled on to this post, i would have taken you for a fish, I still owe you for a days fishing! Next time make sure you call or sms my phone! Brett

Hi Neil we didn't do any good when we were there but I'm sure you could see that happening with a camp full of the most relaxed fisho's that didn't really care for fishing. Actually in the short time that you were there you fished more then all of us put together. On the way home I stopped at the Darling river at Wilcannia we didn't bother casting a line but the amount of carp in that river was amazing it was like being at a fish farm. Then we stopped for a break at Nyngan I dropped a line in there for an hour or 2 with no results. Was good to see you again! Brett

All them Cod, sounds like I should be there Neil! unfortunately I wont get there until Easter once I settle on the bank I will send you an sms of our location. Until then you just make sure you throw all the legal ones back so there for Craig_Horner, Brudus & myself. Cheers; Brett

Personally I wouldn't bother with the little quinny if you want to go out side get the boat thats made for it, your always going to want to go that bit further. The websters Ive never been in one but they are supposed to be a good boat though I would be wondering what its been through - floor replaced, $1600 for a service (my 150 Honda is always $800 or below for service) Then a new prop aswell something here doesn't add up! The Formosa They are an awesome well built hull good soft ride and handle rough water really good, That same boat was my choice only it was over ruled by the wife who wanted the 6m Stessco. & might I add towed the 6m for 6 years with an old ford wagon guys who NEED a 4wd truck to tow a single axle trailer need to think about there driving skills, however I have upgraded to an (older model new model is not required) ford ranger but that was more for the diesel motor & off road ability. Brett

HA I think I might try Scratchies idea myself!

I have been trying to do similar using my deep drop set up (deep drop rod, electric reel & 80LB braid) though I was using a VERY large bomb in rough seas with hope to deep down rig. the bounce of the bomb while setting up busted the braid so maybe use a length of mono before the bomb to soften the shock I have heard the fish shaped bombs dont swim as straight as you would think Maybe a raider can advise on that

another make your own car polish is baby powder mixed to a paste with water, Ive never used it but know of panel beaters that have. For bare Aluminium get yourself a product called "autosol" thats the best shine you will get on your alloy. Brett

Treat it a s a show car, give it a good wash (hand wash with soap & sponge so that you can feel if you have missed a spot) then polish. after that keep the polish up to it with the smooth polished surface it wont scratch as easy when rubbing against a jetty.

I would be looking at a repair giving you time to search for the trailer that your happy with. even if its some ugly job that you dont like it only needs to complete your holiday.

I agree with Warnie100 on the swell & wind to me 10knot wind is enough for me Im there to enjoy myself not to get knocked around! Batteries Like Warnie100 nothing fancy 2 batteries wired to a 3 way switch, Honda motors are great Ive checked mine & its charging the batteries at idle. While travelling to location X I turn switch to both batteries giving them a good charge then turn to either keeping the other for back up. I only use standard (maintenance free) car batteries & I average 6 years from them using the boat once a month no extra charging required. some one earlier mentioned trimming your motor, a lot of people dont know that to trim the motor is felt through the steering. Move steering slightly left to right it will be heavier to one side adjust trim up or down untill both sides pull even that is trim set correctly. Enjoy your boat USE IT they dont make good statues on the lawn!

Hi Raymondo First of al can I say Congrats on the new motor, you will develop a love for your Honda like not possible with other motors! I have the BF150 & from new I was always told the lock up position was all you needed but to me that wasn't enough My boat being alloy I got a bracket welded to the transom to support a motor support bar (I think what you called it"transom saver") With your situation having a glass boat I would be considering a similar technique but modifying the transom saver to rest into the bung holes using a block of rubber so that there is an even pressure against the transom. As this would not be locked in to place you would have to strap the leg of the motor down so that it didn't bounce & release the transom saver. Cheers; Brett

My Mechanic knows I keep the trailer maintained & has never found a fault, the year before last I left it too late to book & had to get it checked in a hurry the usual guy was flat out so I went else where, The dealer I ended up going to went over my trailer with a fine tooth comb trying to find fault & all he could come up with was my D shackle was the wrong size, with this he thought he was going to sell me one but found he didn't have any so he let it go.... Just nit picking, will let rego expire before going to him again!

How long has the river been up like that Neil? I've heard nothing about fishing from friends & family down there for some time now this could be the reason why. However I am planing a trip with another raider to head down there in November, will keep you posted if it goes ahead. Brett