Which boat?

[elferoz777]

Hi guys,

looking to buy a boat soon.

Not looking to spend a mountain of cash though.

What type (size, price and such) boat would be ideal for someone looking to do some offshore fishing?

I am thinking maximum 20kms out to sea and using it predominantly around the Wollongong area.

I see people taking tinnies out of boat ramps but want something safer that will safely take out 3 people maximum.

Any advice will be very good.

Thanks

El Feroz

[Scratchie]

Haines hunter 470 breeze. Best all round boat money can buy. Deep hull, cuddly cabin, fish anywhere in it, tow tubes etc.

easy to put in and off at ramp. Great on fuel. What more can I say!!!

Good luck.

Cheers scratchie!!!

[Frantic]

look for a boat that has a decent motor ,heading offshore's all about reliability ,you dont want to be thinking about "will my motor start " in the back of your head.

[slinkymalinky]

I've done small boat fishing in a few different boats and get glass as your first preference. RIdes a lot softer and quieter. Plate alloy as the next option... not as soft or quiet but something like a Bar Crusher is an awesome fishing rig. If offshore is what you really want to be doing, don't go with a pressed aluminimum hull. I've fished out of my Quintrex a lot and it's perfectly capable of fishing 20km out and has done it heaps... but it's not the best rig for the job (even if it were a metre bigger)... pressed alloy boats are about versatility IMHO... a rig that you can fish offshore, inshore, in dams, up rivers.

If you reckong you might do a lot of fishing up snaggy rivers and may want to run it up on sand or put it in at ugly boat ramps yet still want a more capable boat offshore, think seriously about plate. If offshore is only a sometimes event, pressed allow will be a lot cheaper.

Cheers, Slinky