Thread: Show us your boat

Started in about 84 with the Seacraft Costa Mesa, fibreglass clinker look alike, 74 Johnson 75 hp, rope and pulley steering, cavitation plate 3” below the keel line or it wouldn’t steer, you would lose steering if you got into some else wake, it followed the wake. Turn to tight and shed chime walk to about 45 degrees, I stripped the top and repainted and fitted new overlaid windows. Taught shits loads of people to ski with it, both my kids included. Taught me heaps!
Then onto a real ski boat Special Edition a Steadecraft 166, professionally put together for the world ski championships on Lake Karapiro in the 80s I think. Pushed along by an Evinrude 175hp V6. Great for double and treble tows with skiers. Belonged to the peat lake club north of Hamilton. Would push out to over 60 mph! You had to be rich, or have a company fuel card to go for a weekend ski camp!

Then my first Fi Glass, running a 140 hp Johnson, nice boat for fishing and skiing, sold it for funds on a house. Sold it to a lady to give to her husband for his 40 th birthday, a real keen skier. He owned it for 6 mths and a wheel came off the trailer and took out the side of the boat! Ran me a gave me shit, I said you misted got a WOF by now, they didn’t check it very well. All fixed and back into skiing and yes, the wheel on the other side came off, causing the same damage again! Go figure!

Then a second FI Glass, a fireball, with a Johnson 140hp on a 14’-0”” boat. A true ski tug. No bad habits at all. This skied the Waikato from Cliffs landing most weekends amazing setup. Fished for trout on Rotoiti a night during the week. Came in one night on the Lake, it had cut up really badly, pitch black, probably 1 metre waves every 6 feet. Balls out, thud, thud, thud and Whomph straight through a flock of black swans, nearly shit myself. Got in ok, and my mates says, that was a bit rough, I replied, if it had been daylight, we wouldn’t have done it! My sons mate, whom I sold it to is currently doing a full restoration on it and a repower.

And the forever boat, bought in 2000, just repowered with an Evinrude 115, replacing a 1997 Johnson V4, called Liquid Therapy, it’s a Sea Nymph 566 Executive, does everyone I want in comfort. Will get some fishing out of Tauranga this summer

@mikee some big eels around that jetty come down from misery 18months ago and went to jump in for a wash and they come alive

For duck hunting. 13'6 Allicraft, 30hp 2s Yamaha, sleeps one, owned it since new in 1991, wore out 1 25hp Yamaha. Has camo side curtains with holders for mangrove branches.
Here is a pic of it hiding on the Kaipara.............



For fishing, I have crewed on this since 2006 for a mate that owns it ......................
In extreme limits survey. Twin 500hp Cat's, cruises at 20-25 knots Tops out at 31........based on the Kaipara and out 2-3 days of the week over the bar weather permitting...Downside is I have to put up with up to 26 fisho's and work, Upside is I get to fish off the west coast and dont have to pay for fuel or maintenance....



(My duck boat will fit sideways across it with room to spare btw...... )

[3.7m Whaly solid polyethylene pontoon with a 20hp 4 stroke, will do 42kph flat out. If you are into fishing then this is not for you, purely a spearfishing/dive boat as its a wet ride. The reason I got this is I can launch down Makara stream and pull it back in by myself easily. Sits low on the water so very easy to get back into without ladders etc. Cheap to run and an absolute dream for getting to those far away points and coastlines, I can get over to Kapiti Island in about 8-10 minutes.

ATTACH]181573[/ATTACH]

My other boat.

It was -20c on the sea that day. Had to come in because my boat was icing up.

The 7.2m Bluewater was my pride and joy for past 10 years. Fantastic offshore capable boat, perfect for overnight or extended trips out wide. Back of Barrier or Mokes. But minimum 2 man launch & retrieve, and more like 3 if the wind kicked in.

Sold it about 2 years back and downsized to the 4.95m Surtees centre consol. Most of my fishing is close in, & easy one man handling.
Great wee fishing set up

Boat 4 – Tristram 6.91 Broadbill – 1999 – the fisherman’s version of the 6.91 Millennium – very few Broadbills were built as it didn’t take off in the market - 200 HP and 15 HP 2 stroke Johnsons. We saw it at a boat show with Gulfland Marine who mainly sold OMC motors. We tossed up between the Johnson and the higher tech OMC Ficht motors. A fortunate choice as most of the Ficht engines rapidly went “south” and OMC went into receivership and laid off 7000 staff. The 200 Johnson on this boat was a thirsty beast and a real pig to get started – I had to hold the electric fuel pump on full while starting, to get enough fuel into it. First trip was down the south coast from Plimmerton – finished fishing and headed back and the motor died – took the engine cover off and it was soaking wet inside. So 10km back up the coast on the auxiliary. Took it back to a Palmy OMC dealer for repair and they found a frost plug had a pin hole that was spraying the electronics - which were now stuffed. Not great for a new $80k rig. It had a Furuno 1650 depth sounder. It was a fabulous pleasure boat and we used it heaps on the south coast, Wanganui and Taupo. We then shifted north to the BOP and used it off Bowentown. It was a large boat for just two of us to launch and retrieve. We always had farm sheds so easy to house it. But eventually we decided to sell the BOP farm and shift back to a residential site closer to Tauranga – covenants required boats to be housed and this would have required a new shed - so sadly, we sold it and downsized to a smaller Tristram that a friend was selling.

Image 8.3, Currently getting re-painted. Spends most of it's time on the water in Doubtful Sound and occasionally in the Marlborough Sounds. A good base for fishing, hunting and diving trips.

Sleeps four but very good earplugs required if there's a snorer on board.

Originally Posted by bigbear

@mikee some big eels around that jetty come down from misery 18months ago and went to jump in for a wash and they come alive

Yeah we fed them before we left ..A wonderful stew ..I took kiln dried pine to warm the hut it ..burnt the stew on the outside warmed the stew in the middle whilst the core remained cold as your mother in laws smile. A wonderful place and huge thanks to @mikee for hauling us all up the lake ..a wonderful weekend!

Originally Posted by PadLo

Attachment 181647

Did you not like it?

My first boat

Frewza F14 beach launch. Mint wee dingy, we took her all over the show, furthest we got out was about 30km offshore. Pretty wet and not massive but pulled plenty of fish aboard.

Have since upgraded to a 485 surtees, which is as big as will fit down my c#@t of a driveway. Great boat though. Great boat and the little yammy runs on the smell of an oily rag. We do some miles and never use more than a tote tank worth.

Plan is to upgrade to a 540ht surtees eventually wll have to move house first though


Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

HMS Sheepshagger

…currently selling it ,having one built…North river,open fisherman,24 footer…

My new Stabicraft 1850 Pro Fisher running a 130hp Yamaha. Got the soft top for storage and to be easily managed by myself in high wind. Great boat for hunting trips and lakes with the front opening window, allowing you to walk out the front. Have had this 7km off shore (I know that’s not far) and in shallow sneaking around Fiordland, so truely is my do it all. This new model has shifted the console right to the front, giving the same deck space as their 2100 hard top. This means 4-5 guys can comfortably fish off her.