Advice on newboat

[Mark S]

Hi Guys,

I have been a member for a little while now but this is my first post. I currently have a 5.8m plate ali runnabout that is a great offshore boat but not the best for fly fishing although I have been managing.

I am just looking for opinions/ advice on boat options more suited to fly fishing. Understand boats are all about compromise but a few things I am looking for are;
1. I would like a boat that is ok to fish 3 mile in perth and good for fishing for bream in the rivers, whether that be perth or down south. Also would like to do the exmouth flats thing if set up for it. I would want the ability to mount an electric motor as well.
2. Obviously centre consoles are one of the better options for fly fishing but can be quite wet. I would still like a boat that is relatively dry that I can take the family out (for fishing) on better days.
3. I have fished off a haines hunter 5.2 prowler. Although good ride compared to my ali it is a very wet boat. Still open to a centre console but has put me off them a little. Not sure if there are better ones around.
4. I know someone who has just purchased the new quintrex freestyler with apex hull. Looks like these potentially cover most areas I am looking for while having seats for the family that can be converted to a casting platform. They say they are quite dry for the style but I haven't been in it yet. These are up there in price though and am thinking I could get a nice fiberglass boat for similar.
5. Any thoughts on bowriders for fly fishing and adding a removable casting deck? This allows room for the kids when they get older. But has potential for casting in the front deck.

I realise I have probably just asked for the perfect boat but just seeking advice/ ideas from anyone who has been through this before.

Thanks,
Mark

[Mike Andrew]

Hi Mark
I like your logic regarding a Bowrider as a duel purpose boat.
Not sure that it would be any dryer than a centre console or runabout though.
I would look a the Minn kota with spot lock , maybe auto deploy if you are going to
be fishing solo much.
I find that unless I am fishing in pretty calm water I prefer to fish down the back of
the boat.
If your solo around reef breaks or bommies you want to stay down back with motor running
close to your controls.

[Dave Bailey]

Hi Mark,

Centre consoles (or any open boat) can definitely be wet. Some are better than others, but there wouldn't be many under 20 feet that would be dry over in over 15 knots of wind.

They really come into their own when fishing using an electric (from the front), or when fly fishing two up...I don't do a lot of either in the metro area, but this is pretty much all I do when I head north or south (flats or estuary fishing). Sometimes I wish I had a forward cab with high free board when the wind gets up and I am out locally, but trips to Exmouth etc. make up for it.

If you want to take the family out a bow rider may be a good compromise. One of our members, Spencer King, had a 18 foot Trailcraft bowrider that he fly fished out of for a number of years locally and up North. He made up a casting platform for the front, and it was a relatively dry boat too I believe.

In my experience the Quintrex Millenium hulls are pretty dry too...I had one before my current centre console.

Hope that helps.

Dave.

[Mark S]

Thanks for the info guys gives me some things to think about. Still haven't decided which way to go yet either keep my boat or look for something more fly friendly. Mine just gets difficult if I want to have 2 people fly fishing and not the greatest for flats or river fishing.

Looks like I need to work out what I will be using it for most.

[Tony Ong]

Hi Mark.
I've settled on a fibreglass centre console around 5.5m. Dave's boat and mine are very similar. Both our boats are US built bay boat style.
It's a little big for some of our southern estuaries. It's a little small when the weather rolls in. It draws very little water, and allows me to get into pretty shallow flats. The fibreglass construction definitely gives better ride compared to ali, and it's less noisy (less hull slap).
I also have less freeboard on my boat, compared to an Aussie built 5.5m boat. In fact, I have less freeboard compared to my old 4.4m tinnie. More freeboard would be comforting, but the boat has handled some truly aweful conditions. On the plus side, I have less windage. Ie I get blown around less than a boat with more freeboard.
My deckies sometimes whinge that they're getting wet. Doesnt worry me as much, as I have a windscreen to hide behind. One of the advantages of being short. . A spray jacket will keep most of the water off. Driving to the conditions will also help keep everyone on board dryish.
I've owned this boat for close to 5 years. It's just about the perfect compromise for the type of fishing that I do. I considered a t top for some shelter, but in the end decided that an open boat was so much easier to fish in.
I guess listing your priorities in order of importance will help you decide what style of boat is most suitable for you.

[Simon Gilbert]

Hi Mark
Have you looked at modifying your existing boat? You can do a lot of modifications for the extra money you will spend buying another one.

I have an old 5.4 M plate ali boat that has been extensively modified for fly fishing. I would think that most people that have been out on mine say it is good for fly fishing, have appreciated how dry it is and how much room there is for storing gear. Everything is a compromise - so you need to work out what are your priorities (and what fish you want to target). Mine was for something that was relatively good for long offshore trips, dry and could be knocked against reefs and the shore without worrying about damaging the hull. I have no problem fishing two fly fishermen (sometimes 3). I think the main thing being having a minimum of things to catch fly lines and to have a good platform to spot fish.

One of the great things about aluminium boats is how easy they are to modify. However it’s definitely an advantage to have something that has a good hull to begin with. If I was doing more fishing I would modify mine to take an electric. Cheaper to modify than to buy a new boat! It gets down to what money you have to play with. If I won lotto I would build a different boat!

I’m happy to have you around to show you the sort of things you could do to a boat to make it more conducive to fly fishing (and to discuss other modifications that I would do if I had the incentive/money).

But if you have money burning a hole…there seems to be a much bigger choice out there than there was when I started fly fishing!

Cheers
Simon

[Mark S]

Tony,
Thanks for the reply gives me a bit more to think about.

Simon,
I had toyed with the idea of modifying my boat but didn't really thing it was an option. My main issue at the moment is it is a struggle with my current setup to fish 2 people fly fishing. Sounds like you what you have done is what I am tryingto achieve. I am going to be away for work until around mid August but would be keen to take up your offer and see what mods you have done.

I will message you when I get back and see if we can organise a time that suits.

Thanks again everyone for the advice.

[Simon Gilbert]

Have sent a PM

[MattGoodall]

Hey Mark,

My 2c or 3 is you need to decide what kind of flyfishing you love and how you want a boat to be set out to get that done. Going from a tinny to my current boat can see the build on the boat page, I am not sure if I could go back to Ali after going to fibreglass. When I first got my boat being a runabout and only 4.8 long the front screen came back almost to the middle of the boat taking up a lot of fishing room. The screen was nice running back in crap weather and swell down south but nothing a good jacket couldn’t handle. The boat needed a new floor and decided to convert into a centre console. Now unless you have a lot of time don’t mind sanding and being itchy on calm glass off days I would think twice about it. Anyways long story short opening up the boat and putting in a centre console was the best thing I could have done. I have two little girls and originally got the screen ect to take the fsmily out more. Let’s be honest they only come out on the best days and usually only up the river or estuary so it’s a no brainer to have the boat set up exactly how you want to fish. Standing further back in the boat gives you a great ride and having a flared bow the boat is pretty dry besides a strong cross wind. But not many centre consoles I know I dry in a strong cross wind and chop. One can stand in front of the console and fill and one behind perfect set up. Going to a centre console you won’t look back mate as well as going to glass. Cheers