Mike's manshit

[Paul Arden]

In QLD you’ll need a boat licence for an engine over 4.5kilowatts which is about 6hp. Can’t be that difficult to get because lots of people have them

At least with a boat that size you can take it north and not get eaten by a crocodile. In NT I think bigger is better. Or at least safer!

Cheers, Paul

[Michal Duzynski]

I got a boat licence, and the US people say as well bigger better

[RSalar]

I think aluminum is the way to go -- Lot's of advantages: it's lighter so it takes less horsepower to move. It's more useful -- To me a boat is a tool -- not a pretty show piece. I want to be able to drill holes and bolt things where I want them and not worry about ruining the shiny finish. I want to run it up on a rocky shore and not care about putting a scratch in the hull. Wash a boat? I don't even wash my truck.

Buy a cheap ugly aluminum boat and get out there fishing and continue to do everything else you want to do! You asked ... just my 2 cents.

Have fun,

Ron

[Michal Duzynski]

This idea is somethung nobody said before- I like it and I'll throw in the mix, cheers

[tomo]

Hi mate,
I agree with Ron! A boat is a tool in my opinion too, and a boat had always been an important part of fly fishing for me! Aluminum boats are also easily customizable, where as a glass boat your more or less set with the design of the hull mold. But everyone has their own preferences.

One bit of advice I can give is make sure the hull behaves and handles well, for what you want. You can change fittings, engines etc but the ride of the hull you are stuck with ( with the exception of trim tabs, shifting weight around etc). You want it to be safe, dry, and predictable in the handling .

I'm sure it will add a new dimension to your fishing and bring you many happy days on the water!! Get amongst it...

Cheers, Tom.

[George C]

If I could only fish a few times a month, lived significant distance from access, or wanted to trailer to different accesses, hoped to chase inshore pelagics (offshore stuff requires a lot of disposable income), had a limited budget, and safety concerns, and fished primarily alone, I’d keep it simple and try to find a rigid inflatable in the 16’ range with a 40-50 hp engine. Would light enough to not require a truck for towing, fast enough and seaworthy enough with a v hull to handle inshore chop, and stable enough to flycast out of without issue.

[Paul Arden]

I’ve fished off a rubber boat a few times but never owned one. I agree that it’s a good option particularly if space is limited or you don’t want to cart a trailer around.

I have a story about one from many years ago when I was fishing with Camo Guy on Lake Dunstan, about two years after they flooded it. And while harling along one shoreline the boat suddenly stopped and both Camo Guy and I ended up upside-down in the bottom of the boat.

Once we had picked ourselves up we discovered that we had hit a submerged barbwire fence. Ripping the hull and both air chambers. Guy being an adventurer, instead of doing the sensible thing that everyone else would have done and paddle to the closest shore to hitch around to pick up his truck, decided that we should try to cross the lake to the opposite side to “save time”.

This seemed like a bad idea to me and about half way across it seemed like a bad idea to him. Fortunately we had a pump and it was my job to try to keep the boat afloat by pumping air while he frantically bailed water using the drogue.

We made it across. I’m not sure how. When we arrived at the jetty the boat looked more like a half inflated lilo than a boat.

They’re definitely “manshit”.

Cheers, Paul

[George C]

A rigid inflatable is a different beast. It has a v hull, aluminum or fiberglass, with inflatable gunwales. They are very common with the coast guard, police, military, and towing companies. They are very stable and seaworthy. Most have dual wall air chambers( a chamber within a chamber). They are light and fast, and available in sizes that carry as much as 600 hp. Even the small ones require a trailer. Because of the v hull they are not flats boats, even the small ones draw about 10”, but they give a solo fisherman a way to access rougher water than a typical small aluminum boat, and do it safely.

This site gives you an idea although Mike would presumably want something a bit smaller and cheaper than what this company offers. https://www.ribcraftusa.com/

[alanj]

There are foldable ribs which will fit in a normal car and aren't too heavy to manhandle.
They don't have double tubes though.
see https://www.frib.uk/

[Paul Arden]

57251DF7-8510-416B-8D1B-65AED69B4C8C.jpeg (89.65 KiB) Viewed 681 times

Ah yes very robust. The police here use them on the lake.