Wednesday, Jan 22, 2003 at 19:13
Hi Ben,
My husband and I have until very recently, always owned a 12 ft tinny with 15hsp outboard and previously had a larger runabout. We have used these in central & NQ, NT,
Kimberley and much of the WA coast. Gotta be honest though and admit to being keen, but lousy fisherpersons except in the Whitsundays where anyone can catch a fish. However, we do love to do a bit of crabbing when up north and love just exploring our waterways.
Talking to other people and our own experience over the years, my recommendation is keep the boat thing as simple as possible. We have found that if it is too hard to handle or too time consuming to set-up, we tended to not bother and opted for fishing from the shoreline instead.
Make sure it is easy for you to get the tinny on and off the roof (perhaps a boat loader?), outboard stowed somewhere relatively easy to handle because lets face it, they can be pretty heavy. To that end, while a 12ft tinny will get along very nicely with a 15hsp, next time I think we'd go with a smaller outboard which although slower would be lighter and easier to lift etc.
As for tinny size, I can honestly say there is no way I would venture out on croc infested rivers in anything smaller than 12 ft. Mates in the Top End wouldn't even do that. A flat bottom punt has a lower profile on the roof and while they are great in sheltered rivers and estuaries, I don't feel comfortable using them off the coast.
Another thought...for many years my Dad used a small tinny to go to and from his cruise boat which was moored overnight. He used to leave the tinny about 200 metres from the shoreline so he fitted a pair of small wheels to the back. These were mounted on arms which when down allowed him to "wheel" the tinny to the water's edge. When in the water, he simple folded these arms 180 degrees so the wheels were out of the water. If you are camping near the water, this might be an option you could consider between uses, save having to pack up between trips or risk leaving unattended on the shoreline.
Having said all of that, there is no doubt in my mind that having a boat you far more flexibility and access to some of the best spots. If you are a "sometimes" fisherman, perhaps just hiring a tinny when possible is a better option.
Hope my comments are of some help.
:o) Melissa
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