Boat Hire - Fraser

If your looking to buy a tinny of the same size and live in the Brisbane area, I can reccomend two places from experiance. Northside Marine in Deagon (www.northsidemarine.com.au) or Sundown Marine in Redcliffe (www.sundownmarine.com.au.)Northside sells Stacer/Mercury packages and Sundown sells Quintrex/Yamaha packages. Stacer and Quintrex boats are identical and built in the same factory although the same boat is often marketed as being 10cm bigger or smaller from its relation in the others line for difference.
I know that a 6-8hp engine on a 12-14 ft tinny wouldn't make the plane with a few people and an esky. For a tinny of this size I would reccomend atleast 15hp but I hindsight I should have gone for 20-25hp. I bought my 375 Quintrex Dart with a 15hp Yamaha 2-Stroke on extra heavy duty Redco Sportsman Trailer onroad for $6 grand (in 2003) from Sundown. This is more expensive than the going back then as I had some things done to it; built up 'full' transom and longshaft outboard, rear step, 16" wheels (inc spare) on trailer, plywood/carpet floor, full safety kit, duel fuel tank racks with dual 20l tanks. Since then I have added a hydrofoil to the outboard and for $60 was well worth it. Boat has never had any trouble getting on plane but fitted it to improve low speed steering and improvement is very noticable. I never liked the great low cutout in todays tinny as I believe it is dangerous in a following sea and is purely there as a cost saving venture so I got mine built up for the added piece of mind.

I dont know anything about hire boats on the northcoast, though. Out of interest where are you going on the great Isle, mate?
PatrolBen

alexk

The size boat you describe would most likely be on a trailer and not roof topped. Doubt there would be too many hire companies happy about allowing their tinnies/trailers to be carted over Fraser tracks/blows. Not sure of your experience etc, but launching options on the island are pretty limited, the launch at Waddy can have its moments and I regard to be an unsafe option in that size boat. You can launch at the Cape, but you need to get through (and back which is harder) Ngkala Rocks with the trailer or travel from Orchid beach across to Wathumba which can be a tide dependant launch/retrieve even for a light tinnie. I am sure there are probably a few other launch sites on the calm side of the island around Kingfisher etc, but I have never used these - would still be a beach launch and tide considerate with travel to and from across some average tracks. Not sure whether a hire tinnie trailer would be quite set up for that style of transport

My thoughts

Age

you can hire tinnies in Hervey Bay, assuming that you are planning to fish the western side of the island, that would suit. Get you partner to take the car over and you drive the boat, somewhere like Awniya or Wathumba, would be good, or leave the car behind somewhere and spend some time down at Snout Point, nothing there but peace and quiet

If you are planning on fishing the Eastern side you may want to do a little more homework, there aren't many places that you can put in without waves crashing in on you...

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I have travelled on Fraser several time but never with a boat, each time wishing I had one. We live in Sydney.

My thoughts were to buy a boat in Syd and tow it up the coast. Once at the Sunshine coast we'll leave the trailer at a friends place and strap the unit to the roof. Which is one of the reason for a 6-8hp motor. Although the initial trip is Fraser I intend to use it quite a bit and liked the option of not having to worry about a 'road' trailer on rough tracks (like inland Fraser). There would be times the boat and outboard would need to be carried if the 80 series can't get right to the water. In this case I thought a 15hp would be a little heavy. Anyone know it's weight or am I just a wimp?

My thoughts were to keep in the calm waters on the west side of the island between the mainland. We're staying at the resort at Eurong. With all the Xmas traffic I thought it be much easier and safer to travel with it on the roof than attempting revering manuevors on the inland, one-way tracks.

Any more thoughts much appreciated.
Cheers,
Alex