which dingy

Hi Nev,

I went through the same ordeal over the last 3 months and finally I get to pick up my Qintrex 3.70 Traveller and Mercury (US model) 15 HP at the end of the week.

It is hard to say what is better between the different makes and models as they are all so very similar in consruction however there are some points I feel are essential to narrow the decision:

1. Number of people to be carried as this will determine length,
2. How you are going to carry (you said roofrack) so now you need to check what the maximum beam of boat you can carry,
3. How much weight you can carry on the roofrack. Things such as length, beam, hull thickness etc. will all affect the weight so if manually lifting, can it be done easily or will you have a boat loader type arrangement,
4. Where are you going to use (creeks, river, close inshore) as this will determine hull type. For example a dingy will be more suited to chop than a punt. This is not all that critical as it is just smoothness of ride.
5. Price. I found that some manufacturers had up to $300 difference between the range of 3.7m v-nose punts,
6. Outboard size. Again not as critical but boat length will determine max rating. I found that there is very little in price difference between the different capacities so I went with the max rated for the boat.
7. Quirky things that you only find out talking to people in the know. For example I found out that there are 2 types of Mercury's. 1 is US made and is a true Merc, the other is Asian and is actually a Tohatsu which has been detuned for lower power.

That is about all of my criteria that I used. Other people will have different reasonings than me so please only use as a guide (usual disclaimer needed so people don't come back and say that I am wrong).

Regards
David

G`Day Nev,,,,I have a Stessel heavy duty edge V 3.8 mtr. It has a very wide beam and is a very stable boat, eg you can walk around in it. I use it in the open sea on good days without problem and it is rated up to a 25 HP motor. When I first bought it, it had a 15 HP Yamaha that I found a bit under powered and now have a 20HP Yamaha that fixed that problem. It is carried on the rack on the Navara and loaded by hand no problem. Regards Nav.

Nev,

You say you are looking for a boat that you can carry on top of your Landcruiser so IMHO a boat with a length of 3.2 metres is about your limit. Anything bigger than this will be just too heavy to carry in any other way than a boat trailer.

I have a 3.2 metre Stessl which takes an outboard up to 15 hp. I use a 15 hp Merc most of the time, but also have a 4 hp 4 stroke Yammie outboard for use in areas where bigger donks are not allowed. The 4 hp is a bit of a dog though, it barely gets the boat on the plane with two people on board and because of the single piston, viabrates like buggery. It is good however for slow trolling work. Overall though, the 15 hp twin is much better. This is about the biggest "portable" outboard you would want to transport in the back of the vehicle, or on a trailer's A-frame and lift on to the transom of a boat.

Now, as to the floor of the boat. The most practical hull for multiple use is the V-nose punt, which has a shallow but V shaped hull. If getting in and out is a problem, my suggestion is to buy, or make up, a removable plywood floor, but remember, you need to carry this about with you also.

A flat bottomed hull will give you grief anywhere except on a pond during a blissfully calm day and I would not recommend it for larger rivers and other open areas of water.

Good luck with your choice mate.

The main problem i have with putting an aluminium punt on top of the 4x4 is the weight . A 3.3mtr is going to be at least 50kgs .

Nev, some good info here, but a lot will come down to what you want and how easy you want to be able to lift things, whether you will get a boat loader (or lift it onto the 4B manually) etc.

I went through exactly the same process a while back. I considered a boat loader, but for a number of reasons decided to set up so I could lift the boat up manually. I targeted boats that were under 80KG, but could take a 15 HP motor. Anything smaller than 15HP will have trouble getting most boats on the plane with 2 people and equipment in it.

We ended up with a 350 (3.5M) Stacer Seasprite which weighs 76KG and a 15HP Mercury 2 stroke which weighs 35KG (the lightest of the 15HPs).

A flat bottom boat is very stable when at rest, but in anything but smooth water, you will get a bit uncomfortable and wet when cruising, particularly the person at the front. A deep V will give great cruising, but not as stable at rest. Their are many boats that compromise between the two, the Stacer Seasprite being one of them. Another factor is the amount of free board (height of sides). Higher sides will make it a bit heavier, but much better in a bit of a chop and you will feel a bit safer in croc country.

My wife is normally a real worrier in boats, but she is very comfortable in the Stacer. Has no trouble getting in and out and was happy to lean over the side to net a nice 74cm Barra a I got a few weeks ago.

I'm 52 years old, reasonably fit, but have a bit of back trouble at times. I can get the boat onto the Hilux by myself pretty easily, but it is easier with someone else, even Kathryn to take a bit of the load. I manage the 35KG motor no problems, getting it in and out of the back of the Hilux and onto the boat.

Apart from the outboard, I also carry a 40lb thrust Minn Kota Elec motor and 60AH AGM battery. With all that on board, plus 2 people, esky, fuel tank, fishing gear etc, we plane along great. With just me, I move the fuel tank to the front (battery is also at the front) as counter weight. I've also made a removable plywood floor, which just happens to fit very easily in the Hilux, so we even take it on trips.

You can see a bit of my set up in the pics in my rig profile. You may set up a bit different with the LC, but it might give some ideas.

We have set up so that we can leave as much stuff as possible in the boat when it is on top of the Hilux. Life jackets, paddles, bait pump, gaff, bracket for sounder all stay in the boat, and I'm working on a way to leave at least one of our fold down seats in the boat as well. I put a small 'glove box' in the front thwart and leave some of the smaller stuff (torch, fishing licence, etc) in there as well.

Good luck. I reckon research and setting up is half the fun.

Hi Neville,

I'm presently going through the same exercise, but being 74 years ancient with a crook back, weight is everything. I'm considering the Quintrek 340 Cartopper which weighs in at only 42 kg and takes 4 people. Max. recommended motor is only 8 hp which may be a bit restrictive.

good fishing, John L.

Hi All,

I'm also looking at a similar set up for summer. I was thinking of 3.5 - 3.7 on the roof of an 80 series, and a 9 - 15hp. My only concern with the 15HP is that some of my fav stops include a reasonably long hike down a beach through soft sand and the 15HP gets a bit heavy. They also are very cumbersome to carry regardless of the weight. I was also hoping to put the motor on the roof under the boat to save space in the back tho a little unsure about the amount of weight on the roof.

Alex