which tinny will best suit

I have never carried a tinny except on a trailer, but 5 people in a roof top tinny is going to be a problem, I reckon.
Anything over 3,7m is too big for a roof top (not to mention too heavy).
Anything under 4.3m will struggle to accomodate the family.

Consider carefully if you should really take one and how much use it will really get and where you will use it. A lot of cost and a lot of trouble. Going on a couple of charters (and catching fish because of local knowledge) Vs buying boat, outboard, safety gear, lots of extra fuel, where to store it all..........then no fish 'cos you don't know the area......

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

I know or know of a few people who have set off on a lap with a tinnie. None of them have brought it home.

The people I know personally set off from north coas NSW and went clockwise. They sold the tinny in Perth. It forced up fuel consumption to unacceptable levels and they figured they would never use it.

Admittedly there is more opportunity in the north of the country but they never wished they still had it.

Unless you have specific plans of where you will definately use it think about fishing from the river bank.

Duncs

Hi
As per your first reply, you will have trouble with, size vs carrying capacity.
On our 2 yr trip we took a 3.4m Stessl edge tracker, 9.8 hp motor and fold up trailer. We soon upgraded to a 15hp motor, the 9.8 was to small for 2 people, 2 dogs, esky, tackle boxes and rods etc.
We wouldn't dream of not taking a boat on such a long trip.
Cheers
Neil

hi John
you didn't say what size caravan you have or what model Nissan you have?
I drive the 3lt nissan and tow a 21ft jayco and we are right on the weight limit with 2 people for that model, i would not want a boat and three kids in the car as well it would be well over loaded
Dick

We have a Mako Craft (formerly Stessl) Edge Tracker 3.7m. For its size it is a very stable boat, weight is around 70 kg’s.Use a 15Hp as anything else will be to small. Go 2 sroke otherwise it will be to heavy to lift. I can stand up in it without having to worry about it feeling like it will roll over like a canoe! Forget about one big enough for the five of you, you won’t find one that will go on a roof, period! Three is about the right number in a small boat anyway as it will be too crowded otherwise.
Please don’t fish from the bank in the north! Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there and that they can’t see you.
Will you use it enough to justify the expense and hassle?? I would say no but then we carry one around and can’t really justify it either.
For the guy who has fished on the bank up North his whole life, would you do it with 3 kids playing at the water’s edge????

Cheers Lyndon

Took a 10 ft tinnie 2ith a 3.8 hp motor on a trip from Dubbo to Darwin and whilst we did not use it to we got to the top of NT, the trips down some of the rivers was spectaculiar and would do it again.
It was carried on the top of the camper trailer but.
Would have liked a bigger one though maybe up to 3.7 with a bigger motor but the smaller boat help with some of the sand banks.
You will find some sights that you will regret not taking the tinnie.
Most car toppers will be up to 3 adults only.

Honky

Pity you don't live in WA. I have just what you need.

Hey John and Loz

I am just making the same decisions for my family. I will be carrying my boat on the top of my camp trailer however not the roof of my vehicle.

I will be buying a quintrex 385 explorer and either a 15 or 25 hp yamaha. You may be restricted by the load limit for the roof of your vehicle. Also this boat will be a wrestle to get that high up on the roof.

The boat weights 100kg and is 1.8m wide. It is perfect for the family as it is big and roomy, very stable and ideal for the family.

I have used this boat on the roof of a nissan patrol with a Tradesman roof rack (boat type with rollers) with no ill effects. I have taken it out west (Louth/Tilpa) like this with no damage, however a big trip around Oz may be a different story.

Regards

hijohn and Loz.....I have just come back form a trip to nhulumbuy up in the NT I dragged my 3.7 quintrex Dart up there on my camper trailer I have an 18hp tohatsu to power it, we fished the estuaries and mangroves in it with three blokes and it did it easy.My model has the transom set up for a long leg outboard which helps prevent any water from coming over the back,the dart also has good high sides to for that extra feeling of safety,and is very capable in light choppy water.Worth a look at I reckon

The money you outlay for the Tinny and motor , foldup trailer ,safety gear etc , extra fuel consumption [ somewhere round 1.5 / 2klm per lt less than without the tinny on top] ,,, your better off doing the odd fishing charter ..... our boat was 3.7mt =12ft , nothing like being in a 12ft boat with kids and 14-16ft crocs swimming next to you.

Hi Guys,

We just came back from a trip to the Cape and can recommend going with a fishing guide, they not only catch fish but they take you out in a large stable tinnie.

There is no way I would go out where we went in a 12 foot tinnie, espcially with small children on board, we saw too many big crocs in the murky rivers.

We had no trouble swimming on the beaches because with the clear water we could see the crocs, which were generally small enough to shoo away if you made a bit of noise. (We were amazed when we first saw the locals do it whilst spearing mud crab at Loyalty Beach)

The best advice we received was to swim between the locals, but never in the river.

Regards
Geoff

Hi

I travelled for 4 months through the NT and Kimberley with the wife and 2 kids (5 and 3 at the time). We had a camper trailer with the boat on top. As we are keen fishos it was a no brainer.

I bought a deep sided 3.75m vee nosed punt (Bermuda Discoverer) second hand for $800. It was used but in resonable condition (not much can go wrong with aluminium other than the odd crack). I purchased a late model 15hp outboard and we were away. It easily planed with the 4 of us and I reckon at a pinch you would get all of you in (though most tinnies are rated to 4 people only). With the kids being young we wouldn't spend an entire day fishing anyway so there was no need for big heavy easkies etc to weigh us down. We fished Jim Jim billabong, Yellow waters, 4 mile lagoon, shady camp, east and south alligator rivers etc plus had a ball at middle lagoon in WA following the whales (scores of them to ourselves). Often we would fish for two hours and take in the scenery then let the wife and the youngest out for the rest of the day and I'd fish with the eldest son a bit longer.

Would we take a tinnie again (absolutely!) I would prefer it on the vehicle with a boat loader though as access to the water is much easier when campsites aren't close by.

Sure there were plenty of big crocs around but we weren't silly, the kids were taught continuously of the dangers when launching etc and not once did we have any incidents with crocs. Got some great memories and pics though!

Have fun, you only live once.

Tez

A Porta Bote might be an option. We have the 10 foot one which planes easily with a 8 HP Yamaha and 3 adults. The larger 12 or 14' size would fit your family OK.

On the roof:
Image Could Not Be Found

On the water (with a 3.3 HP Mercury back then)
Image Could Not Be Found

Cheers

Pete

"Now we are ready to purchase a tinny for the roof of the Patrol."
That is exactly where it will stay.
I reckon 99.9% of them are fashion accessories. Part of the essential overlanders check list.
Just fish off the bank with hand lines.
Back in the day when fishing was something that all Australians did to get a feed of fish most fished with hand lines.
Now we all own a ton of fishing rods & boats & half the country don't fish & when they do they want to chuck it back.
You won't get a tinny under 14 foot to carry 5 people in smooth water.

J&L

I reckon you should post the same question on a purely fishing related website, www.fishnet.com.au is one I used to frequent and always had a good community, I find it's a common response from the 4wd & camping community to just say "hire a tinnie" or "just get a charter or guided operator" but for a keen fisho to stand on the bank of a river and just stare longingly at all the K's of unreachable fishing water is very hard to take.
The thrill of using your own tackle and boat and nous to get amongst the fish, rather than just cast a lure where someone tells you too can't be compared.

Good luck with the search mate

Carrying 5 people in a car topper in 'uncharted' waters is my only concern, I reckon an "odds and evens" type of turn about system where there's only 3 in the boat at a time, is the answer, that way someone is always back at camp incase something does go wrong and can raise the alarm.

Cheers.....Browny

We travelled for 6 months with our 2 kids and my biggest regret was not having a tinnie! If we do anything similar again, it's the first thing on the list.

Mark.

G`day John & Loz,
My mate just purchased a tinny for the same reason you require one.
After a lot of research and visits to Boat Shows etc. he decided on a
"Mako 3.7"
It comes in two choices of side depth, 100mm of variation, depending upon what type of fishing you want to do. It is also reasonably light weight compared to other 3.7`s.
He will be travelling up north so he got the deeper model for safety.
When it`s on his Patrol Pack Rack there is heaps of room underneath for light weight stuff.
Also regarding fuel efficiency I found that while towing my c/van fuel efficiency was most times marginally better when I had the V bottom tinny on the roof rack, it seemed to deflect the air from the c/van.
Most travellers that have rooftop boats and c/van also have a collapsible boat trailer, if they stay in one place for any time they have the boat on the trailer for easier launching etc.

Enjoy,

Scrubby.

Hi
We are doing the loop in 2011 and have 3 kids and a camper. I got a 3.6 Zodiac with a wood floor and soft keel and a 10hp motor. Motor attached to the trailer and the zodiac folds into a suitcase size bag and sits on the roof. I can carry it myself and can strap to the top of the camper if i want to use more regular for a while...thought about this for ages and decided that if i am only going to use a boat for 10%-15% of the entire trip why lug agound a tinny and the extra drag on the L/Km ratings.

John and Loz,

I have one for sale. (Adelaide) You do not say where you are and it does come with a trailer.

It is a V nose punt great for still waters, but okay for calm bays.

Email me if you are interested.

One thing to consider is the weight of all the stuff you are taking.

Depending on the model of Patrol you are limited in both towing weight and loaded weight.

EG a 3l auto can only legally tow 2500kg and depending on the towball weight at a lightened load in the car.

Dont forget the towball weight is part of the cars load.

A 3l manual can tow 3200kg with the same restrictions.

By the time you load up what your actually NEED against what you want to take you may well be well over limit and hence have no insurance.

Something to consider.

Perhaps you could post which model Patrol you have and the ATM of the van you have and you may get more infrmative answers.