Jump to content

new boat

kriso

By kriso
in Boating

Recommended Posts

rayke1938 Experienced

rayke1938

Posted
Posted

Attached is a copy of test from trailerboat fishermans web site . They state that max hp is 30.

Looks like the piccys didnt come across.

Ray

( 8 / 1995 )

For several decades now it's been a 'basic instinct' for boat buyers to turn to tinnies when they want something a small and affordable for fishing. However this natural tinnie preference is about to be tested this summer with the cost of alloy going up to the point where 'glass boat are cheaper.

In fact, for the first time in ages fibreglass has become competitive in the smaller sizes and builders have latched onto this trend by turning out a number of smaller models under 4.5 metres length. One of these new market hopefuls is the Queensland built Aussie Whaler.

This low sided, 4.1 m estuary fisher combines the looks and practical styling of the famous US Boston Whalers, yet with subtle design improvements which make it better suited to local conditions.

However the most significance difference is price, with this home-grown Whaler being heaps more affordable than the US models which have always been radical expensive. In fact, Boston Whalers have been little more than the plaything of the rich in this country and never really a \"people's boat\" like they did in the USA.

By contrast the Aussie Whaler is most affordable with the package, ready-to-go price of under $9,000. This is actually a better price than equivalently fitted tinnies, so it's no surprise the Whalers has made quite a \"slash\" in the market.

At time of writing over 50 of these double-skin boats have been sold and more were on the way as the dealer network spreads out Australia-wide.

One of the most successful outlets for the Whaler has been Tom Wyld's Springwood Marine. Tom has enthusiastically supported the introduction of this boat into the market and it was his outlet which supplied us with their estuary package version on our most recent visit to Queensland.

DESIGN

The Whaler concept has actually been around the boating scene for quite some time with the first Boston Whalers appearing in the late Sixties. Over the years there's been a few variations on this theme like the Carib Dory, built here under license from California, and another Aussie take-off called the Bronze Whaler and built in Sydney.

None of these, including the USA Whalers, really caught on that well in the market, no doubt because they were fairly expensive. However, the Aussie Whaler has seemed to have last cracked the jackpot. It has come along at right time, at the right price and offers all the benefits of a double-skin boat that people know are pretty good.

The design, which is believed to be developed from an earlier English model, is certainly a practical one in that it offers the four-corner stability and sure-footedness of a punt. It also has the added ride advantage of a trihull underbody.

In structural terms too, the boat is reasonably strong as the inner floor bonds down on the tops of the tunnels.

In fact the inner deck mould IS the reinforcing for the hull and it enables the builder to save on the cost and weight of internal bulkheads and stringers. Also there is an obviously practical benefit in having a flat moulded floor - it is easier to move around inside the boat.

Turning our attention to the bottom shape it is what the Yanks call a cathedral type - a shallow gull-wing with an added outside chine edge to help deflect spray. As the photos show the tunnels are rounded and the centre part of the hull not that deep, but it is enough to create the air-cushion effect at speed which makes this craft ride softer than a standard tinnie.

A large gunwale rubbing strip and raised coaming also help increase freeboard, yet in reality this is a low freeboard boat with a 48 cm internal freeboard more akin to a US Bass boat than a four metre tinnie.

The low sides and high floor allow easy access into the boat from outside and this will undoubtedly give the craft wide appeal to those seeking a general purpose, fun boat.

The cockpit is not self-draining as such, but it does give virtually the same benefits in terms of having a smooth, fully moulded surface which can be easily hosed out after a busy fishing.

The moulded interior also features a quite effective non-skid floor surface and drainage gutters at the sides to draw off those small amounts of water which can annoyingly slop around the floor.

As for the interior layout it depends on whether you buy the boat in the standard, or Deluxe console form. The former is simply an open dinghy with a tiller-steered outboard, whilst the latter has the extra comfort of a steering console and padded driver's seat.

Either model would be suited to fishing requirements and you do save around a thousand dollars by buying the boat in the standard (Deluxe) Dinghy version.

The interior is essential the same in both models with a hinged rope/anchor locker in the short foredeck and moulded bench seats both at the front and back end of the cockpit.

The differences then between the two models boils down to way the open cockpit space is utilised. In the Dinghy model there is a moulded box which can be used as extra seating or bait-cutting bench (provided you add a cutting board to the top).

Meanwhile the console model provides a low steering box with a separate moulded seat behind which fits to the floor and contains the 25 litre plastic fuel tank and battery. The driver and passenger sit behind each other, motorbike style and this gives a relatively comfortable ride, especially when you have the optional upholstered seat cushions fitted.

Stowage on this boat is actually quite good. Under the almost flat steering dash is a stowage locker which could be used to stow life jackets, or even fit a 27 MHz radio if you wished. And up front there is extra stowage in a fully moulded locker under the seat. Then there's the recessed side pockets. Note also that these pockets have attractive side rails made from a plastic teak look-alike product which doesn't need varnishing.

There is also some screw-out hatches to give access into the hull itself, but no through-hull hatches as the idea is to keep the whole boat water-tight in an emergency.

At time of writing the builder was also looking at foam-filling the hull, but even without foam the hull should retain a lot of buoyancy through trapping air within its enclosed chambers.

Other features of the interior include a `splash well\"' in the rear seat for the outboard and a recessed bow handle which could double as a fairlead, cum-bollard for the bow anchor line. There is also a pair of recessed quarter cleats for docking purposes and a console 'screen and grab rail.

In physical terms this is a smaller boat all-round than a craft like the Predator 4.3, yet it still provides quite reasonable interior space to accommodate three, or even four passengers.

In terms of trailing the Whaler will be a snap behind a medium to small car and won't need a heavy tow vehicle, even in NSW. The total tow weight package of the test boat with electric, long shaft Mercury 20 hp motor is around 465 kg including accessories and sounder, so it doesn't need trailer brakes.

PERFORMANCE

We gave the Whaler a spin one afternoon on a very choppy stretch of the Southport Broadwater. The north-easter was really pumping up a steep chop, the sort which can make life pretty miserable in a tinnie.

We'd just got out of a four metre tinnie only an hour before so I really could appreciate the improvement in ride provided by the Whaler. The twin hull bottom really does soften the hard hits and most noticeably reduces the water-slap noise you normally get in any boat this size, be it 'glass or a tinnie.

Another unexpected benefit of this design is that the hull actually flexes with the waves and thereby further absorbs wave impact at speed. This is not to say the ride is super smooth, but really it is quite a bit more tolerable than a tinnie this size.

I was also quite surprised to find the ride upwind into a chop a lot drier than I had expected. It seems the secondary side chines do an excellent job in deflecting spray out and away from the hull.

That's not to say you won't cop some spray at times, because you will in a boat this low to the water, but for general around the river/bay running it will be a reasonably dry and comfortable boat. Certainly it will be quite OK to take Mum out for a spin.

We found that the stability is quite good at rest and as the brochure claims you really can have two big Queensland guys standing on one side without fear of the boat turning turtle.

The console driving position also appears to be quite functional and our only criticism here is the lightness of the grab rail. We'd also like to see a proper bollard for tying the anchor and some form of self-bailer for the cockpit as it could get take a bit of water aboard in really rough chop.

The Whaler is rated to take motors anywhere from 15 hp to 30 hp. The lighter dinghy model could probably get away with a 15hp if you wanted a real low cost package, but you really need the 20 hp motor to get the console boat up and going with two aboard.

Flat chat we did a modest 24 knots in open water, but a touch more in flat water with two aboard. No doubt going to the bigger 30 hp would lift performance to something more like 30 knots and make the boat a lot more sportier to drive.

Also there's a power tilt model of the Mercury 30 which would make life a fair bit easier, even if a bit more expensive at $2500 extra!

No doubt this will be a fun and economical boat for one person to drive and certainly ideal for solo fishing trips. It is an easy boat to handle and drive in confided waters and would be just great for doing a bit of backwater bass fishing.

The for'ard seat could at a pinch act as a casting platform, but really the whole of the flat floor gives you pretty good elevation and a nice viewing angle into the water. Combining these features with the excellent stability of the hull form and you have a pretty good rig for fishing enclosed waterways, fresh and salt.

SUMMARY

Many people seem to believe that 'glass boats don't work in small sizes, yet this is really a fallacy born largely from the previous price advantage of tinnies. Strongly built and with good hull rigidity a GRP boat like the Whaler should provide quite a long service life and be a good long term investment.

Certainly glass gel coats are inclined to chip easily, but then in many ways a 'glass boat is easier and cheaper to repair than an alloy boat that has been holed. Also 'glass boats don't suffer from corrosion as much as alloy boats so this in this respect they also have an advantage.

Admittedly the tinnie is ultimately better suited to really rough work, but for the average boater these days who has access to a reasonable ramp, or even a sand launch there's no reason not to go for a small 'glass boat. So if you're in the market, why not have a look at the Whaler.

Aussie Whaler 4.1m

Configuration / Style Console

Construction Fibreglass

Length 4.1m

Beam 1.67m

Depth N.A

Hull Weight 170kg

Max engine hp 30hp

Sheet size N.A

Fuel Tank optional

Deadrise N.A

Tested Power 20hp

Marinews | Boat Test | Boating Articles | Exploring Articles | Fishing Articles | Knots | Rigs | Links

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Angus Rookie

Angus

Posted
Posted

Mate id go for it. Sounds like a good deal.

Good for river, small enough you could get a leccy for it and hit the dams.

Also no reason (correct me if im wrong) but a perfectly good southern bay boat of good days as well.

Good luck, hope she is yours soon.

Angus

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kriso Newbie

kriso

Posted
  • Author
Posted

if i get first sticker is definatley going to be a afo online for sure, any suggestions for boat names

what about assegai :lol: ass-e-gai

p.s ray thanks for the write up as it sorted any doubts i had about the boat, mate karma coming your way when i'm allowd all ready spent mine on feral tonight.

Post edited by: kriso, at: 2007/05/23 23:01

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rayke1938 Experienced

rayke1938

Posted
Posted

Looks like a really good buy. You will not regret getting a motor with trim and tilt and it will be a real speedster.

I also like the low rails the ones on my old boat were high and whilst good when I had kids in boat they were a real pain to climb over when entering boat.

I used to sneak over to the sandhills at moreton on a good day in winter but wouldnt go in summer as weather is too variable.

Ps any sounder provided or is that your first purchase??

Ray

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brian D Newbie

Brian D

Posted
Posted

kriso wrote:

boat purchased probably pick it up monday! :woohoo:

What a bragin Kriso - It looks great. Don't worry about the 40hp - by the time you get used to the boat you'll be using all 40hp's. THe weight of the motor should not bother as the whalers of that model have positive floatation and much more bouyancy the older boats. Have a look at the depth and width in the gunwales compared to to old ones. You'll be sweat in a straight line, just make your turns nice and round and never let go of the steering wheel under power.

Sooo Cheap - keep us informed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...