The New Boat

[GregOug]

Hi all,

Well! Happy to report that there is finally some movement with my new boat. It has left the factory and is with the dealer to add the finishing touches. I had a look at it last Wednesday and work was well underway. The engine was already on including the digital throttle and shift. The HDS7 live was in as well as all the gauges. They are replacing the 3 blade 23 pitch prop with a 19 pitch 4 blade. I am trusting the dealer that the change is worth it because he has trialed various props on the demo boat and he just happens to be a power boat racer (the big ones!) and is currently leading the Australian championship! 
 

Still to be fitted were the epirb, the 750b black VHF radio, the fire extinguisher, various USB charger/cig lighter combos, dual batteries, rod holders, engine colour coding, bait board and boat numbering. One item of interest is the radio which has all necessary buttons and controls on the mouthpiece, obviating the need for the control box to be inserted into the dash. I also went for black because I am sick of the white ones which discolour after a couple of years and turn that dirty beige colour. The dealer expected all of the above to be completed by today before going to the trimmers to fit the canopy. He said it should be ready to pick up the end of next week, although I’m not holding my breath!

I’ve only mentioned the radio, prop etc in case someone has knowledge and wants to comment on any of them.

By the way, the motor and boat look awesome!!!!!!

cheers

Greg

[ellicat]

That's a relief for you.

I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

Looking forward to next week's post !

[Old Scaley]

I am excited for you @GregOug. Should be ready in time for the squid season . At least the black ink won’t show on your radio. Looking forward to some photos once you get it home.

[Junky]

Good on you. Nothing like a new boat. 

What did you settle for? 

 

[GregOug]

45 minutes ago, Junky said:

Good on you. Nothing like a new boat. 

What did you settle for? 

 

Hi Junky,

A Stejcraft ss64 with a v8 Mercury 200 hp pro xs 

[GregOug]

4 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

I am excited for you @GregOug. Should be ready in time for the squid season . At least the black ink won’t show on your radio. Looking forward to some photos once you get it home.

Now, that’s funny!

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi GregOug

The boat looks absolutely awesome, I can't wait to hear about it's maiden voyage (or for it to be done).

Cheers Hamish  

[Junky]

 

 

I want

On 29/02/2020 at 8:46 PM, GregOug said:

Hi Junky,

A Stejcraft ss64 with a v8 Mercury 200 hp pro xs 

Hell yeah. Nice. 

 

I want that motor. 

Be interesting to see the fuel figures when you're up and going. 

4 blade will launch out of the hole. 

[GregOug]

Yes. It should motor along

[Junky]

Does the bloke setting your boat up have the initials H.W? 

[GregOug]

1 hour ago, Junky said:

Does the bloke setting your boat up have the initials H.W? 

Yes! He does as a matter of fact

[Junky]

1 hour ago, GregOug said:

Yes! He does as a matter of fact

I used to work with him a while back. 

Bloody legend of a bloke. 

I put 2 and 2 together with the merc and your description of him. 

One of the madest craziest blokes to go for a run with. Make sure you go with him for a water test. Unbelievable experience. 

His last name says it all.

 

How do you slow a boat down for corners H? 

Trim the engine down but whatever you do don't back off. 

[GregOug]

Yeah. I took the demo boat out for a test drive before deciding to purchase one. He did some cornering to show us its handling abilities. Bloody hell. 360’s almost flat out. It only had the 175hp donk on and I seriously couldn’t move for the g forces! Lol

[GregOug]

And yes, Wyld by name, Wild by nature

[matty74]

Nice ski boat mate 

[Rusty_Nail]

Hi Greg, am a first time poster on this forum, but I've had the SS64 with the same motor (V8 200 Pro XS) since late last year and have done around 30 hours so far, mainly skiing and wake-boarding with fishing hopefully happening more once the weather gets better - you won't be disappointed in terms of performance and handling!

In terms of props, I started with an Enertia Eco 19P, but have just changed to the Rev 4 19P. I've also got the same radio although have yet to install it.

[GregOug]

55 minutes ago, Rusty_Nail said:

Hi Greg, am a first time poster on this forum, but I've had the SS64 with the same motor (V8 200 Pro XS) since late last year and have done around 30 hours so far, mainly skiing and wake-boarding with fishing hopefully happening more once the weather gets better - you won't be disappointed in terms of performance and handling!

In terms of props, I started with an Enertia Eco 19P, but have just changed to the Rev 4 19P. I've also got the same radio although have yet to install it.

Hi Rusty,

Great to hear from another ss64 owner. I’m not sure which prop Hayden is putting on mine, just that it’s 19p. Was your first prop a 4 blade or 3? Hoping to get the boat next week. Just waiting for the canopy to be put on now.

cheers

 

Greg

[Rusty_Nail]

Hi Greg, the first prop was the 3 blade (Eco Enteria 19P) - great prop but probably not as well suited to the boat as the Rev4. The prop I've got now is the 4 blade (Revolution 4 19P) which should the same as yours as I picked it up on Saturday and H mentioned he was supplying it for new customers with the same motor.

A pic of our boat anchored at Pelican Banks off Fraser at Xmas.

By the way, what are you doing for a bait board as have been looking around for one that will mount on the ski pole?

[GregOug]

17 minutes ago, Rusty_Nail said:

Hi Greg, the first prop was the 3 blade (Eco Enteria 19P) - great prop but probably not as well suited to the boat as the Rev4. The prop I've got now is the 4 blade (Revolution 4 19P) which should the same as yours as I picked it up on Saturday and H mentioned he was supplying it for new customers with the same motor.

A pic of our boat anchored at Pelican Banks off Fraser at Xmas.

By the way, what are you doing for a bait board as have been looking around for one that will mount on the ski pole?

Hi Rusty,

Hayden found me this one - Manta clamp on bait station. Available online from various resellers. Just do a google search.

cheers

Greg

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

All I can say is the boat looks seriously awesome!  

Can't wait 'till you have it done GregOug  (excited for you)

Cheers Hamish

[GregOug]

Finally had my first run out on the water in my new boat today. Put her in at Pinkenba boat ramp on the Brisbane River and motored out through the shipping channel and eventually over to the Sandhills on Moreton. What can I say? Absolutely blistering acceleration! Even when you’re already doing 30 or so mph. Hull handled everything well. It was calmer over at Moreton than it was in the river coming back, which for some reason had a rather nasty chop on top of around a metre swell. 
Now these figures aren’t exact, and given that I haven't had a trailer boat for a number of years not even sure how to get accurate figures, but here goes. In total we motored for 3.4 hours (from the instruments). Some of this was at trolling speed (we saw a huge pod of dolphins and mucked around for a while watching them, and also some tuna schools chasing bait so trolled a couple of lures for 15 mins or so). The rest of the time was mainly between around 20 and 50 mph, as I was running it in. I filled the tank before leaving and when we got back and it had used 64 litres. That was with five large guys on board and a full tank of fuel.  I have no idea if this is good, bad or indifferent but I’m sure there’s someone on here who is much more knowledgable than me and might be able to give me an opinion.

Oh. And I’d forgotten how lovely and clear the water is once you get away from civilisation a bit.

Cheers

Greg

[ellicat]

Finally ! Haha. Good to see.

Now the adventures begin.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi GregOug

One word - AWESOME!!!  

It looks like great fun and the photo is a beauty. Must have been a great day out.

One question about Pinkenba ramp though, how did it look fish wise? I am thinking of launching there instead of the POB ramp next time I go and wanted to know some more (on our kayak). 

Cheers Hamish  

[GregOug]

Hi Hamish,

Pinkenba is a fairly isolated ramp, 2 lanes and fairly steep and a bit slippery at lower tides. Not sure of its fishability sorry. Never tried but it’s not far to the main channel, probably 150 metres. There are fish cleaning and picnic tables there so might not be a bad option for your family.

cheers

Greg

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi GregOug

Thanks for the advice, I will google map the river nearby and see if there's any easily accessible spots.

Cheers Hamish  

[ellicat]

How many litres you refuel with will give you a more accurate measure of consumption. Do you have a GPS. If so, you can plot a track and measure your distance, then apply that to your consumption number to workout what your average usage is for that particular trip. After a while you will build up enough data to workout what you will need for a trip.

I'm interested to know what a 200hp will use. It's not pushing a big boat so it might not be too bad.

[GregOug]

5 minutes ago, ellicat said:

How many litres you refuel with will give you a more accurate measure of consumption. Do you have a GPS. If so, you can plot a track and measure your distance, then apply that to your consumption number to workout what your average usage is for that particular trip. After a while you will build up enough data to workout what you will need for a trip.

I'm interested to know what a 200hp will use. It's not pushing a big boat so it might not be too bad.

Hi Ellicat,

The 64 litres quoted was what it took to refill after the trip, so was the fuel used. Although, having said that I just checked the Mercury smart gauges and it says I actually used 61 litres and travelled 50.1 miles. And I’ll have to beg to differ on it not being a big boat. It is 21 feet long, weighs around 2 tonnes on the trailer and is close to the maximum allowable size without requiring a special permit to tow. It’s rated maximum carrying capacity is 8 persons which is more than almost all trailer boats.

cheers

Greg

[ellicat]

No offense meant. I thought it was a big motor for the boat size, but I'm no expert. :) That's a decent amount of fibreglass to push around.

Sorry, I thought in your original post you meant that 64 litres were left. (But I was in NRL mode when I read it haha)

1.2 l/m seems like pretty good economy to me. I didn't get as good as that out of a 40hp 2 stroke pushing a 4.2m tinny !

[GregOug]

18 minutes ago, ellicat said:

No offense meant. I thought it was a big motor for the boat size, but I'm no expert. That's a decent amount of fibreglass to push around.

Sorry, I thought in your original post you meant that 64 litres were left. (But I was in NRL mode when I read it haha)

1.2 l/m seems like pretty good economy to me. I didn't get as good as that out of a 40hp 2 stroke pushing a 4.2m tinny !

And no offence taken. Lol. It doesn’t look as big in the photos as it really is. I’m still coming to terms with all the information the smart gauges can supply however I imagine there is an actual fuel usage there somewhere. And, I’m very happy with the consumption so far, although I didn’t like the near $1.80 per litre service stations were charging yesterday!

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi GregOug

Yes, the petrol is overpriced at the moment.

My Dad says it should be way cheaper (he works in something to do with petrol, or at least knows about it, I don't know LOL).

Hopefully the price drops but I think we might be having that ;no non-essential services thing' anyways as NSW and VIC have I think.

Cheers Hamish

[Old Scaley]

Very impressive boat @GregOug.  What a great way to get around the Bay.  Just need to tow a tender for prawning and crabbing trips. Re the fuel price, have a look at the 7-Eleven Fuel app. It lets you lock in the lowest price in your area for a week and if you can time it so you lock in at the bottom of the cycle you can save heaps when the price jumps. For example I am currently locked in at $1.12 so if the bowser price is $1.80 when I next fill up I will save 68 cents per litre. So if I put in 60 litres the saving would be around $40.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

10 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

Very impressive boat @GregOug.  What a great way to get around the Bay.  Just need to tow a tender for prawning and crabbing trips. Re the fuel price, have a look at the 7-Eleven Fuel app. It lets you lock in the lowest price in your area for a week and if you can time it so you lock in at the bottom of the cycle you can save heaps when the price jumps. For example I am currently locked in at $1.12 so if the bowser price is $1.80 when I next fill up I will save 68 cents per litre. So if I put in 60 litres the saving would be around $40.

Hi Old Scaley

Yes, I'm pretty sure the RACQ app does something like that as well except it saves you 4c per litre. Not sure if that's true though.

Cheers Hamish

[GregOug]

If anyone is a bit of an electronics expert (Lowrance HDS7 live) and wouldn’t mind a cruise on a new boat I would appreciate some help setting up standard views that show what I want, instead of north up etc etc. The only bugbear I have at the moment.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi GregOug

I know nothing on electronics, especially sounders, and we haven't even figured out where to buy plumbers putty to mount a sounder on the kayak so I will be interested to hear some replies.

Cheers Hamish  

[GregOug]

11 minutes ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hi GregOug

I know nothing on electronics, especially sounders, and we haven't even figured out where to buy plumbers putty to mount a sounder on the kayak so I will be interested to hear some replies.

Cheers Hamish  

Lol!

[Old Scaley]

1 hour ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Hi Old Scaley

Yes, I'm pretty sure the RACQ app does something like that as well except it saves you 4c per litre. Not sure if that's true though.

Cheers Hamish

The RACQ app and some of the others are good at giving real time info on prices, and you can get 4c a litre off at Puma stations if you are an RACQ member.  The 7-Eleven app is the only one I am aware of that lets you lock in a price.

Good luck with the sounder. I recently bought a Garmin 95sv and have spent a lot of time in the manual, on YouTube and google as well as sitting in the boat playing with settings and views.  Another 10 years and I will have it sorted.  Not sure it will catch me more fish but fun to play with anyway.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

23 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

The RACQ app and some of the others are good at giving real time info on prices, and you can get 4c a litre off at Puma stations if you are an RACQ member.  The 7-Eleven app is the only one I am aware of that lets you lock in a price.

Good luck with the sounder. I recently bought a Garmin 95sv and have spent a lot of time in the manual, on YouTube and google as well as sitting in the boat playing with settings and views.  Another 10 years and I will have it sorted.  Not sure it will catch me more fish but fun to play with anyway.

Hi Old Scaley

Yes, maybe I should look on YouTube a bit more. I have to admit I've been a bit sloppy looking for alternatives recently  

I cant wait to play with mine too (well, technically my Dad's), and see what is under the boat.

Cheers Hamish  

 

[kmcrosby78]

2 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

 Re the fuel price, have a look at the 7-Eleven Fuel app. It lets you lock in the lowest price in your area for a week and if you can time it so you lock in at the bottom of the cycle you can save heaps when the price jumps.

Great tip Steve, I will look into that as I have two or three 7-Eleven servos I drove past regularly. Do you lock in a price at one particular servo or can you see a price at one servo, lock the price in but then access that price at a different 7-Eleven servo?

That's one very slick looking boat alright @GregOug - it certainly doesn't look that big in the photos but I think the lack of canopy probably impacts on this and also the motor tilts up/sit up on the back of the boat which also obscures some of it from view.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

2 minutes ago, kmcrosby78 said:

That's one very slick looking boat alright @GregOug - it certainly doesn't look that big in the photos but I think the lack of canopy probably impacts on this and also the motor tilts up/sit up on the back of the boat which also obscures some of it from view.

Hi kmcrosby78

Yes, very slick looking indeed. It looks very big to me, but that must be because I am used to going on kayaks about 1/10th the size (that may be an exaggeration LOL).  

Cheers Hamish

[Old Scaley]

9 minutes ago, kmcrosby78 said:

Great tip Steve, I will look into that as I have two or three 7-Eleven servos I drove past regularly. Do you lock in a price at one particular servo or can you see a price at one servo, lock the price in but then access that price at a different 7-Eleven servo?

That's one very slick looking boat alright @GregOug - it certainly doesn't look that big in the photos but I think the lack of canopy probably impacts on this and also the motor tilts up/sit up on the back of the boat which also obscures some of it from view.

The app scans your local area and gives you the lowest price from the 7-Eleven stations in that area. If you lock that price in, you can buy fuel (once) in the next week at any 7-Eleven station in Australia at that price. If the price goes down, you just pay without the app. Hope that makes sense @kmcrosby78