SS64 Pros Cons and Mods

[GregOug]

16 minutes ago, _Sloth_ said:

The stainless work was done by Ark Marine at Geebung. Very happy with the job they did both with the Minn Kota mount and the rails. The front rails are not perfectly symmetrical but only a real pedantic person (e.g. me) would notice...it is great having the rails  - I clamp rod holders to them and they also make the boat easier to handle around the ramp etc. People sitting up front when underway can rest their arm on the gunwale and hold the rail at the same time which makes the ride more comfortable for them.

Hi mate,

How come you got the work done at Northside Marine? They’re not a Mercury or Stejcraft dealer, as far as I know. I wish they were. They’re a heck of a lot closer than my current one.

cheers

Greg

[_Sloth_]

8 minutes ago, GregOug said:

Hi mate,

How come you got the work done at Northside Marine? They’re not a Mercury or Stejcraft dealer, as far as I know. I wish they were. They’re a heck of a lot closer than my current one.

cheers

Greg

I took the boat to Tim for service as he has a Mercury approved mechanic there. If I were getting something done to the engine I would definitely take it to a Mercury dealer. There are no Stejcraft dealers in QLD anymore - Tim is doing it from the factory. I know the place I bought it from would keep looking after me but they are 70 kms away and as they aren't Stejcraft anymore I am not sure there is any real advantage taking it to them. Also - when I told them what I wanted to do with the Minn Kota - they basically told me it couldn't be done... I bought my last boat from Northside and they did lots of mods for it while I had it. I also have a mate that works there. I bought the Minn Kota through them too. They have a large workshop and do lots of custom jobs for all kinds of boats. They have lots of contacts (like with Ark Marine etc.) that they can outsource too if needed. Plus - they are just around the corner from me... 

[GregOug]

6 minutes ago, _Sloth_ said:

I took the boat to Tim for service as he has a Mercury approved mechanic there. If I were getting something done to the engine I would definitely take it to a Mercury dealer. There are no Stejcraft dealers in QLD anymore - Tim is doing it from the factory. I know the place I bought it from would keep looking after me but they are 70 kms away and as they aren't Stejcraft anymore I am not sure there is any real advantage taking it to them. Also - when I told them what I wanted to do with the Minn Kota - they basically told me it couldn't be done... I bought my last boat from Northside and they did lots of mods for it while I had it. I also have a mate that works there. I bought the Minn Kota through them too. They have a large workshop and do lots of custom jobs for all kinds of boats. They have lots of contacts (like with Ark Marine etc.) that they can outsource too if needed. Plus - they are just around the corner from me... 

Yes. They are very close to me too. Just a pity they aren’t Mercury dealers.

[_Sloth_]

1 minute ago, GregOug said:

Yes. They are very close to me too. Just a pity they aren’t Mercury dealers.

There is a Mercury dealer just over the bridge in Clontarf (on Duffield Rd) I think.

A mate of mine goes there - I think he is generally happy with them...

[GregOug]

36 minutes ago, _Sloth_ said:

There is a Mercury dealer just over the bridge in Clontarf (on Duffield Rd) I think.

A mate of mine goes there - I think he is generally happy with them...

Yeah. The only trouble is, any boat warranty items can’t be done by them at the same time.

[_Sloth_]

On 11/03/2021 at 11:44 PM, Rusty_Nail said:

On a different note, in terms of prop performance, can't recall whether I've noted previously, but had a run a few weekends ago with the following results.

Prop - Rev4 17P; WOT ~5800 RPM; Speed ~51MPH; Load - 200L + 3 Adults. Boat was stable with that prop at that speed.

Different story when running the originally supplied Eco Enertia 19P at 5600 RPM where I had a lot of chine walk.

I have the 19P Rev4 on the 225 hp V8 Pro XS

Top speed I have had is 92 kph (about 57 mph) on the gps. Not fully wound out so there are probably a few more kph there if I was game to try. Not sure of max RPM but definitely not up near the limit. Probably around 5600. She was going OK until I hit some tiny ripples side on which started her chine walking. I trimmed in and dropped the speed to get it back under control... I think the 17P Rev4 sounds good. Mine sits very steadily at around 80 kph without any hint of chine walking but I think it is inevitable on a boat with 21 degree dead rise at the transom at speeds above 85 kph. People that know what they are doing (i.e. not me) can counter the chine walking by steering against it in a rhythm. I mostly run around between 40 and 60 kph conditions permitting which is plenty fast enough for me.

[WilliBoaz]

On 05/05/2021 at 10:16 PM, _Sloth_ said:

Casting deck templates made. Two pieces. The one on the left is the same shape as the left cushion. The one on the right extends over the front half of the walkway. I decided not to use the whole walkway because I want to leave the deck in permanently and my wife likes sitting up front and wants some walkway. I have traced the pieces and will get them cut from thermo-lite on a CNC router. Hen some sea-dek for grip/comfort. Have kept a copy of the templates in case anyone else wants to do a casting deck too...

Any progress on this project? Are you happy with how it turned out?

 

Edit: don't worry, I just saw your other recent post with an update about this.  Let us know if you make any other progress

[WilliBoaz]

On 02/08/2021 at 11:20 PM, GregOug said:

However, the draft at trim out wouldn’t matter, would it? You’d just tilt the motor up out of the way in readiness for low tide, so the motor would be clear of the sand, I would have thought. You would, however, need to worry about the transducer and transducer spray cover. 

It matters in that I'm anchoring on the sand flat in front of the house, so draft of boat will determine how much useful time I will get on either side of a high tide.

The boat ramp at Poona can only be used at half tide or more, so launching the boat and taking it out after use every day isn't a solution to this problem (plus doing that would suck and be a pain in the butthole).

[WilliBoaz]

On 03/08/2021 at 11:18 AM, _Sloth_ said:

 

 

Hi Willi,

I have made an estimate for you by looking at some photos of mine in the water and measuring from where the waterline is to the bottom of the hull (at the rear). There was one person on board and I would have had at least 150 L fuel on board but otherwise not heavily loaded (maybe 100 kg of gear). From the waterline to the bottom of the hull was 450 mm (approx). So you are going to need about 500 mm of water to float the boat. Greg's point about the transducer is a good one. If you anchor off the opposite the transducer for the last of the run out the boat should then sit leaning on the side opposite the transducer. I have never actually done this myself so follow my advice e with caution

Hope that helps.

S

PS On many occasions I have anchored up with the boat floating and the ladder touches the sand - that gives a visual perspective of the water needed.

Thanks Sloth.  That's very helpful.  I was out at Poona last weekend, mate had a 4.6m aluminium boat with 50hp 4-stroke.  I'd say draft was +/-35cm, we managed to get 3 hours either side of a high tide in the middle of the day, so I'd say it'll be a fair bit less in the SS64. 

[WilliBoaz]

On 03/08/2021 at 11:51 AM, _Sloth_ said:

The stainless work was done by Ark Marine at Geebung. Very happy with the job they did both with the Minn Kota mount and the rails. The front rails are not perfectly symmetrical but only a real pedantic person (e.g. me) would notice...it is great having the rails  - I clamp rod holders to them and they also make the boat easier to handle around the ramp etc. People sitting up front when underway can rest their arm on the gunwale and hold the rail at the same time which makes the ride more comfortable for them.

Sounds like I should look them up!

[WilliBoaz]

On 09/03/2021 at 2:35 PM, _Sloth_ said:

I don't think they would fit.

I have the 7 inch HDS Live in my dash and I can barely get the cover on and off (I leave it off) because of those chrome things. The only advantage they could have is providing visibility by shading the gauges. But I think they look bulky and a bit gaudy. I think your dash looks mint with the 9 inch and without those chrome things.

I've optioned the HDS-7 Live as well - what are your thoughts on this unit?  I have literally zero experience - all my previous boating has been in South Africa where such devices were regarded as witchcraft!

I still have time to specify something different, e.g larger screen, Garmin vs Lowrance, etc.  I know the brand choice is largely a personal thing, but interested to hear your and the forum's thoughts.  It's surprisingly difficult to find a proper review of this unit online - mostly just clickbaity articles that regurgitate the specs.

I'm thinking bigger screen is better, and retrofitting is harder and more expensive...

[_Sloth_]

14 hours ago, WilliBoaz said:

Thanks Sloth.  That's very helpful.  I was out at Poona last weekend, mate had a 4.6m aluminium boat with 50hp 4-stroke.  I'd say draft was +/-35cm, we managed to get 3 hours either side of a high tide in the middle of the day, so I'd say it'll be a fair bit less in the SS64. 

Hey Willi,

Tides at Poona were pretty small last weekend. It might be better on larger tides? Also 15 cm should only take 1/2 an hour or so. I'd say my estimate is pretty conservative too. The SS64 will probably float in less than 500mm (it's a wide boat with big revers chines) 450mm might be enough.

S

[_Sloth_]

14 hours ago, WilliBoaz said:

I've optioned the HDS-7 Live as well - what are your thoughts on this unit?  I have literally zero experience - all my previous boating has been in South Africa where such devices were regarded as witchcraft!

I still have time to specify something different, e.g larger screen, Garmin vs Lowrance, etc.  I know the brand choice is largely a personal thing, but interested to hear your and the forum's thoughts.  It's surprisingly difficult to find a proper review of this unit online - mostly just clickbaity articles that regurgitate the specs.

I'm thinking bigger screen is better, and retrofitting is harder and more expensive...

Garmin, Humminbird, Raymarine, Simrad and Lowrance make excellent gear. I don't really think Brand makes too much difference. I have had Lowrance gear for the last 10 years or so so tend to just stay with that (you get used to the software etc). Simrad is made by the same people. The Simrad NSS Evo is exactly the same hardware that Mercury use for their Digital Vesselview gauges so there are possibly some advantages to using that. I think you can plug and play directly to the engine although not sure about that. 

I have the HDS Live 7 in mine. It fits neatly in the dash but it is too small for my likeing. The seating position is such that you are a fair way from the screen. You can fit a 9 inch in the dash minus the shrouds around the gauges. This would be much better. I have bought a 9 inch Lowrance Elite that I intend to put in the dash and then mount the 7 inch on a ram mount so I have two screens in the cockpit. These two units can be networked and can operate independently off the same transducer (i.e. one showing downscan and maps and the other showing sidescan etc...). This is how I had my last boat set up and it works well. Anyway - one high end 9 inch screen would be good - whichever brand. 

The other thing to consider is the transducer. For Lowrance the common one is called "active scan". They all have one which gives similar image quality. There is another higher end one that can do live sonar (called Active Target for Lowrance) - if you haven't seen this it is worth a look (YouTube). It gives a live sonar image but it is very expensive and I think it is probably cheating if you are fishing....The other brands also have similar tech available. Garmin were first with this and might be a little ahead of the others...

So with all that - I think a good option is the Lowrance Elite FS 9 inch which is about the same price as the 7 inch HDS but does almost all the same things...you will appreciate the screen real estate.

[GregOug]

2 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

Garmin, Humminbird, Raymarine, Simrad and Lowrance make excellent gear. I don't really think Brand makes too much difference. I have had Lowrance gear for the last 10 years or so so tend to just stay with that (you get used to the software etc). Simrad is made by the same people. The Simrad NSS Evo is exactly the same hardware that Mercury use for their Digital Vesselview gauges so there are possibly some advantages to using that. I think you can plug and play directly to the engine although not sure about that. 

I have the HDS Live 7 in mine. It fits neatly in the dash but it is too small for my likeing. The seating position is such that you are a fair way from the screen. You can fit a 9 inch in the dash minus the shrouds around the gauges. This would be much better. I have bought a 9 inch Lowrance Elite that I intend to put in the dash and then mount the 7 inch on a ram mount so I have two screens in the cockpit. These two units can be networked and can operate independently off the same transducer (i.e. one showing downscan and maps and the other showing sidescan etc...). This is how I had my last boat set up and it works well. Anyway - one high end 9 inch screen would be good - whichever brand. 

The other thing to consider is the transducer. For Lowrance the common one is called "active scan". They all have one which gives similar image quality. There is another higher end one that can do live sonar (called Active Target for Lowrance) - if you haven't seen this it is worth a look (YouTube). It gives a live sonar image but it is very expensive and I think it is probably cheating if you are fishing....The other brands also have similar tech available. Garmin were first with this and might be a little ahead of the others...

So with all that - I think a good option is the Lowrance Elite FS 9 inch which is about the same price as the 7 inch HDS but does almost all the same things...you will appreciate the screen real estate.

Hi @_Sloth_. Just make sure your 9” Lowrance will actually fit. When I chose the 9” Garmin, one of the reasons was it was slightly smaller than the Lowrance. Mine only just fitted. Be careful.

[_Sloth_]

59 minutes ago, GregOug said:

Hi @_Sloth_. Just make sure your 9” Lowrance will actually fit. When I chose the 9” Garmin, one of the reasons was it was slightly smaller than the Lowrance. Mine only just fitted. Be careful.

Will do.Tim said they are fitting HDS 9 inch units in the SS64. The Elite is about 5mm bigger so hopefully it will fit or it will have to go on the Ram mount...

[WilliBoaz]

22 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

Hey Willi,

Tides at Poona were pretty small last weekend. It might be better on larger tides? Also 15 cm should only take 1/2 an hour or so. I'd say my estimate is pretty conservative too. The SS64 will probably float in less than 500mm (it's a wide boat with big revers chines) 450mm might be enough.

S

Yes, they were tiny! I'd say the summary is I should be able to get in at least a half-day of boating per day at Poona with the Stejcraft, by which time wife and kids will be pretty much done, especially in summer.

[WilliBoaz]

23 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

Garmin, Humminbird, Raymarine, Simrad and Lowrance make excellent gear. I don't really think Brand makes too much difference. I have had Lowrance gear for the last 10 years or so so tend to just stay with that (you get used to the software etc). Simrad is made by the same people. The Simrad NSS Evo is exactly the same hardware that Mercury use for their Digital Vesselview gauges so there are possibly some advantages to using that. I think you can plug and play directly to the engine although not sure about that. 

I have the HDS Live 7 in mine. It fits neatly in the dash but it is too small for my likeing. The seating position is such that you are a fair way from the screen. You can fit a 9 inch in the dash minus the shrouds around the gauges. This would be much better. I have bought a 9 inch Lowrance Elite that I intend to put in the dash and then mount the 7 inch on a ram mount so I have two screens in the cockpit. These two units can be networked and can operate independently off the same transducer (i.e. one showing downscan and maps and the other showing sidescan etc...). This is how I had my last boat set up and it works well. Anyway - one high end 9 inch screen would be good - whichever brand. 

The other thing to consider is the transducer. For Lowrance the common one is called "active scan". They all have one which gives similar image quality. There is another higher end one that can do live sonar (called Active Target for Lowrance) - if you haven't seen this it is worth a look (YouTube). It gives a live sonar image but it is very expensive and I think it is probably cheating if you are fishing....The other brands also have similar tech available. Garmin were first with this and might be a little ahead of the others...

So with all that - I think a good option is the Lowrance Elite FS 9 inch which is about the same price as the 7 inch HDS but does almost all the same things...you will appreciate the screen real estate.

Again, thanks for all the info. It sounds like the 9 inch is the go. Now I just need to decide between HDS or elite. I suspect you're right that elite will be plenty for my needs

[GregOug]

On 24/4/21 at 9:07 PM, _Sloth_ said:

Hi All,

I have finally got the Minn Kota Ulterra installed! As promised - here are some photos. Overall I am pretty happy with it.

Installation includes two 120 amp hour deep cycle batteries - one in each console. A prosport dual bank charger, mounted inside the passenger console, a custom fabricated stainless steel mount and the 80 lb, 24V Minn Kota Ulterra (72 inch shaft) mounted on a quick release platform. Not much change from $10K but about half of that is for the electric motor. Could probably have saved $1.5K by not installing an onboard charger and using the manual deploy Terrova model. On the other hand could have spent another couple of thousand for a 24V Lithium Ion battery but opted to save the dollars and carry the extra weight (65 kg (Lead) rather than 20 kg (Lithium).

It doesn't make the boat look better but doesn't ruin it either. Looking forward to putting it through it's paces.

I also had some bow and stern rails installed - plan is to attach rod-holders to those using RAM mount tough claws. The rails look really good - the photos don't really do them justice.

Cheers

S

 

Hi @_Sloth_. How did your minnkota end up working. Was it worth the expense?

[_Sloth_]

Hi Greg,

Sorry for the very late reply...The Minn Kota is great. The cost was definitely worth it from my perspective - I use it all the time and it suits the type of fishing I do (lures/soft plastics). I had one on my last boat too and I struggled a bit with the Stej  until I had the minn kota. In hindsight - I would probably just go for the terrova (manual deploy) than the ulterra which would have save me a few hundred dollars - but overall very happy. It was quite an expensive exercise though and so I would only recommend it to someone that really wants to use it a lot.

Cheers,

S

 

[WilliBoaz]

Hi folks. Not sure if you all remember me, but I paid a deposit Feb 2021 for a SS64 with V8 200 Merc. 

Long story short, I'm still waiting on a motor...

There is a chance I can get a V6, but without DTS. Any thoughts on how much I'll be missing out on? I've only ever used cable.

Cheers

William

[_Sloth_]

Hi Willi.

I think the V8 Mercury is probably the best thing I have ever bought. Every time I start it I am happy I bought it. The engine has so much grunt and it moves the boat around so effortlessly. I absolutely love it.  I am not a merc fanboy either - I have never owned one before. I use less fuel on a trip to Moreton and back than I was using in my old 5m tinnie with a 75HP (a new Yamaha engine at the time). The merc uses more fuel per hour but I get everywhere so much faster...But I wouldn't care if it used twice as much fuel  it's that good.  If it was me - I would wait for the V8. You won't be disappointed. What is the ETA for the v8? Any chance they will put a demo engine on it and swap it over when yours arrives?

With respect to DTS - this would probably not concern me much one way or the other. Cable is old tech now but many people still like the mechanical connection feeling it is less prone to malfunction. There are other issues with cable though especially as it gets older. Good maintenance is the key.

My 2c

S

 

[GregOug]

15 minutes ago, _Sloth_ said:

Hi Willi.

I think the V8 Mercury is probably the best thing I have ever bought. Every time I start it I am happy I bought it. The engine has so much grunt and it moves the boat around so effortlessly. I absolutely love it.  I am not a merc fanboy either - I have never owned one before. I use less fuel on a trip to Moreton and back than I was using in my old 5m tinnie with a 75HP (a new Yamaha engine at the time). The merc uses more fuel per hour but I get everywhere so much faster...But I wouldn't care if it used twice as much fuel  it's that good.  If it was me - I would wait for the V8. You won't be disappointed. What is the ETA for the v8? Any chance they will put a demo engine on it and swap it over when yours arrives?

With respect to DTS - this would probably not concern me much one way or the other. Cable is old tech now but many people still like the mechanical connection feeling it is less prone to malfunction. There are other issues with cable though especially as it gets older. Good maintenance is the key.

My 2c

S

 

I agree with @_Sloth_ about the engine. Wait for the V8. It’s worth it. So smooth and effortless. And great fuel economy. As for the DTS, I’d probably go for it. The only thing you need to watch is between the instant response of the digital throttle and the massive instant power from the engine you can sometimes almost give yourself whiplash if you push the throttle too far forward quickly. I like the Digital steering too. You can set a course and it will hold it without you even touching the steering wheel.

[GregOug]

1 hour ago, _Sloth_ said:

Hi Greg,

Sorry for the very late reply...The Minn Kota is great. The cost was definitely worth it from my perspective - I use it all the time and it suits the type of fishing I do (lures/soft plastics). I had one on my last boat too and I struggled a bit with the Stej  until I had the minn kota. In hindsight - I would probably just go for the terrova (manual deploy) than the ulterra which would have save me a few hundred dollars - but overall very happy. It was quite an expensive exercise though and so I would only recommend it to someone that really wants to use it a lot.

Cheers,

S

 

Thanks.

[WilliBoaz]

Thanks for the replies @GregOug and @_Sloth_.  Nice to get first hand comments.

 

I spoke to a guy today who took delivery of a V6 DTS over the weekend . He said in the choppy conditions he really struggled with the throttle and making fine adjustments was very difficult. Reckons it was basically either on or off. Also very easy to bump accidentally

Do you guys reckon that's just a case of him needing to get used to a new system? Have you had similar trouble initially? Can the "stiffness" of the throttle be adjusted?

 

[GregOug]

27 minutes ago, WilliBoaz said:

Thanks for the replies @GregOug and @_Sloth_.  Nice to get first hand comments.

 

I spoke to a guy today who took delivery of a V6 DTS over the weekend . He said in the choppy conditions he really struggled with the throttle and making fine adjustments was very difficult. Reckons it was basically either on or off. Also very easy to bump accidentally

Do you guys reckon that's just a case of him needing to get used to a new system? Have you had similar trouble initially? Can the "stiffness" of the throttle be adjusted?

 

Not quite sure what he means by being easy to bump accidentally. That would infer a very loose throttle. And it’s not either on or off. It’s the same movement range as any other throttle. It’s just that each increment of the throttle is more noticeable when you have more power.

[_Sloth_]

52 minutes ago, WilliBoaz said:

Thanks for the replies @GregOug and @_Sloth_.  Nice to get first hand comments.

 

I spoke to a guy today who took delivery of a V6 DTS over the weekend . He said in the choppy conditions he really struggled with the throttle and making fine adjustments was very difficult. Reckons it was basically either on or off. Also very easy to bump accidentally

Do you guys reckon that's just a case of him needing to get used to a new system? Have you had similar trouble initially? Can the "stiffness" of the throttle be adjusted?

 

Yep - What Greg said. The DTS throttle is very smooth (and definitley smoother than cable) and yes it can be adjusted. The issue is that the motor has a lot of torque - the six is a beefy engine. If he is used to the small displacement 200 hp engines like Suzuki and Yamaha then the extra torque will be very noticeable. It does take some getting used to but you won't ever want to go back. Most of us have big 4-blade props too. These increase the responsiveness because there is very little slip. A 3-blade prop with more slip is recommended if you drive in very choppy conditions - it makes for a smoother ride and it is easier to manage the throttle because the prop slip takes a bit of the edge off. There are some good articles out there if you want to read more about prop selection for different conditions. The 200 or 225 V8 is the way to go. DTS is the only option for these. But the DTS is is definitely a plus. You get used to the torque and will drive it comfortably in any conditions. Prop selection involves compromise - but most of us have opted for the 4-blade because it gives a very sporty responsiveness...

[Hweebe]

If money is not an issue don't compromise and wait.

Once you're in a boat you don't want that feeling of "should I have gone bigger (length/motor)".

Otherwise you will find yourself in the upgrade spiral many of us have gone through.

[WilliBoaz]

16 hours ago, GregOug said:

Not quite sure what he means by being easy to bump accidentally. That would infer a very loose throttle. And it’s not either on or off. It’s the same movement range as any other throttle. It’s just that each increment of the throttle is more noticeable when you have more power.

Yes, I also thought it just sounded loose.  He said he swivelled the chair to look back and something in his pocket bumped the throttle and changed his speed.

 

Glad to hear it can be adjusted.  

 

Definitely don't want to get stuck in the upgrade spiral - I reckon you learned gentlemen are correct, I will wait for the V8.  I've waited a year already, what's an extra few months?

[WilliBoaz]

Hi guys. Just a quick update, took delivery of the SS64 today. Had a nice session with Tim on the water at runaway bay. 

I held out for the DTS V8 200, and very glad I listened to you folks. It's awesome.

So, 15 months after paying my deposit, I'm finally an official member of the SS64 club!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GregOug]

1 hour ago, WilliBoaz said:

Hi guys. Just a quick update, took delivery of the SS64 today. Had a nice session with Tim on the water at runaway bay. 

I held out for the DTS V8 200, and very glad I listened to you folks. It's awesome.

So, 15 months after paying my deposit, I'm finally an official member of the SS64 club!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

[Angry51]

Looks good mate.

[_Sloth_]

Nice looking boat mate. Very happy for you. Many hours of fun out the water ahead of you.  Every time you start that engine you’ll be glad you waited for it. Where are you located?

[WilliBoaz]

22 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

Nice looking boat mate. Very happy for you. Many hours of fun out the water ahead of you.  Every time you start that engine you’ll be glad you waited for it. Where are you located?

I'm in Ashgrove, looking to head out somewhere today but cant decide where to go. Need a boat ramp with a pontoon, but it looks like all the ones on the river were destroyed by the flood

[_Sloth_]

Best boat ramp on the Northside is pelican park at clontarf. 4 lanes plus floating pontoon that holds 6+ boats. Good wind protection and no tidal flow. Can launch at any tide. If weather in the bay is **** you can run into the pine. Usually not too busy either. Could be worth the extra travel time for the first few launches. 

[WilliBoaz]

On 08/05/2022 at 8:58 AM, _Sloth_ said:

Best boat ramp on the Northside is pelican park at clontarf. 4 lanes plus floating pontoon that holds 6+ boats. Good wind protection and no tidal flow. Can launch at any tide. If weather in the bay is **** you can run into the pine. Usually not too busy either. Could be worth the extra travel time for the first few launches. 

Yep, work in Redcliffe a few days a week so I know that one. Will give it a crack sometime.

[WilliBoaz]

Has anyone found a practical solution to accessing the Esky under the back bench? Even with the seat removed the lid doesn't stay open.

[GregOug]

1 hour ago, WilliBoaz said:

Has anyone found a practical solution to accessing the Esky under the back bench? Even with the seat removed the lid doesn't stay open.

I bought a couple of eskies from Aldi in the end. The esky provided is a touch too high for the space.

[GregOug]

I also bought four rubber stoppers and attached them under the seat so it couldn’t move around. They work well.

[_Sloth_]

I put the esky between the driver and passenger console. It fits nicely there. I use the space under the rear seat for fishing gear. Greg’s idea with the stoppers is good. I’m going to do the same.

[WilliBoaz]

28 minutes ago, _Sloth_ said:

I put the esky between the driver and passenger console. It fits nicely there. I use the space under the rear seat for fishing gear. Greg’s idea with the stoppers is good. I’m going to do the same.

Do you mean in the walkway between the 2 seats? Doesn't that block walkthrough access to the bow section?