Buying 2nd hand inflatables and Qld registration

[maca70]

I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand 3.3m inflatable with around a 6hp motor for fishing in estuaries as my first boat.  When I'm looking at them none of them appear to have registration numbers displayed anywhere.  Reading Qld registration rules it seems if more than 3kw it needs to be registered with rego number displayed unless it's a tender.  Most of the ones I'm looking at don't appear to be tenders.  Any ideas if it's just because people don't bother complying or some other reason?  Thanks.

[ellicat]

If it has a 6hp motor it requires registration. You would need to drop to 4hp to avoid registration.

[mangajack]

Why would you limit your searching to inflatables?

Most small inflatables do not have positive bouyancy if the tube is ruptured.

The tubes degrade with age whether they are used or not....quite expensive to replace.

Lots of sharp things about when fishing too.

If you want a small boat for a first boat I suggest looking for a Polycraft Tuff Tender boat....indestructable and a really good small fishing boat.

They are available 2nd hand for about 4k boat motor and trailer....

[Rebel]

Kayak's are even cheaper.

[Ed.]

As far as I remember, any standalone boat (not a tender) that has a 3kw motor (4HP) has to be registered and required to have all the safety gear for the area they are in and also rego numbers painted on the hull even if it is an inflatable.

[ellicat]

2 minutes ago, Ed. said:

As far as I remember any standalone boat (not a tender)  that has a 3kw motor (4HP) has to be registered.

4 hp is 2.9828 kw, so just makes it into the non rego class.

[Ed.]

Not sure if that is a distinction, as when I bought my last inflatable, I put a new 4 HP Merc on it and I was required to register it. They may round it up and say it is a 4HP, it might be a 3Kw and or 4HP.

[ellicat]

OK. I was always under the impression 4hp was no rego and 6 was, as well as a 6hp requiring a licence. That being why boat hire places used to only run 4hp motors. Maybe things have changed.

[Ed.]

I do know it was a pain to paint on the rego numbers on the inflatable sides, had to get a special paint that stuck to the vinyl sides. It was a 2.3m long inflatable as at the time I was going up to the Whitsundays and needed a small boat to go back and forth to the shore and get supplies but still be small enough to pack it away when travelling, but because of the regs and the safety gear required there was not a lot ( or any) room left on the boat. I ended up selling it and the motor for $1200 (motor had only done 5 hours).

[ellicat]

Just had a look at the MSQ rules (see attached pdf file). Page 2 RHS Only needs to be registered if over 4hp.

choosingyourboat-1.pdf

[Ed.]

Damn, I could have saved myself some money with not registering mine but at the time I was told I had to register it.

Oooops!, I just had a "Senior" moment, just found an image of it mounted to a bracket on my duckboard, I put it there so that it wouldn't be in the way when not attached to the inflatable and when I expanded the image it clearly shows 5HP, so my bad! For some reason I thought it was a 4HP, I also vaguely think that it might have been a Tohatsu, (same motor but different brand label). Old age strikes again!

[ellicat]

Nice boat, Ed.

Looks a bit under-powered with that 5. haha

How'd she get along ? Looks like it would have been a comfy ride.

[Ed.]

I actually used the small outboard on that day to try and run it in to get my 5 hours up for it's first service, so I puttered along at 2-3 knots up to Tangalooma from Bulwer so got my 5 hours. That was max speed, fortunately the bay was flat that day,as the Scarab has a deep V hull and the outboard leg would pop out occasionally  if I hit a small wave,  however the main engine was a 496MAG HO Merc (8L) with a twin counter rotating outboard leg and could easily reach 40 Knots.

As a boat it wasn't bad and I spent a lot of dollars and time doing it up and renovating it but unfortunately it had constant engine issues, and so I got tired of throwing money at it. If the missus ever lets me get another boat it definitely won't have an inboard in it.