MrWobbygong

Nice stuff! 

Been a while between "drinks" ...
 
Life has swamped me of late, losing hair faster than I'm losing money but still kicking so can't complain..
Ended up picking up a second hand ACDC tig and some Consumables off the wifes facebook marketplace for $500... has dual pulse inbuilt which is nice I suppose... 350A unit so plenty of heat when it's needed.. compliments my dedicated DC pipe welder nicely. Perfect to stay in the shed for little jobs...
Picked up the 4mm plate and SHS from the local metal supplier on a Saturday which was nice... $130 
Anyway, made up the trolling motor mount today, enjoyed welding the fresh ally, enjoyed everything but welding upside down tying the mount into the dirty aluminium. Got it on, it's solid... 
Have booked a site at mission point next weekend with the family to celebrate mothers day (and also run the pots and flick some lures about)
.... good to have some progress on the boat, definitely made me think about the mods I'm gonna do in the future and how I can make the welding as easy as possible. 

Been a while between "drinks" ...
 
Life has swamped me of late, losing hair faster than I'm losing money but still kicking so can't complain..
Ended up picking up a second hand ACDC tig and some Consumables off the wifes facebook marketplace for $500... has dual pulse inbuilt which is nice I suppose... 350A unit so plenty of heat when it's needed.. compliments my dedicated DC pipe welder nicely. Perfect to stay in the shed for little jobs...
Picked up the 4mm plate and SHS from the local metal supplier on a Saturday which was nice... $130 
Anyway, made up the trolling motor mount today, enjoyed welding the fresh ally, enjoyed everything but welding upside down tying the mount into the dirty aluminium. Got it on, it's solid... 
Have booked a site at mission point next weekend with the family to celebrate mothers day (and also run the pots and flick some lures about)
.... good to have some progress on the boat, definitely made me think about the mods I'm gonna do in the future and how I can make the welding as easy as possible. 

Been a while between "drinks" ...
 
Life has swamped me of late, losing hair faster than I'm losing money but still kicking so can't complain..
Ended up picking up a second hand ACDC tig and some Consumables off the wifes facebook marketplace for $500... has dual pulse inbuilt which is nice I suppose... 350A unit so plenty of heat when it's needed.. compliments my dedicated DC pipe welder nicely. Perfect to stay in the shed for little jobs...
Picked up the 4mm plate and SHS from the local metal supplier on a Saturday which was nice... $130 
Anyway, made up the trolling motor mount today, enjoyed welding the fresh ally, enjoyed everything but welding upside down tying the mount into the dirty aluminium. Got it on, it's solid... 
Have booked a site at mission point next weekend with the family to celebrate mothers day (and also run the pots and flick some lures about)
.... good to have some progress on the boat, definitely made me think about the mods I'm gonna do in the future and how I can make the welding as easy as possible. 

Fishing goals for the year…
 
get my daughter on the boat more and hopefully get her a fish (she’s a bit young still, 2 in march)
Get more confident in the local haunts around deception bay..  burpengary creek, cab river and the passage.. 
get a trolling motor real soon.. extend casting deck, move sounder to starboard side..
A trip for a week on the sandy strait chasing travelly, jacks , scooping crabs off the flats and beer from the esky might be nice too.. 

Fishing goals for the year…
 
get my daughter on the boat more and hopefully get her a fish (she’s a bit young still, 2 in march)
Get more confident in the local haunts around deception bay..  burpengary creek, cab river and the passage.. 
get a trolling motor real soon.. extend casting deck, move sounder to starboard side..
A trip for a week on the sandy strait chasing travelly, jacks , scooping crabs off the flats and beer from the esky might be nice too.. 

I am currently tying a cast net knot by knot....I am using an Aliesxpress 9 strand PE braid.
0.17mm dia, 25lb, 1000m and cost me about $30 delivered.
From what I can see it is a damn nice fine braid, tight round weave, nice and limp and seems to be at least the 25lb breaking strain.
Probably twice as nice as the Shimano PowerPro braid and comparable to the current Nomad Panterra braids and nearly the same specs as Tasline.
I will likely be buying this for some of my reels in the future.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006042456707.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.103.298f5f656YUANI&algo_pvid=20b103c0-ee04-4917-bb3e-d43d923b749a&algo_exp_id=20b103c0-ee04-4917-bb3e-d43d923b749a-51&pdp_npi=4%40dis!EUR!19.66!5.70!!!148.86!43.17!%402103247017072714946895667e02f6!12000035456140888!sea!IT!4158163313!&curPageLogUid=DvGMYQZpvrKd&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

If i fish central to north qld I always set the last fishing day in one of the dams.....give it a good sloshing at the end of the day and throw 20 buckets in the hull and run the bilge pump back to the ramp.
Just another job you don't have to do when you get home.
For many years I would flush out at Youngs Crossing before they added all of those bollards.

Are we talking bait caster or spin?
Spin I like superfine like PEX8.
Baitcasters I like thicker braids like Bionic braid...they do not bury when you are fighting hard.

Last 3 trips have been a little disappointing, but have managed to scrape up a few feeds of nice eating fillets.
Did a whiting trip and got some quality whiting for the table , dropped a big Mangrove Jack right at the boat as I was trying to net it , surprised no one  has mentioned hearing me let go a naughty swear word as I recon half the boats down the Gold Coast way would have heard me.
Fished Peel Island this morning but had to fight sharks and dolphins , all morning , I  surrendered at 8am after a 3m bull shark got a trophy snapper as it surfaced just behind the boat. I usually take pity on the cod and release them all , but I know this fellow pictured stood little chance of making it back down.
Did a Hinze Dam trip with Ray K last Thursday , it was a slow day , but the company was good. I think it took me a couple of hours before I managed to entice a few bass to bite for me. 
 
Hopefully my mojo returns for the next trip.
Regards
Neil
 

So I've recently bought an electric motor and starting enquiring about the plate being fabricated to the bow.. I'm keen to add some flat gunnell to the sides of the boat and extend the casting deck to fit a livewell/ more storage...
so I got to thinking...😬🤪
Being my first boat and also being an apprentice, why not have a crack myself?
I have never welded aluminium but weld stainless and carbon pipe regularly, have access to an AC/DC tig and can get enough materials to do all the jobs for a similar price it would cost to do just the bow mount...
I think I'm going to use this topic to document and record the progress, happy to hear any advice from people that fabricate or have any constructive recommendations to the build... 
To start, I'll give a bit of history on the boat.. I sold my Hobie PA14 when this boat came up. Pretty much a clean swap. It's a Horizon 2000ish 4.2m with a 30hp 2001 Honda 30hp on the back. Trailer was only 12 months old but I believe had been mistreated (along with the boat and motor, they lived on stradbroke)
the motor wasn't running so started with new fuel , fuel lines, filters, got it started but wouldn't get on the plane... 
Carbies next...
Bought a carby gasket set, thermostat, impeller service kit, new plugs and got stuck in. Pulled down the carburettors and took them to the local small motor mechanic to be ultrasonic cleaned, reassembled 
still wouldn't get on the plane.. 
Stripped down the carbies again, somehow there was gunk in the bowl so ultrasonic cleaned again then cleaned the jets by hand with oxy tip cleaners...
My first time on the plane, beautiful! Cruises around 20kts in good conditions, to date have not assessed l/km but it really isnt concerning. Have taken it for over 40km round trips up north. Just take some extra fuel ⛽️ 
the tilt mechanism was damaged and the tiller arm didnt move vertically at all, sorted those out with replacement parts. Was very hard to steer for the first couple months until I found a bolt that restricted movement in the steering, loosened that and greased the nipples. 😄 
In a perfect world, I would have a newer motor and a newer tinny but this is what I have to work with. She's not perfect or pretty but she's honest. 
I'll post photos and updates when things happen. if you got this far into the write up I commend you.
Hope I have this in the write sub category.. 
Also, in the meantime, I'm going to keep fishing, I'm keen to catch more fish on lures, if anyone is keen to come for a burn on the water and show me some things, let me know. (Really just want your GPS marks) 🤣 

New PB Threadfin
First Threadfin on a Lure
First Mangrove Jack
1M Brisbane River Jewfish
50cm Brisbane River Bass
1.5M plus Brisbane River shark
 
What about everyone else? 

Awesome.. looks like a great day on the water.

Shimano has stuffed the squidgy range since Starlo and Bushy sold out....I hope those two did well out of the venture.
Shimano most likely will not listen to anything about Squidgies and will continue to drop or modify items to what they think they might be able to sell.....so many good lures now lost forever....bugs, wild prawns, lobbies etc. Thier "green" alternative Biobaits are not working at all for me.

Hi Charlie
In my opinion, Daiwa bait junkies are slightly easier to rig, but the body is not as natural as that on Z-man lures. 
I reckon both have a pretty similar action, but the size hook needed to rig them can vary greatly.
I think Z-man soft plastics last longer and do not melt as much, opposed to Daiwa bait junkies, which often become mushy if left pre rigged in a tackle box. If I am honest I don’t think the Z-man 10x Tough means much, just a marketing gimmick. Z-man and Baitjunkies are made of similar materials (both plastisol, or sometime similiar) so they will last relatively the same.
Cheers Hamish

I use to use Zman plastics they work great but now I use baitjunkie plastics the reason being the baitjunkies are 10 times easier to rig straight they seem to be a little bit tougher then zmans but still have a great action .The packaging is also a lot better . And overall they just seem to be a upgraded version of the zman plastics I used to use. 
some people feel the same way as I do about the baitjunkie plastics some people hate them but overall they are by far the best mass produced soft plastics I've used in my opinion 
I rig mine up with TT lures jigheads and I've had zero issues with them.
hope that helps.
 

Awesome.. looks like a great day on the water.

Awesome.. looks like a great day on the water.

THIS!
Wish I had sufficient mechanical aptitude to attempt something like this  . . . . but alas my few skills lie elsewhere.

If you are into Youtue have a look at Part 1 of the boat build on Greg’s Wicked Fishing (he is a bayside boy).  He bought a 5m plate boat and had RipTide fabricate a new casting deck and other mods.  Might give you some ideas at least as its a very different boat.
And get into it.  If you can fabricate and weld this will be a walk in the park.  

So I've recently bought an electric motor and starting enquiring about the plate being fabricated to the bow.. I'm keen to add some flat gunnell to the sides of the boat and extend the casting deck to fit a livewell/ more storage...
so I got to thinking...😬🤪
Being my first boat and also being an apprentice, why not have a crack myself?
I have never welded aluminium but weld stainless and carbon pipe regularly, have access to an AC/DC tig and can get enough materials to do all the jobs for a similar price it would cost to do just the bow mount...
I think I'm going to use this topic to document and record the progress, happy to hear any advice from people that fabricate or have any constructive recommendations to the build... 
To start, I'll give a bit of history on the boat.. I sold my Hobie PA14 when this boat came up. Pretty much a clean swap. It's a Horizon 2000ish 4.2m with a 30hp 2001 Honda 30hp on the back. Trailer was only 12 months old but I believe had been mistreated (along with the boat and motor, they lived on stradbroke)
the motor wasn't running so started with new fuel , fuel lines, filters, got it started but wouldn't get on the plane... 
Carbies next...
Bought a carby gasket set, thermostat, impeller service kit, new plugs and got stuck in. Pulled down the carburettors and took them to the local small motor mechanic to be ultrasonic cleaned, reassembled 
still wouldn't get on the plane.. 
Stripped down the carbies again, somehow there was gunk in the bowl so ultrasonic cleaned again then cleaned the jets by hand with oxy tip cleaners...
My first time on the plane, beautiful! Cruises around 20kts in good conditions, to date have not assessed l/km but it really isnt concerning. Have taken it for over 40km round trips up north. Just take some extra fuel ⛽️ 
the tilt mechanism was damaged and the tiller arm didnt move vertically at all, sorted those out with replacement parts. Was very hard to steer for the first couple months until I found a bolt that restricted movement in the steering, loosened that and greased the nipples. 😄 
In a perfect world, I would have a newer motor and a newer tinny but this is what I have to work with. She's not perfect or pretty but she's honest. 
I'll post photos and updates when things happen. if you got this far into the write up I commend you.
Hope I have this in the write sub category.. 
Also, in the meantime, I'm going to keep fishing, I'm keen to catch more fish on lures, if anyone is keen to come for a burn on the water and show me some things, let me know. (Really just want your GPS marks) 🤣 

So I've recently bought an electric motor and starting enquiring about the plate being fabricated to the bow.. I'm keen to add some flat gunnell to the sides of the boat and extend the casting deck to fit a livewell/ more storage...
so I got to thinking...😬🤪
Being my first boat and also being an apprentice, why not have a crack myself?
I have never welded aluminium but weld stainless and carbon pipe regularly, have access to an AC/DC tig and can get enough materials to do all the jobs for a similar price it would cost to do just the bow mount...
I think I'm going to use this topic to document and record the progress, happy to hear any advice from people that fabricate or have any constructive recommendations to the build... 
To start, I'll give a bit of history on the boat.. I sold my Hobie PA14 when this boat came up. Pretty much a clean swap. It's a Horizon 2000ish 4.2m with a 30hp 2001 Honda 30hp on the back. Trailer was only 12 months old but I believe had been mistreated (along with the boat and motor, they lived on stradbroke)
the motor wasn't running so started with new fuel , fuel lines, filters, got it started but wouldn't get on the plane... 
Carbies next...
Bought a carby gasket set, thermostat, impeller service kit, new plugs and got stuck in. Pulled down the carburettors and took them to the local small motor mechanic to be ultrasonic cleaned, reassembled 
still wouldn't get on the plane.. 
Stripped down the carbies again, somehow there was gunk in the bowl so ultrasonic cleaned again then cleaned the jets by hand with oxy tip cleaners...
My first time on the plane, beautiful! Cruises around 20kts in good conditions, to date have not assessed l/km but it really isnt concerning. Have taken it for over 40km round trips up north. Just take some extra fuel ⛽️ 
the tilt mechanism was damaged and the tiller arm didnt move vertically at all, sorted those out with replacement parts. Was very hard to steer for the first couple months until I found a bolt that restricted movement in the steering, loosened that and greased the nipples. 😄 
In a perfect world, I would have a newer motor and a newer tinny but this is what I have to work with. She's not perfect or pretty but she's honest. 
I'll post photos and updates when things happen. if you got this far into the write up I commend you.
Hope I have this in the write sub category.. 
Also, in the meantime, I'm going to keep fishing, I'm keen to catch more fish on lures, if anyone is keen to come for a burn on the water and show me some things, let me know. (Really just want your GPS marks) 🤣 

If you have the tools and a bit of experience - I say give it a crack. This is why we buy boats (sort of) to tinker / alter / change to be the ultimate fishing weapon 🙂 
 
 

sounds like fun mate and a good learning experience - as long as you can keep fishing in the meantime of course...

So I've recently bought an electric motor and starting enquiring about the plate being fabricated to the bow.. I'm keen to add some flat gunnell to the sides of the boat and extend the casting deck to fit a livewell/ more storage...
so I got to thinking...😬🤪
Being my first boat and also being an apprentice, why not have a crack myself?
I have never welded aluminium but weld stainless and carbon pipe regularly, have access to an AC/DC tig and can get enough materials to do all the jobs for a similar price it would cost to do just the bow mount...
I think I'm going to use this topic to document and record the progress, happy to hear any advice from people that fabricate or have any constructive recommendations to the build... 
To start, I'll give a bit of history on the boat.. I sold my Hobie PA14 when this boat came up. Pretty much a clean swap. It's a Horizon 2000ish 4.2m with a 30hp 2001 Honda 30hp on the back. Trailer was only 12 months old but I believe had been mistreated (along with the boat and motor, they lived on stradbroke)
the motor wasn't running so started with new fuel , fuel lines, filters, got it started but wouldn't get on the plane... 
Carbies next...
Bought a carby gasket set, thermostat, impeller service kit, new plugs and got stuck in. Pulled down the carburettors and took them to the local small motor mechanic to be ultrasonic cleaned, reassembled 
still wouldn't get on the plane.. 
Stripped down the carbies again, somehow there was gunk in the bowl so ultrasonic cleaned again then cleaned the jets by hand with oxy tip cleaners...
My first time on the plane, beautiful! Cruises around 20kts in good conditions, to date have not assessed l/km but it really isnt concerning. Have taken it for over 40km round trips up north. Just take some extra fuel ⛽️ 
the tilt mechanism was damaged and the tiller arm didnt move vertically at all, sorted those out with replacement parts. Was very hard to steer for the first couple months until I found a bolt that restricted movement in the steering, loosened that and greased the nipples. 😄 
In a perfect world, I would have a newer motor and a newer tinny but this is what I have to work with. She's not perfect or pretty but she's honest. 
I'll post photos and updates when things happen. if you got this far into the write up I commend you.
Hope I have this in the write sub category.. 
Also, in the meantime, I'm going to keep fishing, I'm keen to catch more fish on lures, if anyone is keen to come for a burn on the water and show me some things, let me know. (Really just want your GPS marks) 🤣