s-twig

Hi all. We got the boat out yesterday into Tinglpa Creek from the Thorneside ramp. I've got to say, the boat ramp was one of the more daunting experiences in recent memory. After a quick chat with a local boatie who was retrieving his boat, I felt a lot more comfortable, especially with his friendly 'just give it a go' attitude. After backing in for what felt like 10 minutes, but was probably only 3, we got the boat in the water, only for it not to want to leave the trailer, seemed to get stuck on the last roller (still not sure why). We nearly gave up at this point, it was lucky no one else was waiting and a friendly local lady came to lend a hand. We only had intentions of a quick test run for 20 or 30 minutes, but spent a good hour cruising slowly up and down like obviously newbies, but we had a great time and it's given us the confidence to do some more next time. A couple of questions. Is it only local knowledge that lets you know where the shallow areas are, or are people checking maps? Also, how shallow is too shallow, we got a bit worried around 0.9m? Thanks again for all the advice. Here's a quick photo I took after we packed up.

Not yet, I'll post something up soon.

Appreciate all of the replies I picked up a Quintrex Estuary Angler 420 with 40HP four-stroke last Friday. I didn't get a chance to take it out on Sunday, which looked like a cracker of a day to go out on. I think I might take Ryan's advice and start off around the Victoria Point, Reddy Bay area. I did think about trying the Thorneside boat ramp into Tingalpa Creek, but I couldn't see anywhere to tie up to and it seems a bit rocky, probably easy to get caught out for a novice like myself. Thanks everyone for the advice

Thanks, that's really good advice. I'm actually going to check out a boat today, I'll post if anything comes of it.

Thanks, good to know I won't be making life any harder; already having nightmares about the boat ramp. haha

Well, thanks everyone. That's enough to point me in the right direction, now to show my wife, hopefully we'll be out on the water soon.

Cheers mate, sounds like good advice.

Thanks for the replies everyone, bit of time taken there, appreciate it. I'll take that on board, hopefully get something happening really soon. If going second hand, what to look for in the engine? Are these something people tend to like about regarding hours, etc. While four stroke is preferred, there are a few lower hour two strokes about. Last question. Is there much difference launching/retrieving a 4.2 vs a 4.5? Thanks again.

Hi I know this question gets asked a lot, but I was hoping someone local to myself could chime in. I'm at Wello Point in Redland City. We're looking at our first boat, and are trying to figure out where to start. Ideally, we'd like to be able to have the experience and confidence to fish around the southern Moreton Bay and be able to spend a day on the beach at Peel, that's our current goal and what's got my wife on board I've had plenty of people give advice and where they all seem to align is, aluminium hull and a quality motor that you can trust, that seems to make sense to me. Where the advice differs is the size of the boat. Some have recommended to start small 3.5-4m to get confidence around the estuaries, others have said, you'll outgrow that too soon, get something around 4.3-4.5 with a windscreen, that's big enough to make it a little more comfortable for the family, and that will give some room to grow. I guess it's personal, but I'm personally leaning towards the second, and have been looking at a couple of Quintrex Estuary Anglers 420. On a mostly-decent day, would one of these get you to Peel comfortably? Or be good enough to poke around the islands for a fish, or are they apt-named because they aren't too great outside of a creek or river. This stuff is second nature to most locals around here, so being new to the boating and fishing world, is a bit daunting; thanks for the patience. Cheers