s-twig

Or just buy a cheap gps/sounder, set your depth alarm at one metre, set the chart colours to something that suits you and stay in the coloured area which is safe depth water. On my gps I’ve set white as safe ground.

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.

Here's a link to B2B
https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Boating-maps
 

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. 👍
 
 

Not yet, I'll post something up soon. 👍
 
 

Yep agree to this found out recently while trying to come back in one early morning and had to turn back and go have a snooze in the boat somewhere until the tide built back up

Vicky point boat ramp is really shallow at the low tide.  I was deckie for @GregOugnot long ago and ended up pushing the boat in with his son.
Cheers Kat

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 👍

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 👍

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 👍

I bought a 4.3 tiller steer horizon easy fisher with a 40hp 2 stroke on it about a year and a half ago to explore around the southern end of the bay. It has been an absolute cracker of a boat and the engine has been bullet proof, with plenty of grunt to get up to 40kph quickly. I started around redland bay area where it's a bit more sheltered. The 4.3 has been the perfect size, not too small to get bashed around easily but small enough to handle easily at the boat ramp.

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

I should add that there isn't alot of stock (boats for sale) at the moment which I'd imagine may have pushed the price up slightly and you'll be up against others to buy anything that is in good condition and priced OK. I'd be keeping a very regular look out so you don't miss out on something you really like and then act very quickly once you see it 🙂.

As long as you can reverse the trailer, there isn't much difference mate. As you use it more and more you'll come up with a system that works for you. I've got a 5.6m Centre Console with canopy (which catches the wind which can make things trickier at the ramp) and launch and retrieve it solo. A tip is to attach a decent length rope to the nose so you can manoeuvre it yourself - if you have a helper, all the better 🙂.
Very good advice by those above. Couple more questions:
1. Do you have a budget?
2. How many kids and what age? 
3. Are your wife and kids into fishing? This may impact the size you need as the kids grow up.
I don't know anything about the phasing out of 2-strokes - I guess it will happen one day but may not be for many, many years so if your budget is limited I would still consider a decent condition and not too old 2-stroke motor. @Old Scaley's advice is spot on regarding checking the service history out, taking it for a run, etc. If you do check one out, ask them to not pre-run it before you turn up (you can check by putting your hand on the cowling - top cover of the motor - if it is warm/hot, they have run it before you got there and will probably not start as easily from cold). 
I would go to a boatyard and check out tiller steer, centre and side consoles, runabouts and bowriders so you can decide what will work best for you overall. Everything is a balancing act with boats but it's important to try to get something that you will be mostly happy with most of the time 🙂. 

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

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.

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.

Hi s-twig
Welcome to the forum. I agree with the option for a windscreen, because in the bay wind can pick up and it will make for a more comfy ride with the wife. ellicat, that is some ripper advice! 🙂 
Cheers Hamish

Cheers mate, sounds like good advice.

I used to drag my family of wife and two kids under 15 around the southern bay in a 4.2m runabout, similar to what you are looking at. We'd also drop into places like Horseshoe Bay to stretch the legs and let the kids have a run around etc. We enjoyed the runabout style with windscreen and comfortable seats for the adults. Kids don't really care about their seats and backs at that age, although I did get a cushion for the rear seat.
That boat had a 35 and then a 40 horsepower 2 stroke motor and was more than adequate up to around 12 knots. After that you'd have to slow the trip down a bit or preferably not go out far. The more south you go the better the protection by the islands from the winds.
I agree with going the larger boat theory. 3.5 to 4 will see you outgrow it quickly. Even though I had a 4.2 I always thought something a bit bigger would have been better. The truth is a bigger boat would have been better. The 4.2 was definitely the minimum for what we did.
I now have a 4.7 with a 60hp 4 stroke and it opens up a bit of the northern bay, so on a good weather day I can get to Moreton pretty comfortably and enjoy places like Tangalooma. Something more for you to consider.
As they are phasing out 2 strokes in the short term (very soon I believe) I'll assume you will be getting a four stroke. That is a good thing as your range is far better. I'm averaging a bit under 7 litres per hour (about 5.3 km/l) with the 4 and was getting about 2km to the litre with the 2 strokes.
So in summary I suggest -
- Get a tinnie at least 4.2m. (The tinnie will also be more forgiving of hull damage at the ramp and on sandbars etc while you're getting used to boating) subject to the size of and age of kids and how many there are;
- Get a 4 stroke;
- Get a runabout style; and
- Get as big as you can afford/tow.

I am not an outboard mechanic, but I would be looking at how it has been maintained and looked after. Does it look clean, or does it look like it has had a hard life? I would be looking for a service history - at least once a year. The service report should give you the compression ratios of all cylinders and they should all be pretty close. Are there any comments on the service report indicating that things need to be done. Are all the recent reports available? Are they all from the same place? I would be asking for a test drive on water to see if it starts and performs well. Lastly, I would pay for a professional assessment by an outboard mechanic if you or someone you know isn’t very experienced with outboard motors. It might save you a lot of money in the long run.
No, you won’t find much difference between launching a 4.2 and a 4.5.  Good luck!
PS. Don’t forget that you will need a recreational vessel licence.

I would agree with the 2nd option as well if money allows for it. Ally boat - allows for mistakes and learning in launching, retrieving and running aground. Good motor - because it's open water and safety is #1 when getting on the water.
Launching from Wello or Cleveland, yes, on a day ~10knots or under, you will be fine. 15 and it will be a little lumpy and maybe a bit wet depending on travel direction and wind direction.