Barry Oliver

Hi guys, Thanks for all the thoughts, although I suggested the 'missus' issue to her and I'm now writing this from my hospital bed...;-)....I don't think that was so helpful...:-) I did the testing both up and down the river in very calm conditions to exclude water/environment. The motor is a new 60hp Yamaha. It does have a sacrificial trim tab which is offset to the RHS about 8 degrees- this is the recommended setting afaik. Also afaik the trim tab impacts the steering rather than any list/heel. I undid the bungs after the test and there was no water in hulls. I've heard back from Brisbane Yamaha and they want the boat back to do their own tests- bring on the unlockdown....given the boat is new not much I want to fiddle with. Anyway will let you all know one day...

Hi all, The plot thickens! Today I removed the electric trolling motor from the front and lifted up the large transducer (I thought that may have been acted like a trim tab as it was on the rear RHS). Alas, as some of you have already alluded to- these things weren't the cause of the port side heel. The test I did this morning was in calm water, multiple directions, multiple speeds and using a level to measure the heel/list. This is what I found. The boat was quite level when stopped. The Level was zero. As speed increased it stayed level until about 33kph when it began to heel. Top speed was about 46kph. It had heeled to port about 5-8 degrees. Reducing speed didn't make much difference until I got below 33kph when the level returned to zero. The boat came onto plane about 22kph. Coming onto plane didn't seem to cause any heel. As soon as I got to about 33kph it would heel to about 5-8 degrees and basically remain there as speed went to maximum. I didn't try it with the elect motor installed but that's only going to make it worse if anything. I did the test going upriver and down river on multiple runs. It was very calm with an outgoing tide. Trim did not make any noticeable difference (as I had thought previously). It may have been that previously as the motor was trimmed out it increased speed and I thought trim was the cause. Today I kept all variables constant, except speed and the heel was remarkably persistent above about 33kph. It may have increased a little from 33kph to 46kph but the level never went above about 8 degrees and variable between 5 and 8. What was also interesting was that below 33kph the level was remarkably stable around zero. I can't do anything else and have no idea what might be causing it. I guess there are only two things left- the motor/propeller and the hull. Emails have gone to Brisbane Yamaha and Polycraft. As I mentioned in the email to them, its very disappointing as apart from this problem and another minor one, I really like the boat. Brisbane Yamaha have replied saying they've forwarded my email to their workshop and will get back to me. I expect they will need the boat returned. Anyway, that's where things are currently at and since we are in lockdown here in Brissy now, there's nothing else I can do. cheers b

Thanks all, For those, like me, who are learners...'Listing' refers to a boat leaning off centre- left or right, due to something within the boat (like cargo distributed more to one side than the other). While 'Heeling' refers to a boat leaning off centre due to some external (like wind). I found this link helpful (as well as all your comments) https://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/tips-to-alleviate-lean-list-and-heel/ I also note that the electric motor is on the LHS along with the battery. Its a polycraft model with two consoles and so the captain console is on the RHS, which should offset the motor. The bait tank is on the LHS too but was empty when I experienced the List. Anyway, until I get out and test the trim and weight distribution the discussion is academic but still useful for my learning. Thanks again.

Hi all, I've recently bought a new polycraft drifter 4.5m. I'm in the process of running it in and sorting out teething problems. Certainly a learning process- I didn't know the live-bait tank drained into the hull- to me that's a stupid idea but seems not uncommon! Anyway, draining a tank full of water into the hull coincided with taking a mate for a spin up the Brisbane river. I pooed my pants when getting up on plane the boat heeled significantly to the left. Didn't help with my mate saying 'seems like the hull (it has two skins) is full of water'. Anxiety kicked its ugly head my way. I turned around and got back to the ramp and onto the trailer and sure enough more water came out the drain plug than I thought was in the bait tank but I expect that's what it was- it was here I found out the bait tank drained into the outer hull. Anyway, back into the river and I still had a significant heeling problem when the boat got on plane. I did one run without my mate and it seemed better but I was anxiety ridden by then to be in a good mental state...:-) The only thing I can think of is trimming the motor was the cause. I tried a bit to change trim but was pretty anxious so my trial was a bit chaotic. I'd put the boat in at Jindalee and the current was ripping out so just getting a new boat in and out in such an environment was a stressful challenge in itself! Anyway I'm just posting here to see if those of you who are more experienced than me (mostly all of you I expect!) would agree that trim can have a significant impact on heeling. I've not experienced such a strong heeling effect on a tinny (my only other experience). And wondering if the polycraft is more sensitive to trim or is it similar to many other boats. I don't have the experience. I googled a bit and it might be the case, I'll try and get out for more trials in the next few days. And let you know what I find. It certainly a heart pumping moment when a boat gets on plane and heels over, especially after having a jetski and know how easy they are to roll over!!! In the meantime if anyone has any thoughts that would be good. Cheers Barry

Here you go. Did a test today off Manly. 10kph wind from the E smack in the middle of an outgoing tide. Boat facing into wind. (kph is kilometers per hour) I used a clamp meter at the battery. Rabbit mode/10= 43 amps (draw)= 4kph (boat speed over ground) 8=24amps= 3.2kph 7=18amps=2.6kph 6=12amps=2.4kph 5=8amps=1.93kph 4=4.8amps=1.44kph 3=2.7amps=1.12kph 2=1.1amps=0.8kph 1=0.5amps=0.5kph On the anchor lock, as you'd expect, current draw varied. Today it was from 0-5amps- this is going to be much dependent on wind and current. If there's no current and no wind then you'd expect the motor to draw zero current. If its blowing a gale with a current its going to draw 43amps (and it still may not hold your position). If you have a 120amp battery and you only want to go to 80% discharge you have 24amps so on rabbit mode you'd get half an hour or about 2k. If on 5, you'd get about 3hrs and about 6k. On anchor lock you'd get quite a few hours, but as mentioned its going to be a function of wind and current. If it consistently drew 2.5 amps then you'd get about 10hours. Done! Now I just need to catch some fish and/or go boat camping. :-)

Most sounders have a voltmeter which will tell you battery voltage. Mind you, not much good if your electric motor is on a different circuit. This is the voltages discharges: % of Charge (discharged DOD) Volts 100 0 12.7 90 10 12.58 80 20 12.46 75 25 12.40 70 30 12.36 65 35 12.32 60 40 12.28 50 50 12.20 Discharged >50 11.90 My minn has a battery level indicator. I found this: "For my motor, four is 12.8v or better, three lights is 12.6v two, 12.5, and one light is 12.3v. " If true, then the lowest light indicates about 60-65% of charge, which makes sense. As ellicat implies- easy enough to get an inline voltmeter - Jcar or something similar sell them. Raises a question of how long your deep cycle battery would last if discharged regularly...probably depends upon the type and quality of battery and how long it was left discharged. How long is a piece of string? However a mate of mine had a deep cycle last 10yrs from carefully managing it. I also read a marine battery has an expected life of 1-6yrs. I expect if you discharge to more than 50% regularly its going to be 1yr, and 6yrs if you don't go below 80% or thereabouts and recharge soon after discharge. I found this: "Battery life is directly related to how deep the battery is cycled each time. If a battery is discharged to 50% every day, it will last about twice as long as if it is cycled to 80% DOD. If cycled only 10% DOD, it will last about 5 times as long as one cycled to 50%. Obviously, there are some practical limitations on this - you don't usually want to have a 5 ton pile of batteries sitting there just to reduce the DOD. The most practical number to use is 50% DOD on a regular basis. This does NOT mean you cannot go to 80% once in a while. It's just that when designing a system when you have some idea of the loads, you should figure on an average DOD of around 50% for the best storage vs cost factor. Also, there is an upper limit - a battery that is continually cycled 5% or less will usually not last as long as one cycled down 10%. This happens because at very shallow cycles, the Lead Dioxide tends to build up in clumps on the the positive plates rather in an even film. The graph above shows how lifespan is affected by depth of discharge. The chart is for a Concorde Lifeline battery, but all lead-acid batteries will be similar in the shape of the curve, although the number of cycles will vary." Cheers B

Bugger x 2...I thought Tues is going to be good- wind is perfect...got excited...then looked at my diary...:-(...client's...client's...client's...I'm going to have to have a serious talk to my secretary...I mean, surely she can schedule clients on non-fishing days? I am so keen to do an over-nighter...new boat and all...sigh...

The plot thickens! I have just run an 'out-of-water' current test and this is what I found: Rabbit mode/10= 5amps 9=4amps 8=3.5amps 7=3amps 6=2.4amps 5=2amps 4=1.9amps 3=1amp 2=0.68amps 1=0.37amps I will test this next time I'm out. It won't surprise me if these current draws are x10 with load (in water pushing boat). The engine is a 55lb Minn Kota Riptide Terrova. I have a 120ah battery. That's isolated from the rest of the electrics. Once I get underload current draw I'll post them here. In relation to the total electrics this is the story- 1. the electric motor battery is totally isolated from all other electrics (so the battery needs to be charged after each trip and won't be charged by the outboard alternator). The reason for this is most likely that the electrics needed to charge the deep cycle from the outboard without flattening the starter are not worth the effort in such a harsh environment like salt water. Also most outboard don't have big alternators which might be also relevant. Charging a deep cycle battery can take a lot of energy and you don't want to risk any problems with your starting batteries. The exact reason isn't clear yet but these two are good enough for me. 1A. Running deep cycles below 80% discharge reduces their life. Some say down to 50% is ok. Seems to be a bit subjective. So a 120ah battery only has only up to 60ah usable before damage is likely to occur. This means if you run it down more than 80% its going to fail earlier than otherwise. How earlier? How long is a piece of string? Anyway once I get a better idea of current draw under load it will give me better idea of run-times. 2. The isolating switch for the outboard battery: 1, 2 and 1&2 are that..isolating..if you are switched to 1- then only 1 will be charged by the outboard. If you are on 2 same idea- only 2. If on 1&2 both will be charged. However never have it switched to 1&2 because if you get a fault in one battery it will destroy the other. Run your whole trip on only 1 or 2. If you put it on 1&2 you are basically running on only 1 battery albeit a big one. On 1&2 you have the same risk as one battery. If you are out and on 1 and your battery goes flat (for whatever reason) you can switch to 2 and start or vice versa. If you are on 1&2 and you flatten them...call Marine assist or get out your hand starter cable or maybe use your deep cycle as a last resort...:-) Take note GregOug. Its a good idea to swap between 1 and 2 on different trips, and keep each battery in peak charge. If you don't go out often then keeping both batteries charged is good practice. Anyway, I hope this helps someone as well as me..:-)

Well it certainly means I'm not alone in my setup...:-). I will have to check the deep cycle battery capacity I don't think its going to be 120ah...you have a kickass battery. I found on internet that a 55lb minn kota draws max 50amps- so your battery will last a bit less than 2.5hrs on rabbit mode, probably closer to 2 given possible losses. I saw some report where the slowest speed drew 10amps so that's 12hrs on your battery. I expect the spot lock draw is going to be a function of the effort needed to hold position. In still water it will probably draw very little but if you have a raging tide then probably a lot more... Anyway, thanks for your input...nice to feel in the same boat as someone else. ;-)

I recently bought a new boat with a 60HP Yamaha. I had a electric motor fitted with a deep cycle battery. I was told that the new Yamaha 60HP motor cannot recharge the deep cycle battery and the only way to recharge it is to put it on a charger when I'm home. The boat has two batteries already fitted and a switch to switch between 1, 2 and 1&2 batteries. My understanding is that I can run the engine on 1 and then switch to 2 if i'm out for a long time not running the engine, as 2 runs the accessories (but not the electric motor). This makes sense because then i don't run down the engine battery- if its switched on 1&2 I can because its just like a big capacity battery. Having the 1/2 isolater switch stops running both down. I expect if i've switched to 1 then only 1 will be charged by the engine and similarly if switched to 2, and if i've got the switch on 1&2 both will get charged. However, I'm at a loss as to why I can't have the engine charge the electric motor deep cycle battery. Eg have it set up like a 4x4 dual battery system where the deep cycle battery is charged but accessories use the deep cycle and don't flatten the starting battery. In my case if the switch is on 1 it should charge battery 1 plus the deep cycle, if the switch is on 2 it will charge battery 2 and the deep cycle and if the switch is on 1&2 it will charge batteries 1 and 2 and the deep cycle. BUT the electric motor can only discharge the deep cycle. I spoke to the dealer and was told its because the Yamaha outboard has a rectifier not an alternator like a car...and it will blow up the electronics charging a deep cycle battery...neither of these two things made sense..a rectifier converts AC to DC...has nothing to do with charging...and I didn't understand why it would blow up the electronics...I didn't think he was in the mood to explain any further...so I let it pass. But alas its still bugging me...can anyone enlighten me here.. cheers B

Sold. Yay!

I'm a bit surprised this is taking a bit to sell. Anyway, the market is the market...price is down to $12,500. This is seriously well below 50% of replacement.

Thanks for all the replies but no real answers here, and that probably is the answer...nobody really knows...and that's why its called "fishing"...:-)

Price is coming down. Make a reasonable offer and there'll be no pooey attitude...except maybe from all the fish you'll catch...;-)

Here's a question for the Brisbane fisho gurus (although others too perhaps)! Before the rain event in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago- A Saturday I went out about 5k north of Peel in Moreton Bay. The water was alive with fish- those ones that school up and boil the water- eg mackerel, tuna etc. There was lots of bait fish on the sounder. I was catching lots of herring and slimys for live bait as I floated across them. Once I got off the bait I caught lots of little bottom dwelling type fish (bream, squire, fish that look like tropical fish- stripes and colours- no idea what they are called- all small). Anyway, the fish were there and they were biting. It was from about 7am-11am that I was there. I had to leave around 11am for other reasons. I caught a couple of School Mackerel. I went back to the same spot the following day. Same time 7am-11am. Weather was similar. Tide was similar- outgoing.The pressure hadn't changed by anything significant. The only difference was that there was no fish- no bait fish on the sounder which I can understand as they probably moved, although the spot is usually very consistent, but there was also no bream, squire etc. It was like the place had been nuked. I was using the same bait jig that I used 24hrs earlier. I didn't check water temp and so don't know if that could change in 24hrs to cause such a significant difference in fish behaviour and numbers. Of course the bait fish movement can sort of be expected as well as the mackerel etc., but for the bottom dwelling fish to either disappear or seriously go off the bite in 24hrs? Does anyone know what the missing variable may have been? And maybe a linked question- is this a normal pattern in Moreton Bay? ie massive amounts of fish one day and then nothing the next? Regards Perplexed

Location is Brisbane. Suburb is Yeronga. As for the pooey attitude, I generally find that characteristic is captain specific rather than vessel specific.

$15,500 which is about half replacement. ph me if interested 0407825819

Its in excellent condition with only 106hrs. It comes with anchor, fire ext, flares and lifejacket. A lowrance Hook 5 sounder has been professionally fitted. It has rodholders on each side professionally fitted. It has a Fishski box on the back. It has a brand new handlebar bag. It has Jet Ski Collars and is very stable. Its just been serviced by Brisbane Kawasaki ($425) Rego on ski and trailer is due on 31.3.22 (ie I've just paid them- $260) The trailer has just had the bearings re-greased (not that they needed it because I never put them under water) The ski is flushed after every trip without fail. The ski is washed with automotive detergent and water after every trip. It has a 62ltr fuel tank- the largest in its class There's extensive storage. Its 160hp 1500cc naturally aspirated engine. Other general details can be obtained off the web. Its about 50% of the replacement value. It is the ultimate fishing machine.