[fish force]

Hi Folks,
I'm in the enviable position of choosing a new boat however I wouldn't mind some help / info regarding a couple of things.
Firstly I tow my boat, so a bit of info on trailers. Is there anything new out there? I seem to remember hearing about a new trailer design coming from mainland Europe. Are there any new designs to help with corrosion in the bearings / brakes? At present I strip them down after every trip but if I buy a double axle trailer this means double the work.
Secondly I would like a bigger boat, (I'm using an Alaska 500 just now), but I'm not sure whether to go for something like the Leeward 18, with masses of space for fishing, or something along the lines of the MerryFisher 580 with berths and a toilet on board. Does anyone out there ever stay on board for a couple of nights, or more, and if so how have you found it? I'm assuming most boats of this size will use a chemical toilet so how do you dispose of the waste, is it just tipped down the nearest loo on your return to shore? Also what are boats of this size like for launching? About 50% of my launches are from shallow beaches which takes us back to trailer maintenance.
Thanks in advance for any help / views you may have.

 

[ChrisP]

Nothing new on the trailer front that I know of, they still rot the brakes and collapse bearings

One thing I would avoid are ALCO axles on any trailer you are looking at. I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

I overight and weekend on my boat Quicksilver 620, ideal for 2 as only 2 bunks. I have a chemical toilet on mine, Thetford Portaloo. Just empty the tank down the loo at home. I also have one of the small gas cookers for a fry up or a brew. Best thing since sliced bread having a brew and a fry up after a night on board. I have modified the wiring on it so I have 2 big tractor batteries. I for starting the engine and the other for all electrics, usefull if you are out all night. You need an all round white light at night on the size of boat you are looking at, that is it legally. I would suggest you have a gps with anchor alarm, when the tide turns it can trip your anchor and without visual reference you are hard pressed to tell it has tripped. The anchor alarm bleeps if you drag. I have 2 fixed (plus a handheld) sets on mine, may be seen as overkill but my boat is set up with at least 2 of everything(usually 3). Can't be too safe in my books.

As to which boat that is your choice. You are aware of the differences so it is whichever one suits you and your needs.

I wish you luck and if you can, overnight, it is a different world.

 

[fish force]

Thanks for that Chris, I am erring towards something I can sleep on.
I still find it unbelievable that in the 21st century we still don't have more advanced trailers!

 

[Drew]

Hi Folks,

Might I suggest that rather than risk spillage when you empty your portaloo down the toilet, lift your manhole cover and empty it down there. Making sure that it is the sewage cover.

I always empty my motorhome sewage waste when I return from a trip.

Cheers

Drew

 

[Sparky]

I used to fish from an Alaska 500 and found it limited by size but a good platform for inshore fishing. I decided to go for a bigger boat with accomodation and went for the Orkney Orkadian. Big mistake for me. The extra cabin space on top acted like a sail and on windy days she became uncomfortable to fish from and the distance from the hatch to the anchor meant you had to stand on the bow to pull in,not fun if it blows up suddenly. Within a season it was sold and replaced with an Orkney Day fisher,twin 30hp outboards which gave the extra safety zone of one failing and only having an auxilliary to chug home on. Brilliant,brilliant boat, plenty of room to fish from and stowage space, easy to launch and recover, fast enough to run from bad weather and the after sales from Orkney in Andover is second to none.
Enough space in the cockpit for a little burner to brew and fry up.
I now have an 8mtr starfisher which is too heavy to tow, but I still went for one with cockpit/wheelhouse only.But if I ever went back to towing a boat it would be another Orkney day fisher.

Best of Luck Sparky

 

[fish force]

Is that the Day Angler ? I looked at them a couple of years back and they seemed pretty good. They certainly have the pedigree.

 

[MarieK]

I have the Orkney Day Angler/Pilot house 20 cannot fault it. If you need any details just ask.

Ryan

 

[Dave.S]

Hi

I run a non commercial web site on fishing boats and equipment.

It is made up from reports from users and covers many sizes of boat.

Have a look see and if it helps great. Fishing Boats and Equipment

Anyone wishing to add a report of a boat or their equipment please send a message or e-mail to me and I will post it up.

Good luck

Dave

 

[RayDavies]

Nice one here if you have the time to work on it:
http://www.marinetradermedia.co.uk/...&emailLink=yes&companyLink=yes&videoFilename=

 

[fish force]

Hi MarieK
I had a look at a couple of the Orkneys yesteday and although they seemed like fantastic boats the one big problem was that the berths were too short for me to lie down on. I'm about 183 cm tall (6ft), and wouldn't be able to sleep and I don't see the point of having all that extra space for merely sitting on.
Shame 'cause like I said they're nice boats.

 

[MarieK]

Yea I know what you mean im 6 foot also and have to lie at a bit of an angle, there is though a way to convert the berths into a double. It slots between the two berths and extends the length have a look at this if its the only thing putting you off the boat, when not used as a berth its simply a table in the middle, i have attached a pic of mine.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ryankg/MarieK/berth.jpg

 

[fish force]

I asked the dealer if he knew of anything like this but he said no. Did you buy this or make it yourself?

 

[MarieK]

I bought a boat show boat so had alot of extras, it is a dealer option but if i were you i wouldnt pay the extortionate price to have it fitted by orkney it would be very simple to make something to fill this space.

Although I didnt buy my boat from here the following link has a list of available options from Orkney, prices are wild though in my opinion, but it gives you an idea of what you can get.

http://www.cambrianboats.co.uk/orkneyP/pricelist/DA20.htm

Ryan

 

[fish force]

See what you mean!
I saw two boats yesterday, one second hand, about a year old, which I was told has only done 5 hours. It had a sea toilet and a hatch as well as a couple of instruments, (which I already have), but was only £45 less than the brand new boat next to it which had a better engine and sliding windows but no toilet.
Might see if they're willing to do a deal on the second hand one.

 

[MarieK]

They do seem to hold their value very well, I wouldnt be overly fussed on the sea toilet at the end of the day you are most likely going to sleeping at a marina with facilities. You prob want at least a 70hp for easy fast cruising.

In the last month or so a few have been advertised on boatsandoutboards.co.uk have a look at them to see if they have been sold yet.

 

[balleko]

Hi there,
I bought a Jenneau merry fisher 620 last year, at 21ft she's a beauty. She's three berth and having slept in her she's very comfortable. I have the outboard model fitted with a 90hp suzuki. She's very easy to lauch and recover - i can launch her by myself and it only takes two of us to recover her (one to drive the car back up the slip) She's fitted with a cooker and sea toilet although the toilet on board is pretty impracticle and very difficult to negotiate in bad seas. What I would say is by far the best point of her is her sea handling capabilities. I have been out there in 6-7 seas with 2.5 - 3m waves and she just loves it!!
I have a few friends in Scarbourough who own the quicksilver 21fts and Oceateau and they both love and prefer my boat!! She's good for 23-25knots this even been achievable in bad seas. One problem you may have is that she's not at all good for beach launches and recovery - I tried launching her from Bridlington once from the beach and she was just slamming into the waves and eventually we had to abort the attempt - ideally you need a slipway to launch this boat.
Towing wise she's great. I have a landcruiser which pulls all 4.5 tonnes no problem. I actually got a very good deal from Brighton Marina on the boat - she was the demonstator at the Southampton Boat show original price with engine & trailer was 27500 - I basically told them I was willing to pay 22500 for her and after negotiation the price was agreed at that. I'm unsure what a 580 costs but I don't think you'd get a new one much cheaper that 22k.
I hope this helps but if you need any more advice or some contact numbers for where I bought my boat get back in touch.
Regards
TB

 

[fish force]

Looks like I'm getting an Orkney Pilothouse 20 tomorrow.
One year old, loads of extras and only 4 hours of use, and the first person I called agreed to buy my old boat for the asking price.
Thanks for all the advice.

 

[MarieK]

If you dont mind me asking what price did you get it for? what is the spec?

 

[fish force]

No problem. It was 22k. 1 year old, no more than 4 hours use. epoxied + anti-fouled, sea toilet, gas cooker, suzuki DF70TL Four stroke, interior lights, 1 fuel tank, trailer + lights, lowrance global map 3300c colour plotter, S10 DSC VHF, Raymarine fishfinder, fore hatch, stanchions + gaurdwires, boarding ladder, aux' bracket, nav' lights, fire extinguisher, cockpit cover.....can't think of anything else.
Can't wait to get her out but I'm waiting for a couple of spare wheels before I go anywhere plus the forecast is rain, rain, rain, rain......

 

[MarieK]

Superb buy!! congratulations, I hope you are as happy with her as I have been with mine.


Ryan