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Bit of boat porn


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Part of the reason I dropped down to my current little boat was that I get to play in all sorts of boats that I don't have to buy and maintain. This is one of them which happens to be the same as one of the commercial boats I drive, only the commercial one doesn't have the extras such as flir camera and helm master steering etc.

Only took it up the river to do some prop testing so couldn't push it to hard just yet being a new motor, in saying that we had a quick spurt to 54kts. Electric steering and flyby wire is always nice to use but the helm master is quite remarkable and something I could see many uses for. With helm master I positioned the boat over a wreck in a brisk breeze and about 3kts of outgoing tide then touched the fish mode, which held us over the wreck better than anchoring could. The engine quietly popped in and out of gear turning constantly holding us directly over the wreck "fark its good".

The drivers seat was full suspension but took a fair amount of room so was taken out and a different seating config will soon be installed. In the commercial versions we run them without seats as this makes them easier to handle in big seas at speed.

The flir camera even though it was daylight worked a charm, as did autopilot etc.

The economy at 26kts was close to 2km per lt which will give some pretty good range from the 350lt fuel tank. 

These boats are built heavy with deep v hulls for punching through big seas at speed and covering big distances. 

Looking forward to chasing a few broadbill from this little weapon over the coming months.

Cost of little boats like this are about the same as two bedroom flat locally, so not in my price range of toys!!!

 

 

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Edited by JDP
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1 minute ago, Andy135 said:

Nice! Not heard about helm master before. Presume it's a Yamaha thing for helping to dock and/or hold station?

Yes that's it, first time Ive had a play with it. There are some YouTube videos of it, not sure if other manufacturers have something similar. Seems to be so much etc going into outfits these days, hopefully it's reliable. The auto pilot seemed a little different in I couldn't override it without cancelling it first.

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Nice boat Jon. I think Volvo do a similar system for larger boats (cruisers) “sky hook” or something like that I believe it’s called. 
Basically put the boat where you want it, push a button then it holds its own position via the gps unit onboard. This then allows simple single handed docking! 

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1 hour ago, Andy135 said:

Nice! Not heard about helm master before. Presume it's a Yamaha thing for helping to dock and/or hold station?

 

Mercury also do a similar system, but it is only available for the larger 'fly by wire' outboards, IIRC 250hp and above. I am told it is better than perfect with twins.

I am still going with a bow mounted Minn Kota Terranova Riptide for anchoring, I just need to get off my arse and get on with it. Not cheap though, about £2.5k

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29 minutes ago, GPSguru said:

 

Mercury also do a similar system, but it is only available for the larger 'fly by wire' outboards, IIRC 250hp and above. I am told it is better than perfect with twins.

I am still going with a bow mounted Minn Kota Terranova Riptide for anchoring, I just need to get off my arse and get on with it. Not cheap though, about £2.5k

Ive got a Minn Kota with the latest little boat, haven't got round to trying it yet but looking forward to it. Trouble is I tend to travel fair distances and belt the hell out of my boats so not sure if it will stay attached to the boat for long!!!

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11 minutes ago, JDP said:

Ive got a Minn Kota with the latest little boat, haven't got round to trying it yet but looking forward to it. Trouble is I tend to travel fair distances and belt the hell out of my boats so not sure if it will stay attached to the boat for long!!!

It should be ok, they are used mainly on Bass boats, which are not slow or renowned for their ride quality. The yanks also use them on offshore boats to anchor in very deep water, so I guess in the stowed position they are quite robust. IIRC the shaft and prop carry a lifetime warranty.

I will be using the Minn Kote quick release base plate, so I can easily take it off when not required.

Edited by GPSguru
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12 hours ago, Geoff said:

What a lovely rig and to be able to "play" with it at someone else's cost must make it even better. Geoff.☺️

These are a common work boat here, mostly used in the shellfish and urchin industry. The one I drive for abalone is a bare bones boat where. We can load this one up with 1.5ton of shellfish hand gathered in a day. The air compressor is under the grey cover on the gunnel, no seats just floor space. Many are rigged with big twin engines which make it easier to control the boat with divers in the water working off air hoses.

Its surprising how much work is involved in keeping the boat close without putting any tension on the hoses and not getting a hose around the prop when its windy and rough and at the same time clean and grade the shellfish they are sending up. All of these fishermen seem to be a bit crazy, with just one position on the throttle and that's all the way!!!

 

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Edited by JDP
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