Another boat !!

[JDP]

This is my fourth version of this same hull, only bought this one because I missed out on the boat I sold my zodiac to buy. Other versions of this 540 hull Ive owned have had more cab space and less deck area, this one just came along when there was nothing else that suited my likes.

For me a boat needs to be able to be towed great distances as I like heading north to the tropics in the winter ( not last winter because of covid ). I like soft riding boats as mid morning winds normally reach 25knots and combine with large ocean swells. A 33' degree variable deadrise hull cuts through waves quite well at speed, the speed is needed to get back ahead of some storms or cyclones before things get pretty nasty. Chassing game species can be anything from casting distance from the shore to 120km runs offshore.

I also enjoy trips where i island hop around the southern end of the barrier reef, taking extra fuel and water for several day trips. Camping on islands about 80km offshore is great for getting away from it all.

The window opens in the middle and the front hatch swings open so you can work big popping gear from the bow on tuna etc. The door at the stern allow me to block and tackle big fish from the front seat post,or from the front ellectric anchor winch. I normally remove the seats from my boats but have seceded to leave these in for now. Plenty of underfloor storage hatches with this one too.

More power would be better but the Suzuki 140 does get a half decent speed out of it. We tend to go with max hp on small boats so we can run ahead of bad weather, with clear blue sky's you often see storm fronts and have plenty of time to get out of there path.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by JDP

[Saintly Fish]

5 minutes ago, JDP said:

This is my fourth version of this same hull, only bought this one because I missed out on the boat I sold my zodiac to buy. Other versions of this 540 hull Ive owned have had more cab space and less deck area, this one just came along when there was nothing else that suited my likes.

For me a boat needs to be able to be towed great distances as I like heading north to the tropics in the winter ( not last winter because of covid ). I like soft riding boats as mid morning winds normally reach 25knots and combine with large ocean swells. A 33' degree variable deadrise hull cuts through waves quite well at speed, the speed is needed to get back ahead of some storms or cyclones before things get pretty nasty. Chassing game species can be anything from casting distance from the shore to 120km runs offshore.

I also enjoy trips where i island hop around the southern end of the barrier reef, taking extra fuel and water for several day trips. Camping on islands about 80km offshore is great for getting away from it all.

The window opens in the middle and the front hatch swings open so you can work big popping gear from the bow on tuna etc. The door at the stern allow me to block and tackle big fish from the front seat post,or from the front ellectric anchor winch. I normally remove the seats from my boats but have seceded to leave these in for now. Plenty of underfloor storage hatches with this one too.

More power would be better but the Suzuki 140 does get a half decent speed out of it. We tend to go with max hp on small boats so we can run ahead of bad weather, with clear blue sky's you often see storm fronts and have plenty of time to get out of there path.

 

 

 

 

 

Omg JonC is going to be so moist right now. 
Very nice looking boat, what is it? 

[Andy135]

10 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

Omg JonC is going to be so moist right now. 
Very nice looking boat, what is it? 

Moist? He'll be gushing... 💦

[Geoff]

Lovely looking rig. Geoff.☺️

[JDP]

1 hour ago, Saintly Fish said:

Omg JonC is going to be so moist right now. 
Very nice looking boat, what is it? 

Its a Haines signature. They are the biggest and most awarded boat company here in Oz and come from an offshore blue water racing heritage. The company split from the Haines hunter side about 30 years ago and the standard of the hunter series fell in many peoples opinions. There's an interesting video if you enjoy boating stuff, which is in a couple of parts showing the factory and build. There are numerous signature models both big and small, with mine being in that small to mid size. The boat in the video with a 4x4 parked onto of it is a 4.85m very light weight boat which will probably be my next boat as these are so light and run very economically on 70-90 4 strokes (around 4km per litre). 

 

[JDP]

2 hours ago, Saintly Fish said:

Omg JonC is going to be so moist right now. 
Very nice looking boat, what is it? 

Jon has seen pic's of it when I first bought it. Theres a nice soft fold down rear lounge on it for when ever he wants a break from those chilly winters.

Altered the aluminium trailer for quick launch and retrieve, easy drive on and off.

 

[JDP]

My first one of these was the same boat used by Hans Tholstrup in his epic 7500 km run from Darwin to Japan powered by just a 90 Honda 4 stroke. During his journey he encountered cyclone winds, pirates and having to partly submerge the boat to keep it in the water in such high winds. So quite capable and proven for a little boat.

[JonC]

It does look like a very capable setup there Jon, I wouldn’t fancy it in the Thames estuary in January but in the climate you’re in it’s perfect. 
Fistysaint would have that Bimini recovered in velvet crush and bring the seats in to match. 

out of interest what rates do you pay for petrol where you are? Is it similar to our current  £1.15per litre? I know we get smashed for it along with most other things. 
 

[JDP]

25 minutes ago, JonC said:

It does look like a very capable setup there Jon, I wouldn’t fancy it in the Thames estuary in January but in the climate you’re in it’s perfect. 
Fistysaint would have that Bimini recovered in velvet crush and bring the seats in to match. 

out of interest what rates do you pay for petrol where you are? Is it similar to our current  £1.15per litre? I know we get smashed for it along with most other things. 
 

We are paying about $1.12 so half what you are paying. As for the Bimini, there are clears onboard that zip in under the canopy then clip around the outside of the window, which are pretty useful running home in big seas or cold winters days after diving.

 

[Geoff]

7 hours ago, JDP said:

Its a Haines signature. They are the biggest and most awarded boat company here in Oz and come from an offshore blue water racing heritage. The company split from the Haines hunter side about 30 years ago and the standard of the hunter series fell in many peoples opinions. There's an interesting video if you enjoy boating stuff, which is in a couple of parts showing the factory and build. There are numerous signature models both big and small, with mine being in that small to mid size. The boat in the video with a 4x4 parked onto of it is a 4.85m very light weight boat which will probably be my next boat as these are so light and run very economically on 70-90 4 strokes (around 4km per litre). 

 

Interesting vid, thanks for posting. Sound not too clear so I may have the word wrong, but what is RHU? ply? Geoff.

[JDP]

31 minutes ago, Geoff said:

Interesting vid, thanks for posting. Sound not too clear so I may have the word wrong, but what is RHU? ply? Geoff.

I believe it's a treatment the ply goes through. Quote from them.

For over 50 years we have proven that we have the strongest and most advanced hull design of any trailer boat on the market in Australia today. We use specially designed plywood timber in key structural areas. More superior than any marine-grade timber, the individual layers in our product is treated and protected prior to assembly ensuring no further treatment is needed, even when cut.

The Rivale process is also unique to this manufacturer and now used in more and more of their boats.

 

 

Edited October 24, 2020 by JDP

[Geoff]

Thanks Jon - so it RHU ply is Rivale ply (that was close for me), but basically unattainable. Sad. Geoff.

[JDP]

14 hours ago, Geoff said:

Thanks Jon - so it RHU ply is Rivale ply (that was close for me), but basically unattainable. Sad. Geoff.

No, both two different things. Rivale is basically two almost identical moulds that sit close together where fibreglass is injected between making far stronger and lighter boats, hence the 2.3ton 4x4 parked ontop of the 4.85 hull in the video. They do that at all the boat shows ( park a 4x4 on one of their hulls). This also cuts production time down to around 1/3 I believe and has virtually no waste. Only certain hulls are currently made this way but they all use the specially impregnated ply or some kind of  foam board in a few hulls. 

I mostly had open boats when I lived in the UK, so I can't see why these wouldn't be an awsome little boat for back there. The kind of seas I mostly encountered around the IOW were from mostly wind action and very little in the way of the ground swells we encounter. Ground swells can be anything from 5-10m but offshore barely noticeable but when you get back to inshore bar crossing things can soon become more dramatic. This is part of why so many boats are powered relatively higher than the UK, you need instant power when following on the shoulder of a wave that meets pressure waves from outgoing tides etc at river mouths.

Take a look at this video about 17 mins in and onwards to see just how much better our small boats are over here when it comes to coming back through our bar crossings. My daughter had a near miss with the charter boat in the last couple of weeks that shook her up a fair bit. When a wave picks your 45ft cat up and throws you towards the rocks with around 20 passengers depending on you, it's not a good feeling. In the small boats it is a good feeling, I find bar crossing fun, a bit like JetSki playing.

 

Anyway these are some very good friends of ours who recently sold up home to live on a sailing cat, this just happens to be their latest video from a couple of days ago and shows a bar crossing looking ugly. Note how the sea looks quite reasonable offshore away from the crossing.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2020 by JDP

[Odyssey]

We get similar (albeit on a vastly smaller scale) when coming through the heads at Milford. 
 

The swell funnels up between the islands and you get some move lumps even though the underlying swell offshore is small. 
 

It’s why it’s nice knowing I got lots of power on board... I just wish boat builders in UK looked at Aussie boats, saw the technology and got with the times! We are 30 years behind you guys! 

[Geoff]

9 hours ago, JDP said:

No, both two different things. Rivale is basically two almost identical moulds that sit close together where fibreglass is injected between making far stronger and lighter boats, hence the 2.3ton 4x4 parked ontop of the 4.85 hull in the video. They do that at all the boat shows ( park a 4x4 on one of their hulls). This also cuts production time down to around 1/3 I believe and has virtually no waste. Only certain hulls are currently made this way but they all use the specially impregnated ply or some kind of  foam board in a few hulls. 

I mostly had open boats when I lived in the UK, so I can't see why these wouldn't be an awsome little boat for back there. The kind of seas I mostly encountered around the IOW were from mostly wind action and very little in the way of the ground swells we encounter. Ground swells can be anything from 5-10m but offshore barely noticeable but when you get back to inshore bar crossing things can soon become more dramatic. This is part of why so many boats are powered relatively higher than the UK, you need instant power when following on the shoulder of a wave that meets pressure waves from outgoing tides etc at river mouths.

Take a look at this video about 17 mins in and onwards to see just how much better our small boats are over here when it comes to coming back through our bar crossings. My daughter had a near miss with the charter boat in the last couple of weeks that shook her up a fair bit. When a wave picks your 45ft cat up and throws you towards the rocks with around 20 passengers depending on you, it's not a good feeling. In the small boats it is a good feeling, I find bar crossing fun, a bit like JetSki playing.

 

Anyway these are some very good friends of ours who recently sold up home to live on a sailing cat, this just happens to be their latest video from a couple of days ago and shows a bar crossing looking ugly. Note how the sea looks quite reasonable offshore away from the crossing.

 

 

That moulding system sounds similar to what we do over here, but it is known as injection moulding. We have an inner and an outer mould, gelcoat the outer, put in the mat and any internal reinforcement required then  then more mat and clamp in the inner mould. The resin is then mixed with the hardener in the injection nozzle and injected into the cavity between the moulds which also has a vacuum applied to assist and accelerate the fill. We use this system in my friends workshop everyday, but obviously that is geared to mass production. Most of our work is traditional one off stuff and repairs so is hand layup of moulds and mouldings. Thanks for posting another very interesting vid. Geoff.

[JDP]

1 hour ago, Geoff said:

That moulding system sounds similar to what we do over here, but it is known as injection moulding. We have an inner and an outer mould, gelcoat the outer, put in the mat and any internal reinforcement required then  then more mat and clamp in the inner mould. The resin is then mixed with the hardener in the injection nozzle and injected into the cavity between the moulds which also has a vacuum applied to assist and accelerate the fill. We use this system in my friends workshop everyday, but obviously that is geared to mass production. Most of our work is traditional one off stuff and repairs so is hand layup of moulds and mouldings. Thanks for posting another very interesting vid. Geoff.

I think part of the difference is that they don't use matting between the mould here and the vacuum part means no harmful fumes etc https://www.clubmarine.com.au/exploreboating/articles/23-5-Complete-rig

[Geoff]

1 hour ago, JDP said:

I think part of the difference is that they don't use matting between the mould here and the vacuum part means no harmful fumes etc https://www.clubmarine.com.au/exploreboating/articles/23-5-Complete-rig

If that is the case chopped strand must be mixed with the resin in the injector nozzle, but that would preclude any reinforcement (plywood etc.) being added. Geoff.

[JDP]

Change of tow vehicles for the boat rig. Sold the Isuzu Dmax and picked up a Mazda BT 50 3.2 470nm torque which makes ease of uphills.

 

[Geoff]

A very smart looking rig Jon. Geoff.