Gt fishing and allrounder boat??

[NathanMcNiece]

hi all,
I'm looking to help out my old man to find a boat around 30ft preferablly twin engines that would be suitable for GT popping, yet also suitable for most other types of fishing like bottom bashing, trolling etc.
does anyone know some good brands of boats that will be adequate for these purposes, I have recently been looking at grady white and sailfish yet the sailfish doesnt have sufficient room up front to really cast from.

Thanks
Nathan

[Chris Young]

Have a look at the Contender series of boats. Damon has one as part of Nomad fleet. Awesome rig if you can afford it

[Neale Bird]

Second that!   

[NathanMcNiece]

Yeah thanks, love the look of the contenders.
I think i will be opting for more a centre cabin boat though so if staying overnight somewhere wudnt be a problem

[Travis Heaps]

At the price range you're looking at consider a custom plate boat - can get it decked out exactly as you want it.  Jopalo, AMM, Platemaster all seem to do pretty nice custom jobs.  I got a quote from the Jopalo bloke and he was extrememly helpful...although it was very reasonable and within what I wanted to spend I just couldn't justify the $$ unfortunately.

[NathanMcNiece]

thanks travis ill take a look
do you guys prefer aliminium or fibreglass?

[John Campbell]

 
  Hi Nathan

  where will you be doing most of your fishing ?

[Chris Young]

Hi Nathan

I have a custom built plate boat that performs well beyond its class.
I think if you want to go down the road of fully custom built you can't go past plate. On the other hand if you want proven performance and bang for you buck without going custom I would suggest a reputable Glass boat. Either way, do your homework and make sure you know exactly what you want. More importantly make sure the people you are buying from know exactly what you want and if possible draw up some plans (to scale) with all your ideas before the project is started

Chris

[NathanMcNiece]

thanks guys,
John- This boat will be in tow behind a larger 65ft kingfisher we have and we will be fishing the whitsundays and anywhere around brisbane and the coasts.

[John Campbell]

  Hey Nathan
  that sounds like a great setup, a plate boat set up exactly how you want would be
  good for using down brisbane way but also good for towing north and using around the reefs
  and headlands that would prob be the easiest way to get as close as you can to an allrounder
 
  in fibreglass i think contender make a walkaround cab in there bigger sizes, the gradys are a
  really solid boat, also check out the hydra sports they make some nice walkaround cabs around
  that size.  another boat made in aus that looks nice is the seatime 28 they look nice
  but dont know about how they perform

  hope this helps

  cheers john

[NathanMcNiece]

Thanks for the help guys,
now the big question I am being faced with at the moment
 
Mono Hull or Cat and why??

The cats seem to be more stable and fuel efficient but do the mono hulls have any advantages?


Cheers

[Robert Palcak]

Thanks for the help guys,
now the big question I am being faced with at the moment
 
Mono Hull or Cat and why??

The cats seem to be more stable and fuel efficient but do the mono hulls have any advantages?


Cheers

Hi Nathan

The Mono vs Cat debate could go on forever is one that that has been done to death on many boating forums... and basically, at the end of the day comes down to person preference.
I've owned both at some stage in smaller sizes, and they both have their pro's and con's.
They are totally diferent rides and as you mentioned, the cats are generally more stable... unless of course you get a RIB(rigid inflatable boat)... like a Stabi-Craft which is what I went to after owning a Cat... and I love them. They are probably not what you're after tho bacause I dont think they come in a centre-cab/centre console in 30 footers.
Because of this, my personal preference would be a Cat... you will get a much longer and beamier cock-pit in a 30' boat than if you went mono in that same length.
Like with anything else, do your research and get something that will suit your needs.

[NathanMcNiece]

Thanks for the advice, going to the sydney boat show to check it all out

cheers

[Jon Li]

What about Black Watch 30SF ?

Jon .

[jay currie]

Hey mate I have also been looking into a new boat mine more around the 26foot mark I want to try to keep it towable. A few I have found worth a look at are the Hooker, Wellcraft, and Scout Boats I personally dont think you can beat a glass boat