Thread: Boat advice

Originally Posted by Yesmate

go a metre bigger than what you think you want, you will be thankful if your going wide.

And the next engine size up. All $$$

Originally Posted by MB

Do Surtees really sink a lot or is it that are just a very commonly owned boat, so appear more in incidents? I don't own one and don't think I've ever been on on, but people do seem to like them.

For the OP, Frewza and Surtees are completely different shaped hulls. Pontoon versus "V". After deciding on fibreglass versus aluminium, shape of hull would be my next decision. For a smaller boat, I would say that a pontoon boat has to be the safer option. For long rides in the chop, I think most people would agree that a V-shaped hull would be the most comfortable option.

Yep, also factor in pontoon hulls tend to need a wee bit more oomph to get moving with the extra hull in the water at rest - which can be noticeable if you have the idea of dragging sprogs on water toys (or the ladies for that matter). If you mostly plan on going to a spot, anchoring and bottom fishing or stopping and drift fishing a pontoon will be a bit more stable for this work (less tippy as you move around inside) which is a little more confidence inspiring but they can also bang and slap a lot more which can make some fishing harder (very shallow and sneaking up on fish). If you are mostly wanting to fish on the move, dragging lures etc the straight V hull will be better...

I would recommend Frewza over Surtees at that size just due to the stability of the boat at rest.
If you are just fishing and aren't really rough on your boats a fiberglass boat I have found is generally a more comfortable ride in that size range.

I have a Frewza F16 sport console with a 100hp Suzuki on the back and have no issues with chine walking(except at full throttle unloaded).
Plenty of room for fishing but expect to get wet if it is windy(probably not the case on the fisher).

Thanks for all the advice so far, some great comments there. I’m probaly leaning towards a pontoon hull as that’s what my 14 footer is at the moment but the extra room in the likes of the surtees does appeal to me. Fibreglass is out of the question as we do a lot of beaching. I will flick you a message Mark_k, I would be very interested in having a look at your 535

I have a Surtees 5.5 HT. Great little boat that does what my family and I need. Have contemplated going bigger but it’s a big step up in price and the ability to launch at some places with just my wife.

I love the practical layout of the boat. It rides real smooth with the deep V which was important to me. I hate a boat that pounds along. The compromise is a bit of stability left to right, you need to make sure the boat is balanced when under power and don’t go putting everyone all on the same side at once when fishing. The flooding keel works great too, especially if it chops up and you need a heavier hull to cut through on the way home. There’s no perfect solution, pick what your priorities are. 5.5 is a nice size to practically afford and handle but its still not an overly big boat and comparison to anything 6+ is comparing apples to oranges.

Originally Posted by stagstalker

I have a Surtees 5.5 HT. Great little boat that does what my family and I need. Have contemplated going bigger but it’s a big step up in price and the ability to launch at some places with just my wife.

I love the practical layout of the boat. It rides real smooth with the deep V which was important to me. I hate a boat that pounds along. The compromise is a bit of stability left to right, you need to make sure the boat is balanced when under power and don’t go putting everyone all on the same side at once when fishing. The flooding keel works great too, especially if it chops up and you need a heavier hull to cut through on the way home. There’s no perfect solution, pick what your priorities are. 5.5 is a nice size to practically afford and handle but its still not an overly big boat and comparison to anything 6+ is comparing apples to oranges.

Agree with everything you said, I’ve got a 5.8 HT, big enough to handle the rough but small enough I can launch by myself. Very practical no nonsense boats.

FC boats are worth a look. I have had a 5.5 Surtees and now have a 5.6 FC.
I rate the FC over the Surtees.

Originally Posted by Chur Bay

FC boats are worth a look. I have had a 5.5 Surtees and now have a 5.6 FC.
I rate the FC over the Surtees.

I also have an FC 5.6m boat (centre console) and have no major complaints over 3 years of ownership. It is allegedly unsinkable and stable on the move and at rest. Everyone tends to recommend the boat they have, so I have avoided it so far. Chur Bay started it!

Go try some boats out . No biat is perfect. For you proce range you should find something that meets your needs .

Those are both great boats really. Both more than capable offshore on the right day. I've taken my little 4.85 surtees a long ways out gamefishing etc just need to have the right safety gear and the right forcast.

The frewza ride well for a pontoon, surtees have an awesome ride but are quite trim sensitive (deep hull light boat, no free linches). I think that's where lots of the surtees "issues" come from people who don't know how to trim a boat or drive a deep v.

The 5.5 is a much bigger boat that the f16, frew more stable but the surtes are fine in this sense anyway, we regularly have 2 people over a rail on mine sorting a king or tuna or similar without any issue.

I'm looking at flicking mine and getting an f17 hardtop built for a bit of weather protection and a little more grunt. The prevailing afternon ne here always seems to end up on my outer and can be pretty wet

In the current economy there should be some pretty sharply priced second hand boats available.