New member

[yachtytez]

Hi everybody.
I am a new member so joining in the chat that I see is pretty helpful to new blokes like myself, possibly getting a poly boat in the next year or so.
I work away a lot, i live in the states at the moment, but hoping to move back permanently to north coast NSW (arrawarra).
I am wondering what you blokes would think is the ideal size poly boat to launch off the beach?
I am reading a few strings where Brumby's have been bought and owners seem happy with them.
I was wondering if a 5.3 was starting to get a bit big to handle launching off the beach?
Anyone do it often?
I was wanting to get a size that was easyish for me and my old man to handle - dad's getting a bit older now, and so not as helpful as he used to be!! But still, I want to go out with him and it would be nice to have the space of a 5.3, but we may have to compromise to a 4.8?
Anyway, any thoughts would be appreciated!
thanks

[polyFrank]

Hi yachtytez welcome to the forum.
I cannot offer any advice on beach launching. But I would like to say there are no rollers on a poly trailer, its all slides. Also the lightest 5.3 would be the centre consol at 700 plus kg, plus motor, fuel etc etc.

Is your dad called Doug? hehehe

[Dave]

Welcome Tez. Maybe you could buy a triumph while you are over there and then bring it back with you.

Beach launching a 5.3 may be a bit of a nightmare depending on the type of beach and angle of approach to the water. If its a steep beach, it wouldnt be a problem, you could probably drive it on. Pete will post a link to his videos of his launch and retrieve methods.
If its a good beach then you could get dad to drive it on / off the trailer.

If its shallow it could be a bit much trying to handle the boat in the shallows.

The other point would be the vehicle you have to be able to tow the boat through/across the sand/beach and the ability to actually pull the boat out of the water up the beach.

Now if you had a jetski......

[BigFella]

Welcome Tez. Maybe you could buy a triumph while you are over there and then bring it back with you.

Beach launching a 5.3 may be a bit of a nightmare depending on the type of beach and angle of approach to the water. If its a steep beach, it wouldnt be a problem, you could probably drive it on. Pete will post a link to his videos of his launch and retrieve methods.
If its a good beach then you could get dad to drive it on / off the trailer.

If its shallow it could be a bit much trying to handle the boat in the shallows.

The other point would be the vehicle you have to be able to tow the boat through/across the sand/beach and the ability to actually pull the boat out of the water up the beach.

Now if you had a jetski......


,,,,,,go away you terrorist, noisy, smokey buzz buzz buzzing bloody terrorist!

[Dave]

excuse me but my boats are 4 stroke not a yamaha two stroke!!

[Andy]

I can beach launch my 4.55 pretty easy, so I cant see that the 5.3 would be a whole lot more difficult.

[Pirate Pete]

Welcome aboard Yachtytec

Here is the link to my post on driving on

http://www.polyboatowners.com/2010/vb/showthread.php?t=219

I have only done 2 beach launches with the 5.3 & it involved a lot of pushing & shoving as I dint want to get the new car in the saltwater. I have only done the 1 retrieve as the weather blew up I used a ramp another 10ks or so away.

If you used some of the sprays the other users use on their skids it would have been a lot easier.

If I was to use this beach more often I would make up an extension draw bar so I could get the trailer into some more water.

Twenty something years ago when I Miss Jane was still a miss her father had a Bountycraft White Pointer & we used to beach launch that by unhooking the trailer & pushing the whole thing out in the water until the boat floated off & then dragged the trailer back up the beach with a rope. We did the reverse to get it back on.

I lost count of the other rigs I pulled out of the water as they tried to back down to the waters edge & put their boat in from there in 2 wheel drives even after watching me in a 4wd wtf wtf wtf

[yachtytez]

Thanks for the advice and comments.
I'm thinking the brumby may be the go.
Nothing worse than struggling on the beach.
We had a little Stessl, which with that tri-hull arrangement was great - you just hooked it up to the tractor, and yanked it up the beach, then backed the trailer underneath it.
The heavier single hull will be a little more work.

And yes Dave, it is a shallow beach. it's generally a well protected beach from the southerly - but you do get a bit of swell wrapping around.
And so it would make driving it on a bit dodgey when there is a fair bit of wave action, and usually swimmers gawking and hanging around!

So its just safer to drive into the shallows, and manhandle it on.

The furthest we go out is about 15 miles, but just trying to get that balance between a decent sized 'sea boat', and something you retrieve on the beach with one other bloke to help you.

I like Pete's idea of disconnecting the trailer from the boat and floating it off, and retrieving it the same way. putting a decent 3rd wheel on the trailer may be just the thing.
By the way, we did have a decent tractor which died on us a while back.
I will probably use my '83 diesel cruiser to launch and retrieve instead.

Anyway, thanks guys.
I am just working on a plan that will make it as easy as possible for us.
(and yes Dave, I would like to bring a motorcycle back. Its just that my missus is getting this idea of bringing all of her furniture crap back to Australia - and so there wouldn't be much room left in a 20 ft container for much else. i think I am going to have to convince her to have a garage sale)

[Pirate Pete]

Anyway, thanks guys.
(and yes Dave, I would like to bring a motorcycle back. Its just that my missus is getting this idea of bringing all of her furniture crap back to Australia - and so there wouldn't be much room left in a 20 ft container for much else. i think I am going to have to convince her to have a garage sale)

Dave was talking about this type of Triumph

http://www.triumphboats.com/

[Dave]

Dave was talking about this type of Triumph

http://www.triumphboats.com/

doh yeah it is a boating forum....laugh1