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Unicorn · April 18, 2018, 09:25:04 AM

Very stylish Troutski!! :good:

Robster · April 18, 2018, 09:36:06 AM

How exciting - plenty of time to master that Nikon!

keldaw · April 18, 2018, 11:31:06 AM

hi jim ,

don't worry about the crocs , we have fished Karumba in the gulf in a 3.1 dingy with a 8 horse power Johnson on the back and we went 4 miles out to sea in it and had crocs come up about 6 ft away from us just for a look . we never had any trouble with them , unless we went over near their small creeks running into the bay , if you do they will come up beside you and arch their back and grunt , then you know it is time to go .if you get any small sharks don't throw them all back , beautiful eating and no bones , a little bit hard to skin , just cook first then scrape meat of the skin . good luck to you both on your adventure , and just enjoy it .

REMEMBER , ENJOY LIFE , YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT AT IT .

Triggersmob · April 18, 2018, 08:12:20 PM

Fruit!! Could be navigation, sonar, etc.

trout · April 18, 2018, 08:24:41 PM

Quote from: 'keldaw' pid='114904' dateline='1524016866'hi jim ,

don't worry about the crocs , we have fished Karumba in the gulf in a 3.1 dingy with a 8 horse power Johnson on the back and we went 4 miles out to sea in it and had crocs come up about 6 ft away from us just for a look . we never had any trouble with them , unless we went over near their small creeks running into the bay , if you do they will come up beside you and arch their back and grunt , then you know it is time to go .if you get any small sharks don't throw them all back , beautiful eating and no bones , a little bit hard to skin , just cook first then scrape meat of the skin . good luck to you both on your adventure , and just enjoy it .

REMEMBER , ENJOY LIFE , YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT AT IT .

I intend to do a few extended trips that require sleeping on the boat overnight, That's not going to happen in a small dinghy

I also intend to head offshore in the gulf so the bigger boat will let us do this without getting soaked on the way.
I have spent a few years in the top end and 99% of the time crocks are not a problem, It's that other 1% that I am cautious about.

trout · April 19, 2018, 07:32:39 AM

Quote from: 'Triggersmob' pid='114909' dateline='1524048140'Fruit!! Could be navigation, sonar, etc.

The "Fruit" is going to be a 12v drum anchor winch, a nice bait board, a boat latch system so that I can drive the boat onto the trailer and lock it into place from the helm and I want to fit my old Garmin sounder/GPS so that I can access all my old stored marks and tracks.
Other than that there is nothing else needed to be done on the boat.
The caravan needs a solar panel/panels fitted on the roof and a couple of decent batteries and a controller wired up on it and I am thinking of getting these done professionally as Mrs Trout would never forgive me if I stuffed it up and burnt her flash new caravan down.
Most of our previous trips have been done using our old Jayco swan pop up van that was an absolute swine to set up and my 12' dingy that was and still is very reliable But incredibly uncomfortable to fish out of.
We have now upgraded to a 20' van with an electric awning and all the other mod cons and the new boat simply because we are both getting too old now to be stuffing about setting up the van at the end of the day and our old bodies struggle with being cramped up in the dingy fishing all day.
It has cost me about 70k so far but as far as I am concerned it is money well spent as we will be spending the entire dry season (5 months) in the Kimberlies, NT and the Gulf so a degree of comfort and an easy set up is pretty important to make the trip enjoyable for us.

Goldseeker · April 19, 2018, 06:42:51 PM

Posses the question. How are you going to tow a caravan and an enormous luxury boat at the same time?

trout · April 19, 2018, 06:48:26 PM

Quote from: 'Goldseeker' pid='114928' dateline='1524129171'Posses the question. How are you going to tow a caravan and an enormous luxury boat at the same time?

That is easy, We use 2x 4WD's, Mrs Trout drives one I drive the other

The boat isn't really enormous its only 18 foot long and only weighs 1.5 ton, I was looking at bigger boats but most of them were in excess of 2.5 ton and I would have difficulty beach launching them and using the various bush ramps I use.
This Boat will allow me to launch just about anywhere and still allow me to head out deep :good:

Goldseeker · April 21, 2018, 11:59:54 AM

I figured that was the case, two cars. Now for the bad news, two cars, double the fuel costs.

Triggersmob · April 21, 2018, 07:44:38 PM

What's wrong with a road train?

trout · April 22, 2018, 06:24:05 AM

Quote from: 'Goldseeker' pid='114953' dateline='1524277794'I figured that was the case, two cars. Now for the bad news, two cars, double the fuel costs.

Yes it does double the fuel and running costs But that is the only option for us to be able to take a decent sized boat AND caravan on a trip.
I have suggested to Mrs Trout that all she really needs is a decent swag for accommodation and she has suggested to me that I don't really need a boat to go fishing, Both suggestions were rejected out of hand :whistle2:
Also many of the places we venture we would be foolish to rely on just one vehicle to make the trip safely.
By using two vehicles you can also pretty much double up on the fuel, water and stores you can carry thus negating the need for resupply runs out of remote areas and you can also carry extra tools like a welder and power tools by sharing the load between both vehicles that are impractical to carry on a single vehicle.
We have been doing these trips for quite some time now and we have used just one vehicle at times But we have found that by using 2x 4WD's the trip is more comfortable and enjoyable which is what it is all about in the first place :good:

Quote What's wrong with a road train?

A road train won't be able to go where we go most of the time

Triggersmob · April 22, 2018, 09:50:21 AM

It's going to be like a Leyland Brothers adventure.
Don't forget to take lots of video, you might be able
to sell the TV rights.

trout · April 22, 2018, 11:46:46 AM

Quote from: 'Triggersmob' pid='114964' dateline='1524356421'It's going to be like a Leyland Brothers adventure.
Don't forget to take lots of video, you might be able
to sell the TV rights.

More like Ma and Pa Kettle go bush :laugh2:

Triggersmob · April 22, 2018, 04:48:52 PM

Quote from: 'trout' pid='114970' dateline='1524363406'
Quote from: 'Triggersmob' pid='114964' dateline='1524356421'It's going to be like a Leyland Brothers adventure.
Don't forget to take lots of video, you might be able
to sell the TV rights.

More like Ma and Pa Kettle go bush :laugh2:

:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

JeffH · April 26, 2018, 06:36:08 PM

Indian summer
Two weeks ago I gave our slow combustion heater and flue a good clean out as it was near time we would need it. Normally this time of year overnight temperatures are getting down close to 0°C and maximums around 20°C. And a few light frosts too.
So far we have had a few nights just getting into single figure temperatures and maximums are in the mid twenties.
Still picking beans and chillies (the chilli plants are actually still flowering and setting fruit -most years by now I would have stripped the plants and put the green chillies out on a tray in the enclosed verandah to colour up enough to use).
So far I have lit a (small) fire once just to test it was drawing well. Usually by now we would be stoking a fire most nights.

What is the weather doing where you are?