Budget Boating: Tinnies and Open Boats

That said, if you are strapped for cash you definitely get more bang for your buck with an unpainted, two or three thwart open tinny – and there is plenty of scope to upgrade the boat as time and funds permit. These craft also make excellent backyard DIY projects.

TILLER-STEER TINNIES AND CARTOPPERS
- Tinnies rule for fishing lakes, rivers and impoundments
Aluminium, tiller-steer open boats are the cheapest boats you can buy. They range from tiny 2.4m lightweight cartoppers through to 6.0m, high-sided, vee-bottom boats.

If you want the most boat for your dollar, nothing beats a big, open tinnie with nothing in it but a flat floor and a couple of cross-thwart seats.

Of course, operating a big open boat with a tiller-controlled outboard engine is something of a chore. For boats beyond about 4.3m in length, most buyers opt for a slightly more sophisticated boat with a centre-console or a side-console helm position.

Below 4.3m in length, open tiller-steer tinnies rule and these craft are perfect for boating and fishing in enclosed bays, rivers, estuaries and impoundments.

Generally speaking, there are two types of pressed-alloy open, tiller-steer boats. They include the vee-bottomed, rounded-bow open boats that have graced our waterways for decades, and then there are the v-nose, or barra punt-style boats.

The latter have been in production for some time now, and can be considered a cross between an old style, square-bow punt, and a vee-bottomed dinghy.

The differences between the two are significant. The newer style vee-nose punts are designed to operate exclusively in enclosed waters. The boats have a lot less freeboard than a normal dinghy hull. And they generally have a flatter bottom hull shape. The reduced vee provides extra stability (at the expense of ride comfort) and the squarer bow shape boosts the amount of interior space forward.

Not all vee-nose boats are flat bottomed, however. The Quintrex Hornets, for example, have a unique variable deadrise, concave hull shape that provides a softer ride than comparable craft, and without any compromise to stability at rest. These craft are still intended for enclosed waters, because they have low topsides and low external freeboard.

The vee-bow, vee-bottomed dinghy hull is arguably the more versatile of the two open boat shapes because it can be used in open bays and close-in coastal waters. These craft generally have higher sides, a pointier bow shape, and a more comfortable ride, all of which makes them more seaworthy. The higher topsides are better for keeping the sea out and shielding the crew from spray.

Dinghy-style open boats are not as stable as vee-nose punts, but they should be stable enough for most boating and fishing applications – although obviously they are not all created equal. As with any other type of boat, some brands and models perform be better than others.

CENTRE AND SIDE CONSOLES
- Move up-market with a helm console and steering wheel
Vee-nose, or barra-style boats and traditional vee-bottomed dinghy-type boats can be purchased as basic, tiller-steer unpainted models with a couple of seat thwarts – or as full deluxe rigs with flat floors, casting decks, side pockets, deluxe seating and with a centre or side-console helm layout.

Console boats with a steering wheel, electric-start outboard (preferably with power trim and tilt) and forward controls are much easier to use in the long term than an entry tiller-steer model with hand-operated steering and throttle. I doubt you'll regret the additional expense.

Whether you opt for a centre console or a side console should depend on the type of fishing you do – and also whether you fish alone, or with a mate or two. If you fish by yourself, the centre console may be better because when you drive the boat, your weight will be centred in the middle of the boat, not off to the starboard side.

The side-console layout is better if you fish two-up because your mate can offset your weight at the helm when the boat is underway to keep the boat evenly balanced.

The side console layout is also best if you fish mainly down one side of the boat. Having the console and helm offset to starboard opens up all of the space down the port side of the boat.

If you spend most of your time trolling, fishing at anchor, or simply need to access both sides of the boat, then the centre console layout may be preferable. Centre consoles tend to be a bit more versatile, and it is for this reason that centre consoles are fitted mostly to larger craft that will fish coastal offshore waters.

In most cases, the side console layout is confined to craft up to 4.5m in length, and to boats used mainly in enclosed waters.

FIBREGLASS OPEN BOATS
- Rare as hen's teeth but there are some good small 'glass boats available
Small, open fibreglass boats have never been very popular with Aussie boat buyers. This is partly because they tend to be more expensive to buy, but also because there are very few small fibreglass boats available.

Mind you, if boatbuyers showed more interest in the few good fibreglass boats released each year, then I am sure that more models would come onto the market. I guess the simple fact is that most small boatbuyers prefer a basic, cheap, low maintenance craft and the pressed-alloy boat is the only one that ticks all of these boxes.

This is not to say that there aren’t any good fibreglass craft on the market, because there are. However, these craft tend to be specialist craft like powered multi-hulls, ultra-lightweight GRP composite cartopper, and/or upmarket boats targeted at tournament fishermen.

In sheltered water bass, barra and bream competitions, purpose-designed fibreglass bass boats have become more popular in recent years, but only with diehard tournament fishing anglers. These sleek, fast, usually US-built craft are in limited demand here because the boats tend to be pretty expensive and they are suitable only for fishing sheltered waters. The hulls underneath these bass boats are capable of handling rough water, but like a performance ski boat, bass boats have very low sides and minimal freeboard.

POLY PLASTIC BOATS
- Tough, durable, inexpensive, comfortable
Polyethylene plastic boats have become widely accepted as a good alternative to an alloy or fibreglass boat. And there are many good reasons for that. Poly boats are cheap to buy, immensely strong and durable, and they fall somewhere between a pressed-alloy boat and a fibreglass monohull with regard to ride comfort and seaworthiness.

Poly boats are not as pretty as a fibreglass boat, and they are harder to customise than a pressed-alloy boat, but they are otherwise excellent craft, especially in the smaller, open-boat sizes.

Polycraft is far and away the best known and most popular manufacturer of poly plastic boats in Australia. This Bundaberg-based manufacturer has an extensive boat range from 3.0m through to 6.0 in length.

PLATE-ALLOY BOATS
- More expensive, but ultra-strong, and easier to customise
If poly plastic is not your thing, what about a full-plate aluminium boat? Plate-alloy boats are substantially stronger and heavier than regular pressed-alloy boats from the mainstream boat manufacturers, albeit a fair bit more expensive.

Plate boats will differ in that they will have a full underfloor stringer or grid system topped by a fully-welded alloy cockpit floor — and then surrounded by heavy-duty plate sides and a hull bottom made from at least 4.0mm-plate aluminium.

Conversely, your average pressed-alloy boat will have 1.6-2.0mm topsides, a 3.0mm pressed- or stamped-alloy bottom, a central keel, and a series of internal cross ribs inside the boat. Pressed-alloy boats are quick to build and strong enough for most applications, but they don’t have the sheer strength or durability of a full-plate aluminium boat.

The smaller, specialist plate-alloy boatbuilders are usually happy to create super tough open boats in the smaller sizes — and with virtually any type of configuration or option. The advantage with a plate hull from a custom builder is the ability to customise your boat to your specific requirements. These boats will cost more to buy, but you will get exactly what you want.

VERDICT
- Summer is coming so hit the websites and boatyards and find yourself a great new rig
There are plenty of great new open boats on the market right now, mostly made from aluminium, ready to get you afloat on a tight budget.

Manufacturers like Quintrex, Stacer, Sea Jay, Horizon, Savage, Formosa, and Stessl, for example, all produce a full range of basic boats as well as mid-level and deluxe-outfitted boats with every conceivable option.

During the boat-buying process you will, at times, find yourself feeling confused, frustrated, and not a little bewildered. But if you take your time, do your research and buy within your budget, you'll soon have a shiny new boat parked in your driveway in time for summer.

NOTE: There is a fair bit of information to share with the photos accompanying this story, so here are the captions as the images fall with this story....

PIC 1: Entry-level boating starts with budget priced tiller-steer cartoppers like this Quintrex 320 Wanderer v-nose boat. Small, lightweight, easily transportable, car oppers are great for fishing and boating in rivers, streams and impoundments.

PIC 2: For something a little bigger and more capable, how about a big, open, tiller-steer alloy boat for boating and fishing in bays and harbours? Pricing for this excellent Horizon 420 all-rounder package starts at around $11k with a two-stroke outboard.

PIC 3: Vee-nose open alloy boats come in a variety of sizes and with a basic two-thwart seat set-up all the way through to deluxe models with carpeted casting decks, super wide gunnels, kill tanks, pedestal chairs and more. Pictured is the well-appointed Savage 445 Raptor Pro.

PIC 4: Rounded bow, vee-bottom boats with plenty of freeboard are best for boating and fishing in wide open bays, harbours and impoundments. There are plenty of alloy examples on the market, but fibreglass open boats are quite rare. This is a 4.3m ultra-light weight fibreglass composite open boat from Brisbane's Cross X Country boats.

PIC 5: Another excellent fibreglass boat is the Jackaroo 445 Centre Console. Made on the Gold Coast, this soft-riding coastal fishing rig is based on a very popular Haines Hunter model from the late 1970s.

PIC 6: The new Apex hulls from Quintrex represent the pinnacle in alloy trailerboat design at present. The hulls have a unique forked-bow shape with a fine entry, wide chines and lots of flare for a soft, dry and stable ride. Pictured is the 510 Frontier.

PIC 7: Stacer's versatile new Crossfire range of open alloy boats have a side console helm layout but with a bowrider forward seating area. The bow section can also be re-configured into a casting deck for maximum versatility.

PIC 8: Another great looking pressed alloy boat from the Gold Coast's Horizon Boats. This 438 Stryker XPF is great for a mix of bay fishing and general family boating. Economically priced, this side console boat has removable pedestal seating, lots of storage space, a deep rear cockpit and an elevated forward casting deck.

PIC 9: Polyethylene plastic boats are a great alternative to traditional alloy and fibreglass models. Poly boats, like this Polycraft 410 Challenger open tiller model, are enormously strong, durable, comfortable and stable.

PIC 11: Centre console or side console? What do you prefer? If you regularly fish two-up then the side console layout is ideal as your fishing mate can sit alongside you to keep the boat nicely balanced when underway. However, if you fish alone then a centre console like this production plate-alloy Formosa Sea-Rod may be a better choice, as your weight will be centred in the middle of the boat when you are driving. Or course, there are many other pros and cons to each configuration, but weight distribution is worth thinking about prior to purchase.

PIC 12: A mid-sized open boat with high freeboard and a traditional vee hull is perhaps the most versatile type of boat (in fibreglass, alloy or poly plastic) as you can go boating and fishing inshore or offshore in calm conditions. We spotted this nicely set-up Brooker 510 open boat with outriggers live baiting for small black marlin a dozen miles offshore. Second hand, such boats make a great DIY backyard project.

More shopping for tinnies and open boats on our boatsales website with this
$1-$25k boats-for-sale search.