Nelson's Navy

One of the best things about competing in fishing tournaments is checking out other blokes' boats to see what they've done to them and how they perform. Well, our team snooped around with a camera to bring you the 10 most interesting trailerboats of the

I've never been a big fan of fishing competitions - in my experience, introducing a competitive element to a pastime that's supposed to be relaxing rather than self-glorifying turns things into a contest of ego rather than skill. Try anything once though, right?

As well as being one of the biggest angling events on the calendar, Trailer Boat magazine's annual fishing competition in Nelson Bay has a reputation for being the friendliest. But after a fairly exhausting 15 hours behind the wheel - two of them spent in peak-hour Sydney traffic with a 3.2-tonne boat on behind - I was in no mood for being earbashed by a bunch of guys in bad hats and designer angling wear, earnestly engaged in some sort of piscatorial peeing contest.

I poured myself out of the truck, blinking the white lines from my eyes and marvelled that I'd made it 1200km without incident. Across the road I noticed some blokes sitting in a boat going over their fishing tackle.

One of them wandered across the road to check out the Boston Whaler hanging off the towbar. He had two cold beers in his hand, and I quietly prayed one of them was for me.

"Nice boat mate," he said. "You fishing the comp?"

If these guys were anything to go by, this gig was going to be a lot of fun. No sign of ego, just the pleasure of sharing a keenness for fishing.

Thankfully, that turned out to be the vibe of the whole comp. A format that lets competitors fish pretty much where they like, when they like, with whatever gear they please makes for a relaxed tournament with little grandstanding and heaps of enthusiasm.

Not that this event isn't hotly contested: clusters of anglers would gather around the scoreboard each day, tugging on beards, knitting brows and plotting ways of putting themselves back in contention.

For me, though, the real highlight (apart from cruising around on what has to be one of Australia's most beautiful waterways) was seeing such a diversity of boats getting amongst it.

It was definitely not a case of the bloke with the biggest wallet winning the race: skill, dedication and good preparation were the currency that mattered most in this event. A bit of local knowledge didn't go astray, either...

THE SEVEN DEADLY FEATURES
Over the four days of competition, the Trailer Boat team saw fishing boats of every size, shape and dollar value. Some were pretty much bog-standard, out-of-the-box boats, but most were customised after purchase for the owners' particular style of fishing.

We thought it might make an interesting story to pick out some of the more interesting ones and publish a bit of a yarn about them. After all, fishos love looking at other fishos' boats...

Each of the 10 rigs profiled here are different, with personal touches like rodholder positioning, electronic setups and so on, but you will notice a few things in common:

Most of these boats have baitboard workstations over the stern, lift-out iceboxes to keep the catch cold and provide a handy seat, transom-mount berley buckets and customised rod-storage solutions.
Production boatbuilders should take a close look at how these blokes have set their boats up and think of incorporating some of the ideas into their boats to make them true "turnkey packages".
Why not go the extra step and include things like overboard drain tubes on the baitboards (so you can rinse blood and guts straight overboard and into your berley trail) and proper knife holders and recessed trays for discarded rigs? A simple aluminium tray doesn't cut it.
Every single one of these boats has a berley bucket hanging off the back. How many new production boats have one thoughtfully designed and installed at the factory?
Cockpit space is always touted as being the most necessary feature of a fishing boat, but in the real world, comfortable seating is just as important.
Long fishing sessions standing up are no fun at all. Most of these rigs have beaten the problem by including swivelling pedestal seats (so you can face backwards and fish); rear-facing storage modules with padded dicky seats behind the helmsman and passenger; separate lift-out cockpit pedestal seats (the owner of Predator made his own, and they're excellent); or they feature a lift-out icebox that serves as cold storage as well as a seat for two.
None of these boats had permanent lounges in the stern, where access is most needed.
You'll notice that most of these boats have plenty of grab handles both forward and aft. Anyone that fishes offshore in a small boat will know why. Rear cockpit rails also make great mounting points for those flexible Roberts rodholders.
Bait tanks - there wasn't a boat at the comp without one, but not all of them worked too well. Tanks are generally included as standard (minus the plumbing, which is optional) on most new boats these days. Some are too small to keep even a handful of guppies alive, let alone a good-sized mullet or a few slimies. Some are square (baitfish like to swim around in circles around the tank, and square edges knock them about too much), some had poor access, took too long to fill/drain or had lids that didn't keep the water inside.
Most tanks on the boats seen here had some level of customisation, while others used their standard rear stern-quarter tank as cold storage and instead used an esky or tub filled with water and aerated with a battery-powered unit. Fish need a lot of oxygen to live for any length of time: this means high-flow pumps, recirculation devices or lots of water that's changed regularly. Manufacturers take note!
Sidepockets: the most useful and most accessed storage area in a boat. Prudent owners stuff a couple of lifejackets here, because they're no good to you under a cabin bunk cushion with 300kg of gear on top if trouble starts. Most also had customised clips for landing nets and gaffs. A good sidepocket is a big one.
Gimme shelter! That's what you'll be singing after a full day under the north-coast sun. Bimini tops and canopies, although pricey and sometimes tricky to negotiate, are a necessary evil.
Most of these boats are a few years old now - some even have silver hair - with the exception of our Boston Whaler 240 Outrage, which we humbly include because, well, it was the best boat of the 400-odd that turned up to fish the comp.
While there's a couple of "premium" rigs included, like the cat Illawarrior and the blue-hulled Pacific Sportfish centre cab, most are affordable to buy on the second-hand market. All have one thing in common: they ride well, are reasonably dry, don't cost a bomb to run and have been set up by their owners for fishing.

THE WASHUP
We publicised the competition results last month, so suffice to say the locals came out on top for the most part. We heard rumours of guys fishing solidly for three days and nights to get some runs on the board. Talk about keen!

The flexible fishing hours meant that competitors could come and go from the weigh-in station as they pleased. Most opted for an early morning fish, a bite and a sleep through the middle of the day and another big session in the late afternoon.

At any given time you could hang by the scoreboard and watch competitors weighing fish they hoped would be big enough to make the grade. Knots of competitors stood around each day talking, having a quiet beer and trying not to feel so sunburned. It was a genuinely relaxed, family atmosphere with a strong spirit of community.

The comp wrapped up with a barby and prize presentation, along with a truckload of cool raffle prizes. The Webster prize boat was drawn (twice) and three days of fun and fishing drew to an end. I felt genuinely sad it was over. Just a little more of this weather, these gorgeous beaches, these hungry fish... don't make me go back to Melbourne!

Still, there's always next year!

10 FEARSOME FISHING RIGS

The Haines Hunter V19 is one hull that refuses to die. It's deep-vee form and solid build are famous for delivering a smooth ride offshore. Simple forward controls, a lean-through windscreen and outboard bolted straight to the transom opens out a whole heap of cockpit space for fishing.
This boat was recently re-powered with a 175hp two-stroke, which is needed because of the hull's weight and the heavy loads it usually carries.
The owner has a central lift-out icebox that doubles as a seat when fishing, while an aftermarket rocket launcher and small bimini top take care of the lack of storage on the boat and offer a bit of shelter.
With its new mill, this V19 will be out there doing battle for many years to come. It's probably paid for itself 10 times over.
Looks like a pretty standard Quinnie, doesn't it? Gunna benefited from six removable rodholders for trolling, a smallish baitboard with rod and knife holders, berley bucket and a zip-out section in the canopy so you can drive standing up.
One of the best things about this boat, though, is its versatility. Take it out snapper fishing in the morning and tow the kids around on a tube in the arvo!
Have a look at this boat. Made of 'glass, right? Wrong! Predator's owner Dave picked up this old Hartley for a song, but it had seen better days. It was originally a half-cabin plywood boat powered by a petrol inboard. Dave whipped off the cabin and began the big job of turning it into a centre-console.
It was patched up and then sheathed in fibreglass and repainted. The finish is flawless. Dave set up the console with plenty of room for electronics and added a hardtop and set of clears. He also fitted two pedestal seat spigots in the cockpit, which lift out and stow up the front deck when they're not needed.
It's a heavy boat that carves through rough water, and its classically flared bow keeps occupants dry. The 115hp Honda will push the boat out to 30kt.
This boat has a place for everything, and is a classy old girl of which the owner is justifiably proud.
Okay, so its not the prettiest boat in the world - but it does have rustic charm and can go where most other boats can go, and all without taking out a second mortgage on the family home.
They built them strong and heavy in the good old days, and despite the shallow deadrise and low-slung chines, this thing wouldn't move around too much in the chop because of its weight. You drive from the back, too - the softest part of the boat.
The owner's tricked up his bondwood beauty by modifying a big chemical drum with recirculator bolted to the stern for use as a livebait tank; added a sounder, berley bucket, fibreglass ice chest in the bows and a pair of under-gunwale fluro lights for night fishing.
Wonder what this useful little boat owes him?
Illawarrior was a high-profile entrant, with its crew catching the biggest tailor during the comp. The 6m Dominator is well set up with an aftermarket cutting board and a good set of safety rails tracing the stern sections.
The passenger chair has no back so you can sit on it backwards and fish. There's a small cabin for dry storage and a lift-out esky and twin bait tanks.
And, of course, it's a true offshore boat with an exceptionally soft ride.
There are more custom plate-alloy builders in Australia than hairs on Fran Drescher's head, and this Ocean Master is a good example of how they can be customised.
Note the big transom door, thru-platform berley bucket, big central icebox with padded lid, sturdy seven-pot rocket launcher and ample room for electronics on the dashboard.
The big beam suggests good stability at rest and the cuddy cabin offers great protection for those pre-dawn runs out to the snapper reefs.
Not for sale? Damn! A '70s icon, Seafarer's indomitable V-Sea is just as good as it ever was. This probably still has the original motor on it, so maybe its owner is a good mechanic. The boys added a neat rod rack on the inside of the cabin superstructure - not on the outside, so your reels get wet; a baitboard, berley bucket and its cool name.
The rest is wide-open cockpit for gear and eskies, which can be hosed clean after a catching a big haul of mackerel. A cheap way into the wonderful world of inshore fishing…
This 18ft Quinnie centre-console is a few years old now - note that the bow's not flared and that it lacks Quintrex's Maxi-Transom - but if the number of boats in service is anything to go by, it's still in its prime.
The owner has added a T-top for shade and a set of outriggers to spread his trolling lures when trying for marlin.
His two mates are both standing right in the corner in quite sloppy seas without the boat listing much at all, which is what you want for fishing.
A good value-for-money fishing rig that's easily launched and handled.
Pacific Sportfish developed a reputation of seaworthiness and there are hundreds in use around Australia. The owner and his mates must do a bit of stand-up fishing - check out the downriggers, angled midsection rodholders and riggers off the targa.
Simple bench seats over storage bins allow passengers to face backwards to watch a spread of lures. A quiet, clean and economical Honda 150 is a sensible choice for this boat, which won't break any speed records - but hey, it won't break the bank either.
This baby is the best fishing boat we've ever had the pleasure of driving. Ride is just awesome, fishing features second to none, safety elements far beyond industry standard and the T-top is a work of art.
There's not much in the way of seating in the back (the rear lounge folds away flush when fishing), but stability is such that you can sit on the coamings and fish.
Twin 150s, the electronics package and various other options made this boat the envy of everyone at the comp, but the pricetag set a few people back. Still, we hear she's for sale at Andrew Short's for about 80 grand with 100 hours on the engines. Bet you can't find a better fishing boat for that money!

Nelson's Navy

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