JDP

And for those of us with bigger children (18-20-22 years old) its been very nice with them all away from home home this Xmas. Its also been great to not have a house full of visitors with their families who do three trips to the beach per day and all need to wash off the sand in the shower after every trip to the sand!!!!! Just me the Mrs and our dog, no giant roasts to have to cook, just a few walks out in the wilderness to avoid the crowds of tourists which hit the town over the summer 6 week Xmas hols. Never feels like Xmas to me living over here where its so hot at this time of the year, its been hitting 48'c where one of my daughters is working.

My best on the spin travel rod were these yellowfin and marlin. Not the best sport but the biggest dogie from the beach!!!! I don’t have many pics on my phone, so will need to dig a few more unusual fish on not so commonly used tackle from my computer some time. Must admit though I haven’t put that much effort in over the past year, it’s been shocking weather for much of it.

Some parts of the world have changed over to this new metric thingy, don't think its going to catch on though, its way to complicated.

This one went 18kg, they get around 30kg. The tope however are much like the UK ones in size.

My daughter put one of her clients onto this hound this morning. They also released a nice little mako of around 40kg.

The picture were just random pic's from a choice of dozens much the same, chose these simply because of the simplicity of anchoring. There are videos of testing these anchors from boats but the trouble is you are only going from the skippers word. Didn't think it was really that big a deal, these anchors are sold because of the reputation people spread after using them. Its been so long since Ive used any other style that it must be around 20+ yrs now. Im always up to try something new if the cost and reviews warrant it. Ive seen a few anchors used by larger yachts in cyclone parts of the country that get good reeves but unfortunately they don't make small ones that would work with the bowsprit of most trailer boats. I'd try a Rocna or Manson supreme if the size and price was ok. What style do you use ? Does it always hold on all bottoms and what sort of scope do you need in strong channel current.

Not really, it's the chains job to keep the angle low, a high angle on and anchor chain would indicate wrong scope, not enough chain or not enough weight to the chain. The angle of the pull in the videos should be what most peoples anchor lines are pulling at on the sea floor.

Here's another test with various anchors. What I like about the sarca is that I'm able to drop to very light anchors and use the same anchor for sand, mud, gravel and reef. What style of anchor are you using, is it for a muddy or sandy bottom in the channel. When I do those remote offshore trips there's a possibility I might have to anchor in the lee of an island during a cyclone. Having an anchor system where I can run almost all the anchor line out in around 10m of water gives an extremely good chance of holding, hence why these are so popular here. I do tend to carry a second anchor setup on those remote trips as backup.

Not sure on that brand and for what sized boat you were looking at. This is mine in the front hatch of my 14.6ft centre console. The chain and what looks like black rope is actually chain cover, the braid rope is beneath the chain and is just 4mm thick for 1500kg load rating. The anchor is a sarca http://www.anchorright.com.au/products/sarca-anchors/

When I first moved out here the older styles which are commonly used back home were very common, now you tend to only see the drum style. They are pretty easy, no tangles and no having to touch any part of the anchor system apart from an up or down switch. The Lone Star has enough power to pull most boats up a beach if needed but not what they are designed for obviously. My lone star has 7m of stainless chain and around 110m 1500kg hi-spec braid, which is good for shallower water. I could double the anchor line on the drum but that stuff is pretty expensive, so 100m is enough!!! Out in the deep stuff I take a seperate tub with 250m of cheaper braid rope and use the old fashioned alderney rig to pull the anchor. The alderney principle where you drive up on the anchor is pretty much the way to pull any anchor with and electric winch in my opinion but some people just push the button and drag the boat against tide, wind and waves which puts a heap of pressure on the gears, especially on the ones built with lower end gearing etc. This link shows the size boats and anchors they can be used on, not just small boats. https://www.lonestarmarine.com.au/shop/rope-chain-kits/1000-rc-kit/

Likewise I had never heard of them over here in Australia until now, looking them up they seem to be around d the $300-$400 and from what I can see sold through eBay. At the price you mention 500 quid you could easily buy two new winches. Personally I wouldn't look at an eBay winch built in Taiwan. In saying that I saw two boats burn out far higher priced winches on my recent trip away simply because the owners of the boats didn't read how to use them. Often with these winches you need to drive the boat forward and not pull the boat forward to the anchor on the winch which can set the anchor harder. We also use anchors with these that easily pull out backward once you've motored just forward of the anchor. The Lone Star drum winch on my boat is over 10yrs old, had the same on my last three boats and never had an issue with any of them. Where did you purchase the South Pacific from ?

Looks like a low cost PWM regulator, I usually upgrade to a reputable brand MPPT https://www.solaronline.com.au/solar-regulators.html . If the battery has been drawn down to low on occasion they can sometimes be recovered with a recovery cycle with a decent battery charger. A bluetooth 12v battery monitor is very handy to have on boat batteries, they are reasonably cheap and simply fit between the +- terminals. An app then allows you to check your battery health from a phone. Dropping the voltage bellow 50% can greatly shorten a lead batteries life.

Are you legally allowed to make lead weights from domestic dwellings still in the UK ? It was banned here several years ago, has to be done under stringent regulations on commercial premises for about the past 10yrs here. Back on the subject of what to do with slags, where does the name dogging come from, seems to have nothing to do with dog walking at all in the UK 😵

My youngest aged 17 recently played this in front of our place in memory of his gramps from the Isle of Wight who recently passed away. Sound isn't great, recorded on my phone.

I have both my 4x4 and the boat for sale and to be honest questioning if I should even bother with another. Only put 50hrs on mine over the past 12 months, seem to always be on other peoples boats these days.

Randon orbital and orbital polishers are quite different, the throw of a random is bigger and doesn't leave swirls. The Makita has two options on the one unit and will most likely out last any eBay copy if worked hard. The Makita has comfortable holding grips and soft surfaces I will happily rest on the bonnet of any vehicle. I made the mistake of buying those cheap ones you get in car shops, took me three rubbish ones until I got the Makita. Typically my daughter now has sponsorship from Makita so can get what every she wants, you would think she would ask for a battery one for me given I polish her 4x4!!!!!! I like the Dewalt products, shame they don't do random orbital polishers as I also have a few products that the batteries could share between (also like yellow!!!)

Currently hitting 60kh here. One boat tried heading out through the bar crossing yesterday which ended up with three people needing rescuing from the water, haven't heard the full story yet on that one.

It tends to wash off if you get it before it dries on but here things dry quickly and often when you get onto a good patch of squid you don't want to stop to clean the boat!!!!!. We've had times where three of us were catching two or three at a time and the boat soon turned black!!!!

Ive had several over the years but when I bought a Makita PO 6000c 150mm (6) random orbital polisher it was a game changer for doing boats and vehicles. Theres also an 18v rechargeable that I might add to the kit. Rupes are at the top end of the line but after asking around at a couple of crash repair places if they thought the investment was worth while they pointed me at the makita.Ive had mine for about 5yrs and I would say it gets used for a few hours each week either on my own or other peoples boats and vehicles.I honestly believe this thing paid for itself after the first time of using it. Ive been able to bring some pretty bad looking paint works back to looking as new, which has greatly helped when I sell boats and vehicles on. I now look at shabby looking projects knowing how good they will look after a few hours work and how big a difference this will make when selling the boat or vehicle.A bit of research into pads, cutting compounds and polishes as well as polishing techniques can normally be found on YouTube etc. These days I use cutting polishes which are then removed ahead of a much longer lasting ceramic finish. Ceramic finishes are so easy the apply. My 2006 boat went from a dull chalky blue Gell coat to a showroom deep rich glossy original finish. This boat is stored outside in the direct sunlight.

Did the squid get you with ink or just water ? There are times when I regret catching squid, especially when they ink the boat which then bakes into everywhere on the boat, including the electronics!!!!!

Ive sold fishing gear to people in the UK who have been hit with all the import and handling fee's on secondhand gear. However when ever Ive sent parcels of Xmas presents there's never been any issues with duties, similar value items. Ive heard of people getting around it by having repairs written on the documents, not sure if this is still able to be done. What would happen if a UK angler went overseas and forgot a bag of gear (reals and lures etc) and got the hotel management to send the parcel. If a value was placed on the documents the owner would get hit import duties on what he already owned and purchased in the UK.

flat morning but 20kts of chop by lunch time.

The extra 10hp (100 Suzuki in white) as well as the pod made a fair amount of difference in performance and far better economy over the Honda. I was hoping that I wouldn't notice that much difference and remain happy with the outfit I have but needed up feeling quite the opposite. Looks like I will be selling my boat again to get into a new one!!!!!

After seeing so many enviable reports of quality dogfish, today was our turn. After several hours sat at anchor with a steady burley trail going, we noticed a steady bite starting to play out on the heavy rod. Our hopes and excitement were almost too hard to control, when we realised the fish was hooked and the fight began. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw what looked like a dogfish. I felt so nervous I wasn’t sure whether to reach for the net, gaff or risk dragging it over the side by its tail. I decided to risk it all and grab for the tail, which to our surprise paid off. My first thought was Andy, knowing how proud he would be that I’ve finally reached a new level of angling so far from home shores. Could it get any better? Hell yes! Three eels on micro jigs. The fish Gods were watching over us as I even managed to hook a testicle from some sort of deep sea creature. Maybe JonC could identify what species the testicle is from, knowing how good he is in this area. A day I will remember.

Its been a year since changing boats, so heading out for sea trials tomorrow. Much the same as the little one I have now, it's just that its cheaper to buy a new one than upgrade the motor and trailer. Current one has a Honda 90, new has a Suzuki 100 which is claimed to give better fuel range. The Honda is good until it reaches 4300rpm, where the economy doesn't settle back down until it reaches 5300rpm. At 4200rpm I get 3.5km per litre, 4300rpm it jumps to 1km per litre before settling back to 2.5km per litre from 5300 to 6100rpm. Unfortunately the best running speed on this boat is 4500-5000rpm 26-30kt .