JDP

Haha first time trying to post on location. Time to stop playing with these and chase what eats them.

Ok there are so many it’s hard to stop catching bait.

Just hit the beach, first cast nice salmon for bait. Now time for a sharky.

Apologies meant prawn!!!!..,made you look though. After a great day taking out two charters yesterday my daughter canceled heading to the beach for a shark session with me in preference to go prawning around the lake. The lake is just 40m from our house and the prawns themselves are scooped up with a hand net after dark using a head torch. The daily legal catch is 10lt, so when your 10lt bucket is full you know you’ve done well. To our surprise she was home after just over 2hrs with her limit. It was a good way to end the day after reaching several fish legal limits in the boat earlier in the day, which included hounds to 18kg. Will try and get a beach session in tonight, in the mean time will munch on a few fresh prawns.

Its all interesting stuff, like you say can be charged at 100amp or in the case of the ones I have even 200amp!!!!!...with many 4x4 owners upgrading to a $2500+ 350amp alternator "crazy'. To get the same amp hours from a reputable deep cycle (not car or 4x4 starter battery) Im looking at $700 which is actually more expensive than lipo4 from several manufactures over here now. Those who do film work making 4x4 shows, fishing shows and journalists on the road used to have to charge their drones either while the vehicle engine was running or in that short period after stopping a vehicle before the power drain reached 12.7 volts. Bellow 12.7 wouldn't charge commercial drones but now thanks to lipo4 this isn't an issue anymore. The same goes for those of us who carry a small fridge freezer in the 4x4, with most of them having a cut of level when the power drops on a battery bellow a certain level (which is dam annoying). With my fridge freezer and lipo4 there's not an issue as the voltage stays at around 13v how ever much drain I put on it until its flat, no taper of off os power. Then there is the weight factor of a lipo4. On my youngest daughters 4x4 she has a small 20lt fridge freezer, a computer each for her and her partner and cameras and lights to run from her little suzuki jimmy. She's been using her 7kg self contained lipo4 for the last 10 months traveling and has only drawn her power down to 50% on her whole trip, which was after three days of not running the car. A 30min run in the car soon has the battery back at 100%. Whats handy for both the way she has hers and mine is they are in easy to remove boxes with Anderson connectors and USB ports etc, even a high amp large Anderson for jump starting which that can be taken from the vehicles and used anywhere. I can power my sons full PA system for over 4 hrs on remote music gigs, which is handy as we constantly have power outages from high winds taking down power lines etc.

This is a flat day with a solid 2m swell on the kind of day that catches tourists out.

Conditions don't get much better than that as we tend to always have swell in this part of the country which is why its so popular among surfers. When I take my boat up north it reminds me more of the UK with mostly wind waves and not so much consistent swell. A couple of days ago with again virtually no wind but with the waves forming a bit further out. This represents no issues coming in unless you have an engine fail or overshoot a wave but heading offshore in small boats trying to judge the waves ahead of you running out can be tricky some mornings. Also the fact we tend to head out as the sun is ahead of us on sunrise, so most do the run in poor light just before the sun pops up on the horizon. When we get big swells and wind is when inexperienced boaters get in trouble here, with several deaths each year from simply crossing the bar and numerous but rollovers. When the waves get really good you have to avoid around 20-30 surfers out front!!!!

My daughter returning through our bar on an outgoing tide today. Seas were pretty calm once outside the bar but this is how it looks on outgoing tides. Her catch was a total limit on most species today, which included hounds to 18kg.

My understanding is lopo4 is the future of ev vehicles because of its lower impact and safety aspects https://www.innomind.org/lifepo4-batteries-a-breakthrough-for-electric-vehicles/. Might be wrong, will Elon Musk what he's proposing to use https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/28/tesla-is-setting-the-bar-for-electric-vehicles-vw-ceo-admits.html As mentioned the lipo4 batteries Im using are from a company that instals these in battery banks inside homes, Id be surprised if they were able to this if they keep exploding and catching fire as some people think. Why did those truck batteries explode ? sounds dangerous to me and all the more reason not to use them.

Even though I fit one in every boat I own, Im not so sure a fixed radio is worthwhile for everyone. I tend to push my boats hard which greatly reduces how long the radios Ive used (they get smashed, even icom). A hand held can kept in a soft case or throw bag etc. The range of a decent handheld for me is about 12km but my fixed loses reception at around 24km at the continental shelf. Traveling to the sea mounts I have no radio contact at all at around 50-70k offshore but can still sometimes get one bar on my phone!!! If you have your phone and a buddy onboard who's likely to have a phone and also a handheld I would think you were pretty much covered from most of the UK waters. Venture to far offshore in the UK and you run the risk of being captured by French pirates and nobody will rescue you!!!! By the way I do travel further than even my phone can reach and for that I have Garmin in reach for two way iridium communications and both an epirb (mandatory) as well as a plb. We also have the free service app with marine rescue where we simply log on as we leave any boat ramp which gives our full boat details and allows us to put things like how many onboard and eta home etc. This facility also allows for phone signal tracking, where our boat is picked up every 10 mins on the headquarters monitors showing our position.

You are most likely posting this comment from a lithium powered device if not on a desktop computer. There were issues with a different type of lithium battery a few years ago but don't mistake those with lifepo4 https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/lithium-battery-overview.html Lead batteries can be far more dangerous and also give off hydrogen gas during charging. If you ever see a ships battery storage you will note the warnings in and around where they are kept. Have a google search on how many deaths caused by lead batteries and you might also start thinking more about moving away from this old hazardous power. People will hear a story about a lithium, not lifepo4 battery catching fire and soon everyone is scared simply by the name lithium. A bit like people being scared of sharks or spiders but don't actually know anyone killed by them, yet they puff away on smokes and most likely have several contacts that have died from lung cancer.

Lithium is leaping ahead these days and far cheaper long term than deep cycle lead batteries. My 4x4 had a deep cycle top of the line house battery installed ahead of a big trip up north a few years ago. After the first week the battery wasn't able to hold a charge to keep the fridge running overnight. The battery was replaced under warranty but the replacement soon had the same problem which was apparently due to the heat under the engine bay combined with the 38'c-45'c day temps in the Northern Territory and also the fact the fridge was drawing more than 50% of the power from the battery. Ive since found people going through numerous agm deep cycle batteries for the same reason on different 4x4 forums out here. The main component cobalt in lithium batteries is mined over here, to the point I believe mining has been pulled back as we produce to much of it. There are plenty of lithium batteries on the market that like anything are poorly made Chinese junk, as well as well made Chinese batteries. The hard part is finding a well made battery that can handle all the demands we put on them. The BMS is a major cost to lithium batteries, which is where many of the cheap ones are saving the $$$ and ending in failure. These DCS batteries seem to of been going a while with great reviews from the 4x4 and caravan travellers. Ive got these for two vehicles and for the electric motor on the boat. The initial price is higher than deep cycle lead batteries but a full replacement 4 yr warranty instantly puts them bellow what a lead battery would cost to replace over 4 yrs. I know lead batteries can last well but not if they are being used constantly to draw 50% of their energy daily. If they are only used drawing 20% for instance they will last longer. These same batteries Im using have a 10yr warranty on home off grid application, which doesn't mean they suddenly stop at 10yrs but are expected to last well past that period. Lithium is not expensive.

Haha, well for a couple of days in the UK summer then!!!

Not sure on the issue, most likely the same reason I often cant open links people post from the UK. Anyway this is the stuff I see under the engine covers on Diesel engines here.

Not so sure they are so heavy. Ive been in several electric vehicles and have an electric motor on my boat that runs all day on an 11.5kg lithium battery trolling and holding position in the current ect. I would of thought the weight saving in outboard and fuel compared to lithium batteries would equal each other out, also a bit of weight in a boat improves its ride, you don't want them to light bobbing about like a cork. Most people will only travel 50-80k offshore here before dropping down to low speed or drifting. It would be rare to run any recreational fishing boat at full power all day and a few panels on the roof should help top things up for free. Leave the boat parked in the sun when not being used to allow the batteries to fill back for free, cant wait for that!!! Im hoping my next 4x4 will be an electric one given how much free sun we get over here. https://unsealed4x4.com.au/the-electric-4x4s-available-now-and-coming-soon/ The 4x4 I have now also has a lithium battery that will power my fridge freezer, 2400 lumen of led lights and power various chargers and computers via the pure sign wave inverter indefinitely unless I park undercover for more than 4 days. I consume around of 24amps per 24hr. My lithium battery has 100amps of total usable power and my single solar panel produces 11.5 amps per hour in the sun. I also have a second fold out solar panel to speed up my charge if needed. My car has a small dcdc charger that can pull 25 amps from the alternator when traveling to put back into the battery and also uses the green solar power as priority. I could use a bigger charger but it's simply not needed. My battery can be charged at up to 200amps if I upgrade my alternator, or increase solar panels but there's simply no need as my outfit is normally charged fully from the sun in around 2hrs.

I would look at a more appropriate material and tape like we have here https://www.whitworths.com.au/search?q=engine+insulation

Seeing more and more alternatives to petrol these days https://www.boatsales.com.au/editorial/details/yanmar-trials-real-world-on-water-hydrogen-refuelling-132531/?fbclid=IwAR38VsYfH5VoMG8wKhN7tQMpn1y-Sr3bDaEoLcwP0j0HKsr7LTQN49cPRFA

I like to have the front of my trailer higher than the back too, this helps in getting the boat on and off plus helps with water run off after launching and left in at the carpark all day.

Didn't know it was an argument, simply a discussion on differences in trailer set ups between countries. Having not used any kind of spacers, my initial thought was how the trailer would handle on the corrugation roads out here which aren't all bitumen sealed and turn to corrugations after a few weeks of grading. Also just like what I hear from family in the UK your roads are becoming pretty bad in terms of potholes etc. In regards to lights on any trailer that enters the saltwater, I prefer not having any joins at all bellow the waterline as Ive yet to have any truly seal and Ive had a lot of so called waterproof lights and joining boxes in the past, I only trailer boats not moor them.

No the side lights just like the rear ones are moulded into the plastic and the join plug is forward of any waterline from launching the trailer. As for trailer boards, I had one about 25yrs ago and rarely seen these days. We are talking about different trailers though, Im talking about boat trailers that are used for launching boats often daily in many cases.

I don't like having any connection along the trailer itself (on my boat trailers) as water will always find its way in and often with road trailers too. I also live less than 50m from the saltwater so everything has to be galvanised or marine grade aluminium. Do they still use salt on the roads in the UK during winter.

Ive been watching this and finding it quite surprising how different things are done between two countries which basically are much the same, especially in terms of motoring and trailering regulations (law). The earlier post I put up showing the lighting connecter was with a 7 pin (which come in round or flat pin) for all the exact same lights on any vehicle, stop lights, driving, parking, breaks, reverse and indicators. The other extra pins were for heavier loads to control the breaking system, all of which is simply plug and play into the vehicles wiring harness plugs straight from manufacturer, so not quite sure why there's a need to join wires unless the vehicle is very old. I would of thought big manufactures would use the same wiring harnesses straight from factory for the vehicles they send out to all countries. As for tow bars on vehicles, here you buy them rated to the tow vehicle, with most 4x4's being around 3 to 4.5 ton and lighter vehicles 2 ton etc. The tow bars nearly all have a removable tow hitches so you don't have to leave a tow bar sticking out the back of a vehicle bashing peoples shins when parked in a shopping carpark. Due to the carrying heights of both the tow bar design and vehicle height the tow bar can be easily adjusted in height to assure a level trailer. Things seem way over complicated in the UK to me, I would have concerns about any form of packing on a 3 ton trailer and doing lengthy drives. By the way the small white lights in the lighting harness are needed for the trailer wheel arches only on trailers over a certain width, which your trailer would certainly need over here (all plug and play).

Its not considered a long way here. He has now also booked flights to New Zealand to look at boats over there too. Every boat Ive ever bought (lots of them!!!) have always been in other states, none have been closer than the trip we just did. Because we live in the more southern part of the country we are attracted to the far different climate and species on offer in the top end. Until covid hit we would do a couple of trips north each year, with one in the Northern Territory and the other in North Queensland (tropics). These trips can easily clock up over 12,000km of driving and hundreds of sea miles once we get there.

Seems a bit odd to be indicating ling for the solent. Personally never had a ling in the solent and that was from fishing in my own boat, working on a charter for many years as well as knowing all the commercial lads from Yarmouth back when I lived there. Do people now catch ling in the solent ? I don't mean rockling as there are plenty of those and they certainly wouldn't be chewing through heavy mono!!!

Didn't like that boat, now looking at Formula 23 with twin 300's.