Aluminium Boats Right On The Money

The Sunday Age

Sunday July 13, 2003

DAVID LOCKWOOD

Simple, affordable and no-fuss, open tinnies provide a way onto the water without breaking the bank. Now manufacturers are teaming up with dealers to offer pay-by-the-month packages as a way of getting more bums on boat seats.

Aluminium boats have come a long way since de Havilland sold a Sea Topper to my grandfather in the '60s. He bought that 12-footer on the strength of the departed company's wildly adventurous - if not foolhardy - publicity stunt.

To help sell more tin boats, de Havilland enlisted a brave man to drive a Sea Topper from Sydney to Melbourne. Ever since that lucky journey, sales of tinnies have never looked back.

Last week's Melbourne Boat Show bore testimony to that fact. The biggest indoor display of boats in the southern hemisphere generated $100 million in sales, says the Boating Industry Association.

The first of the capital city boat shows in Melbourne has swept away fears that the Australian boating industry might be following the US and Europe's present downturn.

The BIAs chief executive officer, Lindsay Grenfell, said: ``The full economic benefit to Victoria from this year's event is $117 million, which compares very favourably against the formula one grand prix at about $110 million."

More than 20,000 visitors including 210 on business from interstate and regional Victoria attended the boat show. Local manufacturers had 83 new models amid the record 706 craft. Most of them were tinnies.

Our biggest manufacturer, Quintrex, now trots out more than 50 of its best-selling 3.75m and 4.2m models every week. The basic open dinghy remains the country's most popular boat. With good reason.

Simple, affordable and no-fuss, open tinnies provide a way onto the water without breaking the bank. A typical 12-footer with a 9.9hp outboard and trailer sells for between $4000 and $5000, drive away.

Now manufacturers are teaming up with dealers to offer pay-by-the-month packages as a way of getting more bums on boat seats. A lot of great deals were offered at the Melbourne Boat Show.

Among the tinnies to consider are those from Allycraft, Brooker, Quintrex, Savage, Stacer and Stessel. Start shopping around 3.5m or 11ft in length, though 3.7m is even better. This way you are assured plenty of freeboard to float a couple of adults and fishing gear.

While aluminium dinghies can be packaged with four-stroke outboard motors, most people prefer two strokes because they are cheaper, lighter and portable. Typical outboard size is from 6hp to 15hp in short-shaft length.

Stacer's SeaSprite range offers several examples of the simple tinnie. The vee-shaped hulls will cut through small wind waves and boat wake and there is a useful amount of freeboard for boating on protected estuaries, lakes and dams.

Stacer has just released new boat/motor/trailer packages backed by a three-year warranty. The 370 SeaSprite with 15hp Mariner outboard, trailer, safety gear and registrations costs $30 per week, excluding dealer charges and freight. You will need another $20 a week for fuel and bait.

Sister company Quintrex, which introduced the flared bow in 1945 to help keep its small boats dry, has 12 dinghies in three ranges to consider. The Darts go from 3.1 to 3.9m; the Dories from 4.2 to 5.2m; and Fishseekers with flared bows from 4.2 to 6m in length.

This writer's 3.55m Dart, a wide-bodied boat for its length, with a 15hp outboard motor, has been the platform for many successful fishing, crabbing and backwater small-boat trips in recent years.

The bigger Quintrex Dories take the open-boat concept to the next level. The 4.2m model is a beamy 1.87m at its widest point. The recommended power is a 20hp outboard, which is past portable limits for most people.

But if your budget allows, the bigger boats will let you tackle open water and the increased floor space lends itself to a backyard blitz. A half-way handyman can build a lot of clever storage space into their open boat.

A division of American Brunswick Marine, Melbourne-based Savage has 11 open boats ranging from its lightweight 3.1m punt to the 4.5m Safari.

Savage Boats' new SL series walked off the shelves at the Melbourne Boat Show and its new $4 million Laverton North plant will be working overtime to meet demand.

A Savage boat deserving of classic status is the Snipe. At 3.8m long, the Snipe can handle a bit of bay, harbour and inshore work. There are options for two or three seats. The former creates a big work area so you can lay crab traps, fish tubs and tackle boxes.

Savage offers toughened versions of its dinghies that would be excellent for backcountry boating. But even in a big city a tinnie will bring years of adventure.

Just make sure you don't push the boundaries of prudent seamanship.

lockwood@intercoast.com.au