Category Archives: Boating tips
Boat trip planning and preparation for Princess Charlotte Bay
To head on a long trip to a remote location such as Princess Charlotte Bay, requires a ton of boat trip planning and preparation. In fact we bought the boat in 2016 for this very trip. But for those of you who are new to our blog and community, a few things have happened. The…
Essential boat maintenance tasks
Episode 2 in our essential boat maintenance series kicks off with us hauling Mood Swings out. You can watch Episode 1 here. We arrived at the boatyard at 6 am due to the tide. The goal is to get her in the slings with minimal tidal run and enough depth to get up the creek.…
Annual Boat Maintenance for Mood Swings
For those that follow us on social media, you’d know we pulled Mood Swings out for annual boat maintenance last week. Typically this involves a haul out and slipping the boat. It also typically involves going way over the budget! Because after you have pulled her out, a ton of new items get found. And…
Delivery Day: Preparing for our Boat Adventure
This week we had a delivery day from Garmin preparing for our boat adventure. Because as some of you may know we are planning some big trips in our game boat Mood Swings. It has always been our intention to travel in her to remote destinations with the new Blue Boat in tow. But it…
Electric motor support bracket
After years watching my electric motor bash the deck when we hit chop, I’m surprised I never thought to add an electric motor support bracket. Electric motors are in my view one of the best inventions since sliced bread. But boy do they cop a pounding. Perched on the front of the boat, it gets…
Custom Boat Pros and Cons
Late last year we ordered a custom built boat from BMENQ in Cairns. We sold the good old barra boat when I retired from charters because we needed something a little more chop friendly. In between we bought and sold a 5.6 m Bonito as a stop gap. Mostly so we could do some filming…
Choosing the right propeller for your boat
Choosing the right propeller for your boat can be a bit hit and miss. Considerations include boat design, weight distribution, running characteristics (RPM) and how and where it will be used. When choosing the right propeller for your boat you’ll also want to consider the material used (aluminium or stainless), number of blades and pitch.…
Water in your outboard motor can be costly
Last month I ended up with some water in my outboard motor. It was a costly exercise as the fuel system had to be stripped down, the water removed and all filters replaced. Check your water trap! In 30 years of charters I had never encountered this issue before because I am usually very diligent…
Exploring Dundee Beach NT
Early in 2018 we purchased a pre-loved Bonito 5.6 m vessel from a lad in Darwin. As a result it was the perfect excuse to travel to the NT! We could pick up the boat, and have a short holiday exploring Dundee Beach NT. As luck would have it, the exact travel dates coincided…
Handy wheel bearing tool
Regular trailer maintenance is a must if you want to avoid getting stuck on the side of the road with a breakdown. Launch and boat retrieval in and out of saltwater causes all sorts of damage over time and wheel bearings must be checked and changed regularly. One of the trickiest parts of changing your…