Couple of pictues of my boat being prepared.
(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/1_04_08_08_4_29_14.jpg)
(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/1_04_08_08_4_30_13.jpg)
Nice pics skip. I have a feeling I might be asking for a couple of lessons!
good job skip.it was hard work but well worth it. well done...
Good job mate !! Nice boat ;)
Chris 8)
In fact wouldn't have got it done if it wasn't for Tony letting me utilise a space in his garage, his equipment, jacks, stones, wood and his overall patience and guidance during the process including some encouragement when I was slacking off :p
Thanks again Shanook.
hehhe it was fun watching u sweat it out mate. It was also nice to see so many other MFF members lending a hand when u needed it.
some more boat pictures will be nice
Beautiful boat skip prosit it looks great for trolling ;) Im thinking of getting a bucanneer or something similar in the range of 20 - 24ft
Hi Bigboy. what are your feelings about buccaneer? What do you think about them? I've heard that they're next/in line with Kaptan but don't really know about them.
20-24ft is a nice bigboy but running costs really start to spike due to the horsepower needed as the boat gets bigger and heavier. It does of course depend what engine you put in it and what speed you are willing to compromise on but given the high cost of diesel some research is needed. Outboards are still very expensive in my opinion for what they are.
very nice boat ski. We saw it in action on sunday and simong told me about its performance. Was really nice in the water and as for the power it looks really good.
Such an amazing boat. Saw it at the competition and said to myself "Now that's a boat I would like to have" :)
Hi Skip..... All these positive comments you're making me think twice! :-)
benri before buying is better to think more then twice ;)
Skip if i will make one i will surely go for a diesel inboard ingine as i will be using it for profetional fishing mainly being longlining for swordfish, bottom longlines & pistin and also octopus pots. As for engines i will either go for a volvo penta 4 cylinder or else a Perkins 6 cylinder as i know their performance and they give out great power at low rpm. With around 1500 rpm on a 24ft fiber boat you easyly get about 8knots which is perfect for me. Then there is alsa a dillema if i would have to put an auxiliary engine but i think that will be a must maybe a 3 cylinder will make just fine.
Eagle One is fun for what she is; a budget boat! As I mentioned to Benri, would I buy another one again, the answer is probably not. Whilst she has a good hull and rides the waves well even in a Force 5, she's not the type of boat that in my humble opinion is built to last a long time. I'm not talking about the main structural integrity of the hull, but rather the various fixtures and fittings used around the boat, like the 'stainless steel', pastic fittings etc etc.
Like anything in life, it's always nice to have top notch stuff, I drive a Fiat but would rather have a BMW as I'm sure many people would, but ultimately we have to fit things around our budget. My compelling issue or dilemma if you like was that I didn't want to be boat-less this season; it would have killed me. Couldn't find a second hand boat that I felt was worth it, and the locally built boats had a long waiting time to be produced, so I went for a mass production hull that was available straight away. For Lm3500 and 18.5feet she's pretty damn good, but in hindsight had I been able to rent a boat or something for the summer and save up a little more and have the luxury of time, I think I would have gone for something else. Either a Kaptan 18 foot built as an open boat or the boat I really wanted but was just out of my budget, the Northstar 190CC.
This all being said, I'm happy with what I have as she does the job well and uses 14-16 litres per hour at 18-19 knots cruise with the load I have installed. I had half contemplated putting a 115hp on it but after seeing the effect of extra weight on that boat, I'm happy I didn't!
This boat in std form with a 25 litre fuel tank and a few accessories would probably easily do 35knots with the 90TLDI and at say 20-21 knots cruise you would probably be using around 12-13 litres per hour.
But as she is I can't do more than 28.9 knots, though I'm hoping to squeeze 30 knots with a 14P prop that I still need to get. The above equates to 1.25nm per litre of fuel used and I can get the same 1.25nm/litre at 5000rpm doing 25-26 knots, depends if you're in a rush, as you'll use the same amount of fuel.
During the sea trial she did 31 knots, 3 people, with a 15P prop and carrying 50% fuel (50 litres from the 100 capacity I have) and no fresh water (40 litres).
But as soon as I added another 37kgs on the stern (Auxilliary), the 12 litre aux fuel tank and went full fuel and water she could no longer turn a 15P prop and I was stuck at 5200rpm (vs 5800rpm I had before).
If someone where to go for this boat for similar reasons as me (I reckon its one of the cheapest 18.5 foot boats with 90hp Direct Injection on the market), I would seriously advise the following:
1) Order the boat with the 90 litre built in fuel tank which sits amidships to help with weight distribution
2) Put the water tank up front (the boat is very light at the bow)
3) Get your own canopy, don't take the one from Mecca it's crappy and overpriced
4) I don't think these foreign trailers are worth their money, get one done locally
5) I reckon a 4 stroke is better than Direct Injection if you plan on trolling with it, but the DI has great economy as well
The dry weight of the boat is 550kgs, main engine 143kgs, Auxillary 37kgs, 90kgs fuel, 40kgs water, around another 60kgs of additional weight from other fixed items; approx all up weight of 920kgs excluding people on board which would typical be around another 300kgs, total weight 1220kgs
I think your boat is very nice nick. The finishing is not perfect but as u said for the price its damn good. U can always fix certain things urself and upgrade without burning a hole in ur pocket. it planes well and is safe in a rough sea which is what a boat is meant to be.Its also fuel efficient and has a good cruising speed of 22 knots.