Boating Gear

When it comes to fishing, I love it all. It doesn’t matter whether I’m surface popping for whiting in the shallows, chasing barramundi on lures in impoundments or bottom bashing for pearl perch in the deep – I want to be able to do it all. For that reason, I have a soft spot for dedicated sportfishing boats that are …

Mercury Marine recently introduced its next generation of 25 and 30hp four-stroke outboards – the lightest and fastest three-cylinder engines in their class. The new engine platform, which made its local debut at the Sydney International Boat Show, is engineered from the ground up to be lighter, faster and easier to operate and maintain. Starting at just 60kg, these new …

Autumn is an interesting time of year for anglers fishing the coastal waters of Queensland and northern NSW. School mackerel tactics Common targets include bream, luderick, tailor, blue salmon and mulloway – depending on your location and inclination. School mackerel tactics A personal favourite – which is also popular with many state-wide – is the sprightly school mackerel. School mackerel …

Hi everyone, May is when big numbers of arrow squid start to show up in the Gold Coast Broadwater as the waters cools and clears. Finesse fishing the flats These tasty critters are usually caught on vibes and squid jigs and are found in sandy channels that have drop-offs. Finesse fishing the flats This month however, I’ll talk about fishing …

It will soon be the start of May and that means cooler mornings and warm days. Strategies for winter species The sea will begin to flatten out, the days will get shorter and the winter species will move into closer grounds. Strategies for winter species The heavy rains we had earlier in the year made the water dirty, so this …

Mercury Marine has announced its Avator electric outboard concept, representing Mercury’s next step in marine innovation, advanced technology and engineering. The electric outboard concept will be on display for the first time during the 2022 Miami International Boat Show and is progressing the company toward the formal release of electric outboard products later in 2022 and 2023. Avator creates a …

Yamaha has announced the release of additional features on their game-changing Helm Master EX joystick boat control system – further enhancing the capabilities of this industry-leading technology across single, twin, triple and quad outboard engine applications. Helm Master EX offers boaters a completely integrated boat control system that makes getting to your fishing spot easier and unprecedented control over your …

Selecting the appropriate electronics package is very important when starting out in a new boat. Lowrance HDS-9 Live Having a unit that can do all that you want and all that you need it to do is key to your success. Lowrance HDS-9 Live I’ve been asked on many occasions why I chose the Lowrance HDS-9 Live unit in my …

It’s a very rare occasion that we manage to get three brand new Bar Crusher 670 Hardtops in the same place at the same time. A couple of weeks ago, the plan came together with the organisation of Rod Elliot from AMC and his staff to take these boats out for a combined water test and review to document their …

Testing – Ocean Craft Posi Lift Hull – Not all boat tests or in this case boat reviews are the same. The main reason this one is a little different is because I tested the boat with an 18hp Tohatsu, even though the Ocean Craft 5900 is rated to 170hp. Ocean Craft Posi Why, you ask? Well, the new owner …