Yes.. Seadoo RXT-X 300 modified for Fishing.. (Fishpro Sounder, Rails, Fishski bin etc)

Shindig:

Looking at the feasibility of buying a SeaDoo 2021 FishPro.

Juyst wondered if there were any jet ski fisherpeople on here

cheers

Shindig:

 

Looking at the feasibility of buying a SeaDoo 2021 FishPro.

 

Juyst wondered if there were any jet ski fisherpeople on here

 

cheers

 

Have a FishPro and it's great. Only change I'd make is the standard factory battery is too small. When you are out fishing for a few hours with the sounder running it reaches battery low very quickly. There's an option for a second battery harness to be installed which I'm having done when it goes in for service at the end of summer.

This would be a new venture for me. I have been out fishing, but that was charter. 

Is the fishpro each to tow? I live on a steep driveway, and may have to push the trailer into position. 

Thanks for the tip on the battery. 

Is it easy to pick up, when out on the water? And I assume you drift as your fishing. 

Do you use soft baits and avoid using pilchards\squid cos of the preparation?

cheers

Shindig:

 

Is the fishpro each to tow? I live on a steep driveway, and may have to push the trailer into position. 

 

Is it easy to pick up, when out on the water? And I assume you drift as your fishing. 

 

Do you use soft baits and avoid using pilchards\squid cos of the preparation?

 

It's easy to tow but they don't come with a trailer from Seadoo. The dealer sells you a trailer separately and there's loads of options. The trailer we have has a jockey wheel so you can move it around to line up with the car.

I assume by pick up you mean pull out of the water? If so yes they're really easy to winch out as it's significantly lighter than a boat. We usually launch at Westhaven so just tie it up on the dock while getting the car then once you're back float it over to the end of the trailer and hook it up to the winch.

We always drift when fishing and mainly use sliders as they're good for snapper, occasionally do soft bait. Never real bait other than leaving gross bits all over your nice toy there's no shade so it gets feral in the sun.

There's usually two of us on board and you side sideways when fishing.

Oh this is tops! Thanks for this information mate.

Do you where a wetsuit or something similar? You are more exposed to the elements than on a boat. The plan would be to take my son with me, if he is keen.

What brand of trailer do you have? 

Any other tips? I will look into sliders as I have to buy the fishing gear as well. 

Any other necessary purchases i will need to factor in

Shindig:

 

Do you where a wetsuit or something similar? You are more exposed to the elements than on a boat. The plan would be to take my son with me, if he is keen.

 

What brand of trailer do you have? 

 

Any other tips? I will look into sliders as I have to buy the fishing gear as well. 

 

Any other necessary purchases i will need to factor in

 

I have a full length swim shirt/rashie + in winter wetsuit shorts, summer just togs. Jetski life jackets are really tight so they keep me pretty warm.

The trailer is a Makz Gear Single Axle Bunk, can't find it online but we got it through Woodbine.

If you haven't got any fishing gear yet we use Shimano Sedona 4000 Combo which are good.

Just had a look at our checklist we use before going out and here are the other things you'd want to factor in:

• A trailer coupling lock so people don't steal the trailer off your car while you're out and wheel clamp if you won't be storing it in a garage.
• VHF radio + you need to do the Coastguard VHF course online. We have a small Cobra radio which is waterproof and floats.
• Jetski life jackets - they're a different design that won't catch your neck if you come off at speed.
• Rope like a fairly short one for docking.
• Seadoo have a option for installing a USB charging port which is handy.
• Coastguard membership.

Not sure where you're based but at least in Auckland you have to register it with Auckland Transport and get vinyl letters to put on the side so factor that in too.

A PLB to wear on your person. (I have this one - https://www.boatingandoutdoors.co.nz/product/5649/resqlink-406-mhz-gps-buoyant-plb-400---50-bo-gift-voucher-on-registration/ )

I too have a Makz Single Axle Bunk.. but do often wonder if rollers would be easier to work with.

I also recommend a second battery.

Daniel

Is this the worst time to be buying a jet ski, prime time peak of the summer and won't get as much opportunity of use going into Autum and winter?

cheers

Shindig:

 

Is this the worst time to be buying a jet ski, prime time peak of the summer and won't get as much opportunity of use going into Autum and winter?

 

Autumn and winter are great times to go fishing too!

Given that the jetski cost is $25k, I'd also be looking at alternatives if the main point of the exercise is fishing.

You'd be able to get a nice RIB on a trailer with outboard for that kind of money, far more room, probably rated to carry 4-6 people, probably use far less fuel, and be more reliable (ie engine etc designed for thousands of hours use instead of hundreds.  Downside is would probably be much slower, IOW probably comfortable/dry at 20 knots / 35km/h or so on flat-ish water.  May not be as much fun getting to the fishing spot, but a hell of a lot nicer when you do get there.

Shindig:

Is this the worst time to be buying a jet ski, prime time peak of the summer and won't get as much opportunity of use going into Autum and winter?

cheers

Never been jet ski fishing, but do a lot of boating.

Regarding towing, the fishpro jet-ski spec sheet has the dry weight at 389kg. Add 53kg for a full tank of fuel say 100kg for the trailer, and say 80kg payload (Rod's, bait, catch, ice, sounder, lunch, anchor, safety gear, options (audio system, nav lights?) etc.)

Adds up to 622kg. Light enough for most cars to to unbaked (check your partial model's rating), and unlikely to have a huge impact on vehicle dynamics etc. Of course stopping distance will be a lot longer, so as with when towing any trailer, following distance should be extended. 

Would want a jockey wheel. Nose weight is often set up to 10%, so ~60kg down-force on the draw-bar which is a lot to pick up by hand. A 600kg trailer would be ok to move around by hand on the flat, but not so much on a hill, depending on the slope. 

Should note that the smaller a trailer is the harder it is to back down the boat ramp. Especially difficult to back a narrow, short, unladen trailer with a wide car, where the entire trailer is hidden from view. but can always attach poles of flags to make it viable. A bunch of practice in an empty car park will bring anybodies skills up in that area.

Probability worth running an evaluation against a little trailer boat. For example a stabicraft 1450 Frontier can be had for under $30k with a yamaha 40hp 4 stroke & a trailer. With a folding draw bar it should still fit in many garages. Small boats will have more capacity for stuff, get the passengers less wet, use heaps less fuel, and depreciate less. Jetski's will be much faster, and are likely better if you want to do things like cross bar's when it's really rough.

bender:

 

Autumn and winter are great times to go fishing too!

 

And assuming international travel is still off the card's, there is likely to be another big rush on toys Oct, Nov, Dec this year.

Last year the used market for boats was seriously dry over that time period. And some new boat builders had a 6+ month wait on orders.

Batman:

Pre covid they get very cheap during Easter either new or second hand but who knows what happens this year as they are literally no stock to discount

Made the mistake of dropping anchor at a popular spot near a launching ramp just after new year.  The queue of cars with boat trailers waiting to get to the ramp to launch or retrieve was almost a km long - I've never seen it like that before.  My SO wanted an espresso at a nearby cafe, finds out that there's a one hour delay. Meanwhile I'm on the boat alone with no dinghy to get to shore trying to do some stuff, about every minute some moron zaps past within 5 metres or so on the plane at full throttle in a zone clearly marked 3 knots.

I saw the video of the moron guy who lost the plot and rammed the other morons on a fizz boat with his inflatable (which fell to bits), then got attacked by the fizz boat moron wielding a wooden oar.  That wasn't me BTW - but I understand the anger (but don't excuse the action).

OTOH I shot some video a couple of years before of some morons who should have been locked up, water skiing while using diver's flags on buoys and dinghies as markers for their "slalom course" about 50m from shore.  It amazes me given what I see every summer that there's not even more carnage than there is.

Local large boat dealer sold out of stock of just about everything that floats before xmas.  They expected a post-covid fall in sales - and couldn't have been more wrong.