Hey guys, first time posting on this forum, however I have been reading the forum extensively for some time yet cant make my mind and I would appreciate your help/inputs . 

loved mine! would fish all around the firth and often surprise bigger boats with how far out we were on It, was planning a barrier trip with a couple of other mates, the guy who purchased it is a charter operator and has taken it to flat rock,
it has a new Suzuki long shaft 30hp 2t and flys along
the best small water soft bait and stickbait machine imo
10~15kts wind against tide is fine but 20kts was a hand full but you wouldnr want to be out in that anyway

Catchelot wrote: Have you considered a 4m Fatcat? A hell of a lot more room than a smartwave... https://www.lightningmarine.co.nz/

went and tested one out, couldn't believe how wet they were, have a purchased a 4200 now

Well it is CE class D so that implies winds up to 15 knots (personally I wouldn't want to be in a boat that small in the ocean over 10

 Hell yeah.. get a 10 knot and against current and you have one hell of a chop , long wet ride..
Which when boils down to it limits your places to go and number weather windows.
IE get a 10  northerly wind knot wind and out going tide off the bottom of Waiheke, down the side of Ponui etc and you have a rather uncomfortable situation....in a 5.5m well powered cabin boat.
Also get off maretai in the bottom end of tamaki straight, any tide with a 10 kn westerly..that can make a slow rough trip across from the bottom of Waiheke channel.

Smart waves/ mac s ok .. its the size of boat you are thinking of to get to the places you wish, in reasonable comfort on a regular basis.. /I would be looking more to at least 5m with a bit of shelter from wind , spray and sun.

You mentioned tow weight, unless you have a nissan March or similar, a 600kg boat is not going to stress the car..

Hey guys, thank you so much for your comments and advice in the process of finding my first dinghy. 

OneWayTraffic wrote: I took mine off Raglan many times. Launched it at Manu bay and out to 50m, 10km offshore. Rode back in 2m+ swells a few times, surfing over the waves and into the one in front.  Caught Albacore tuna, snapper and the single rat Kingfish out there.  Been caught out in wind vs tide chop up to and in blows up to and past 20knots in places including Auckland harbour, the Tamaki Strait, Lake Tarawera, and off Whangamata.  Once in Nelson Haven with two adults (200kg) and 3 small kids on board. I put my whole family on it other times and once I gained confidence in it never felt like I wouldn't get home.  It's the most confidence inspiring boat of that size I could imagine.  It is only a 3.5m boat, and I think better suited to an open boat than CC, but it's imo the best option in that price range and size for sea worthiness.  With a wide entry it will pound in a tight chop but you just slow down. In big waves not an issue and the massive stability and buoyancy mean that you will get home. Try pulling the bung with kids inside. Mine were worried the first time until they realised the water only gets ankle deep, if that.  Highly recommended for your use. Mine was hull 007 so didn't have the refinements of some of the newer ones.  Of course the 4200 is a bigger boat.

spin king wrote: loved mine! would fish all around the firth and often surprise bigger boats with how far out we were on It, was planning a barrier trip with a couple of other mates, the guy who purchased it is a charter operator and has taken it to flat rock, it has a new Suzuki long shaft 30hp 2t and flys along the best small water soft bait and stickbait machine imo 10~15kts wind against tide is fine but 20kts was a hand full but you wouldnr want to be out in that anyway

Does any of you guys have experience with both the Mac360 and the SW3500 and is able to give a comparison between the two?
Got an old Mac with CC at the moment but have always been looking at the SW wondering if it would be an upgrade in any way.