Had 7m and 12 footers currently own a 5.5 surtees but wanting something reliable and solid i can beach launch and figure this is a decent size not too big,not too small and dont need to huge outboard sucking gas.

Just looking to get basic tiller steer runabout.

They seem to have a good rep, anyone own one that loves it, dislikes things etc.. Every boat has its pros n cons

If you are fishing off beach with 2 or more to help hold boat - ok manual start etc but if you are using a fish finder so have electrics anyway?  I know electrics adds cost and weight - but have you actually tried one?  

Maybe PM Redfinger who works at FC boats in Akld - a good bloke and get a demo first?  Once you buy you are locked in to configuration...

Just saying based on my experiences.

 

Tiller steer -

- had to sit at the back, which made it too arse heavy, so hard to get planning, ploughed along.

- sitting at the back with bow up, meant visibility forward was poor.

- Manually lowering and raising the motor was a pain.

- inability to adjust motor trim, meant no way of trimming motor for speed, weight etc.

- manual start - hard, and temperamental.

- I suspect that crossing a bar with small tiller steer, would be asking for trouble. I would want at least a superstructure and screen to shed water over the front.

I have since moved up to an FC560 C/C which is IMHO the perfect fishing rig - big enough and small enough.

I would seriously consider either a centre or side console rig rather than a tiller steer - but that's my preference.

However the FC430 is a very capable boat in tiller steer and I have encountered a number of them on the outside of the Manukau bar over the years. 

Have a talk to Russel at FC boats Auckland - he runs the 430 and is a really decent guy who will advise or the real pros/cons without bias.

cheers

Russell .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZfwZjUU-fg" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZfwZjUU-fg

Also check out Fishwisperer's posts from the saltwater reports (or here on YouTube) - he's been running a FC430T for a little while-  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9nwaLrg19iJ999_fgTyxTQ" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9nwaLrg19iJ999_fgTyxTQ

Fishes out on the Kaipara and Manukau (looks like he beach launches at Huia or Cornwallis?).

If you want another independent opinion, try calling Sam Mossman - NZFishing News writer - who personally owns an FC430T. He must have reviewed and fished out of dozens of small boats over the years, so would have some useful comments I'm sure.

Like Fishinmad, I have the 465 and really like it. In the 2+ years I've had it, I haven't seen a similar sized boat from another maker and gone 'what have I done!'. Marco does a tiller worth looking at. Frewza is the other make people on the forum speak very highly of. Going down from a 5.5m, you'd be talking the F14 i guess. 

The stern shape of the 465 is brilliantly accessible for solo beach launching and pushing out to sea in the shallows before jumping aboard (I've only launched at a ramp once). 430 a bit more agricultural to jump on board. The Voyager low rider is ideal, too. 

In terms of the feel of the 430/465 at sea, it's great in my opinion.

I have never considered a bar crossing, and have no experience of that - so listen to wiser heads re that aspect.

But I've been well out into the Firth, off the Northland coast, and out from Kawau - all in fairly choppy conditions (including one very rough rounding of the point near Challenger) - and felt very safe. As Joker told me once when I was going through the process you are, the small FCs punch above their weight. You feel like you're in a much bigger boat in terms of stability, solidity, sea keeping, dryness etc.

Like Fishinmad I have the 40hp Merc 4 stroke and can go from Howick to well past Shag Island at the Bottom End, move spots plenty of times, and back on less than a 25l tote. I circumnavigated Kawau from Algies on less than half a tank, which really surprised me.

Lots of dry space in the bow, for its size. 

Unique live bait tank. Lots and lots of fishing room.

The only 'improvements' I've made after my experience with the boat so far are to fit a flat wooden platform to sit the tote on (under the rear shelf on the port side) and to fit a Railblazer rod holder between the skipper and passenger seats to hold my softbaiting/stick baiting rod horizontally when moving drifts. 

Good luck with your search!

going out in a 430 tiller with both 30 2 stroke and another that has a 40 2 stroke soon.

Thats ok I'm sure..... I owned one and so did a friend and they both cracked.. Talking to an ex FC boats salesman he said it was a problem with the 3mm hull. Hopefully they have rectified this because once they crack they will keep cracking...

Re trailer and springs - there has always been options to purchase trailer with springs - some people didnt want to pay extra $$ for this option while others quite rightly didnt see the need for springs when they were not towing far. Good to have the option i suppose.

Just to clarify i do not work for fc boats - i work for fish city albany - totally seperate company and independantly owned - pleased to be a dealer for fc boats as well as mclay, fi glass and whatever else we trade or get to sell on behalf.

I cant speak highly enough of the 430 and am always impressed with its handling in rougher conditions (Im not a fair weather fisherman) Many people who have been out on the boat have been very impressed with it and a couple of them have almost gone and purchased one for themselves. Definitely recommend going for a sea trial before committing to purchasing and compare to similar priced and sized rigs, you will soon see why 

But I can't recommend the boat highly enough as an overall craft for beach launching, with the low rider trailer etc.

The number one rule is to get what suits you!

You could try a PM to FarQuirk, who was a long time 390 owner and did a lot of beach launching in east Auckland (as well as ramps).

Russell (Redfinger on the forum) is a salesman at Fish City Albany and was fantastic to deal with when I bought mine - including a sea trial off a beach launch etc. He's a long-time FC430 CC owner, and another of the staff has the tiller. So they will give you a straight answer about depth for the lighter/smaller models than the 465.

As with any boat, this will be a compromise. I have an FC465 runabout, which is based on the same footprint as the 430, but has a different stern shape and rear boarding platforms, and has the solid ali windscreen - and two seats up front.

That serves to make the boat feel slightly longer - hence the 35cm extra in the LOA. Mine has the 40hp Merc four stroke which came with the package from new. The rating was 40-60hp and I might go for a 60hp down the track, but it's fine at 40hp for what I need.

My experience after 7 years has been an excellent one. I regularly fish similar areas as you describe in moderate winds, and have fished in the open ocean in the Far North with confidence. The boat seems to punch above its weight in terms of dryness and stability. 

It's never going to match a larger, deeper v boat, or glass boat for ride, but that's the compromise with being able to easily beach launch and store.

I like the security of the bungs into the livebait tank, which means if you ship water over the stern you can drain it into the tank, or forget the bung (only once!) but have the other two in, you don't have a problem.

There is heaps of fishing room - more so than most much larger boats. I have taken my wife and two young boys out many times, but I can see how it will become a bit cramped when they are strapping teenagers. There is nowhere for young kids to lie down and sleep - like you'd find in larger cuddy style boats - but that's a different ballgame in terms of size and cost. And in reality,  my kids are so into fishing they don't get bored.

I suspect you might find the 430 a bit sluggish with three or four on board and a 30hp outboard.

My handy dad built a folding wooden seat to my design which clips over the rear shelves for a 3rd seat. I've also added some extra rod holders near the front of the boat - one Railblazer and two stick on. I think the horizontal ones that came with the boat are okay for rod storage when going from A to B, but useless when moving spot and you don't want the rods in the side holders getting splashed.

I also added a flat wooden platform to hold my tote tank, rather than have it sitting at a wonky angle with the way the stern is designed to drain into the self-filling livebait tank.

Only one issue on the boat - with the weld of the small access 'window' through the windscreen to the anchor well. That just crumbled and came off in my hands. Unfortunately out of warranty at the time.

I think the weld stuff you are referring to re the hulls was a long time ago.

I also think the Voyager trailer design is wrong at the wiring end, as tight backing turns crush the cable to the lights - due to the way the trailer chain and the electrical cable emerge from the trailer together. I came up with a way of preventing that happening again, but it's poor to be in that position in the first place.

Overall, I'd highly recommend the small FCs. I've been out a few times in Redfinger's FC430CC, and that's an excellent format too. 

I think Geoff 'Far Quirk' on this forum - a moderator - has the 430 tiller. Maybe drop him a PM.

Good luck.