Me and wifey have just bought a second hand Buccaneer 565 Classic with a mind to some over nighters around the Hauraki gulf - Waiheke, Kawau, Rakino etc.

I will watch this thread with interest. I did a few overnighters on my boat (6.1m) last autumn and plan to do a few this spring summer autumn. 

Troutzilla wrote: Me and wifey have just bought a second hand Buccaneer 565 Classic with a mind to some over nighters around the Hauraki gulf - Waiheke, Kawau, Rakino etc. Any tips and tricks from others who have experience with this type of mission? Space will obviously be at a premium. cheers Jeremy

porta loo,any thoughts on how wifey will enjoy?gas canister stove is my preference rather than a small 4kg bottle. 2 x chilly bins as previous comments and the big trick is stay warm,nothing runs a weekend away getting wet n cold..  If porta loo a problem then start thinking about places that have public shore faccilities.Motuhehe is.Home bay Motutapu. nil at rakino. etc

reel crayze wrote: I will watch this thread with interest. I did a few overnighters on my boat (6.1m) last autumn and plan to do a few this spring summer autumn.  What i found. 2 chilly bins one for food and the other for fish and bait otherwise fish juices and melting ice seeps into your food no matter how careful you are. As you get into the autumn and the nights get longer .. I buy a newspaper to read at night. When i used to do possums i would be in my tent / sleeping bag for 13 plus hours and used to take a newspaper. I also take 2 or 3 black rubbish bags. This season i will take a solar shower.

Me and wifey have just bought a second hand Buccaneer 565 Classic
 When we 1st started looking around for a boat, cabin size was important for over nighters.. even several in a row for Wife and I.
Modern boats had smaller cabins. Were looking something practical around the size of a buccaneer 635 but smaller hull.
 Ended up with Commander.. 5.5m but cabin much same size as the 635.

Ist thing was re do swabs, more comfort for sleeping than sitting.. put porta toilet under the seat.
Couple railbazzer connections and bait board on the gunnels just inside the Bimini clears. Easy set up and drop for the LPG cooker using seat as kitchen bench.
Spare anchor.. loose an anchor means go home.. plus handy if not sure of sea beds type or drift.
Missus may want curtains if other boats around.


Where stay often depends on when out there even thu may have made 'plans'  always check the bay, check depth, rocks and sort where going to drop the anchor .. exactly allow for swing change of tide. eg Anita (see below) on the right has a rock, and at 1st may look not suitable

When choosing a spot.. say little bay like Anita , Bottom end of Waikeke. or Hooks, .. most bays are an extension of a gully coming down from the hills  A bush covered gully breaks up and breeze which kills a lot of chine slap. Chine slap is usually concern for the missus.. messed with noodles, sheets to stop it.. end of the day ear plugs.

Glass boats/ hulls are very warm, even in winter.

If filleting  catch or collecting shell fish each day, keep frames of smaller legal size and take pics of shell fish each day time stamped.

Cant beat waking up just before dawn, watch the sun come up over the Corros, cuppa and breakfast. Or still just dark, missus still in bed, pull anchor, drop a sb rod out the back , quietly just off idle head out to bit of a reef just off shore, drop rest of the lines,  drift down and over,  Nice cuppa breakfast, lines down in the water as the sun comes up over the corros.

And if weekend, about now a stream of boats, usually missed the actual change of light (and sun over the corros), coming up from kawakawa bay ramp way in the distance sth.

Then there is the evening , long drifts, bouncing stray lines along the bottom, sun gone down over the hills...and have sorted the mooring place in the dark (and alternative just in case)

OH and check weather forecasts and know the winds, tides and currents.

Steps wrote: Me and wifey have just bought a second hand Buccaneer 565 Classic  When we 1st started looking around for a boat, cabin size was important for over nighters.. even several in a row for Wife and I. Modern boats had smaller cabins. Were looking something practical around the size of a buccaneer 635 but smaller hull.  Ended up with Commander.. 5.5m but cabin much same size as the 635. Ist thing was re do swabs, more comfort for sleeping than sitting.. put porta toilet under the seat. Couple railbazzer connections and bait board on the gunnels just inside the Bimini clears. Easy set up and drop for the LPG cooker using seat as kitchen bench. Spare anchor.. loose an anchor means go home.. plus handy if not sure of sea beds type or drift. Missus may want curtains if other boats around. Where stay often depends on when out there even thu may have made 'plans'  always check the bay, check depth, rocks and sort where going to drop the anchor .. exactly allow for swing change of tide. eg Anita (see below) on the right has a rock, and at 1st may look not suitable When choosing a spot.. say little bay like Anita , Bottom end of Waikeke. or Hooks, .. most bays are an extension of a gully coming down from the hills  A bush covered gully breaks up and breeze which kills a lot of chine slap. Chine slap is usually concern for the missus.. messed with noodles, sheets to stop it.. end of the day ear plugs. Glass boats/ hulls are very warm, even in winter. If filleting  catch or collecting shell fish each day, keep frames of smaller legal size and take pics of shell fish each day time stamped. Cant beat waking up just before dawn, watch the sun come up over the Corros, cuppa and breakfast. Or still just dark, missus still in bed, pull anchor, drop a sb rod out the back , quietly just off idle head out to bit of a reef just off shore, drop rest of the lines,  drift down and over,  Nice cuppa breakfast, lines down in the water as the sun comes up over the corros. And if weekend, about now a stream of boats, usually missed the actual change of light (and sun over the corros), coming up from kawakawa bay ramp way in the distance sth. Then there is the evening , long drifts, bouncing stray lines along the bottom, sun gone down over the hills...and have sorted the mooring place in the dark (and alternative just in case) OH and check weather forecasts and know the winds, tides and currents. Thanks Steps, lots of great advice there!   The old man used to have a sea nymph commander and he took us over nighting around lake Taupo one christmas. Can still remember the sound and smell of the 2 stroke Johnson waking us up as he set out for for an early harl. Great boat that one, spent loads of time on it fishing off Raglan.