first grady 265 express in OZ.....

[jekyl]

g'day from oz. for those who would like to see my 2000 model 265 "Tanami" aboriginal for: never dry.thanks for all the tips guys; will keep you all informed as we get more active. Billfishing here won't start for another 4 months or so. We are based in Townsville on the tropical east coast of Australia.

http://usera.imagecave.com/jekyl/

 

[gradyfish22]

Boat looks awesome!!! Outrigger install looks nice!! Now we just need to see some blood on the deck!!

 

[jekyl]

Thanks fish....it took a while to figure out where the layback hooks should go. We have them on the hardtop with teflon blocks underneath to add some clearance.However I have had to put foam tape around the riggers there as the hooks (covered in a nylon hose) still manage to rough up the riggers . Bare poles would get scratched terribly.......We have also done the hatteras rig as well as the traditional bungee still working out everything....had to replace the trim tab motor and pump as well as the head today. both have suffreed from lack of use. The jabsco head was actually cheaper complete rather than the pump/macerator only by about $200......go figure.Ken Lahr is coming out here in march and I'm trying to make sure everything is nice!

 

[Average Joe]

Very Nice. Living in Australia and owning a Grady.....what a lucky guy!

 

[gradyfish22]

That is awesome!! My outriggers hooks are touching the bare poles, but they are super tight and do not flex, there is about a 1inch area tha is scratches on each outrigger from them. This is how we bought the boat, so I felt no need to change this since the scratches were already there and have not gotten worse. Let me know how you like the hatteras rig, I've heard about it and it looks neat, but I've never done it before/fished that way. We did not have issues with rigging this season, but I am always open to improvements. That should be fun having Ken Lahr out there, I'm assuming you will try and get some fishing in. Is he bringing any of his tackle to test out there? I use some of his stuff and have had some great luck with it thus far. I might have to try and get him up to NJ sometime to do some tuna fishing once his bite in Md slows.

 

[jekyl]

The hatteras rig is actually simpler than the conventional bungee; with a lanyard coming off the pulley back to the gunwhale and thru a small hole (we found a stainless grommett that fitted perfectly and sicaflexed it in)
then fix a jam cleat on the inside of the gunnel and run the lanyard thru that. you can now adjust your tension easily and vary it according to bait size etc.
Yes we hope to do some fishing with Ken and I am very interested in how you guys run a spreader bar and have a stinger attached?
We have set the riggers up with dual lines and I really would like to experiment with some different ideas this year.North Queensland is predominantly a dead bait and live bait fishery but i like to try different stuff. I have been emailing Peter B Wright and getting some new ideas.
Our tuna are a nuisance here as they get in the way of our Spanish Mackeral (king) and Marlin fishing and all of the inshore tuna are relatively small Bluefin.
Later in the year when we head out to the edge of the shelf 70 nm out we get into some nice yellowfin and dogtooth.

 

[gradyfish22]

I rig my bars similar to kens, I actually use his bars themselves and do my own rigging with various lures. I can send picks if interested, these are also good to use as teasers for bringing marlin to the surface, you can dettach the stinger and just use a drop back technique when you see a bill in the spread, not sure if you have ever done that before. There are many types of bars out there, and many guys sell cheap ones that make fighting the fish tougher, Ken's are great for fighting fish. If you would like I can show you pictures of my bars and what works well for yellowfin, as well as details of how I rig them. Not sure if you have ever rigged lures before, but it is a big cheaper and you can get a little more creative.

 

[SlimJim]

I love the pictures, awesome looking boat. I get mine next week!! :lol:

 

[jekyl]

G'day Fish ,,,missed your last reply .....I would definitely appreciate some pics of the bars and rigs. Yes i do use moldcrafts and other skirted lures but haven't used a bar in the spead other than my ballyhoo teaser bar off the rigger.
Do you know anyone using a high speed fairing block with their 1kw transducer . I get great pics at trolling speeds but nothing at planing speeds.
Have you ever bled air out of your trim tab lines?

 

[gradyfish22]

I have not bleed air from my trim tabs. I have a clear picture of the bottom up to about 12-14kts, then in most conditions I can read the bottom until about 16-17kts, but I will not read any marks or such and will begin to lose the picture. I know that placing a high speed fairing block is a pain to get right so that it works correctly. I will send you some picks later in the day.