Hi guys,

For my trip round Oz I'm looking for a tinny to use as a cartopper.

Ideally it would be no bigger than 3.5 meters (about 12ft) so I can still easily load it by myself without having to invest in an expensive loading system.

For outboard I'm looking at a 15 or 18hp 2 stroke. If it's got a smaller engine but if the boat and price are alright it's fine too, I can always trade it in for a bigger one somewhere if I need to.

For safety I guess something with a v-hull and a bit higher sides would be nice but it has to still be able to go on top of a car. Other than that I'm not too fussed about what make it is. I think a lot of people use the Quintrex Dart for this purpose.

Price range no more than $2500. It would probably come with a trailer, since almost all do, but I don't need that, would have to get rid of it somehow I guess.

Any help is much appreciated. I've been looking at ebay and tradingpost and so far only really seen 2 that are somewhat near Sydney. Don't mind driving for a bit but I guess around 100-150k's is about the max distance.

Thanks guys.

Also on a side note, I'm still looking for a car although I've seen some likely ones. 60-series Landcruiser preferred or a GQ Patrol would be good as well. Dual fuel would be awesome cause I'm a tight arsed backpacker type but diesel would be the best from a maintenance perspective.. still struggling with that choice a bit tbh and not too many dual fuel ones around anyway. So if you know someone who's selling one with a roo bar that is in decent shape and no more than say $6000, please let me know as well.

You can send me a PM for my phonenumber as well

Martin. Tell you what I will do for you, and it is only an offer
so don't feel like you are under any sort of obligation.
I have a 12' alloy flat bottom square nose punt here that I don't use any more.
It is only suitable for lakes and rivers, as it is pretty shallow.
If you don't get anything that suits you, I will lend you this boat to take on your travels
and you can just drop it back to me when you are going home.
I don't have a motor for it at the moment but it only needs between a 6 hp and a 9.9 hp.
With a 6 it pokes along quiet nicely with a 9.9 you really need to hang on tight.
So what this means is it won't cost you a lot of money to get on the water.

The best roof rack for he boat would be a old telecom ladder rack and cut the centre
ribs out, they have rollers at the end and skids that the sides of boat
can slide on for easy getting down and putting up.

This punt is a roughy so it wouldn't matter if you dropped it on stones etc etc etc
and can be manouvered one up for launching etc.
As for the other stuff I will PM you shortly, have to do a few things at the moment.
Have a think about it mate and the punt is here IF you want it.

Hey Frank mate... You're good man...

Very kind offer Frank & prob a good idea as well to have a punt that way Bunyip Man wont be tempted to venture outside to places he shouldn't be thinking off

It's not pretty to look at



But is is a means of floating on top of the water and driving across it.

Martin, you should find plenty of patrols or 60 series crusiers for that price..

Check out Just 4x4 magazine and the trading post..

Id go with diesel as travelling you are less likly to have problems..

If you need to get the car checked out I can put on to a 4x4 shop that will look after you.

Frank, that's very nice of you! Thanks, I will defo think about it. When you say rivers though.. would that only be pretty sheltered ones? Cause I wouldn't be taking it out on the ocean anyway of course but some of the rivers here in Oz are plenty big enough with quite a bit of wave action. Wouldn't want to go down of course

Rump. There's actually not as many around as I had hoped at the moment. Problem is also that I'm a little limited as to where I can look as I obviously don't have transportation at the moment. I'd like to get a diesel but if I look at the simple economy of it, it's hard to justify. The fuel is just so much more expensive..

I looked at a nice '91 GQ yesterday which I think I can get for around $5500 but it's petrol.. I'm really partial to the landcruisers myself but so is everyone else which means they sell very quickly and at higher prices as well.

If you know of a good one that you think might be worth it, I have no problem with traveling out from Sydney, it's just that it gets a bit expensive to go all around to look at cars that turn out not to be so great after all.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TROOP-CARRIER_W0QQi...1QQcmdZViewItem

Martin if you see something that is a bit away that you need to travel to.
Give me a buz and pay for petrol and I could drive you to have a look at it.

Visit My Website

Perhaps you might want to consider a ute.
Don't think the kid changing the wheel comes with the package.

Hi Martin,
a Mate of mine called in today and left me his 4WD to sell Its a 95 4ltr Fuel injected Jeep Cherokee Sport, with everything that opens and shuts, includes Big Alloy Bull Bar & Reece Tow Bar, elec windows, central locking Keyless entry, He had it inspected Today and Registered for 12 Months today, it ran out of rego last Wednesday so all but 1 week rego.
He has asked me to sell it for $5900 ONO and said he will take $5200 thats not a bad price considering the rego was $650 today. Send me a PM if you're interested.

Forgot to mention it has genuine roof racks, and he tells me it does about 12 litres per 100 klms 8 ks per litre

Martin. that sounds like a really good deal that Sumo has, and I could run you up there to have a look at it whenever you like, as I say just pay for fuel.

Frank, you know you and Martin are welcome at my place anytime ,and I have a 40ft motorhome sitting in the yard, if Martin want's the vehicle I can deliver it, as I was going to fly down or catch a Train next week to pick up another car for my Daughter and it would be easier to drive a vehicle I didn't have to bring back. but if he want's to have a look by all means come up for a run and stay a couple of days.

Bye the way this jeep is immaculate it's done 220,000klms it'd be just run in.

Dont look down on me guys.. Please....

But Martin? if you are planning on any travel to remote areas or on outback / corrogated roads.. You re better sticknig with you crusier or patrol, and i will give a few reasons.

1. PARTS! Ovbviosly, crusiers and patrols rule the bush and are much easier to get fixed if somthing goes wrong!
2. Strengh! Crusiers and patrols both use solid axle suspension and have a seperate body / chassis, Much stronger.

Sorry.. Sumo... Not trying to talk him out of it, But, if he plans on remote travel the its wise to stick with what works..

Martin, Dont rule out the very capable toyota 4runners either if its a wagon you are after, but stay away from the 2.4l Surfs. The 3l Surfs are ok.

Actually I agree with Rum on this one.. thanks for the offer though Sumo.

I did look at some mitsu pajero's. Had a look at a really nice Discovery today. Thing is, you get a lot more bang for your buck because they are not so popular here in Oz but there's probably a good reason for that.. even just the availability of the parts like Rum says. It's a tough decision cause you get a '94/'96 discovery for the same price as a late 80's cruiser.

Frank, regarding the link you put up, I would like to get a vehicle with a rear seat so I can bring some people along with me to share the fuel cost, and just for company, so that sort of rules out the utes and troopies.

Would be great if you can drive me out somewhere though. I'll have another good look around tomorrow morning (when I get free internet again) and will get back to you on that, thanks.

So just to summarize.. preferably a cruiser or patrol, with backseat, fuel not as important although dual fuel would be great.. need good roo bars and things like dual battery system, winch and spots are a bonus

Actually Marin, you raise a good point.. There is not alot wrong with the old discovery's either.. I used to work on them alot and although im not a massive fan cause of little niggly things, its probably not a bad option.

The 300tdi would be the pick..

Im hoping most of you skip over that cause im almost embaressed to say it!!!

This one might be worth a look.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1991-Nissan-Patrol-...Grey-5-Speed-M-

OK will have to try again

On gas, don't know how much rego it has, and I sure if you waved $6000 under his nose he would jump at it.

I also have to totally agreee there. I was going to write the same thing but went out to dinner.
Last year i travelled all the way to the top of OZ and back in 5 weeks. 11 000 km. I done it in a Toyota Hilux and really put her through hell. She did not falter one bit, actually i felt she was begging for more.
Martin, in all those remote places i was at the most common 4wd i saw was Toyota. If i was to ever do a big round the country trip i would not do it in anything but a Toyota.
Everyone i have met along my travels who has one can only talk good things about them. And up North QLD they REALLY give their cars hell.

Also, the Toyota 4 runner is a terrific car, its just like the Hilux. But i was always told to stay away from the Toyota Surf cause their an import or something like that and apparantly they are complete shi7boxes. 2 of my mates had them and they had major problems with them. I cant exactly remember the politics of what makes them different but i do remember telling myself i will stay away from them. Rum can maybe correct me on this.

No worries mate, there have been 2 versions of the surf brought into the country, most popular was the 2.4l version which was from the start a dog of a motor and had al sorts of problems. There are also 3l versions going around which in early days were also hard to find parts for untill toyota upgraded our aussie hilux's to the same motor as the older model 3l surfs, therefore all the parts became available, so basically that are a gen 2 4 runner with the gen 3 hilux motor in them. The auto box's in these (hilux/4runners) are an extremly tough box and like yuo say.

They are a great car, that can handle alot of punishment and get you most places, Only limited by the inderpendant front suspension. As long as you dont bounce on rocks with heaps of wheelspin to much you will have no problems. My old one had a 2" lift (max you can go with IFS without massive mod's) and only being the 2.8d had a turbo fitted and ran 32" muddies and a rear locker! People wouldnt beileive the roads i took it without seeing it for themselves.

Hey maybe you should buy my Range Rover 88 model only done 90000 has bull bar tow bar roof bars back seat twin batterys has air compressor with resovoir for pumping up tyres after driving on beach could throw some driving lights on it and rod holders ( although they are illegal ) has under body bump bars for tight places. Don't have a winch but could throw a hand winch in.
Give me $5200 and I will buy Sumos Jeep.

Not one that knows much about cars... but this seemed like a nice buy. I found this while searching for the newer 4Runners

Nice price, low km's.

4Runner HERE!

Frank?

has it got standard twin carbies or has it been modded? The SU's can be a bit fiddly, but as long as ya stay off the loud pedal they aint to bad on fuel..

Still though. Crusier, 4runner and Patrols would be my first choice...

4 Runner is actually a good option cause they are cheap on fuel and smaller and a bit more comfortable!

Fuel injected 4 ltr v8 does about 10 ltrs per 100 k's on the open road, but drinks a bit if I put my foot down in town.

Yes that is a nice WHITE 4runner .

Slightly upgraded hey frank... That would not be a bad veichle. Did you say auto or manual? 4 door or 2 door?

These motors get along.. Keep the stepper motor clean and tuned along with the air flow sensor and theres no much to em... And you dont have to worry about the oil leaks cause they come from factory!!

A bit late but Yep Yep the Jeep Cherokee's suck

I know this cause I had one B4 trading it in on the Navara, Jeeps are pretty small inside & use a sh*tload of fuel pretty gutless as well powerwise considering they're a 4 litre 6 cylinder motor.

I initially told bunyip man a Hi-lux or similar would be a better option but he wont listen to me

I am also starting to lean towards the 4 runner option.. They also have the most room with the back seats folded down so you can get a swag and sleep in the back, especially cosy if you pick up a nice female backpacker!

A 3L diesel would be cheap to run.
Could he get a gen 3 (1989-1996??) for his budget?

Martin I assume you know that although diesel is dearer to purchase you drive a lot further per litre if you don't fang the crap out of it.

First of all Chad I know that Cruisers are tuff trucks I have owned them and I must say that they are tuff but it is very rare to find one that has Never blown a diff or gearbox Gearbox replacements are between $3500 and $5000,

Jumpy you are right that Jeeps feel smaller inside , they do not have a high roof line But I have been to the cape and back in one and it was a very impressing vehicle and reasonably fuel effecient, as far as power you mention Hi Luxes and my reference to them is that they wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

I have also owned Jackaroos which I wouldn't go tripping in, and Probably one of the Best & most reliable vehicles I owned was an MQ Nissan wagon 3.3SD which was bullet proof.

I hope that Martin will find a Reliable vehicle to Travel OZ but it won't be a Hilux under any circumstances.

Sumo it is true that Hilux's are renowned for having no guts. If you want power apparantly the Mitsubishi Triton wins that department according to a few of the guys i talk with on construction, (My knowledge of 4wd's is mainly with utes cause thats what interests me).
In November i towed my new boat of 850 kg (approx including trailer) back from Labrador in QLD on my 2.4L dual cab Hilux. A trip of normally 11 hours took me 12 to complete. The only time she really struggled was going up the hill at the Hawkesbury bridge. I had semis overtaking me there. But apart from the extra fuel, i had no problem.
As for unreliable to travel OZ, i have to dissagree my friend. I know many who have done it, and done it comfortably. I myself have tortured my vehicle so much that i should be put in jail if the world was run by cars. I have been saying i want to sell it and upgrade for over a year now, but i just cant do it cause the Hilux has been so good to me. But i have been looking, and im going to get ANOTHER Hilux but with a bigger engine so it doesnt strain with the boat on the back.
If i were to travel round OZ in a hilux a canopy is a must so you can store your stuff. Also i believe you need a dual cab. I would never own a single cab.
I go away a hell of a lot during the year, my work is flexible and the good thing is that the missus likes going camping and going off road so thats all we ever do.
If you have had a bad experience with a Hilux then i would understand your point, but i have yet to bump into anyone who had one and regards them as unreliable.
As the ad says...............................

UNBREAKABLE!!!

I once saw an episode of top gear in which they were testing the reliability of, I am pretty sure, the HILUX.

They tried everything, even submerging it in seawater, which went wrong and it was flushed away with the tide so was submerged for a couple of hours.

They were not allowed to replace parts , only clean, drain and replace fluids.

It kept on going.

Martin how about a course in 4x4 to get you out of hairy situations as well? Maybe one of the members can show him a thing or two


Jack

As for a boat, you would find it hard to do better then this one. sell the trailer.


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ALLOY-TINNY-10-FT-ON-TRAILER-6HP-

god damn it. don't know why it is doing that.

Hi Phil,
With no disregard to the performance of your Hilux, Up here in the bush we live amongst the Mountain Ranges of some very rough terrain, most people in these areas have tried just about every 4WD known,
I myself have had many, but at present most people in this region are either using Cruisers or believe it or not Dual Cab Rodeos,
Although I did have a turbo diesel Jackaroo and a V6 HSV Jackaroo whick are built on the same Chassis of my Rodeo they were never in the class of the Rodeo for Off road OR Highway use and I would never buy another,
However There is members on this site that will attest to the capabilities of my Rodeo and have done many thousands of Kilometers with me in all terrains.

(after saying that) all manufacturers have made LEMONS regardless and all owners have preferences, all I say to Martin is that the condition of the vehicle is what must be considered.

I think that we have HI JACKED Martins thread and should have started one on BUYING 4WD's

As this information is relevant for him I am sure he won't mind

My inlaw has a rodeo and even though it rarely leaves the beaten track, it does a lot of km a year and it never faults him.


Jack

jesus you guys are supposed to make it EASIER for me.. not HARDER!!

Jumps, I did listen to you but like I said, the cruisers/patrols are bigger and you can put a mattress in the back, and besides that, didn't see too many good hiluxs around either.

Frank, your last two ebay links aren't working here mate, sorry.. as for the car, are you positive you can get 10 liters per 100ks out of that engine? That's pretty good. The discovery I looked at yesterday also had a V8 and didn't get anything near that on petrol, although it's quite good on gas.

Krust, $7000 for a car with no gear with it is out of my budget a bit, since I'll need to get all the camping gear and tools and what not. Like I said, I really like the 60 series cruiser, also cause it's such a chunky car but the GQ I looked at wasn't too bad with UHF on it, good bull bar with spots, already has a rhino roof system so all I need to get is one more rhino roof bar and I can sell the rhino basket which should be worth quite a bit. It did have a bit of dmg to the paint but nothing too serious.. only bad thing is it's petrol with no lpg. That's why I wanted to look around a bit more. Will dive back into it in a minute. This is the car btw http://www.gumtree.com.au/sydney/25/22722125.html

this one was put on today: might have a look at it but it has the same prob as the other one and the price is almost $1000 dearer
http://www.gumtree.com.au/sydney/49/22812749.html

Just saw this.. the guy is only asking $4500 for it.. what do you reckon would be wrong with it? Since it's a '96 80-series diesel with pretty much everything on it you could want
http://www.gumtree.com.au/sydney/58/22845058.html
-- just saw that it's on muddies which wouldn't be ideal for long trips I guess.. but still at that price I could get a set of cooper ATRs and sell off the muddies..

There is a lot of talk about a vehicle being capable of handling the rough terraine
My question to Martin is " Are you going to be going OFF road into rough terraine " ????
You can travel around Australia these days in a Mini minor as everywhere has bitumen roads.
That is unless you get into the remote areas that will take extra time and a lot more money.
My guess is Martin won't be doing any really rough OFF road adventures in his travels, and therefor
the vehicle he buys will not have to be the toughest of tough you beaut beasts that a
lot of people appear to consider nessesssary to travel Australia.
Most 4x4's never get onto a dirt road, and that is because there is no need for them to do so.
Yeah OK there are plenty of places where the roads are dirt, but you could still travel
them with a conventional vehicle, and a run of the mill 4x4 of any brand would be suitable.
Spare parts could be a slight problem for some vehicles, but you could bet if something goes
wrong the local mechanic would have to have the parts sent from somewhere, even with your Toyotas.
Prevention is better then cure, and if the vehicle is properly serviced and everything checked
properly before he ventures off, then unless he abuses the vehicle or has an accident, then
there should be no need for any complicated parts to be needed.

I personally would have no hesitation heading for a around Australia journey in a well maintained
Jeep.

You make some good points SUMO. Also being older than me (and i believe maybe wiser) i will not counter what you say about other vehicles. I also cant say much about many other makes cause im no pro on them. BUT my Hilux has been good to me and i wont buy anything else until they prove me wrong. Im actually getting abit nervous to buy a new one now cause Murpheys Law says that im going to buy one that turns out to be a complete lemon!
I dont think we have hijacked Martins thread, maybe confused the guy, but we are all posting some good info here for him and others. I myself have learnt a thing or two.

Well I guess it depends on your definition of tough terrain but I do intend to do Cape York, Kimberley, some of the desert area out in WA as well as the offroad tracks in Taz, so yeah, I reckon it would have to be a pretty capable vehicle. Having said that, there's usually an easy and a hard way to do most remote areas, like say Cape York. But I do intend to be using the 4wd capabilities a fair bit once I get to north QLD and beyond.

Better safe than sorry Martin.
There are so many places in Far North QLD that are not even on a map. You would be spewing if you discovered one of these pristine, isolated spots but couldnt access it due to not having a tough 4wd.
One hell of a place i believe you have marked for your trip is The Daintree Rainforest.
Absolutely a magical place. My favourite on my trip. You can head up to The Cape using the boring bitumen road, OR you can and should go via Cape Tribulation.
As you pass through and head north toward Cook Town you have to pass i think about 5 creeks/rivers/streams or whatever they were. Now a couple of these are pretty dangerous cause you could have a diff-breaker below the surface so get someone to walk ahead of the car to guide you on the right path, (just watch out for the crocodiles). On one of these crossings i had water so deep it was coming above my bonet. Depending on what time of year you go, these crossings can be very unpredictable.
I believe from your posts that you want to see all that you can so maybe getting a 4wd as tough as you can afford is your option.
A must is to also have a UHF radio. Mobile phones are useless in some of these parts.

Salty !

It was Nimrod whom you quoted & not SUMO

I do believe a 4WD is the way to go & yes the roads these days are pretty good BUT you have to bear in mind Bunyip Man is taking a car topper with him to go Dufeesing

A 4WD will make all the difference in some places in regards to launching the boat else he'll have to drag it through 5 paddocks over 3 fences & get chashed by Moo Moo Cows.

Guys Martin said it before he needs a waggon so he can sleep in it.
Also if he buy one from another backpacker leaving Australia he will usually get heaps of extras (tools, spares, jerry cans, roof racks, etc)

Martin I have had 2 Prado's, 3.4 petrol and the current one is a 3.0TD. But a Prado is too small to sleep but the motor is great 1000km/130-140lts and not driven to save fuel.

I said it to you before you are on the right track a 60 series or GQ can be found within your budget. Also consider a 4runner but a 2.4D will be a lot slower up hills. The 4 runners are long enough to sleep in. I know they come in 3.0 petrol and 2.8 diesel. A lot of people add an after market turbo to the 2.8 and for you the performance would be fine.

Just keep looking and as you said if one does not turn up in Sydney get it in Queensland (Martin said there are more on offer with the gear he wants).


BTW, a Jeep would not be my choise and definately too small to sleep in.

Ok if you are intent on doing the OFF road bit, then you better be prepaired to spend a hell of a lot more money on recovery equipement.
How much 4 wheel driving experience have you got ?. I mean proper 4 wheel driving, where one minute you can be under water and the next driving through quick sand and the next being on a 43% slope sideways with huge boulders to negeotiate.
Do you know how to load a 4x4 for OFF road travel ?.
And you're going to have a boat sitting on your roof.
Don't under estimate OFF road driving in remote corners of Australia.

Frank, true words but I think Martin will be sticking to well traveled tourist routes so help will always be not far off.

Martin my advice is to advoid deep water crossings and travel with another well equiped 4WD, you will find someone that will allow you to travel with them.

Martin explained to me at the Motor Boat club the extra gear is often included with a 4WD sold by a backpacker but I would say it is very limited.

I have not mentioned it before but I was a senior instructor with the Toyota Landcruiser Club in Sydney for 8 years. If he wants I can show him the basics that will get him where he wants to travel.

Martin,

For what you want tp do a 4runner would be almost Ideal..

* More comfy than the patrol and the 60 series
* Better on fuel
* Will pick up a nicer car
* Definatly strong enough to take you where you want
* The Back of the 4runner with seats folded is the longest of them all, probably the only one you will be able to stretch fully out in, however is only SLIGHTY less in the wdth.
* You will find them and hilux shar all the same parts and are Very reliable.

I think its a defanate choice to check out..

the 2.8 diesels are a VEry strong motor if the oil is changed every 5000kms, however can be a little sluggish. But so can patrols and 60 series 2h's...

Definatly check them out anyway mate.. Fold the seats forward and jump in the back.. You will be surprised!

I'm not going to jump in the back of a bloody Toy ota

good one RUM they were nice a little truck and well worth a look.

now theres a man that owns a DATSON

Yeah and Sumo said it lacks suspension or was that a lack of 4WD speed. I think I was told you need to pad the roof of those Datsun's.

Well Freddy !

You better start saving your penny's cause

In a few years time when I upgrade to the newer model Datsun I may allow to upgrade you thingy you call a 4WD & sell you my old one

hahaha, upgradeing to a datsun is not an upgrade.... hahaha!

Crusiers are KING!