Stessl Edgetrackers

[Bassifier]

Can anyone give me some info on these boats.

Whats the biggest they do?
Is the bow able to take a Motor guide size mount, and is it flat?
For the largest model, whats the Max HP, longshaft ? short?
Do they have casting platforms?

Bear, could I get specs for the boat you had made up? or can Dinghy world ship to sydney?!
can I get a quote based on the one you got made up?
Thanks, Richard.

[Bear]

I'm onto it Richard.

[Bassifier]

Cheers mate!

Richard, you probably don't want any advice from me lol, but here goes anyway, the stessels edgetracker have some what of a bad name in NQ mainly because they tend to have a cracking problem in choppy waters and the finish, weld wise leaves a lot to be desired. A mate of mine has one that has had the hull welded three times.
There ok as long as you don't intend use them a lot in choppy waters, there are a lot better boats around then stessel.

Cheers Warren

[Craig_S]

Samurai, interesting observation. What are you recommending in terms of these commonly available craft? I'd heard that cracking comment made about Quintrex too (after I'd bought a Quintrex lol).

Hi Craig, mate I would not reccomend stessel or quintrex lol sorry,
it just depends I guess on how much you can afford, plate boats are the way to go but can be fairly pricey. Savage used to make good boats but I have not checked them out lately. really there is not a big choice in alloy pressed boat, some of the smaller boat builders around do some nice boats.

Cheers Warren

[Bassifier]

No, I appreciate your comments Warren.
Thankyou.
Richard.

[Bear]

Warren,
Interesting comments considering the water both Craig S and I have taken our Explorer and Edgetracker. I have NEVER had this complaint in WA with any of the Edgetrackers.

I think most manufacturers have had this sort of comment at one time or another.

Hi Bear, mate like it or not, Fact 1 there have been a hell of a lot more stessel edgetrackers sold in QLD than there will ever be in WA, Fact 2 quite a large number have suffered cracking problems, Fact 3 stessel edgetrackers have a bad reputaion in NQ for not standing up to our short, sharp shallow water chop and last but not least I think a boat gets more of a work out barra fishing in NQ than bream fishing anywhere in Australia.

These are not just comments made about a certain type of boat these are comments based on fact, it's great that you have not had any problems with your boat ant that your happy with it, but that does not change the facts.

The guy asked for any info on these boat, I can only tell him what I know and have seen, and not just heard.

Cheers Warren

[jimi]

Hey Samarai, what do most people use up there for fishing? Do they go for the more traditional v-hull (I imagine it would be better for short sharp chop) or a v-nose punt style? Any stand out brands?

Cheers

[Bear]

Mate,
I'm not arguing with you and getting a little sick of the attitude towards breamers. You can't seriously say that just because we fish for Bream, we travel less distance and in less choppy waters. Have a chat to the guys who fish places like Walpole, the Kalgan and even the Swan. I'm talking general use, breamin or not. the Swan, Nornalup and other rivers here get as much chop and swell as any NQ river. Lets be realistic here.

Look, in the end I encourage the guys to check out as many boats as they can and make a judgement for themselves. Don't take it just on the word of the guys here.

Go to a few of the second-hand yards and see how certain boats stand up to a few years use. This is an excellent way to see how a boat may be in a few years yime with some good use. Check the hull carefully, that goes for new and used.

Have a look at the welds. If you're not sure about why something was done, ASK. Information is power to the consumer.

Check out the boating magazines and see what other people think. Find out if there are other people in your area that have similar boats and see what they think.

In the end, do your homework and enjoy the following days on the water.

Bear, what is it with you, it seem anyone who has a opion about breaming that you don't agree with, must in your in your opion be putting bream fishing down.
As for bream fisherman travelling great distances I guess you have never fished the likes of say Hinchinbrook channel in NQ, 54 ks long with over 200 sq ks of creeks and rivers just to name on place.
Im in no way putting down breaming fishing, but for christ sake bear be realistic when you make comments.

Cheers Warren

[jimi]

Hinchinbrook channel is a place I dream about fishing. Mmmmmm permit on fly.

I'm thinking of taking some time off and towing my boat over that way some day (via the top end). I have a stessco 4.2m v-hull tinnie with a 25hp outboard, electric etc., would that be any good for that area, or do you normally fish out of something bigger?

[MATTY]

g'day samurai,
i dont know a huge amount about boats as i've only started to have a serious look around.its actually my wife believe it or not who wants one! just curious to know what usage it takes to crack a weld.i assume you use your boat regularily as well as your mate who had a cracking problem.is it only the chop that causes this or is it trailering over dirt roads etc.you have not mentioned what boat you use.is it a custom job?
what is the difference between a plate boat and a pressed alloy hull? i assume if you bought a new boat a warranty comes with the purchase,how long does the average warranty run for and if cracking is a problem have any of these 2 manufacturers stessel & quintrex done anything to rectify this problem?

cheers matt

Hi Jimi, you would love there mate, plenty of permit but mainly in the winter months which just happens to be the best time to fish Hinchinbrook, weather wise anyway.

Your boat would be ok, the point I was trying to make about the diff between boats set up for bream and those set up for barra is mailes apart. any boat over about 4mm is ok for fishing up north but not if your doing it all the time.

There is simple no way your average breamer or bassers boat encounters the types of conditions that a barra boat does on a daily basis, and again I stress the point that in saying this, I am not bagging bream fishing or bream set up boats.

Nine out of ten barra fishermen use plate boat and most have a 4mm plate hull. surely that must speak for it's self.

Anyway Jimi when you do your dream trip look me up ok.

Cheers Warren

Hi Matty, almost all of the top selling brands of boats are made to a price and to a certain market, example the Quintrex Hornet is aimed mainly at the bream and bass market and are made to do a certain job, which they do and very well, but when you produce a boat for the general market or if you like the average guy in the street, you have to keep the price down and to do that you cut certain corners, a fact of life.

The diff between a pressed boat and a plate boat is that a plate boat is made from plates of Alluminium pre cut and welded to a frame and in most cases is a lot thicker than pressed boats.
Pressed alloy boat have their sides and hulls pressed out in pressers and there for not as strong.

My own boat is a Cairns Custom Craft Barra Tracker and as the name implies is a custom made boat with a 4mm hull and 3.5mm sides. I hope this helps

Cheers Warren

[bparker]

So Samurai,

From you posts, do I take it the Edgetrackers may not be sturdy enough for a Barra boat but could be fine as a Bream boat (I'm sure they'd make a crappy Marlin boat as well)?

As an aside, I must say you really jumped down Bear's throat on this one...a bit uncalled for from what I could see.

[Richo]

To be honest they are good comments, these are facts and are based on NQ conditions, and to be honest I have heard rumours of a couple of lads having hull trouble in WA already, possible cracking. Another interesting fact is if short sharp chop has been known to damage hulls where you are - does that mean we are going to see similar problems here considering we have wild areas like Melville Water and Walpole and Albany...... and Denmark..... Certainly a factor i`ll be considering and researching when purchasing a boat

cheers

[MATTY]

thanks for that samurai,
still one thing though,what causes the cracking bit ??
another thing,most of my family live in toowoomba,going over late year for a visit for 2 weeks,i know its inland but any info/web sites on fishing in that area,impoundments or coastal ?

Hi Richo, mate as I said before the guy asked for comments on stessel boats, and I answered him not with rumors or tall stories but with facts on what I myself have seen and problems people I know have had with that type of boat. Can't do more than that.

How it got into a bream v barra has got me beat lol.

Cheers Warren

[Bear]

Matty,
There is a huge difference between a plate hull and pressed hull boats and not just in cost.

The biggest problem with pressed hull boats is that the creation of the hull tends to stretch the material causing weakspots. This is going to happen to just about any pressed hull boat. The big difference is the original thinkness of the plate.

Different press methods have been used over the years as well as different materials which has seen a big improvement in quality, but the pressed hull is almost always going to be a lower quality choice.

Things like securing the boat to the trailer at the rear with a good strap and making sure all your trailer guides are correctly positioned will save you a lot of grief in the future.

[Ravin]

Richard there is an Edgetracker that gets around where I fish a bit. It is 4.? meters long & has a casting platform in the bow (whether its standard or not I'm not sure). It has a 50HP on the back & a Motor Guide 54lb Energy the same as mine on the bow. Seems to go OK from what I can see. I'll ask the guy for a bit of info & have a good look at his set up.

I haven't noticed any water squirting through his floor either :D
Couldn't resist that :D

[MATTY]

thanks bear,
if i was looking at a 2nd hand boat,which is the likely option cost wise for me,when looking for cracking what do you look for and where do you look? obvious things will stick out of course.a mate for mine ali welds for a turbo company so would be taking him along for a peek.

Matty, Toowommba is smack in the middle of some great impoundments, within a hours drive there is Lake Cressbrook it has bass, yellow belly and perch but mainly big bass, then you have Somerset Dam, one of the best bass impoundments in South East Queensland. the best thing to do when you get there is go to Mullet Gut Marine (strange name huh) and see Darrin or Peter and tell them I told you to see them and they will set you in the right Direction.

As for cracking hulls mate take your pick from the following lol
driving to fast in a chop, hitting rock bars or sand bars and submerged objects, some times even bouncing on a trailer,metal fatigue or just plain bad welding and workmanship.

Cheers Warren

[MATTY]

thanks for the info warren,only an hour from toowoomba is great
i didnt realise anything was that close.i'll check out mullet gut as well,i presume they are in toowoomba.my bro-in-law has a 3m ?
dory or traveller quintrex i'm not sure of type so i'll be pinching that off him.hopefully it wont fall apart or spring a leak :D :D :D

bear - do dinghy world have 2nd hand or new only?? do they do deals for bm site members ??

[Bear]

Matty,
Firstly have a look along the seams of the boat. This is often where weak points can first start.

Holes are going to be easy to find and check any gouges that are visible. the other easy place to check is around the trailer supports. If it has not been balanced properly then it will crack around this area. They can easily be fixed, just make sure it's done b4 you get it.

Another good place to check is the area around the engine mounting. If the boat has been abused then this could be weakened.

I plan on doing a few articles on this sort of thing for DohDohDoh, so I'll let you know when I get some more stuff.

If you have a mate that knows a bit then by all means, drag him along as well. Many eyes make light work :D

Hope you find something you're happy with.

[Craig_S]

Matty, Millard Marine in Bunbury are the boat sponsors for WA BREAM. They have the occaisonal nice 2nd hand boat and a full range of Quintrex newies. They're only a phone call away and if you make a point of telling them you are one of the bream competitors they will cut you a nice deal. I got mine from there recently and saved some good dollars.

[MATTY]

cheers craig,
i,m due to go to bunbury for work in a week or so will check them out,any contact name ??

[Craig_S]

Matty, the guys name is Mark Brown.

You can find them at:

5 Sandridge Road Bunbury
ph 9721 3033.

Good hunting:)

[MATTY]

craig,
thanks for the info

[bubba]

Matty,
I also picked up a 2nd hand boat from Millards 2 weeks ago and cant fault it. Its a Hornet 390. By saying that I was associated with the Breammaster Boys I saved hundreds of the list price they were asking.
Mark is also the one I delt with. If you have ANY concerns with the boat Mark will get it looked at at pronto. He is really trying hard to get all our business and keep it. I couldnt recommend him highly enough.
Just to let you know that Mark is on Holidays until the end of next week so you may want to wait to speak to him

[DAWS]

Hey Matty
I was in at Millards the other day and they had a 4m standard hornet with a 25 yamaha.Very tidy unit.Sorry can't remember the price.Well worth a look.
Daws

[Matt Fraser]

A late entry on the post, but I'll throw in my two cents anyway.

I've owned two edgetrackers in the last ten years, a 3.7m and my current model is a 4.3m. Both heavily customised. The first eventually cracked due to a problem with the trailer and the second hasn't cracked yet after nearly five years of abuse including two in the territory.

The early model edgetrackers did develop a reputation for cracking, however the latest Heavy Duty models seemed to overcome the problem. The Heavy Duty ETs come in 3.85 and 4.25m, they are slightly deeper(.825m) and wider (1.82m) than the old models.

They are incredibly stable however can be wet in rough conditions.

To Richard, the bow will handle a motorguide no worries,

Matt

[Matt Fraser]

For more info check out www.holtmarine.com.au/boats.htm

Harry can organise to get Stessls & Clarks decked out to your specs and shipped around the country.

Matt

[Cindy]

We would also like to comment on the issue. We have a 3.85 Edgetracker Tournament based on the HD hull. Ours is heavily factory customized and fitted with a MinnKota Riptide. It has performed admirably in adverse conditions. Steve chose the Edgetracker as it had far more ribs than others of its class. It is extremely stable and drives well in a following sea because of the full bow. The only draw back is its high all up weight (with 2 adult anglers and full livewell) with a 30HP motor, means it struggles to get out onto the plane (ok with 2 anglers and empty livewell). Suggestion: if you buy one, go for max horsepower for that model. Other than that, we love it! No problems with cracking. We've had it for two years.
Cheers,
Cindy & Steve

To All stessel owners lol,

Im pleased you all have had no problems with your edgetracker, but I stand by my original observations and comments on stessel edgetrackers and make no apologies for those comments to anyone.

Cheers Warren

[Bear]

Cindy,
I actually had a 30hp Honda 4-stroke on the 385 I had and it had not trouble getting on the plane with 2 guys and a full live well.

The Perth comp as a perfect test and it handled it well. Was yours a 2 or 4??

[donfish]

I have a 4mtr Brooker v nose punt with 30hp mariner 2 stroke.The boat is fully customized and very heavy .it does 50 kph fully laden and handles rough water with ease.

[Bream Master]

This is completely unrelated to the topic here guys, and more of a compliment to the two antagonists...LOL

I only found this thread today, and when I began reading it I thought..."Oh DohDohDohDoh, here we go again".

However, it was great to see that everyone's comment is valued, and that our two resident sparring partners were able to get on with offering advice to the original poster regarding his query.

It's something I'm proud of here at Bream master, and the reason that the site has become so popular. No nasty digs, if someone has a problem they get it off their chest quickly and diplomatically.

Well done

Warren.

[Ravin]

However, it was great to see that everyone's comment is valued, and that our two resident sparring partners were able to get on with offering advice to the original poster regarding his query.

Couldn't agree more Warren thats why I like this site. :D

When it come down to tin tacks anyway theres the mighty Hornets then theres the also rans :D :D Just joking people no offense intended the VB made me do it!

[Newbass]

Richard
You know the probs i have had with mine, 2 boats in 1 year and the second has allready cracked.
While i was getting my first boat welded the fabricator had a stessl edgetracker there to weld the keel back on and it looked like it wasnted that old either.
Newbass
Ps I know where you can get a good boat and allready has a motorguide on it.:D :rolleyes: