Following the successful construction of the Shredder (see: http://fishwrecked.com/forum/shredder-mk-2) (although a new and improved larger Shredder is on the drawing board), it was time to get it a mate.   I personally hate buying fish products in shoddy packaging that have suffered freezer burn from being stored for excessive periods.  Also, if we are going to make the Shore Catch Fish Product Burley for commercial sale then we need a good packaging method to ensure it is delivered in a premium state.  We also plan to commercially import (from other Australian States) and sell some select baits (especially for pinkies and cray pots) so we needed a way to pack these as well.

Welcome to “The Sucker”.  We purchased this item at auction today and it is ideal for the job that we want to do.  This “beast” has a 470 x 630 x 235mm chamber size and can suck 63 cubic metres per hour.  The double chamber also allows setting up one while the other is vacuuming and sealing.  It was quite an investment but our business is about suppling quality products so an item like this is really a necessity to do the job properly.  We want every fish product purchased from us to be properly vacuum sealed.

In other developments, we received positive feedback from the City of Wanneroo regarding our planning application to allow multiple uses at a premises in Buckingham Drive Wangara – it’s a good thing I have written technical reports to gain development approvals for land use projects for the last 30 years.  This approval will allow other permits from the Department of Fisheries and WA Police to issue and ensure that everything we want to do is lawful under the relevant planning scheme.  Having had to learn the requirements of the planning scheme, I must admit I was amazed by the number of businesses that are actually non-conforming uses.  This is a matter for the City however and none of my business, but an interesting observation that I think is due more to a non-flexible scheme rather than the business owners that are just giving it a crack in difficult circumstances.  We hope to open our premises in early November and I will keep Members updated regarding progress and the products and services we will offer in due course.

Whilst I am on the “soapbox”, what is the go with vendor’s unrealistic expectations in relation to price of second hand goods?  In the same auction, I also had the winning bid for a commercial mixer/mincer.  The final price was not trivial and actually amounted to 34% of the new price.  This for something that was used, you could not test and was put on the market through a reputable auctioneer.  There were a lot of bidders and I do think that my winning bid was a bit above wholesale value as it was not a product that I was seeking to buy and on-sell – as many dealers do at auctions.  The “Sucker” was actually  about the same % and it sold.  The old adage that “something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay” applies here.  Anyway, I can buy a similar product for less from various other outlets so I guess it is their loss.  I just need to think of a “S” name for that machine as well.

Headed out for a late afternoon dash out of Hillarys.  Conditions were good, as forecast but the wind was a little stronger than predicted.

Arrived at a spot I haven’t fished for about a year to see what it would produce.  Spent a bit of time sounding the ground as it is quite “patchy” but did find a small area of hard bottom away from my mark.  One of the real benefits of the Minn Kota is that I could “spot lock” right on top of the target area and it held us there all night.  It would have been almost impossible to anchor on it!

The burley “experiment” went out and the bite was hot from the start.  We boated a just undersized Dhu and a 400mm+ Pinkie within the first 15 minutes (returned of course but that excellent pan sized Pinkie would have been “treasured” in most parts of the world other than WA – I completely support the 500mm size limit though).  A big Sargent Baker followed (returned as fresh bait) and then a couple of really nice Breaksea Cod (the biggest was 450mm).  I then dropped a bait on top of a 440mm KG and followed that up with a 370mm Tarwine shortly after.  A few other undesirables and it all looked good for the Pinkie schools to move through when the sun went down.

Absolutely nothing.  The bite actually shut down and there was nothing after that except for a 5-6kg Port Jackson and a mongrel eel.  Once the burley ran out we headed in at a rapid pace in the excellent conditions.

I think there was more “celebrating” from the better half when she looked at this bag, than for most I get.  A couple of kilos of fillets of some of the best eating fish in the sea.

Received a text from zOOm yesterday asking if I wanted to take advantage of the forecast good weather and head out this afternoon?  My trips with Michael been very enjoyable in the past, plus we have got some good fish so I was keen.  After the last couple of trips on his boat, I thought we should take mine but the Sea Fox had just been serviced and needed a run.  Took the better half out to lunch at Hillarys (a good plan) and headed off after that about 1.30pm.

The “plan” was to see if we could find some Sambos for sport and give the pinkies a go on dusk.  Headed NNW out the back of the 3 Mile to continue the burley experiment.  We spent a bit of time looking for the schools on the sounder but to no avail.  Anchored up on one spot but it was quiet so moved to a bit of known ground.  Within a few minutes Michael’s rod went off and the fish was going hard.  I was calling it for a Sambo until this thing leapt from the water – haven’t seen a Sambo jump yet so reevaluation was required.  The fish, of course, headed to the anchor rope and Michael’s work to get his rod around it was quite entertaining.  At the same time, my floater went off but didn’t hook up.  After a good fight, the fish was in the net no thanks to my multiple failed attempts to get it there.  A solid Salmon of a few kilos that was photographed and successfully released.

The bite was generally pretty quiet however and the only other fish of note was a 350mm pinkie that took my floater (also returned successfully).  After a while, and when the burley ran out, it was time to go somewhere else.

We decided to head South off Scarborough to a spot that had produced before.  We managed to get a few fish (a just undersized Dhu that immediately smashed a live Wrasse, a large Skippy, undersized pinkies, sized but released Tarwine, and a variety of undesirables) but nothing of note.  Then, my floater was smashed.  I initially called it for a Sambo but it headed straight for cover.  I could feel the leader rubbing on the rocks and then I was bricked.  I put a lot of “heat” on the fish and eventually got it free and it was starting to come up.  Tragedy, as the line went slack and the fish swam away.  I had straightened my bottom 4’0 and to make matters worse, the hooks contained some very large scales.  My call was a big Dhu, and one that got away (sob).

The bite slowed considerably so we decided to move again and set up for the “pinking hour”.  The wind had come up and to tell you the truth, it wasn’t that comfortable.  There was not much action at the new spot but just as the sun went down I got a fairly meagre bite on the bottom rig but that all changed when I set the hook.  This one was a “screamer” that was just stripping line from the 4000 Stradic and putting the little Gomoku to the test.  The nice smooth drag of the Stradic slowly started to pull it up and after a good fight the “happiness” of seeing the large pink colour coming up was achieved.  The circle hook had set in the jaw and we got the fish to the net.  A nice fish “out of the blue”.

I have a bit of experience with vinyl wraps so set out a few comments for your consideration.

A vinyl wrap is basically a big sticker.  A digital design for the "sticker" is produced at scale, the appropriate vinyl is printed via a large flatbed printer (these things are big and expensive and must be suited for the job) and the "sticker" is applied to the boat using a heat gun and "scraper" to activate the glue on the reverse of the vinyl and remove all air bubbles.  The technology is awesome and can produce a very good result if it is done right.

Some issues.

1.  The vinyl must be suitable for the purpose, which means you need to specify the high quality product and this costs.  The ocean is a harsh environment.  There are vinyls that are specifically suited for the application and you have to get these.  Get a cheap vinyl for a boat and it will fail in no time.

2.  Make sure the printer has the right equipment to produce the "raw" product.  The equipment to do the job generally has a cost of $300k+ and you have to use the right inks.  Experience in producing wraps for boats is essential.

3.  Surface preparation is important.  The expected life of a good quality vinyl wrap is 7 to 10 years.  As with everything, the surface condition when the material is applied has a bearing on its life span.  The general requirement for a wrap is clean and smooth with a surface that the glue will stick to.  Raw aluminium is ok but freshly painted and cured is probably the best - there is a potentially big labour cost in surface prep and it may be something you would want to do yourself.  There are specific cleaning fluids that should be applied prior to application as they effectively prepare the surface.

4.  A vinyl wrap won't specifically protect against "dings".  The vinyl is effectively a thin coating and doesn't really offer the boat protection against impact.  The vinyl will "mould" into dings so they will not generally be noticeable but it is not really a protection.  In fact, vinyl should be protected from activities that could tear it.

5.  It is not that easy to install.  Boats have a lot of surfaces that change angle.  Car panels are generally fairly uniform surfaces when broken into individual panels.  Boat surfaces are long and move around a lot.  This needs to be considered in design and installation.  You need someone that is experienced in boats to design and install it properly.

6.  Edge sealing is critical.  Given that the "sticker" is subject to force from water all of the edges have to be sealed properly, and this is an ongoing maintenance requirement.  The product to do this is relatively inexpensive but if you want the wrap to last it needs to be done every year or so.

We are happy to help you with your project, and find the right person to do the job.

Headed out solo mid-week late afternoon from Hillarys when the wind was light to continue the “burley experiment”.  A bit of a delayed post as I have been writing my application to the City of Wanneroo to allow the proposed Shore Catch activities at the prospective premises in Wangarra.

Wednesday conditions were good, although the ocean was a little “lumpy” so I stayed inshore.  Pulled up on the “spot” to a lot of activity on the sounder.  No doubt it was Sambo schools smashing up everything in the water and once the burley went out the bite was strong.

Landed a few skippy and had the gear busted up big time by a number of “unstoppables” – even broke a couple of hooks.  I did manage to get one to the boat though which was great fun on light gear.  Released nicely to swim away.