How to downsize your boat

Well, for years the dream was to go bigger, get a bigger boat, a bigger engine, and go do bigger missions. But are we starting to see a trend in Australia of people downsizing their boats?

Today, I'm going to discuss why so many Aussies are downsizing their boat. They're going back to the basics, the good old runabout, open tinny. We're going to chat about the pros, the cons, the considerations. We know it's cheaper to run, we know it's a much more basic style of boating, but can you still have a lot of fun in it? Let's find out.

Now, before we get into the video, let's just chat quickly about why we're seeing so many Aussies downsize their boat. We know the cost of living is increasing, and more and more people are starting to live in metropolitan cities where storage is becoming a premium. So, a lot of people are downsizing the size of the boat because it costs less to run, it basically sips fuel, you can tow it with an SUV instead of a dual-cab ute, and you can store it in a traditional garage as opposed to having to rent one out.

Now, the question I want to answer today is: is making that decision going to compromise the fun that you can have out on the water? As someone who's owned a boat this size, I can tell you the pros are clear. A smaller boat gets you into water the bigger ones simply can't, skinny creeks, shallow flats, hidden little bays. If you can get to the water, chances are you can launch your boat. And aside from the cost, smaller boats just make boating simpler. You take less gear, you've got less to clean up, and the whole thing just feels like a much easier exercise.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not all roses, and there are some trade-offs that we've got to live with. When the wind gets up or the swell is bigger than predicted, yes, I wish I were in a bigger boat. Or if I've got a few mates on board, absolutely, I want to bring more tackle and a bigger cool box with me. But they're just the things we trade off when we decide to spend less on the boat and more money on our toys.

In this case, the Rampage 449, being a tiller-steer open boat, gives me a lot more deck space than my previous Crossfire, which is great if you want to pack sleeping bags or bulkier gear. Take this session, for example: I fished a couple of days at Eucumbene Dam with all my cooking gear, a sleeping bag, and all my fishing tackle boxes, and still had plenty of room to fish.

Yes… yes… yes! Yes, yes! I think it's a trout. Come on, stay on. They are notorious for spitting hooks. Come on… I can see it's a trout, it's a trout! Is that a brown trout? It's a brown trout! No way! Stay on, stay on… Yes!

You might sense my excitement here. Chatting to a friend who lives down here, I was told brown trout are incredibly rare, and I came here thinking I was going to catch a rainbow. Is it a brown? Yes, it's definitely a brown. I had to look twice there. I haven't caught a lot of trout in my time, and I certainly haven't caught a lot of brown trout. Wow, let's get this fish in. You are kidding me! Check that out, and that's a good fish too. That's not just a brown trout, that is a proper brown trout. Oh yes, that is what we're talking about! They're incredibly hard to hold, let me see if I can hold this fish up to camera.

Now, when it comes to storage in a smaller boat, no longer can we just chuck everything we want in the garage and expect to find a place for it. We just don't have the capacity in here any more. So, something that I've learnt over the last couple of months is I've got to be deliberate with what I pack. Today, I've got this fishing bag here; I've got three StowAway boxes with a range of different options. That's more than enough for me to tick the boxes I want to tick today, but previously I would have had triple that. Same with the rods: today I've got three rods in three little rod holders, but previously I might have taken five or eight different rods out here. We just don't have that luxury any more. And it's not until you get a bit of a system and are all right with packing less that your boating becomes much more enjoyable on a smaller vessel.

And speaking of gear, going smaller doesn't automatically mean spending less on electronics, which is a common misconception. Sure, you could strip it right back and run a single sounder and a smaller trolling motor, but for me, this boat here runs the same size sounder and Recon trolling motor I had on my previous Crossfire. At three-quarters of a metre difference, you don't actually save that much money by downsizing when it comes to electronics.

Now, as your confidence grows, so will the activities you can do in this boat. I kept to enclosed waters in this boat for the first couple of months, but recently I had the confidence to take it offshore and target some snapper. And yes, sure, it was a bit bumpy on the way out, and yes, I got a little bit wet, but I got to where I wanted to go, I did it safely, and I came up trumps with a fantastic snapper for dinner that night. Check this out.

Got him on! I was just doing something else, as I do, I think it was rigging up another rod there, and then my live bait took off. Now it's swimming at me. So this is on the spin reel; I've got the overhead reel there and I've also got this other combo. Feels like a snapper, I think, just from the head shakes. This is just a 5,000 size reel. Oh, come on… Oh, you beauty! That's exactly what I wanted. I wanted to come out here to get dinner. I reckon I might be able to get this one in… bit risky, but… We are on the board!

You beauty! And that is a, I'm not complaining with that at all. That's what I'd call a pan-sized snapper. Once we gill, gut, and scale that, it'll fit in a cast-iron pan with a bit of oil, salt, pepper, maybe some lemon, and that is dinner sorted. Look at that! And what time is it? It's nearly midday. A midday snapper, beauty! And on the spin gear, one-nil to the spin gear. I reckon that other rod will have its opportunity today at some point, but I'm very happy with that.

The biggest thing I've learnt owning this boat is that small boats can be brilliant, as long as you adjust a few things along the way to suit them. Now, going smaller doesn't mean you disrespect the boat's limits. Know your rated capacity and stay under it. Keep the weight low and spread evenly as you ride so she sits nice and level, and always wear your life jacket. Chances are, being a smaller boat, it'll be subject to different rules under your local state regulations, so you need to keep an eye on them. Pick your days, check your forecast, and carry all the safety gear you need. A smaller boat gives you much less of a buffer when things go wrong.