Delivery fees are calculated during the shopping cart process. There are many variables including product dimensions, weight, quantities and distance travelled.
Some boats are more suited to lake or sea however; the size is more important. For example, how many people are you intending to take? What are you planning to do on your boat; fishing, diving, watersports, overnighting? And finally, you also need to consider where are you intending to go and how far out to sea.
More tips for buying your first boat
If being used in salt water, wash-wash-wash! Get rid of the salt as that’s what is harmful to your boat. Make sure you get your boat a service once a year so someone qualified can check the state of your engine, boat, trailer and accessories.
Remember to keep your batteries charged and do not use old or stale fuel. Make sure you top up the tank with some fresh stuff before you head out, as the octane rating will diminish over time.
Both Fiberglass & Alloy boats are excellent for New Zealand conditions.
Alloy boats have the characteristics of being tough, durable, and low maintenance. Fiberglass boats have a well finished look and is easier to get different shapes to mold into each other.
Traditionally Fiberglass Boats were much heavier than Alloy Boats, however, with the development of thicker plate alloy boats and the fiberglass manufacturers learning to use less product without compromising hull integrity, the overall weight difference between Alloy and Fiberglass is now minimal.
The shape of the hull, beam, entry, deadrise, chine width and lifting strakes all contribute to a hull’s stability, ride, and efficiency more than the different hull material. New Zealand has moved towards alloy over the last 30 years with 80% of boats selling in New Zealand each year, are now Alloy built.
Safety gear first, VHF Radio, Flares and one Life Jacket per person.
Secondly, the equipment you need to achieve your boating goals. A fish finder or chart plotter is a fantastic piece of equipment as it will tell you exactly where you are using GPS satellites.
Most modern units come with full up to date New Zealand chart with the channels, reefs, islands, and depth contours. You can easily mark where you started your trip; even in darkness or sea fog you will be able to navigate back to your start point. These accessories take some basic understanding to master, however we recommend doing a boat master’s course to help you understand the usefulness and limitations of these fantastic pieces of equipment.
This is a common question we hear often.
All batteries are not created equal. While car and boat batteries have similar purposes and features, a car battery has no place on your boat.
Car batteries are designed to simply provide enough amperage to turn over a petrol or diesel engine. Marine batteries on the other hand, are much more complex. They start an engine just like a car, but their use goes much further than that.
Marine batteries are designed to:
We wouldn’t recommend you drive your boat on the road, so we don’t recommend you use a car battery to power your vessel.
When choosing a marine battery, it’s important to invest in a battery that has been specifically designed to handle your boat’s needs.
Some things to consider when choosing a marine battery include your boat’s power requirements (engine start, electric motors, technology), your battery category that suits your craft (dual purpose, deep cycle, cranking battery), as well as what environmental conditions you will be exposing your boat to.
There’s a lot to know when it comes time to choose a new boat battery. Our friendly team can help navigate all the questions you might have about selecting the best battery for your boat, and for your budget.
A good quality battery charger like the Century CC1206 will handle all of this for you. It’s a proper multi-stage charger, and begins by applying a ‘bulk charge’ to the battery to bring it up to 80% capacity. For the remaining 20%, the battery chargers will switch to an ‘absorption charge’ mode – reducing the current and topping the battery off gently to ensure it receives a full recharge.
Once the battery is fully charged, the charger will then switch to a ‘float charge’ mode to keep the battery fully charged whilst you’re not using it.
We understand a cell phone is a great tool to have while out on the water, but the answer is simple: VHF radios are a form of communication that will ensure your distress messages are broadcasted, and you are more likely to get a quicker response for help.
VHF Radios give you a group protection system with surrounding boats that are able to listen in to the broadcast, which makes VHF radio the most efficient means of communication on the water. VHF will help you out, whether it’s a distress call or your engine won’t start, so make sure you always have a working VHF on your boats
Cut the clips off the jacket, use a knife to cut the front and back panels to render the PFD unusable.
Dump in the rubbish for disposal.
Freshwater with a mild soap is best to use when cleaning your lifejackets.
Always hang your PFDs up to dry before stowing away.
Actually, as all our Hutchwilco PFDs exceed the minimum buoyancy requirements it’s more important to have your child correctly fitted by a trained Boating and Outdoor staff member.
For a PFD to assist a child in the water it must be sized and worn correctly.
All kapok PFDs are now illegal in New Zealand and must be retired from use immediately.
Co2 bottles do not have an expiry date. You must replace the bottle if the jacket has been deployed.
Annual self-checks of your inflatable lifejacket is a must, plus look for key signs of any rust, pitting, or punctures on the bottle.
If it does show any of these signs then we recommend heading into your nearest Boating and Outdoors store to purchase a replacement Co2 bottle.
So long as the lifejacket is fitted and worn correctly your PFD will keep you buoyant indefinitely.
(Note: In the case of your inflatable lifejacket deflating, keep the air topped up by using the red oral inflation tube)
A lifejacket has a neck collar a buoyancy vest does not.
Prices may be higher due to freight (North & South island prices may be different), packaging and insurance in some areas. Accessories shown for illustration purposes only. Pictures may show optional extras. Not all stock carried at all stores but orders welcome. We reserve the right to limit quantities and correct pricing errors. Stocks available until sold out. All prices are inclusive of GST. No responsibility is taken for stock unavailability due to supplier issues. All prices subject to change without prior notice.
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