Graeme Christie | Tuesday, 31 March 2026
There have been a few boat articles on the Front Page lately, and Paul’s piece about
management and fishing at the same time struck a chord.
I like fishing. I also like projects. So a boat was probably inevitable.
Meeting Paul, and then spending a week on his boat, really opened my eyes to how good a fly
fishing boat could be. A year later Ronan took me onto a southern South Island lake in New
Zealand. We had both wanted to see if it lived up to its reputation. It did.
That helped push me along. I wanted better access, more options and a platform that genuinely suited fly fishing. So I started the project.
Choosing the boat was a compromise, like all boat choices. Size, price, layout, stability, storage and simplicity. This one had the right bones. It was manageable, useful and looked like it could become a very good fly fishing platform. A Quintrex Dart, bought largely off pictures, older but solid, with a relatively unused modern 30hp two-stroke. Ideal.
It also had faults. It wasn’t young and it wasn’t that big. I wanted light weight, but that comes with its own issues in terms of strength and the care needed when transporting it or using it on the sea or the lake. But the basic platform was right, and that was enough.
So the project started.
I added casting decks, a 12v electric system, a fish finder and map system, a bilge pump, a bow-mounted electric motor, and an under-deck tank to push some weight farther forward. The aim has been to make it simpler, cleaner and more fishable. Better deck space. Fewer places for line to catch. Better storage. Better movement. A boat where you can actually stand and cast without feeling like there is too much in the way.
What I was hoping to achieve was simple enough, although it took a bit of work to get there. More local exploration. More learning. More fish. A better life.
And of course the boat is not really the point. The fishing is. That is the main thing I enjoy.
So here are a few photos and a video of the boat, along with a few fish caught along the way. Out on the harbour too.
https://youtube.com/shorts/hy_28e3a8dM?feature=share
Drift shorelines and points. Cast to work-ups, birds and bait. Prospect shallow flats in good light. Fish channel edges and current seams. Keep the deck clean so the fly line behaves. Carry a floater, an intermediate and a sinking line. Use the boat to get the right angle, not just the nearest one. Spot fish first, then position for the shot. Make the boat part of the fishing, not just the transport.
My hope is that it becomes part of the cast.
It’s working. I’m happy.
Tight lines to you all.