As a dinghy enthusiast, I have to say that there is no greater feeling than putting to sea in your own boat and having a good day by your own devices. There is no greater angling responsibility either. The successes and the failures are all down to you, not too mention safety, and all of those awkward decisions on poor tides, quiet times of the year, and 50/50 forecasts. Its then that you start to appreciate how much charter boat skippers actually do on your behalf. Despite this, and the frustrations of living on an exposed coast as I do up here in the North West, nothing could put me off dinghy fishing at sea. The same is true of a lot of other small boat owners around the country, and I dare say, money permitting, a large number of prospective small boat owners still fish from charter boats. Unfortunately, putting your hands on £12,000 to £15,000 for a brand new outfit is not something all would be dinghy anglers can afford to do. As a result, many will never get to fulfil their dreams. Some on the other hand will find other, more imaginative ways of funding their habit.

I can think of four ways of getting into small boat fishing when means are limited, and I have tried them all. I got my first taste of dinghy fishing 30 years ago in Scotland. I joined a local boat angling club that, as one of its regular venues, fished Loch Ryan in South West Scotland. Davy Agnew was the skipper there. He would take four of us out onto the loch aboard a 16 foot clinker built Mackay Viking powered by twin Seagull outboards. We had some great fishing there in the early to mid 70's with cod to double figures, good haddock, some very big plaice, conger, rays, and the odd turbot to double figures. From there I progressed to the Isle of Arran, fishing from fibreglass versions of the same boat on both a skippered as well as a self-drive basis with Neil McLean. Again haddock and cod dominated the catches. Davy Agnew is long gone, and I'm not sure about Neil McLean. But that isn't the end of dinghy charter or self drive fishing. Some of the best fishing available anywhere in Scottish waters is still to be had from hired small boats.

The Mull of Galloway, Scotland's most southerly point, is a longer finger of land separating the deep fiercely tidal waters of the North Channel from Luce Bay. Both sides of The Mull fish well, and both sides are regularly fished from 3 trailed 19 foot Orkney Fastliners owned and skippered by Ian Burrett and his team. Ian is based at Drummore, but regularly launches the boats from either East Tarbet to fish Luce Bay, or Port Logan to fish the other side. I had one of my best ever tope trips out beyond the Scares in Luce Bay aboard 'Onyermarks' with Ian. I can't remember the exact figures, but the numbers ran into dozens with weights up to a few ounces short of 50 pounds. The following day we float fished live sandeel close to the rocks along the Port Logan side to take Pollack into double figures. Ian also puts in quite a bit of time each spring at Lochaline on the Sound of Mull for big common skate. Initially it was for his own pleasure. But over the past several years he has been taking bookings from his regular clientèle list.

An alternative to charter fishing from small boats for big common skate is to go self-drive. Self-drive dinghies were reasonably accessible 20 years ago. One particular set up at Conway allowed customers to pick the boat up fully fuelled and kitted, and tow it away to launch anywhere within reasonable striking distance. There were, as there still are, a number of venues in North Wales such as Trevor, Rhosneigr and Caernarfon where tractor launches are available one the car arrives. Sadly, self-drive boat opportunities have dwindled over recent years, maybe due to lack of support, or insurance risk, or possibly both. But they have not gone altogether. I scanned the Internet to see what I could come up with and found the five, though I hear on the grapevine that there are others too. Andy Jackson for example at Loch Sunart has two 16-foot Orkneys for hire. Dave Devine and I had a couple of days out there a few years ago and took skate to 140 pounds. Everything, including safety gear and fuel is supplied in the cost, though I would advise taking along a good heavy anchor if available. What I would also recommend for regular self-drive fishing would be your own personal grab bag containing life jackets, flares, hand held compass, portable sounder, and hand held VFH and GPS. You could get the lot for around under a grand if you shop around.

Self-drive boats and charter dinghies may not be widespread in the UK, but in other parts of the world they big business. You can get some seriously big fish including big game species from small boats around the world at a fraction of the cost of taking a big boat charter. Over in the US, skippered small boats for all manner of fish are commonplace. The striped bass fishing around Cape Cod is an experience well worth sampling, along with fishing for red drum, bonefish and tarpon in Florida. I had my best ever tarpon of 160 pounds from a small open boat after dark at Islamorada. Simply select a venue and/or a species of fish and type the names into the key words box on the Internet. American small boat skippers are all on there with email addresses through which to make contact. For other parts of the world things might not be quite so simple, but they are available. Mexico for example has skippered small boats called pangas that catch lots of marlin, rooserfish and just about everything else on offer. Prices can be negotiated by the hour. Gambia is another worthwhile, and infinitely cheaper small boat option which is to be covered elsewhere on this site.

But good as they are, skippered small boats can't offer the same thrill as heading out to sea under your own devices in foreign waters. Self-drive boats are fairly widespread in the USA. My experience here is centred on Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Bud 'n Mary's have a fleet of small boats for pottering around the flats, channels, and reef edges. Great for catching stingrays, bonnet heads and the like, but not really up to the more serious offshore stuff. Bud 'n Mary's also have a few bigger faster boats. Graeme Pullen and I used one to motor down the coast to Tennessee reef. The shallow water on the top of the reef attracts lots of barracuda, the size of which have to be seen to be believed. I've also taken self drives up to 20 foot with 135 hp engine on the back from Robbie's marina just the other side of the bridge from Bud 'n Mary' on Lower Matecumbe Key. Anything and everything is an option with a boat that size, but you will need a chart, and preferably a hand held GPS (which are cheap to buy in the US) to find the marks and to avoid churning up the shallow flats. We fished the reefs, the channels and even went offshore successfully trolling for blackfin tuna and dorado. I know that Gerry from 'Gerry's of Morecambe' has had some good sharks out from Robbie's boats too.

Back in the UK, small boats don't of course have to be bought brand new. One good thing about buying second hand is that unlike outboards and trailers, with boats, what you see is pretty much what you get. There are going to be small holes in the cuddy and on the steering console where the previous owners instruments have been. Possibly even holes in the transom where another outboard used to sit. These are not going to be problems. What could be a problem is a loose fitting floor, or one that has been badly bonded to the inside of the hull. Water getting inside a false floor cavity, besides creating instability if not removed, can rot any support timbers. Look to see if water comes out from the bung in the floor well and try to feel for any spring or give with your feet when you stand inside the boat. Water can also get between the floors through to cracks in the hull. Check all the stress points underneath such as the keel edges, the edge of the transom, and the points where contact is made with the trailer rollers. Question any cracks or repairs, and if you feel the answers given are not satisfactory, then walk away. There are plenty of other second hand boats out there.

Second hand are regularly sold for genuine reasons, but in some ways it can be safer to buy from a dealer. Okay, so you might pay a little more. But at least you have some come back in law, besides which there is usually a short period of guarantee which, weather permitting, should be long enough to find out if you have been sold a pup. Trailers are a different matter. They may well be little more than fabricated pieces of box section held up by a pair of wheels, but they are absolutely crucial, and potentially a nightmare. Galvanised trailers are not so bad. Painted trailers are a different matter. How do you paint or protect the inside of a box section. And where does the water always seem to lodge. Rot will come from the inside. Go for a galvanised trailer that is strong enough to carry the weight it will be asked to carry. The more rollers the better. Indespension rollers and self-centring cradles are a Godsend. Make sure it has full size wheels with good tyres. Avoid re-moulds. Boat trailer tyres need inner tubes too because salt-water corrosion can cause them to leak air. They also need good quality hubs with grease nipples. If you insist on using poor quality hubs then at least carry a spare and suitable tools to change it.

The final approach that may bring small boat ownership within your grasp is to enter into a partnership. I have been very lucky with my two partnerships in that the people concerned wanted to fish at every opportunity, and took their partner responsibilities very seriously. You have to be of like mind, flexible, and willing to contribute without question to whatever is required to keep the show on the road. In my first partnership, I bought the boat and trailer and my partner supplied the outboard. That way if the whole deal had fallen through, the outfit did not need to be sold if either partner pulled out. The partnership I am now in with Dave Devine is a little different. We both had outfits of our own but fished together for years, which meant that one outfit was always out of use. Partnership seemed like a logical progression. So we both sold up and started afresh with a completely new shared outfit. We both knew by that stage it would work. But shared cost outfits are not the best option in all cases for a number of reasons. If for example one person uses it more than the other, are the running costs such as tyres, insurance and the like still equally shared?

There are many potential scenarios that would seem trivial if they were listed here, but which can blow up out of all proportion unless you are absolutely certain of your partner's commitment. Dave and I fish together at every opportunity. Every cost is shared and there is never any argument. Flexibility also has to be exercised as to where you fish and for what. It's down to give and take. Is your potential partner reliable in terms of turning out every time there is a good forecast? Whose car do you use? What about the fitting of a tow bar or other associated motoring costs brought on by its excessive use. Where does the boat live and who looks after it. All issues that need to be settled before going ahead with the deal. Partnerships are a great way to cut costs and develop an understanding as to who does what and when. But they need to be tailored to suit those going into the deal, and their likelihood of either wanting, or being forced to pull out of it for whatever reason. Think about where that would leave you. Perhaps it might be better to buy a more modest outfit of your own instead of sharing after all.

SELF DRIVE INTERNET CONTACTS

http://www.sunfleet.co.uk/ - Falmouth harbour
www.sea-angling-ireland.org/ - Courtmacsherry
Self Drive Boat - Salcombe
www.looedirectory.co.uk - Looe, Cornwall
www.west-scotland-marine.com

Ian Burrett who operates the 19 foot Fastliners in and around Luce Bay can be contacted on 01776 840346

Andy Jackson who operates 2 self drive Orkney Longliners at Loch Sunart can be contacted on 01972 500208