Boats Permitted – 2026 and onwards

  • Maximum hp is 60hp, maximum length is 5m.
  • Aluminium Dingys, polycraft hulls and fibreglass runabouts that look like a tinny
  • Tiller, side console, centre console, forward controls all welcome, although the more authentic experience is to complete it with a tiller steer

In 2026 we will be returning to the roots of the Tinny Rally and a having a more strict requirement for boats taking part. (In 2025 we allowed some larger boats and non-Tinnys to take part)

The idea of the Tinny Rally is to take the humble tinny, a magnificent adventure craft on a hell of an expedition.

A tinny is cheap, light and durable, perfect for this trip down the Murray.

It is also a little uncomfortable and slow (compared to a bigger & flasher boat). But that’s the point. Everyone is doing this together.

Reasons why from 2026 onwards we don’t allow boats larger than 60hp and 5m to take part

  1. It’s called the Tinny Rally. We want everyone to be doing it in a Tinny, together in similar speed and comfort

Recommended Boat Size

  • 20 – 25hp, 3.7m for one person
  • 25 – 40hp, 3.7 – 4.2m for two people
  • These recommendations are based on an average person weight of 80kg. If you have two big guys that both weigh over 100kg, you will struggle with a 25hp.
  • You need to test your boat fully loaded before the rally and ensure you can do at least 30km/hr, preferably 40km/hr. Most people underestimate how much the weight and fuel affects the boats speed. On the first day we have had people that cannot get on the plane and were having to jetison tables and other heavy equipment.
  • In a 25hp with 2 people you need to pack light (depending upon how much you each weigh).
  • The smallest hp boat that has completed the Tinny rally with 2 people is 20hp, but they packed crazy light. Guys that turned up with a 15hp boat could not get on the plane and had to get another motor.
  • The cheapest boat that has completed the Tinny Rally cost $1200 and they sold it for $1400 at Mannum when they finished
  • You boats needs to be rated for the load you plan to carry in it. The amount you can carry will normally be listed on the builders plate for the hull. Don’t turn up with an overloaded tinny. The rally will interact with Maritime Boating Safety Officers and possibly NSW Police during routine patrols at some point, so participants should expect this. 
  • Your hull must be rated for the motor you have. *note some older boats do not have builders plates showing this information. You don’t need to get a builders plate, as long as your boat is legal, registered and insured and you are not running a motor too big for your hill and not carrying too much weight for your hull

Boats not permitted

  • Pontoon Boats, RIBs, inflatable hull boats, speed boats, wake boats, jet skis, jet boats, baycruisers, bowriders (anything fast basically). Nothing with inboards or big V8s or jet drives.
  • Anything over 5m
  • Anything over 60hp

FAQ – My tinny is 61hp and 5.1m, can I have a special expemption to bring it along?

No.

Most people bring a 4.2m and 40hp so 60hp and 5m is big enough already.

We run a hard 60hp & 5m limit. Not because of permits or insurance—because of culture.

Everyone else brings 60hp and 5m or less. That’s the range. No special treatment. No faster rigs. It’s part of the rally’s DNA—shared challenge, same current, same story.

If you’re in, great. But it has to be in a rig that matches the rally.