These are all extremely basic questions - I have never used a multiplier in my life, so don't know where to start.

1 Why are some multilpliers 'boat' reels, others 'shore' reels - is it just to do with suitability for casting or are there other factors?

2 Are there multi-purpose multipliers that could be used for both?

3 Will a multiplier fit onto the rods I've been using with fixed spools, generally?

4 I hear a lot about birds-nesting in the hands of beginners - is it fairly easy to get the hang of things quickly?

5 There are reconditioned multipliers on ebay? Bargain or steer clear?

Cheers,
Andy

It is basically to do with their suitability for casting but many of the larger/heavier ground casting reels can be used from the boat. I use slosh 30 both for rough ground beach fishing and pollocking/bassing from the boat.
They will as a general rule but as your rods will have fewer guides then a multiplier rod you may find the line touches or even goes down the side of the blank whilst reeling in.
You should get the hang of a multiplier fairly easily and some models are far more foregiving than others.
With regards to e-bay stuff its the same as buying anything on there " caveat emptor "
If you are in the market for a decent second hand multiplier you would be hard pushed to find a better person to deal with than Nigel Frith "the reel doctor" contact him at reelrepairs@lycos.com
Top bloke he would never sell you anything crap and what he doesn't know about reels 'ain't worth knowing.

1 Why are some multilpliers 'boat' reels, others 'shore' reels - is it just to do with suitability for casting or are there other factors?
Modern shore reels are usually fitted with brakes, either centrifugal or magnetic. These improve control over the reel during casting. Boat reels lack these but are often of higher line capacity and more solidly built.

2 Are there multi-purpose multipliers that could be used for both?
Yes, Daiwa SL30SH's and SL40SH's can be used as shore and boat reels.

3 Will a multiplier fit onto the rods I've been using with fixed spools, generally?
Not really, the ring pattern is different and the spine is in the wrong place. Multiplier rods are used 'upside down' compared with fixed spool rods.

4 I hear a lot about birds-nesting in the hands of beginners - is it fairly easy to get the hang of things quickly?
Have a look at reel tuning, thick oil and big blocks will tame any multiplier, as you get better you can let the beast run faster for longer casts.

5 There are reconditioned multipliers on ebay? Bargain or steer clear?
Multipliers have a long life so they can be good value, but a good reel is fairly cheap if you shop around and they last a long time.

Just another question on this subject - can you get left-handed multipliers? If not, can the handles be switched over like you can with many fixed spool reels?

Cheers

Some manufacturers do left handed multipliers eg Abu but generally they are right handers. The Americans use small left handers for bait casting (spinning to you and me) I believe.
Generally multipliers cannot be swopped over like fixed spools. I think someone may have made a swoppable boat reel.

Yes you can use some multies for both purposes.

I have used my Penn 525gs as a light line boat multi and I have just taken possession of a Diawa SLOSH30 for rough ground beach fishing and uptiding.

Multiplier questions are very common on online forums. Best advice I can give you is, don't buy cheap ones, especially ones for casting. They just don't do the business. Stick with makes like Penn, Diawa or ABU and be prepared to spend at least £70 new. Anything else is going to give you problems and in the long run will cost you more because if you get on with multies you will go and buy one of the good ones anyway.

Birdsnest happen generally because the spool runs faster than the line comes off of it. The way to stop this is with braking and the cheap ones don't normally do this very well.

I know lots of multi users go for ones with magnetic brakes now, but any decent multi with good brakes (Magnetic or centrifugal) will give you many years of good birds nest free use (Well nearly free, we all make mistakes sometimes).

Try updating your profile to include where you live. You could have some nice friendly angler right on your doorstop who would let you have a go with one of his/hers to see if you get on with them before you buy one.

Also take into account lots of anglers like fixed spools and can cast almost as far.

Bob

Cheers for that

2nd that Chappers, the reel doctor (Nigel) is
top draw. He rescued an ABU CD6 4000 from the bin for me. Everyone should have his e-mail address bookmarked

Cheers guys, I've emailed him. One more basic question - when out in a boat last year, I was using a fixed spool, and I was always last to get my weight to the surface when moving on - often with a knackered arm. Is this down to using the fixed-spool?

no its down to your fixted spools ratio, thats how many times the bail arm turn to how many times you turn the handle, personly I prefer multiplyers, although if you want a fixed spool reel with a good ratio go for a carp anglers big pit reel like a diawa emblam z