air deck

dezzer · 21 October 2014, 23:13

hi,im new to the forum but not boating as im very into fishing,im looking to buy my first rib or sib not sure on the terms,i was looking at a honda honware 3.85 air deck,could someone explain to me what this means,i looking for something safe about 4-4.5 meters to do some inshore fishing out of any suggestions or where to buy much appreaciated,regards,eddie......

blootac · 22 October 2014, 09:04

Hi Dezzer,

The honda honwave 3.85 are 3.85m long. The air deck is an inflatable, and very comfortable, floor which when inflated to the correct pressure is surprisingly firm but in chop gives a bit so your body isn't taking all the impact!

What kind of weather are you planning on going out in?
How far off shore are you going?
How far from home port are you planning on going?
Night or day fishing?
Does it need to be portable i.e. collapsible or roof rack mountable? vs permanently on a trailer?

Max... · 22 October 2014, 10:27

Read the sticky?

willk · 22 October 2014, 11:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by dezzer

im looking to buy my first rib or sib not sure on the terms,

Welcome to RIBnet dezzer.

RIB - Rigid Inflatable Boat (hard hull - grp or ali with a solid deck)
SIB - Soft Inflatable Boat (fabric hull with a hard fold up or inflatable deck)

4m is a big SIB, basically you're keeping it on/in a trailer unless you fish with a team of Sherpas.

4m is a small RIB, again on a trailer but launching single handed.

If it's a SIB you want, Max... (he of few words

) has a useful thread here: http://www.rib.net/forum/f50/which-s...sib-62208.html

dezzer · 22 October 2014, 17:28

thanks for all the replys,starting to make sense now,what im looking at is a honwave 3.85 with a 20hp honda fourstroke on a trailer,are there any pros and cons on this sib,can i stand up in it to fish or do you have to be seated,are there any particular sibs which are common to fishing,could tis sib be carried on roof of jeep or does it need to be trailer-ed,i will only be inshore aprox 1 mile from coast line,fishing in good weather and in daylight,its something which i hope to be able to manage on my own as its not to big,also im aprox 2 hours from my fishing,would a small trailer stand up yo this or would it be better carried on roof,thanks again....edd.....

Landlockedpirate · 22 October 2014, 18:31

I've had a Honwave 3.2 on the roof a couple of times. Needs 2 big guys to get it up there and we did end up dropping it and scratching the car. Even on a Range Rover it looked big, I think the 3.8 would be a step too far unless you have at least 3 people to get it up there.

I would say the biggest sib you want to be throwing around is a 3.4 (with the notable exception of the Bombard Aerotec ) anything bigger needs a trailer.

Sorry, I cant comment on suitability for fishing.

Peter_C · 22 October 2014, 18:37

If you are going for a trailer I would recommend a 4m SIB/RIB with a hard deck. Having a solid deck is really nice for standing up. Plus you can bring a comfy camping type chair and put it in the middle of boat and lounge.

A smaller sized boat would be good and takes less horse power to get around. A 4m boat should really have a 40hp motor, or at least a 30hp.

If no trailer I would recommend a small light boat and motor setup with an air deck. Honwaves are well liked.

dezzer · 23 October 2014, 13:39

thanks for all the replys,is it easy to stand in the air deck rib,or does it go down into a v shape,eddie.....

Mikefule · 23 October 2014, 17:08

Some "air decks" are completely flat (as in level) and when they are inflated properly "almost" as hard as a board. On some other models, they are V shaped.

I had a good look at a Honwave and the fact that the floor wasn't a flat plane put me off. In the end I decided against the air deck altogether.

If you want a V hull and you're using a trailer anyway then a RIB may be a better option because a RIB's V is usually deeper and it cuts through choppy waves better.

The primary advantage of an air deck is that it is light and folds up small. If you are keeping the boat on the trailer, this advantage won't really apply.

The secondary advantage is an additional buoyancy chamber (the floor itself) but a boat the size that you're considering usually has 3 chambers and will stay afloat on 2.

I don't fish, but I have carried dive gear, and anchor box and other items and I find that a hard flat floor is the best.

With a ply floor, you can even consider adding tie down points for specific pieces of kit.

I am not sure I would like to knock over a bunch of fishing hooks in a boat with an air deck.

Finally, as one who has tried fishing and not found it overly exciting, and when the fish are not biting, it is possible to practice clog dancing on a plywood floor, but it would be less satisfactory on an air deck.

dezzer · 23 October 2014, 17:30

thanks for that,i really need something I can stand on,edd.........

Fenlander · 23 October 2014, 17:44

>>>is it easy to stand in the air deck

As Mike says there are some that have varying degrees of V shape ((like Honwave & Bombard + others).

My Zodiac is the flat type of air floor and it is "hard" in inverted commas. If you rap it it feels and sounds more like a solid material but if you stand on it then it will flex underfoot enough to feel a little unbalancing.... not a great deal but noticeable.

Compare that to my previous SIB, an alloy floor Honwave, which felt just like a GRP/timber boat when standing on the floor.

Folks do fish with an air floor but it adds a level of risk in puncturing with a hook/knife and is potentially harder to repair than a tube due to the higher pressure.

Mike is correct re the clog dancing... useless with an air floor, even worse with the V type, clattery with alloy but perfect with wood.

T4bus · 24 October 2014, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikefule

.

I don't fish, but I have carried dive gear, and anchor box and other items and I find that a hard flat floor is the best.

With a ply floor, you can even consider adding tie down points for specific pieces of kit.

I am not sure I would like to knock over a bunch of fishing hooks in a boat with an air deck.

Finally, as one who has tried fishing and not found it overly exciting, and when the fish are not biting, it is possible to practice clog dancing on a plywood floor, but it would be less satisfactory on an air deck.

I have A Zodiac 340 air floor & have tried to fish once in it, I would agree there is some risk but draping a tarpaulin over the floor & over 1 tube reduces this, MX & downhill are my preferred sports so like you, I find fishing a little boring & they also smell, sort of fishy? Battered cod is usually available shore side which also renders the activity a but pointless.

I solved the risk of hooks puncturing the deck by inadvertently keeping the sharp bits imbedded safely in the end of my fingers.

I like your suggestion of clog dancing & may give fishing another try knowing there is always the option to turn a shuffle on if things are slow going, the air floor won't be an issue as I'll either take a 2' piece of marine ply or strap some bells to my feet & go down the Morris route instead.