Excel or Honwave

Lemonbonbon · 11 March 2022, 08:02

Hello all

I am seriously thinking of buying a SIB for general river and estuary use for 2 people. I read a lot about the Honwave T38 and the excel Volaire and volante.

I see that the excel models are quite a bit heavier than the Honwave. Given that these types of boat are quite heavy generally I was wondering why so many seem to go for the excel SIBS

Limecc · 11 March 2022, 08:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lemonbonbon

Hello all

I am seriously thinking of buying a SIB for general river and estuary use for 2 people. I read a lot about the Honwave T38 and the excel Volaire and volante.

I see that the excel models are quite a bit heavier than the Honwave. Given that these types of boat are quite heavy generally I was wondering why so many seem to go for the excel SIBS

Welcome to the forum!

Funny you should ask that.
Excel or Honwave?

Fenlander · 11 March 2022, 11:23

Hello and welcome. As Limecc says lots of chat on that link.

I think folks go for the Excel because they are a good product and offer more variety in model designs than Honwave... and usually a choice of colours.

Also up until the recent Honwave update if you wanted an air floor Honwave had the tabs that stuck out needing expensive and wobbly transom wheels that put some folks off. The Excel flat type air floors didn't have this issue.

Finally Honwave air floor models suffered some quality control issues around the 2018-2020 period which put some folks off.

I think all these factors have caused a bit of a snowball effect in the popularity of Excel at the Expense of Honwave. Going back ten years Honwave were the go-to budget SIB and Excel rarely mentioned. That situation has completely flipped now.

Steve509926 · 11 March 2022, 11:39

Hi and welcome.

I was in the same position 20 months ago as you are now. I had narrowed my choice down to 3 sibs, Honwave T38ie2, Excel Volaire 390 or the Excel SD360. I came to the decision I did based upon the following:-

T38- 48kg
Volaire 390 - 70kg
SD 360 - 58kg - however it can be split into two bags, the main sib @ 47kg and the airdeck/keelboard /seats @ 11kg

70kg is too much for me to handle solo, so that ruled out the Volaire. The T38 and the SD360 are both easier to handle weight wise, albeit the SD360 is in two bags.

The T38ie2 at the time had quality issues, which I believe have now been sorted out on the T38ie3. However the Honwave has a V shaped deck and having spent a small fortune on vet bills for cruciate operations on a dog we had I much preferred the flat deck of the SD360. Not only that, my better half never liked the sloping deck of some of the sailing dinghies I'd had in the past.
The airdeck of the SD360 leaves a void below it (like a bilge) making the deck drier.

Having been in both, the performance of the T38ie3 is, IMO, better than the SD360 (this was prior to the modifications I have made to my SD360, now I think the difference isn't as much)

The choice of sib is very much dependent upon how you are going to use it. All three sibs you mention are good and will suit different needs for different people and uses.

Lemonbonbon · 11 March 2022, 15:03

Many thanks for all the replies.

I note your point about the V shaped floor on the Honwave and indeed the flatter floor on the Excel boats and the void which is of course a good void/sump to collect any water and keep things dry on the floor.

The thing about the excel models is their weight and I know that extra 10 or 20kg will be very significant when moving it about.

Given that the quality issues seem to be behind Honwave I am erring in that Direction and also the ability to use normal wheels.

More thought needed me thinks but I think for me the weight is the main factor

Limecc · 11 March 2022, 15:16

You might also check out Boatworld's own-brand offerings (Honwave clone?) which are quite light, 3.8m is just 43kg.

Yes. It's one thing to test out weights in the showroom, but they feel twice as heavy when everything's saturated with water and you're tired after a long day. Members here either opted for a trailer or went smaller/lighter.

Lemonbonbon · 11 March 2022, 15:31

Yes Boatworld have several I was also looking at this one but not many reviews on it at the moment.

https://boatworld.co.uk/boatworld-air-deck-360

Information says it is 51Kg though !

Limecc · 11 March 2022, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lemonbonbon

Yes Boatworld have several I was also looking at this one but not many reviews on it at the moment.

https://boatworld.co.uk/boatworld-air-deck-360

Information says it is 51Kg though !

So you have to choose between flat floor/sausage keel or V floor design whether you go Boatworld, Honwave or Excel.

Steve509926 · 11 March 2022, 15:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lemonbonbon

Yes Boatworld have several I was also looking at this one but not many reviews on it at the moment.

https://boatworld.co.uk/boatworld-air-deck-360

Information says it is 51Kg though !

Remember that 51kg can be split into two bags, one around 41kg the other around 10kg.

The difference moving around either a V deck at 48kg and an airdeck at 58kg on transom wheels will be minimised by the OB on the back counter balancing the weight forward of the transom wheels.

Saying all that, if a flat deck is not a want or a need, you won't go wrong if you choose a T38ie3; and you will be able to get it from a dealer much closer to where you live.

hinckley_steve · 13 March 2022, 09:22

Hi,

I owned an Excel SD360 and found the quality to be great, but the air floor has pros and cons.
Pros are already mentioned, flat surface/easy to stand on, and separate bags make the weight more manageable - I can lift 50kg in a gym, but it’s different trying to manoeuvre something the same weight but the size of a bale of straw! Lighter individual components means less dragging around, and this is key, as even a couple of feet drag on the wrong surface e.g. tarmac/asphalt can shred your boat (even through a bag).
The cons of the Excel air floor is also due to it being flat, and your feet are higher, and the internal depth of the boat is less. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like a raft, but my 9yr-old may have been happier deeper in the hull as you can get in Honwave, where she might feel more secure in any rough water. May not be a factor in the use you specified, but thought I’d mention it.

Cheers.

Lemonbonbon · 13 March 2022, 09:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by hinckley_steve

Hi,

I owned an Excel SD360 and found the quality to be great, but the air floor has pros and cons.
Pros are already mentioned, flat surface/easy to stand on, and separate bags make the weight more manageable - I can lift 50kg in a gym, but it’s different trying to manoeuvre something the same weight but the size of a bale of straw! Lighter individual components means less dragging around, and this is key, as even a couple of feet drag on the wrong surface e.g. tarmac/asphalt can shred your boat (even through a bag).
The cons of the Excel air floor is also due to it being flat, and your feet are higher, and the internal depth of the boat is less. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like a raft, but my 9yr-old may have been happier deeper in the hull as you can get in Honwave, where she might feel more secure in any rough water. May not be a factor in the use you specified, but thought I’d mention it.

Cheers.

You raise a very good point and another factor that points us in the direction of the Honwave