Five minute wonder sib owner

[stray]

Originally Posted by Landlockedpirate

It looks a lot like a Aerotech

There is so much difference in pressure washers, a £50 quid one from Lidl isnt going to harm it but a commercial Karcher could cut a sib in half

Yes it's an Aerotec, and it was a cheapo Wickes pressure washer that did the damage.

[willk]

Originally Posted by mick

Done it pal just putting pigeons to bed

You missed one:

This pigeon is just tickled pink with Bettystown - Independent.ie

[ramarchant]

Originally Posted by Max...

Superb topic, thanks very much for posting as this is exactly the reason (as per the 'Which SIB'?) sticky so many of us always advocate buying a used big name SIB and popular engine. If you don't get into 'it' you can sell them on at virtually no cost and at least you have given it a go.

Boats are a right royal PITA and faff at times and often the effort doesn't seem worth it (loading it all up, dragging up and down a beach, too choppy when you get there, load it all up again, wash it, flush it, dry it, pack stuff away.......etc), hence the popular saying about the happiest days of a boat owner being the day he buys the boat and the day he sells the boat...

But the good days make up for it and as you say you're doing something different with the kids while so many stare at a telly or video game screen all weekend...

Would you consider copying your first post into the sticky as above as it's a valuable lesson as much as any other.

I would spilt all your gear up and sell, you'll do much better that way.

One other point is that small 2 strokes are noisy and if running at displacement speeds stick to 4 kts or so, the gains at 5 or 6 are not worth the huge increases in noise.

Also fit a floor mat of some sort, the non slip deck of SIB airfloors holds onto dirt terribly. Tubes are relatively easy to keep clean though.

I am looking to buy my first SIB/ outboard soon, having read the sticky post regarding SIB's and some insight from Landlockedpirate I am now scouring the second hand market for a 3.4-3.8m SIB and 2 stroke 15hp outboard,

Having read this post, would I be right in saying 2 strokes are louder than 4 strokes (of an equivalent hp), is it really that noticeable?

T4bus mentioned that on the river it was noisy, so does the same apply on the open sea, or is it more down to the speed you are required to travel on rivers?

I intend to use mine (when I get it) mostly at sea as we live by the coast, but I can see it being used on a local river too.

[Searider]

6 or 7 knots is simply the "wrong" speed.

At 4 knots the boat will be at displacement speed with the engine barely ticking over.

Flat out the boat will be doing 20 knots and the noise will be all part of the fun.

At 6 or 7 knots the noise will be just the same as flat out but without the fun.

[Max...]

Yes, they are noisy and you sit right next to them. Like being sat next to an annoying little scooter or a lawnmower etc...

[Landlockedpirate]

Originally Posted by Max...

Yes, they are noisy and you sit right next to them. Like being sat next to an annoying little scooter or a lawnmower etc...

The noisier they are, the faster they go and the bigger the grin factor.

[Peter_C]

My two stroke is slightly bigger than what you are looking at, but when running at speed without ear plugs it leaves a buzzing in my ear. If it is just me in the boat and I am covering ground, I put in ear plugs. I am sure the sound level is above the USA's OSHA standard. Too loud!

[smallribber]

Excellent thread. On the noise front I was amazed at how quiet my 9.8 Tohatsu 2 stroke is.


Also I think it is worth saying that boating will always be a faff. You can do stuff to make it easier but it is all part of it and to have fun and enjoyment there is often effort required


Dennis

[Fenlander]

I don't remember that thread but yes it is interesting. Given T4bus's problem getting to sea launch had he concentrated on the river all he needed was a 4hp 4-stroke for 4-5mph silence and a post 2010 air floor Zodiac which would be the later wipe clean material then his main gripes would have not existed.

But as he said buying used with advice from here he only lost £100 for a year or so's fun so actually a decent result. And changing from SIB to 5 kayaks would not have been a problem with a T4 I guess.

[jeffstevens763@g]

ear defenders/plugs ? would sort the engine or part chop it for a small 4 stroke the 15 will sell easy

takes me a lot longer than the OP to sort my rig when i get back but if you want it to last and not let you down, time well spent. but if it's not for you fair enough.

[Mikefule]

I nearly responded directly to the original post before I saw that this is a thread revived from a few years ago.

3 SIBs and 25+ years of SIBbing, and I have never spent an hour scrubbing it. You see SIBs and RIBs permanently at harbour moorings. They are robust.

4 or 5 engines from 3 - 15 hp, 2 and 4 stroke, and the noise at sub planing speeds has never been an issue. If the engine is too loud, either go more slowly, or get up on the plane and have some fun.

SIBs are sometimes hard work: all that inflating and deflating and packing and unpacking, but anything worthwhile takes effort.

It's always a pity when someone gives up, when 9 times out of 10, it is just a matter of adjusting your approach.

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Mikefule

I nearly responded directly to the original post before I saw that this is a thread revived from a few years ago.

3 SIBs and 25+ years of SIBbing, and I have never spent an hour scrubbing it. You see SIBs and RIBs permanently at harbour moorings. They are robust.

4 or 5 engines from 3 - 15 hp, 2 and 4 stroke, and the noise at sub planing speeds has never been an issue. If the engine is too loud, either go more slowly, or get up on the plane and have some fun.

SIBs are sometimes hard work: all that inflating and deflating and packing and unpacking, but anything worthwhile takes effort.

It's always a pity when someone gives up, when 9 times out of 10, it is just a matter of adjusting your approach.

+1 to all of that

[duggie12]

I'm with Mike on the cleaning thing. I don't bother. Is there much point spending lots of time cleaning a sib?

[willk]

Originally Posted by duggie12

Is there much point spending lots of time cleaning a sib?

I suppose it depends on how dirty it gets! Certainly I don't bother rinsing a cleanish SIB - I used to, but I quickly gave it up as a faff. I'm very particular with the motor though.

I know this is an old thread and the OP has moved on - but it is a recurring theme. I see a shed load of new boaters asking about SIBs for river and lake use and I'm not sure they are ideal for newbies wanting a quick dip. Portability seems to be the attraction.

I find boating is an immense faff. It can be refined and contained, but it's still a faff. Non-boaters don't get this and thus partners and friends find the entire process unbearable. I can't imagine how it would be with children - good if you keep it streamlined and involve them maybe?

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by willk

I suppose it depends on how dirty it gets! Certainly I don't bother rinsing a cleanish SIB - I used to, but I quickly gave it up as a faff. I'm very particular with the motor though.

I know this is an old thread and the OP has moved on - but it is a recurring theme. I see a shed load of new boaters asking about SIBs for river and lake use and I'm not sure they are ideal for newbies wanting a quick dip. Portability seems to be the attraction.

I find boating is an immense faff. It can be refined and contained, but it's still a faff. Non-boaters don't get this and thus partners and friends find the entire process unbearable. I can't imagine how it would be with children - good if you keep it streamlined and involve them maybe?

Life is a faff. Most things worth doing involve a faff. One of the worst modern sayings I hear is 'Cant be arsed' Think of the faff people in years gone by had to endure just to say get a drink of water. Some people today expect it all sorted for them.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by willk

I find boating is an immense faff. It can be refined and contained, but it's still a faff. Non-boaters don't get this and thus partners and friends find the entire process unbearable. I can't imagine how it would be with children - good if you keep it streamlined and involve them maybe?

The only good thing is you can turn them into deck hands to scrub the boat. The bad news is they'll do such a bad job you'll have to do it again (without them noticing - or they will be offended)! Same applies to children !

[Pikey Dave]

If you think boating is a faff, try chucking scuba diving into the mix[emoji849] after a weekends diving which probably amounted to 3-4 hours in the water on open circuit, there was a day's worth of cleaning, filling, storing boat & diving kit. Don't even get me started on rebreathers[emoji15]

[smallribber]

If people don't want faff they could I suppose just lay in bed all their life doing nothing

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

ear defenders/plugs ? would sort the engine or part chop it for a small 4 stroke the 15 will sell easy

takes me a lot longer than the OP to sort my rig when i get back but if you want it to last and not let you down, time well spent. but if it's not for you fair enough.

bugger didn't notice the date but enjoyed the yorkshireman's directness made i larf

[Stigomery]

Originally Posted by willk

I can't imagine how it would be with children - good if you keep it streamlined and involve them maybe?

The boy (7) loves the faff. What's not to love? Electric pumps, helping dad lift the engine, putting on the paddles, attaching the anchor... he loves it...

The girls, they hate it...

That's why the SIB (3.8 Honwave) travels short distances on the roof of the car when on holiday. Car park to leaving the beach/harbour time is frequently sub 10 minutes.

As for clean up. The engine gets flushed/rinsed and unless very dirty the boat goes away as-is.