Heavy SIB and Motor - Tips on handling

[nojslokin]

Finally managed to inflate my new T32 in the garden and run the BF6 in a wheelie bin for the first time - dodging the intermittent rain showers yesterday! Both went well and glad I did it to familiarise myself with everything - will give me much more confidence in setting up at the water side for my first trip next week.

One thing though, which really surprised me and that is just how heavy the boat and outboard are. In the big scheme of things I guess a T32/BF6 combo would be considered a light rig but it didn't feel that way to me. The boat weighs in at around 50kg I think and the outboard is around 30kg. I don't realistically think I could lift them in and out of my car on my own - certainly not the boat anyway.

I have some transom wheels which I need to fit, so moving the fully assembled unit to/from the water will be easier but handling the before/after bit just doesn't seem manageable on my own. Whilst I will not often be on my own when taking to the water, I was hoping that I could go solo now and again but I'm now doubting if that will be doable.

I should point out that I'm not an 8 stone weakling by any stretch of the imagination. So how do you guys do it? Any tips and useful advice will be greatly appreciated.

[muzkeepupz]

Same problem with me, my one is heavier, i have honwave t40 aluminum (86kg) with bf20 (46kg). My only advice is, make your wife tea everymorning, hoping she will not complain when u ask her to help you. I will never ever go to a beach without slipway, im using launching trolley instead of transom wheels saves me drilling holes on my transom. Thinking of trailer but it will be another problem where to store them after use, and will
Be harder to find parking on the sea side and will
Cost another £600-800. Welcome to the club[emoji85][emoji85][emoji85]

[Fenlander]

Yes most sibbers would consider your boat and OB light. But there's no shame in protecting your back** so if anything feels heavy or awkward work out the best way to minimise this.

**I damaged mine with a heavy piece of farm equipment 20yrs ago but it doesn't stop me doing what I need... just have set ways of doing things to minimise further strain.

Your SIB weighs 38kg... my Aerotec weighs 45kg. 90% of the time I have an assistant but when I don't I find it's quite easy to half lift - half slide it out of the car to set up right next to the car so I don't have to carry the full weight very far.

Then once inflated the transom wheels go straight on and I back it up to the car so the OB can slide out of the car slowly with skeg to the ground then it's only a 2ft sideways lift/shuffle to pop it on the transom. I would happily do this single handed with our previous 36kg 15hp Mercury but with the current 44kg 20hp Suzuki I try and always get assistance.

Once the OB is on the transom with the wheels you have a big wheelbarrow and it's all easy from there on.

I have a folding sack trolley at home for moving the packed SIB around for example from the car to the back garden to wash down after an outing. Similarly the OB lives on a wheeled trolley so can be wheeled from garage to car easily.

[Mikefule]

Apart from wheels or trolley, most of it is technique, leverage and balance. I regularly launch and recover a 3.1 metre SIB with a 9.9 hp 4 stroke on my own. My previous boat was longer and heavier.

A lot of the technique for lifting an outboard into he car is difficult to describe. However, I'll try. Here is what I do is:

Back seats down.

Put a sheet of board (plywood/chipboard etc.) in the back to protect the boot and to make a continuous smooth surface.

Hump the engine to the back of the car and stand it vertically on its skeg. You can hold it in this position for as long as you want as it is more or less balanced.

Ensure the engine is facing the right way for when you lay it down in the car. Mine has to lie on its side with the tiller side down. The engine should be marked to show "this way up". It matters because of potential oil leaks.

Put the body of the engine against your midriff. Get a good grip of the front and rear of the engine. There are built in handles.

Using your midriff as a fulcrum, lift the leg of the engine away away from you, get it over the boot cill and rest it on the board.

Slide the tail of the engine forwards.

Once the leg of the engine is in the car, you can find various easy rest positions.

The engine sits in the car with the leg pointing forwards along the length of the car and the head pointing towards the boot.

I have used this technique with a 9.9 hp 4 stroke and a 15 hp 2 stroke.



Moving the boat is very easy with a trolley or wheels. Indeed, putting the engine on before you move it may improve the balance. However, without wheels, there are at least two techniques:

1) With the boat empty of kit but fully assembled and inflated, tip the boat on its side with the top/concave/open part towards you. Get your shoulder under the top tube and find the point of balance. This way, you can walk with the inflatable balanced over your shoulder only using your hands to steady it.

2) (And I did this many times with one of my older, heavier, boats.) Get two wooden rods about 3 metres long. I used round section poles about 30 mm or so in diameter. Lie the poles side by side so that the near ends are about a metre apart and the far ends are a bit further apart. Put the inflated boat sideways over the top of the poles in such a way that it is balanced. Lift the ends of the poles that are close together as if you were a stretcher bearer. Drag the boat. The boat is moving sideways. The only thing dragging on the floor is the far ends of the two poles. The boat is well balanced, and the amount of weight you are carrying is not great. If you have your back to the boat and your back and arms straight, you can move the boat a fair distance like this.

Nothing beats having the launching wheels or a trolley, but using this technique, I successfully launched across sand and shingle many times.

I am not physically strong, 5'8", now 54 years old.

[nojslokin]

Great advice gents. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such detailed responses, it is very much appreciated.

[Mickhitchuk]

Sorry to say this, but if alarm bells are ringing before you have even taken it out and it's brand new see if you can return it and change it for a lighter sib like a zodiac,
I had a honwave 2.4 myself and although they are a great build boat at a great price, heavy duty =crazy heavy, I could not lift a honwave 2.4 but can carry a zodiac around on my shoulder, the downside of course is that it feels like it's made of tissue paper compared to the honwave.
Just my option but for me a light sib I can use is better than a heavy one I can't , oh and what joy it is trying to get a honwave back into its bag

[Fenlander]

>>>had a honwave 2.4 myself and although they are a great build boat at a great price, heavy duty =crazy heavy, I could not lift a honwave 2.4 but can carry a zodiac around on my shoulder,


For the sake of accuracy Honwave air floor T32 weighs 38kg... comparable Zodiac 325 Fastroller is 35kg... hardly enough difference to want to swap a brand new SIB.

[Mikefule]

Originally Posted by Mickhitchuk

Sorry to say this, but if alarm bells are ringing before you have even taken it out and it's brand new see if you can return it and change it for a lighter sib like a zodiac,

My guess is part of the problem is lack of confidence because it is new. When you've done something a couple of times, it is easier.

However, it is worth looking for an old 2 stroke 3 hp (or so) for those solo trips where speed is not of the essence. Most people can carry something like that one handed.

Other than that, levers, balance, trolleys, technique - and, where possible, breaking each big item down into smaller component parts. Don't rush, plan, make the unpacking, assembly, launching, recovery, disassembling and repacking an interesting and rewarding part of the day's activity, rather than the price you have to pay for going out on the water.

[Fenlander]

>>> make the unpacking, assembly, launching, recovery, disassembling and repacking an interesting and rewarding part of the day's activity, rather than the price you have to pay for going out on the water.

Spot on Mike.

I've said before but to get our SIB to the sea is usually a 2hr check through and pack car. 2hr on the road. 1hr setting up and re-parking car.... then after 1hr to de-rig & pack car. 2hrs trip home. 2hrs min to unpack wash/flush and dry everything the day after.

So 10hrs effort for perhaps 4hrs on the water. This whole process rarely ever stresses me or seems a waste of time given the pleasure once on the water.

[Mikefule]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>>

I've said before but to get our SIB to the sea is usually a 2hr check through and pack car. 2hr on the road. 1hr setting up and re-parking car.... then after 1hr to de-rig & pack car. 2hrs trip home. 2hrs min to unpack wash/flush and dry everything the day after.

So 10hrs effort for perhaps 4hrs on the water. This whole process rarely ever stresses me or seems a waste of time given the pleasure once on the water.

Wow, now that's a long day! For my typical river trip: boat to the car, 20 mins; drive to river 20-60 minutes; boat to water, 50 minutes; 3-4 hours on the water; river to car, 30 minutes; drive home, then 20 minutes unloading car. Sort out the boat properly the next day!

However, the main point is that the day's boating is the whole thing, and I take a pride and pleasure in the packing, launching and recovering. I don't mind the hard work because - all together now - there's no such thing as a free launch.

[duggie12]

I would echo what Mike and fenlander have said, just get a nice system for putting the boat together and I bet you'll look back and wonder what you were worried about.

38kg is not a heavy sib and once you get the transom wheels on it you'll be pulling it in and out of the water with one hand, the wheels make all the difference they really do.

[Poly]

There are ways and means, some cars make it easier than others. Depending on the design of the boot etc. However this is part of the reason many sibbers end up buying a trailer!

[Yabadabadoo]

My sack barrow soon became an essential bit of kit for the 3.2 honwave. I find it an unwieldy beasty, it's not heavy just an awkward shape to lump around. I have the luxury of a van with tailgate so the bagged boat is sort of carefully removed by rolling end over end lowering onto the barrow and away to be set up, same process on return. For me it reduces the lifting to a minimum. The outboard I have on some carpet and wrapped in sheets, this can be slid out, picked up or use the barrow again

Once you get used to the outfit and all the kit you'll naturally start fine tuning, echo what's been said by others - definitely look after your back and use your brain before brawn. The pivoting of yourself / heavy weights​ so you're directing the movement not using force will add to the pleasure in time👍

[Sinistre1]

Originally Posted by Yabadabadoo

My sack barrow soon became an essential bit of kit for the 3.2 honwave. I find it an unwieldy beasty, it's not heavy just an awkward shape to lump around. I have the luxury of a van with tailgate so the bagged boat is sort of carefully removed by rolling end over end lowering onto the barrow and away to be set up, same process on return. For me it reduces the lifting to a minimum. The outboard I have on some carpet and wrapped in sheets, this can be slid out, picked up or use the barrow again

Once you get used to the outfit and all the kit you'll naturally start fine tuning, echo what's been said by others - definitely look after your back and use your brain before brawn. The pivoting of yourself / heavy weights​ so you're directing the movement not using force will add to the pleasure in time👍

I can't possibly be in more agreement with you Yaba.... The older I get (52 at next birthday) the more I realize how much more is easily (or at least more easily) accomplished by thinking about the task at hand and figuring out the smarter way to do it. As a younger lad it was all brawn because I had it in reserve. With an aging body and even more aged back, i've learned many a good way to easily maneuver weight that would have given me pause 15 years ago. Physics was a bit$# in school but in practice it makes so many things easier, balance, leverage, momentum... redirected they become allies. I have been sibbing for almost 10 years and my current sib AL deck Saturn 365 and Suzuki 20hp 4 stroke is my largest/ heaviest combo yet.. (started with a 310 Mercury airdeck and 15hp 2 stroke Johnson) and I almost always boat solo.

I have hedged my bets by purchasing a pick up truck which allows for sliding things out and letting them down off the tailgate, which reduces weight I experience by half, i'm sure. Likewise I get things back on by resting them on the gate and lifting, sliding and rotating. I was able to do a little of this with my previous minivan but the truck makes it easier and as a bonus I can get further offroad and closer to launch sites!

Don't get me wrong, there are many days when I think why am I still doing this... especially at the end of the day, but I can and that brings a smile to my face. I also believe for the damage it MIGHT do, the benefits of pushing myself, and the uplift in spirit knowing I am still able make it worthwhile. I will stop when my body says I simply can't any longer, til then... smarter!!!!

[Gilly111]

Buy a trailer keep your boat inflated works great

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Gilly111

Buy a trailer keep your boat inflated works great

Best advice ever.

[SixtyNorth]

But then why have a SIB? If buying a trailer then a RIB would probably be more comfortable and useable, even if just a basic tiller steered set up.

[Mikefule]

Originally Posted by SixtyNorth

But then why have a SIB? If buying a trailer then a RIB would probably be more comfortable and useable, even if just a basic tiller steered set up.

I'm with you on this. The USP of a SIB is the storage,transport and launching. On the water, a solid hull will almost always be a better boat, but you buy a SIB for the whole ownership and use package, not the out and out handling. If you rely on a trailer, many of the SIB's unique features are wasted.

Where I differ is I don't see tiller steer as "basic". Call me a rugged traditionalist, but there's something abut a tiller that makes it more of a a boat, and something about a steering wheel that makes it more like a car. I've had enormous fun on RIBs with consoles and remote steering, but more pure boaty joy on boats with tillers. But that's me.

[Fenlander]

>>>boaty joy on boats with tillers.

Yep likewise... I've spent so much time tillering different craft it comes naturally to me and even wrestling with our 20hp in a difficult sea is just like riding a bike.

[SixtyNorth]

I agree, personally I prefer a tiller, most small boats I have owned have had tillers. What I meant was that even a RIB can have a simple tiller steered set up,
like a SIB. This saves money and also leaves far more useable space in a small boat. My thought was that a hard hull will be a better sea boat and give a nicer ride. If keeping the boat on a trailer then it may be worth having a RIB. I tried it in the past with a Bombard Commando and then bought a RIB instead. Just because it is a RIB it doesn't have to be complicated.