honwave or seapro

[andyjackson]

Hi

just about to buy a honwave t40 brand new with new mariner 20. Opinions on this package would be appraciated as it is to go in my motorhome .

do you think performance will be ok , just me and the wife ?

i have considered a seapro 380hd with the same mariner motor which do you think would be best ?

cheers

Andy

[chipko]

Hi,
Good choice. Both decent boats but I would favour the Honwave as slightly more mainstream with potentially better resale values.
The T40 should do about 21 - 24 mph with the Mariner 20 but could take up to a 30. I imagine you've gone for the 20 for portability - at around 52kg this is on the limit for lifting/carrying single handed.
At 86kg the T40 is a big old beast to launch and recover and is approaching trailer territory. If you need the space fair enough, but a T35 is considerably lighter at 60kg and still big enough for two.
Either way a good choice, hope you enjoy your new boat.

[andyjackson]

well thanks for that and after reading your advice it looks like we might go for the 35 as the weight difference alone will make a difference to the carrying in the motorhome. also there are some good reports on the 35 on here , do you think the performance in the water ie smaller size make it bounce around a little more will be much different ?

[chipko]

You are correct of course, the shorter boat will be slightly bouncier in chop and swell, but not really by any significant amount.
Unfortunately the T35 is 73kg and not quite as light as I originally thought. Only 13kg less than the T40. My apologies for that.
The T38 air V floor is significantly lighter at 43kg and quicker to assemble, although not as rigid as the aluminium floor boats.

[paddlers]

I have a Honwave 3.5 AE and there's five of us. Gets onto the plane with a 20 Tohatsu no problem and we're not light...
I considered the 4 but was told (I've no idea if it's true) that the 3.5 handled much better. Get a set of Honwave launch wheels when you buy it, you won't regret it. They're the best accessory you can buy & make owning a sib a lot easier.

[Max...]

I'd for sure go Honwave over the lesser known make. You certainly don't need bigger than a 3.4/3.5 for two, more than enough room. I'd certainly look at the air floor than solid as a much more practical and lighter option given your likely use and storage (seldom if ever does a solid floor SIB user try airfloor and go back to solid unless trailering and keeping it assembled). Bear in mind the 20 hp 4 stroke is a big old lump to store and lift and consider how you will lift and keep it in the camper being a 4 stroke. For probable occasional use I'd maybe go 3.4 airfloor and 2 stroke 9.8 or Mariner/Mercury 15. All very light and no storage issues. But against it you won't get a new engine of course.

[Fenlander]

As an ex Honwave T35AE owner (and currently a 3.4m air floor owner) I'd say that size would be fine unless you specifically want the extra size of the 4m. There will be little difference between those two Honwaves on the sea, the 3.5 is already a very stable and roomy SIB.

Even with the 3.5 I'd stick to a 20hp as their weight knocks a bit off the performance seen with lighter SIBs using a 15hp.

My thoughts on the air floor option Max mentions would depend on how you use the SIB from the motorhome. If you move about on a daily basis so have to set up the SIB each day the air floor is so much easier but if you stay in the same place for several days at a time and leave the SIB inflated then for me the benefits of the solid alloy floor on the T35AE would make me go for that choice.

[Mickhitchuk]

Totally agree with Max, unless you are going to tow it, T40 with 20hp 4 stroke will be crazy heavy and I'm not sure you would fit it through a motor home door, i have a Honwave with an air floor, and I would never get a boarded floor sib, Bravo electric pump, set of transom wheels and you should be able to deploy in 15 minutes

[andyjackson]

thanks for that everyone , it certainly gives food for thought, can anyone answer a silly question then , if i go for an air floor are they flat to walk on or is the v shape in the boat as well its difficult to see from some of the pics and are they prone to punctures in the floors? sorry for the daft questions but need to get this right

[Fenlander]

Bombard Aerotec and Honwave air floors are V-shaped... Zodiac and other make air floors are often flat (like my Zodiac). V air floors are stiffer but for me not an option as I need a flat floor.

I'm always wary advising someone to have an air floor unless they've had a run out with one for experience... some folks hate them.

Not really puncture prone but obviously you have to watch what you drop on them.... just a bit of extra thought all the time unless you fit a thick mat over.

[beerbelly]

I have a airfloor honwave the v floor is not as pronounced as a bombard and have covered it with a rubber mat Boat Deck Matting - Rhombus Pattern - 3.5mm Thick - 1m Wide - BLACK | eBay
that will hopefully protect it from sharps and fish blood .I don't stand up in mine generally as im a bit clumsy and out at sea an inflatable is generally bobbing about a bit . but find the size at 3.2 meters from the seat I can reach most things in the boat without walking to them

[chriswood]

I have a Seapro 380hd and although Seapro gets a bit of a bad press on Rib net, the boat (so far) has been spot on. I've put a 30hp 2-stroke on the back so it goes really well (pulls toys etc) Previous comments about the boats weight are correct - it's far too heavy to launch without at trailer etc. In the end I decided to buy a trailer which it sits on all season. So much easier to launch in deep sand etc. Also 50kg of engine is a heavy old lump to cart about - I'm sure others would say its poss to carry around but personally it's far too heavy unless your Jeff Capes. From what I've heard if you are looking for a boat to transport in your motor home an air floor is def way forward. Quick to set up with a decent electric pump and handles well in water. Unless you've got a van or very, very large car, the heavy Sibs best suit trailers - you then have to question whether it's better to buy a small Rib instead!!

[andyjackson]

so to just clarify in my mind or to keep my missus happy what is the air floor like in the honwave 38 is it solid enough to move around in ok she seems to think it will be like those kiddies toys where you stand up and they fold up ?

if i go for the t35 with honda launch wheels will my missus and i be able to pull it up the slip way after use

most of our hols are in lake garda so campsite has a concrete slipway ( not to steep )

thanks for all your help

[Fenlander]

Unless a slipway was very steep I would pull our T35AE (with 15hp 2-stroke and all the kit we carried) on my own just with help from the kids if I had to bump up a kerb or similar. I would regularly pull it along the road to a slipway for several hundred metres from where we set it up by the car. I could do this on my own but to get a bit of a breather up slopes I made up a pole that clipped onto the front handle so two people could pull it along at once.... but this was a luxury rather than essential item.

Of course my current air floor Zodiac feels much easier in any such situation and I can walk that about single handed over almost any distance but if you are of at least average strength the T35 is OK.

The main reason I sold it was for various family reasons (them going off boating really) it came down to me to do a single handed assemble/takedown each time and that was a bit of a faff as we always did it daily.

It's a personal choice but if my greatest use was being at the same place for 1-2 weeks with a concrete slipway and at least one person who would help a little I'd rather the alloy floor T35 over the air floor T38.

[andyjackson]

thanks everbody for your input , but can anyone also tell me the maximum length and width of the latest mariner 20 short shaft ? i have the weight just need the dimensions thanks

[Mickhitchuk]

Just a thought, saw the f-rib at the boat show and they look a good choice if you want a solid floor like a rib but still able to fold it up, but I have not tried one so you will have to investigate them yourself, look good but pricey

[Max...]

Some good advice all round on this topic. Presuming you have read the sticky (Which SIB?) as it's a general round up on there aimed at prospective owners like yourself.

If I was you and really thinking of committing to a brand new outfit I'd really spend some time looking at fully inflated boats to compare and *definitely* having a go at assembling/disassembling each type - and remember all lovely in a dry showroom, different story when all dripping wet, sandy, tired etc... Most SIB owners rarely get the right outfit the first time, hence why so many of us say go secondhand first, try it, see what works and doesn't and move on from there. This is why there is an endless stream of barely used outfits on eBay all year - carpeted showroom seduction is a powerful thing - bouncing along, uncomfortable, wet, tired can be the reality for many and the old saying the happiest two days of a boater's life: "...the day they buy the boat and the day they sell the boat..." can be just as true for SIBbers as the big boys....

And be sure to try manhandling a few engines - the weight is one thing the unwieldiness of anything bigger than a 2 stroke 15 is something else.

Pulling a rig on a concrete slipway on transom wheels (one man job) is a gazillion miles from trying the same on a beach/shingle/mud etc (3 man job).

Re' airfloor vs hardfloor - again, see the sticky but it's *essential* the air pressure in a HP floor is at the max or a tadge over with a proper gauge - 1/2 psi too little makes a huge difference.

On the 3.8m Honwaves there have been a few reports on here over the years that even correctly inflated they are inferior to the 3.4 and a bit prone to floppiness.

As mentioned above by beerbelly a rubber floor covering improves airfloors a lot, some pics of mine here:

http://www.rib.net/forum/f50/bombard...ass-62326.html

[paddlers]

AndyJackson, I see you're at Trimdon. I'm assuming that's near Durham (@50 minutes from me at Masham). If you want to look at and assemble a Honwave 3.5 AE and Tohatsu 20 before you buy I have one.
I've nowhere to put it on the water but it'll give you an idea of what's involved, it also has transom wheels.

[Max...]

Just seen this in the classifieds, doesn't get more perfect for your situation IMHO.

If you can get it below £2k an almost perfect all round, transportable, lightweight set up.

Engine value is £1250.

http://www.rib.net/forum/f21/honda-h...8-a-67954.html

[andyjackson]

Hi Paddlers ,

thanks very much for your offer , and i would love to have a chat with you about your boat as we have decided thats the one for us we think,

if you could ring me on 07860943472 i would gladly ring you back to save costs,

just to ask a few questions ,

cheers

Andy

thanks for the tip on the 3.2 Max but I might be more interested in the 3.5 for sale by Glow if its still available,

cheers