Honwave pack has been wonderful

[azzurro]

Hi all:

My Honwave 4m Honda 20HP has been so good to me this summer. Absolutely fantastic. The rev limiter cut down the power some times on following sea, it was really fast. And jumpy!

Nevertheless there are some issues I would like to share.

- Bend on alu floor section on stringer joins (stringers were properly set, alternatively - otherwise the bend would have been the whole floor wide!). Maybe too many jumps. Are there any instructions to fix it?

- I did not use the bench provided, I find it useless except for rowing or as a surface to fix objects (such as diving equipment). It would be nice to have more rings on the boat to fix things.

- Honwave brand bow dodger (or bow bag or however it is named) is a very bad design. Holes on fabric are not placed logically, they should change all of them; fabric tears on hole rings; it is also too short for my boat )... But is is absolutely necessary to have a bow dodger because of gulls: life jackets are not popular and white marks do not make them more appealing.

- Although I got a Honwave boat cover, I never used it because of too huge to store it at the boat, and too complicated to lay as I moor my boat at the beach. So more gull shit. Is it sun bad for PVC or is it gull shit? Does gull shit protect PVC from sun?

- Honda Marine official engine lock, which is supposed to be Honda BF20 compatible, well... it is not. It is impossible to fit it in that engine brackets.

- BF20 second spark plug is placed too hidden. Get yourself a spark plug key, the one provided with the engine is a hell to be used.

+ I got a manual water pump and found it very useful. While beaching your boat, breaking waves may come too close. Also, a ladder is a must. Mine was an folding alu one and worked OK. Tie it to the stern rings, and use a velcro to fix while on board. Velcro helps you unfix it quickly when you are swimming at the water.

+ A launching roll is also a wonderful seat. Tie it to the stern rings, so you can use it on both boards. Passengers will fight to use it, and kids are much safer sitting inside rather than on the boat.

+ Rooteq modified trolley for the engine worked OK. Bravo pump was delicious. Fuel consume is ridiculous.

+ A nice boat to be kept down yor bed.

[CJS]

I have got the Honwave 3.8 Air Floor so cannot comment on the Ally floor version. Agree with you this is an excellent boat but it could be improved to make it even better than excellent.

Agree with you on the bow bag – crap fastenings – should be replaced by quick release buckles and I also feel they could utilize the shape and volume of the bow in making the bag larger and tougher. The bags are only splash proof and not waterproof.

One of my major gripes is the planks for a seat without backrests – come on this is the 21st century, use some of that Japanese innovation to find a cheap, light weight cost effective solution that can seat 4 persons. I have thought of various ideas such as using high density foam or Kayak type seats greatly improving the comfort and safety for little extra cost. This would also help performance as weight transferred to the floor would surely keep the shape of the floor better on the plane?

My Honda 20HP is very efficient – went from Hamble to Hurst Castle and back for under a tenner of fuel! The 12L fuel tank is enough but I have to carry a reserve better to sell with 22L tank as standard with a reserve tap like a motorbike.

In addition they should have fuel tank fasteners at the back of the boat so the weight can be shifted according to person.

Oh yes totally agree with the Spark Plug situation - pain in the arse - the other thing is a slight rethink on the threaded hose pipe flusher.

Other than that - excellent.

[azzurro]

And some pics...

[azzurro]

Good snorkeling too.