honwave. who has one. help

[HMSclit]

hi guys,
i am thinking of purchasing a honwave but dont know what one.
is it the inflatable keel only that has the v floor?
i will be using out at sea so would be ideal with v hull.
what size would be ideal for me and a friend fishing and what engine? regards

[MustRib]

I had one...
the 3.8 air deck with a 20 hp Yam 2 stroke.
I sold it to help finance my current rib, but it was a struggle as I
really liked it. The 25hp 2 stroke Yam would have been plenty.
The 20 hp was fast enough.
Unless it was calm, the bouncing you got on the swells restricted your speed
for the sake of your spine!
It was a good sea boat, but tiring in chop. It took me and the kids from Skye to Rhum and back safely.
I cant speak for the solid deck version as I never had one.
There must be hundreds of posts on here about the 3.8 Honwave. Try a search.

[CJS]

I bought my Honwave 3.8 Air Floor with 20HP last year. MustRib sums it up pretty well - excellent boat, very economical however any boat of that size in chop or high speed is a bit of a back wrecker. The plank for a seat is not comfortable.

The thing I would add is buy yourself a trailer as it is a pain in the butt to inflate and deflate everytime. Knowing what I know now I may have considered the Aluminium floor version with a 30HP as the floor is more rigid and one could fit some form of seating with backrest.

Other than that a good all round boat.

[HMSclit]

I was thinking maybe a 2.7 or 3.2. But what engine etc

[CJS]

I would go for the maximum HP you can stick on it, I would also go for the biggest boat you can afford as going to small or underpowered will become a source of regret.

Originally I was considering a 3.2 with 5HP - fine for fishing off river mouths and a few hundred metres off the beach or poodling along rivers but not if you want to go longer haul Solent/ Pembrookshire like I do.

[br1anuk]

If you are going to fish with the boat then I would definitely go for the alloy flat floor, you don't want to get a hook in a high pressure floor.

I had a 3.2 Honwave with a 15hp 2 stroke and it was loads of fun, then I changed to a 3.8 v floor and it needed a bigger engine.

[azzurro]

I don't think high-pressure hulls are so much better than inflatable keels when choppy seas. They are not heavy RIB hulls. And I find an alu floor is much more stable because of weight distribution.

But I agree that launching and carrying a high pressure hull is so easy because of weight. And it is much more small when deflated. You just need a Bravo High pressure pump.

I agree that a seat is a good idea. Maybe get yourself an inflatable launching roller instead of an inflatable twart seat, you can use it both for beach launching and sitting, and a 400kg is very cheap. You can even inflate it with your lungs.

For the engine, always consider the weight. I find Honda BF20 to be in the limit, maybe too heavy. 2 strokes are less heavy, but noisy. A 15hp 2-stroke with 40Kg weight is fine.

If the boat is 3.4m with high pressure hull maybe a 10hp 2stroke 35Kg, it is perfect for 2-3 people, and what's better, you may be able to handle it on your own alone.

[tommo]

Heres my 3.5 alu floor with 2 adults and 3 kids on board,loads of room.
I keep it on a trailer i made very easy to launch and retrieve and the trailer is so light you stick it on its side in the car park if there is no room.

[azzurro]

Originally Posted by tommo

Heres my 3.5 alu floor with 2 adults and 3 kids on board,loads of room.
I keep it on a trailer i made very easy to launch and retrieve and the trailer is so light you stick it on its side in the car park if there is no room.

Hello Tommo, nice boat. That configuration is what I was pointing to: except for weight and space when folded, alu floor should be better rated.

You cannot seat at the bow when choppy sea. I use the bow for all of the stuff (anchor, security equipment and all of that).

You can carry 5 adults on a 3.5m but do not expect planning. 2 adults 3 kids can, with 10-15hp.

I would appreciate a picture of the trailer as kept in the garage. Is it for launching or also for transport?

[tommo]

Hi
heres a link to the thread about me trailer.
http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=37694
Cheers.