Honwaver T38 or Elling 350?

[Steve509926]

The size of the numbers are ridiculous!

Watch your speed especially Low Wood upto Ambleside, all around Bowness and at the bottom end down towards Lakside.

If the weather is kind you'll have a great time.

[Gary S]

Originally Posted by Mattster

Great to hear you have finally got out Gary! I was wondering what you were up to and was about to drop you a message..
Sounds like the Elling is going to absolutely fly with the 10 on the back, you need to get yourself out of the harbour speed limits and give it a proper go!
We were down at Selsey again, trying a (slightly illicit) ramp on the west side of the point for the first time, which worked well (if a little slippy when wet). Conditions were unbelievable by the end of the day, and the fishing was decent. We'll have to sort that trip out soon!

Agree on all fronts! Just appointed a new Director which will take some of my workload and free up time for fishing! I’ll PM or text you when I next plan to get out and if you are available, would be good to meet up.

[Gary S]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

The size of the numbers are ridiculous!

Watch your speed especially Low Wood upto Ambleside, all around Bowness and at the bottom end down towards Lakside.

If the weather is kind you'll have a great time.

Yes they are! You could probably read them from Barrow in Furness!

Taking the 6hp 4 stroke with the sole intention of plodding around and soaking in the scenery…via a refreshment stop of course! We are actually staying in Lakeside. Bylaws downloaded and studied but much appreciate your comments and advice. Local knowledge and/or experience always welcomed.

[Mattster]

Myself and Gary S finally managed to meet up for a day on the water over the weekend, and compare boats. Great to meet Gary, and also see the Elling IRL (as the kids say) for the first time. It really is an impressive boat, and I think I can say without reservation that I would not have been disappointed if I have plumped for the Elling over the Honwave. I was particularly impressed by the usable, flat floor space (especially up front), and the way that it packs down into two separate (and really quite small) bags for loading into the car. The weather was kind, and we got out for a few hours and even managed to catch a few bass. The Elling was absolutely flying the with Tohatsu 9.8 on the back, although was one-up whilst I had a mate on board as well, I don't think Gary ever got above half throttle whilst I was flat out most of the time! I think when used prices get a little less crazy I'll start keeping an eye out for a holy grail Tohatsu 2 stroke, but happy enough plodding along for now.. I must say the Elling looked very flat and dry, even in the slight chop we got towards the end of the session.

A couple of pics of the boats side by side:

[Fenlander]

Good to hear you guys got to meet up for an outing. Interesting too to see these two competing (market placement wise) boats side by side.

[gittygoat]

Wow those tubes look fat on the Elling in comparison!

[Jameslong]

Gary and Martster

Very good information in this and indeed Fenlanders thread (although I note Fenlander 'did not like' the Elling in the end). I saw both the T38 and indeed the Elling at the Boat show and like you were, I am torn. For me the T38 as it is one piece feels very heavy to carry in its bag and indeed load into a car.

Is the two bag system and of course the split weight of the Elling very significant when carrying in the bag and loading etc. If it is I think this could certainly push me towards the Elling

[Mattster]

Originally Posted by Jameslong

Gary and Martster

Very good information in this and indeed Fenlanders thread (although I note Fenlander 'did not like' the Elling in the end). I saw both the T38 and indeed the Elling at the Boat show and like you were, I am torn. For me the T38 as it is one piece feels very heavy to carry in its bag and indeed load into a car.

Is the two bag system and of course the split weight of the Elling very significant when carrying in the bag and loading etc. If it is I think this could certainly push me towards the Elling

Yes, I think it probably is, for me at least. Once the two are set up, they are similar weights and probably similar in effort to manouvre to the water, but I must admit that with my back now I am finding the loading/unloading of the Honwave into the car a bit tricky. The other benefit of the split bag approach is the ability to load the car more efficiently, whereas the Honwave is quite a big lump. Having said all that, it is not too bad, and I pretty much always have someone to go fishing with, and double handed it is fairly straightforward.

I think having now seen both boats, there is a decent chance I would choose the Elling for the reasons you mention (although it is another £300), and perhaps also for the flatter floor/more usable floor space (especially up front) - but I am still very happy with the Honwave and not about to sell it. Then again, I haven't ridden in the Elling yet, and I think the Honwave probably does very well in that department.

[Gary S]

Originally Posted by Jameslong

Gary and Martster

Very good information in this and indeed Fenlanders thread (although I note Fenlander 'did not like' the Elling in the end). I saw both the T38 and indeed the Elling at the Boat show and like you were, I am torn. For me the T38 as it is one piece feels very heavy to carry in its bag and indeed load into a car.

Is the two bag system and of course the split weight of the Elling very significant when carrying in the bag and loading etc. If it is I think this could certainly push me towards the Elling

I can’t comment on Fenlander reasons other than he felt it was the second best SiB he had owned.

From a personal perspective, the Elling is very manageable solo and the fact it splits into two bags for transportation is a huge plus. On the water it is extremely efficient and a very dry and stable platform. It goes well with my 6hp 4 stroke and stonkingly well with the 9.8hp 2 stroke. No displacement means it is very fuel efficient. Mattster can comment on the T38 but by observation only, they are very different craft.

The Elling was acquired as primarily a fishing platform and it has exceeded my expectations in this regard and beyond. The flat floor and huge tubes work for me as I have a very dodgy knee!

Slightly more expensive than the T38, it is a personal choice as to whether this additional cost is justified. Personally, I made the right choice: T38 was on my radar and it remains a well proven and capable craft. The proliferate Borika mounts was a key decider for me as this it’s use is primarily for fishing: doesn’t make you catch more but gives you a range of options. Once you factor in the price of Railblaza or equivalent holders, it all balances out.

Final comment, I have subsequently bought an A-frame and other bits from Boatworld and have been massively impressed with their customer service. That said, Mattster bought from a vendor who has an equally good reputation.

Summation, ‘horses for courses’ but the ability to split the weight was a factor in my decision and one I have not regretted.

Hope this helps!

[Fenlander]

>>> I note Fenlander 'did not like' the Elling in the end

Untrue... not the first time you have misrepresented my situation JamesLong.

I have very much approved of the Elling's superb easy carry and set up... its useful Borika mounts... excellent seats and cushions... great canopy... good performance on a smaller outboard... tight flat turns... clean splash free wake... great stability with its big tubes... roomy flat floor great for people and stowage.

Yep loads to like and that's why I never said I "didn't" like it.

But to the main recent question... yes the general light weight and ability to further split boat and floor made it so so easy to manage and set up. As good and probably better than any other SIB of the ten or so I've owned.

[Jameslong]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>> I note Fenlander 'did not like' the Elling in the end

Untrue... not the first time you have misrepresented my situation JamesLong.

I have very much approved of the Elling's superb easy carry and set up... its useful Borika mounts... excellent seats and cushions... great canopy... good performance on a smaller outboard... tight flat turns... clean splash free wake... great stability with its big tubes... roomy flat floor great for people and stowage.

Yep loads to like and that's why I never said I "didn't" like it.

But to the main recent question... yes the general light weight and ability to further split boat and floor made it so so easy to manage and set up. As good and probably better than any other SIB of the ten or so I've owned.

Apologies if you think I misrepresented your views. Having read many threads on the Elling however you did sell yours after I think 2 uses and in my post you will see that I used parentheses on the did not like.

Either way very good answers have been received from Gary and Matt (who I think have used their boats quite a lot) which answered the questions re weight very well. Hopefully this will help others who may be wrestling with this decision also. For me I am still in two minds

[Fenlander]

>>> bought an A-frame and other bits from Boatworld and have been massively impressed with their customer service.

That was very much one of the stand out aspects of my dealings when first buying the Elling.... they were spot on.

[Notebook]

What do you think about Kb350 with propane 5hp tohatsu?

[Gary S]

Originally Posted by Notebook

What do you think about Kb350 with propane 5hp tohatsu?

Can’t comment personally as no experience of propane outboards. It goes great with the 6hp 4 stroke so if displacement similar…

[Notebook]

Originally Posted by Gary S

Can’t comment personally as no experience of propane outboards. It goes great with the 6hp 4 stroke so if displacement similar…

Ok. Thanks

[Notebook]

Originally Posted by Gary S

Can’t comment personally as no experience of propane outboards. It goes great with the 6hp 4 stroke so if displacement similar…

Here we go. Learning again.
Tohatsu site shows the same displacement for 5, 6 and the propane 5hp.
Therefore, what am I missing?
Please someone explain.
Thanks

[Notebook]

Originally Posted by Mattster

Thanks!
Yeah, like the look of the new Tohatsus, bit of a "stealth" cowl going on, with minimal decals. Here's a crappy pic on our outside table:



Bit rattly at idle as you might expect with a single cylinder engine, but seemed to smooth out a bit with a few revs. Will be very interesting to see how well it performs on the water - that is perhaps the last big unknown, but I'm hopeful it will do the job. Kid's stuff is likely all going to in the harbour with an 8 knot speed limit anyway, and fishing out the front is all within a mile of shore and a mile or two up or down the coast, so as long as it gets me there (and back), I'm happy.

Looking at the photo I am surprised you didn't go with a propane version of the outboard

[Mattster]

Originally Posted by Mattster

Yes, I think it probably is, for me at least. Once the two are set up, they are similar weights and probably similar in effort to manouvre to the water, but I must admit that with my back now I am finding the loading/unloading of the Honwave into the car a bit tricky. The other benefit of the split bag approach is the ability to load the car more efficiently, whereas the Honwave is quite a big lump. Having said all that, it is not too bad, and I pretty much always have someone to go fishing with, and double handed it is fairly straightforward.

I think having now seen both boats, there is a decent chance I would choose the Elling for the reasons you mention (although it is another £300), and perhaps also for the flatter floor/more usable floor space (especially up front) - but I am still very happy with the Honwave and not about to sell it. Then again, I haven't ridden in the Elling yet, and I think the Honwave probably does very well in that department.

Time for an update from me:

With my back issues seemingly not getting any better (worse, actually, but that's another story), I came to the decision to get myself an Elling for all of the reasons outlined above. In the end this came down to one decisive factor: how easy is it to manouvre the deflated boat from shed to car and back, and having toyed with other solutions (a trailer), I decided the most logical course of action would be to sell the Honwave and buy the Elling, which I did at the beginning of this week.

The problem in a nutshell is that, although both Elling and T38 are similar in weight once inflated, the T38 does not have a separate floor, and so there is a single, large monolithic weight of ~50kg to handle. I compounded this by adding fold flat wheels, which cannot be easily removed, and add another 5kg. The Elling comes in at around 35kg (maybe less) for the largest section, and that 20kg makes the world of difference to me. It should also allow me to load boat + motor in the boot, or with just part of the rear bench folded, which means we can get the whole family in the car for boating trips (note: yet to be tested!).

None of this is to detract from the Honwave in any way, which in some ways seems still the better built (certainly more heavily) and better equipped boat than the Elling (thoughts on this to follow, maybe!), but usability is and has to be the overriding criteria for me. Having said that, I think the Elling will be a more fishing friendly boat as well, with the flat floor and extra usable space towards the bow.

This does mean that I have a nearly new Honwave T38 for sale. It does have one small patch over a pinhole leak (there's a thread on that somewhere!) but otherwise in great nick, with Suprod folding wheels, transducer mount and extra scotty mount + rod holer. PM if interested..

[Oldman2]

Welcome to the fold, I have a glass back and just made a skate around 50cm square with 4 castors, I just pop that under one end of the boat bag either to place it in the boot or push/pull it around the car park. You could of course use a sack barrow but they take up space.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Mattster

Time for an update from me:

With my back issues seemingly not getting any better (worse, actually, but that's another story), I came to the decision to get myself an Elling for all of the reasons outlined above. In the end this came down to one decisive factor: how easy is it to manouvre the deflated boat from shed to car and back, and having toyed with other solutions (a trailer), I decided the most logical course of action would be to sell the Honwave and buy the Elling, which I did at the beginning of this week.

The problem in a nutshell is that, although both Elling and T38 are similar in weight once inflated, the T38 does not have a separate floor, and so there is a single, large monolithic weight of ~50kg to handle. I compounded this by adding fold flat wheels, which cannot be easily removed, and add another 5kg. The Elling comes in at around 35kg (maybe less) for the largest section, and that 20kg makes the world of difference to me. It should also allow me to load boat + motor in the boot, or with just part of the rear bench folded, which means we can get the whole family in the car for boating trips (note: yet to be tested!).

None of this is to detract from the Honwave in any way, which in some ways seems still the better built (certainly more heavily) and better equipped boat than the Elling (thoughts on this to follow, maybe!), but usability is and has to be the overriding criteria for me. Having said that, I think the Elling will be a more fishing friendly boat as well, with the flat floor and extra usable space towards the bow.

This does mean that I have a nearly new Honwave T38 for sale. It does have one small patch over a pinhole leak (there's a thread on that somewhere!) but otherwise in great nick, with Suprod folding wheels, transducer mount and extra scotty mount + rod holer. PM if interested..

Shame you didn't post that earlier in the week, I would have been interested. A friend of mine was in Chichester for the week (half term) but he got back home today.