Learning Questions

[Notebook]

Hi
Haven’t a Sib yet but looking at it, hence the questions

Thinking of Honwave, Bombard or Elling ( Love the A frame and mounting points

Possibly at beach but more like lakes etc

Light fishing

1- recommended courses / radio use etc anything online
2- lakes ok with 4 stroke or electric?
3- if I take it to, say Cornwall, can I moore it there for a weeks holiday or have I to deflate inflate etc daily?
4- if the above exists, are they secure?
5- why no Elling vids, setup etc
6 - Heavy bloke, so if air deck, shorter better?
7- would use with maximum of 4 adults, but usually 2
So if some kind person can write the algorithm that solves all answers that would be very much appreciated.

If not, yes and no will suffice for now

Thanks

[Poly]

1- recommended courses / radio use etc anything online

RYA Powerboat level 2 is your starting point. VHF course strongly recommended if you are going to sea (coverage in land may be poor).

2- lakes ok with 4 stroke or electric?

if you mean the lake district - yes but with speed limits which will greatly reduce your options. Other lakes will depend on local rules.

3- if I take it to, say Cornwall, can I moore it there for a weeks holiday or have I to deflate inflate etc daily?

you'll have a number of options from visitor moorings (usually £10-15/day) to marinas/pontoons, to anchoring (probably with a line ashore), or hauling it up a beach and storing ashore

4- if the above exists, are they secure?

not really! but theft is rare, search the forum for peoples solutions

5- why no Elling vids, setup etc

I'll be honest - I've never heard of them; add in a lack of info - and I'd assume there are "safer" investments.

6 - Heavy bloke, so if air deck, shorter better?

Unless you are talking morbidly obese I wouldn't worry about it

7- would use with maximum of 4 adults, but usually 2
So if some kind person can write the algorithm that solves all answers that would be very much appreciated.

General rules is bigger is better on the water, smaller is better for moving ashore and storage!

[Notebook]

Originally Posted by Poly

1- recommended courses / radio use etc anything online

RYA Powerboat level 2 is your starting point. VHF course strongly recommended if you are going to sea (coverage in land may be poor).

2- lakes ok with 4 stroke or electric?

if you mean the lake district - yes but with speed limits which will greatly reduce your options. Other lakes will depend on local rules.

3- if I take it to, say Cornwall, can I moore it there for a weeks holiday or have I to deflate inflate etc daily?

you'll have a number of options from visitor moorings (usually £10-15/day) to marinas/pontoons, to anchoring (probably with a line ashore), or hauling it up a beach and storing ashore

4- if the above exists, are they secure?

not really! but theft is rare, search the forum for peoples solutions

5- why no Elling vids, setup etc

I'll be honest - I've never heard of them; add in a lack of info - and I'd assume there are "safer" investments.

6 - Heavy bloke, so if air deck, shorter better?

Unless you are talking morbidly obese I wouldn't worry about it

7- would use with maximum of 4 adults, but usually 2
So if some kind person can write the algorithm that solves all answers that would be very much appreciated.

General rules is bigger is better on the water, smaller is better for moving ashore and storage!

Thanks
Any lake not just Lake District - so seek advice for each waterway

Lots of old posts, so

Everything I have read so far says fitting the floor is a faff. Is this still the case?

If launching off a proper slipway or whatever it’s called, then the weight shouldn’t be a problem, compared to a beach? Or is it when pebbles are involved?

What in your opinion is safest, stable option? A v hull, make etc.
Sorry for the use of terms, but just getting the feel.
Speed wise, not interested other than if weather is closing in. Danger etc.
Thanks

[Fenlander]

I'll just chip in with some ideas...

1- recommended courses / radio use etc anything online... Poly has this covered.

2- lakes ok with 4 stroke or electric?... Check out the individual lake as quite a few are no powered craft or electric only.

3- if I take it to, say Cornwall, can I moore it there for a weeks holiday or have I to deflate inflate etc daily?... Our usual holiday would be a couple of weeks in Scotland, Devon or Cornwall. For me access to the water so we don't have to daily setup is now crucial to holiday enjoyment. We either stay somewhere that is close enough to the water to wheel the ready set up boat down and launch each day or we use a floating mooring.

4- if the above exists, are they secure?... Just take sensible precautions related to the location and make sure insurance covers you fully then stop worrying. I usually remove our kit such as emergency bag/toolkit plus any electronics but leave boat/outboard/tank.

5- why no Elling vids, setup etc... Yes quite, we could do with seeing more from the Elling boys. It's a very interesting concept I'd like to investigate more. My reservation from what I've seen briefly in videos is their handling looks a little nervous/twitchy which can go hand in hand with something that will turn very fast.

6 - Heavy bloke, so if air deck, shorter better?... Are you referring to seeing comments about the flat air floor type (and to a lesser degree the Honwaves) being flexible? It is true the longer the more prone they are but the weight carried and load distribution vs floor flex is really hard to predict for any individual setup.

7- would use with maximum of 4 adults, but usually 2... Despite the maximum persons allowed shown on data plates often less folks makes things much more comfortable/safer. If out in lively conditions my preference in a 3.8m is two full size adults and an 8 stone daughter. Of course in a quieter estuary going to the maximum isn't a problem.

Yes fitting an alloy floor is a faff particularly if setting up daily. Flat air floors stay in the boat when packed and the Honwave air floor is part of the boat.

Yes slipways help loads with heavier outfits that can be a nightmare to get up soft sand or back up a sloping pebble beach. These days we always pick a location slipway or "hard" for launching and our only time pulling out at a beach is on a mid trip stop and then just the minimum to clear the water's edge.

In truth probably all SIBs of a given size are equally safe, for me the big difference is in comfort in a lively sea and ability to make progress through that sea state.

Hope that gives rise to some thoughts re what sort of setup you want.

[Notebook]

How do you get to floating mooring?
Twitchy not for me. Just a plodder
2 Max at sea it would be. poss 4 on a reservoir.
Thought of staying somewhere where you can wheel it down sounds fab
Catamaran hull availability in uk if good
Last. Most stable. Suggestions
Thanks

[Fenlander]

How do you get to floating mooring?.... Oh you just need a SIB ha ha. Seriously this can be a floating pontoon that moves up and down with the tide or in our most recent experience a running mooring connected to the land where you attach the boat to a buoy then pull the rope loop which takes the boat out to deeper water.

Twitchy not for me. Just a plodder.... Bear in mind that was an off the cuff comment and I've not any actual experience of the Elling.

2 Max at sea it would be. poss 4 on a reservoir..... That's a sensible balance.

Thought of staying somewhere where you can wheel it down sounds fab.... Yep they take some finding but exist all over the UK both caravan/camping or cottage.

Catamaran hull availability in uk if good.... Yep those Ellings have to be on a possible list.

Last. Most stable. Suggestions.... At rest and slow speed the greatest overall width and largest tube diameter plus it has to be said an alloy floor win... but all SIBs are amazingly stable and an adult can step up on a tube to climb out with hardly a movement in a way that would tip a GRP dinghy straight over.

[Fenlander]

Re places adj a slipway we've had this Scottish cottage with the green paint a couple of times. We kept the set up SIB in the garden and swivelling Streetview round you can see how close the slipway and pontoon are.

https://goo.gl/maps/Gx2ucyRW5jHjgTRW9

[Notebook]

Rope loop to mooring. Brilliant
Read somewhere the pontoon slides up and down on columns known as dolphins. Not sure if it’s true.
Thanks

[Fenlander]

Yes the rope loop running mooring was very handy. The one we used was fixed to a building but it could have been the shore or a harbour wall etc.

You can see our grey SIB in the one image and it was afloat at all tide states when at the extent of the loop.

The other image is of me sorting it out at the start of the holiday. You pulled down on the vertical element of the rope to pull the boat in and vice versa. It was quite hard work with a slippery green rope but a pair of grippy sailing gloves from the chandlers up the street helped loads.

[Notebook]

Thanks
Gloves to list

[Notebook]

Where did you stay?

[Fenlander]

Fowey Cornwall.

BTW on the previous post image with no outboard that wasn't for security but it failed on the first days of the holiday and we were waiting on the hired replacement. The normal moored situation was as below.

[Notebook]

Elling Trimaran KB 350 SIB RIB Air Floor Small Inflatable Boat https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Z9DT3..._jF8lFbG798TCR

As mentioned earlier

[Oldman2]

A fair bit cheaper direct from Boatworld UK

[Fenlander]

I see the Amazon ad still has the excessive and unrealistic 30mph speed claims with a 6hp. A claim that was halved to 15mph on the Boatworld site after grumbles on here.