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Old 02 November 2017, 11:40   #1
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Country: UK - England
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Make: Bombard Aerotec
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Lightweight sib

Got a long term plan to buy a small yacht sometime in the future, the aerotec would be way too heavy to stow on board so looking for options. I don't want a tiny inflatable tender, looking for something that's a little bigger but still light enough to haul on board and stow deflated on deck. I guess a slatted floor is the way to go for light weight?
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Old 02 November 2017, 17:48   #2
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A slatted floor is lighter than a ply floor, but at the cost of performance and comfort. A slatted floor will tend to follow the waves and may not provide a stable platform if you need to stand for any reason.

If you look at the manufacturers' websites, they will give exact weights for each current model.

Just for comparison, I have a Zodiac 310 and I have no difficulty at all launching it or recovering it without assistance at a canal side wharf with a drop of about a metre to the water. I can carry it reasonable distances solo - for example if I've just cleaned it and need to move it across the garden to dry in a better place.

Most of it is about balance, and when you're launching and recovering, you can make the buoyancy work for you. Tip the back end into the water and it will float, so you only need to bear the weight of the bow. To recover, pull it towards you lifting by the painter and the stern will float until the boat is getting towards vertical on its tail. Then you can pivot it on whatever part of the hull comes into contact with the edge of the wharf (or gunwale of your boat).

To carry an assembled inflatable, stand it on its side then step round to the "inside" and find the balance point. It is comfortable hanging on your shoulder by the inside of the main tube, somewhere amidships.

I'm neither big nor strong and I have done the above many times over with boats up to 3.4 metres.

The engine is the hardest part. If you need to lift that down to the floating SIB, or up from the floating SIB to a wharf or larger boat, you need one that is small and light enough. I have struggled with a 9.9, although I can carry it reasonable distances solo on the flat. For a SIB that will do little ore than tender duty, something like a 3 hp is an easy and convenient size and weight to lift and carry, and maybe even light enough to leave on the boat when launching and recovering as described above.
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Old 02 November 2017, 18:04   #3
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Zodiac Cadet Fastroller 285 Acti-V.

Light enough for one person and surprisingly quick with a 6hp OB.
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Old 02 November 2017, 18:29   #4
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RIBase
Honwave air deck?
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Old 03 November 2017, 17:36   #5
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Yeah I guess an airdeck would be lightweight!
I shall have a look at the weights of various models. Of course there's nothing stopping us from towing the aerotec but a tender in tow becomes a liability in certain sea states
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