Looking for first inflatable

[timhawkfs40]

Hey my SIB is up for sale and would be an ideal first boat for you... pm me

[johnny5]

Thanks for the information
I'm looking at a couple at the moment but I'm not it to much of a rush but would like to get out on the water this summer ???
I have some of the additional kit needed form my canoeing days I will get some additional bits if I do venture out to sea.
The insurance is not to bad I'm down on the Kent coast so intend to use the river stour quite alott they only introduced a licence for this river last year (bugger)

[lightning]

Might be worth having a look at some of the boats for sale that have been offered on this thread.

If you buy from a member on here you'll almost certainly get useful advice thrown in....and you probably won't be ripped off or sold a pup.

[johnny5]

As I'm mainly looking for a river boat and may want only the occasional trip just off the coast and that will be only in very calm seas
would a 2.6m boat with a 6hp outboard be to small ?
It's just that I have seen a nice 2.6 zodiac with air floor that will take a 6 hp max.

[Rokraider]

How many people are you expecting to get on board? Will the engine need a remote fuel tank,if so how will it be secured and is there enough room?
Is the engine + fuel light enough with the number of people you want to carry?

[johnny5]

Thanks for the reply
The boat I have seen is a zodiac with inflatable floor and keel it will take up to 3 people 400kgs and a max outboard of 6hp 27kgs
I will be using it with 2 adults max (more often just myself and my son) and yes I expect to Cary a fuel tank for the outboard.
It looks like it will have the space I need but wondered if it would be ok to use it in a calm sea or would I be a complete numpty.

[johnny5]

Also if I go for a 6hp would this be to much for a slow potter up the river or should I go for something smaller
The river stour that I will probably be using mostly is tidal though but not to strong I used a canoe with a small electric outboard and it coped ok.
Incidentally the stour where it opens to the sea is quite sheltered and an easy bolt back if things start to get bad

[bingosucks]

i didn`t fancy the hassle of second hand ... i went for a chinese import and tbf i`m very pleased it seems a good build quality with seperate air chambers and slot together floors

engine size i went for a 5hp chinese import again! and was glad of the warranty ...

i regret going for a 3m sib as it can only handleup to a 10hp 4s..you will struggle to plane 3or4 people on 10 hosses

reading the posts i would say a 3.4m and 15hp2s is the optimun setup for transportability and power.... i ended up getting a 15 which is a bit naughty because the boat is only rated to 10hp.... however i did a lot of homework first and whilst i`m happy it`s ok if you can avoid this mistake you should do so

[johnny5]

I must admit I'm not a fan of second hand but there are some good used deals out there
The comments on some of the cheaper imports look ok so I haven't ruled it out all together
But I would get a much better / bigger boat for my money.
It's interesting what you say about using an oversize outboard maybe not the best thing but is it possible to do this without to many problems maybe put a 10hp on a boat rated for a 6 hp I would be interested to hear people's comments ?
I'm hearing a lot of people talking about getting up on the plane this is something I'm not to bothered about as long as I can potter along the river and get a small way offshore for a bit of fishing I will be happy ( or is it nessasary to be able to plane)

[bingosucks]

Originally Posted by johnny5

I must admit I'm not a fan of second hand but there are some good used deals out there
The comments on some of the cheaper imports look ok so I haven't ruled it out all together
But I would get a much better / bigger boat for my money.
It's interesting what you say about using an oversize outboard maybe not the best thing but is it possible to do this without to many problems maybe put a 10hp on a boat rated for a 6 hp I would be interested to hear people's comments ?
I'm hearing a lot of people talking about getting up on the plane this is something I'm not to bothered about as long as I can potter along the river and get a small way offshore for a bit of fishing I will be happy ( or is it nessasary to be able to plane)

if your going to outsize you`ve got to consider the weight on the sponsons, if your boat can take 8hp i wouldn`t think it would be a problem ....also newer boats will be weighted for 4 strokes so a 10hp 2s could weigh less than a 6hp 4s

as for planing speed limits on rivers will not allow the speeds .... personally i started off just wanting to lark about abit but found it quite addictive once you`ve planed you`ll want to do it again and again

[willk]

Originally Posted by bingosucks

personally i started off just wanting to lark about abit but found it quite addictive once you`ve planed you`ll want to do it again and again

If you're not planing, you're not doing it right!

Tell me this isn't fun!

Lough Swilly, Donegal - YouTube

[SIBer]

Originally Posted by johnny5

I must admit I'm not a fan of second hand but there are some good used deals out there

Me too. I normally buy new and buy quality to last then keep it.

However, both my SIB and outboard are 2nd hand. I did my research and bought quality items, hardly used and as new.

If you want to import a new 2 stoke outboard PM me and I'll give you the details of an non-EU supplier.

If you want a new SIB that meets your needs with a 5 year warranty look at

Excel SD330 Inflatable Boat.

[willk]

Maybe worth considering? http://www.rib.net/forum/f21/bombard...oke-48433.html

No connection with sale.

[johnny5]

Hi
The bombard 380 looks nice but a little out of my price range
However the excel looks a nice boat to if nothing else turns up I will consider it
I'm also looking at outboards (second hand) and trying to put the two together at a good price
Unless eBay throws up a reasonable combination I'm going to start thinking about a new boat and a used outboard
One thing I was wondering ? If I'm spending time on the river at what size will an outboard become to large ?
Like unsuitable for 4 - 6 knots or will all outboards happily potter along at slow speeds ?

[SIBer]

Originally Posted by johnny5

Hi

One thing I was wondering ? If I'm spending time on the river at what size will an outboard become to large ?
Like unsuitable for 4 - 6 knots or will all outboards happily potter along at slow speeds ?

My 9.8 was great on the Norfolk Broads at 4 to 5mph and sometimes slower with two adults and two kids on board. It was also fine at tick-over, in gear with no throttle.

[SIBer]

As luck would have it johnny if you fancy a drive to Northampton
Excel Inflatable Boat SD 330 with Airdeck | eBay

[Max...]

You didn't buy that 2006 Zodiac with Bravo pump then linked earlier?!!! It only went for £460 odd. An absolute steal...

[puskapusia]

Zodiac zodiac zodiac..i live on the road and have a zodiac classic ive used it on sea, rivers and canals all over england, been caught out in some scary seas also, kerrracking rib, id die without her

all the best

mike

[puskapusia]

Zodiac zodiac zodiac..i live on the road and have a zodiac classic ive used it on sea, rivers and canals all over england, been caught out in some scary seas also, kerrracking rib, id die without her

all the best

mike

[Nolandandallsea]

Just got my first one!

Had an opportunity to acquire a boat from a client and jumped at the chance without knowing anything about the boat apart from that it would have been in excellent condition.

It's a bombard aerotech with 15hp 2stroke and I am so pleased with it, never read any bad reviews on these boats and taken it out twice now and it is seriously good fun.

Interested to know what other, more experienced, people think as I am totally hooked on this now!

Bring on the sunshine!