Newbie here looking for outboard advice

[thornbackflound]

Originally Posted by Veedunk

It's a 2 stroke, the floor is just Hypalon material, not inflatable, although I used the previous owners three small slats made from grp, although they are quite thin material and didn't seem to be doing anything. I am going to make a floor from plywood, probably in three pieces to cover the entire floor, and will see if that makes it any better.

Thats what i have done with my 2.7 m sib ,it came with 3 slat's and i made the rest up with a bow board as well so the whole floor covered up,so when you do yours hopefully it will perform better,all the best Shane

[lightning]

Sounds like the tubes were not inflated enough. Either that or there's a bit of a leak. If I remember rightly the motor mount is on top of the rear tube on these? So it relies on the tube being hard to keep the motor from moving about under power.

[Locozodiac]

Small sibs which uses attached motor mounts perform worst than sibs with fixed traditional transoms, much worst if doesn't have an inflatable keel to cut water flow on it's way. Inflate all sib sib tubes to it's max rated working pressure 3.0/3.5 psi with gauge once on water, top if needed for a slight better performance.

No matter how well you inflate tubes the engine when pushing will rock mount and engine as well, it's the nature of the beast. That boat is a starter just for goofing around and much better than to be stranded at a beach in plain summer. If wanting more water excitement sell that sib and buy one with a transom built at back, will have more fun.

Happy Sibbing

[m chappelow]

You need a rigid ply floor if you are using an engine , the Red -seal is the longest of that range and does wallow a bit , i used an old long shaft seagull on my very old black redcrest in the early 1970s without a rigid floor when first I opened the throttle I thought the engine was going to rotate back through the fabric floor , a sheet of ply sorted that out , you can use them without a floor if your just rowing or paddling but your own body wieght spoils the under water profile .
Surprising how many diving clubs in the 1960 s used them before ribs were popular
Rnli use the slightly smaller Redcrest called an X boat version on some Tyne class lifeboats ,used
without the wood floor or engine as a daughter boat or rigged up like a Bosun chair on an endless pully sytem to recover people /equipment on beaches or to be pulled back on a rope through surf .

[lightning]

My dad's was OK but it had a solid floor in it.

Also the engine was only a 2hp. We had a lot of good times with that SIB up in Scotland though. Last place we went was Loch Arkaig in about 1977 where we camped for a week and explored the Loch on the boat.

We also climbed a large hill opposite our camp site and at the top was a lake, it was barely accessible by a rough path up the side of a stream, but next to the lake was a wooden rowing boat with oars!

How it got up there I don't know, but we borrowed it and rowed round the small lake. When my brother visited the same site about 20 years later the boat had gone.

[Veedunk]

I've spent most of today making a floor from ply, in three pieces which covers almost the whole floor. It's been varnished, as soon as it dries I will be back out and give it a go to see if there is any improvement. The kids are itching to get in the boat and go for a spin, so the pressure's on.

Many thanks to all of you who have offered advice and previous experience. It's a bit daunting for a first timer, but you guys have certainly helped me along the way so far...