SIB buying advice

[Biker_Medic]

Hello All,

Not been on here for a long time since selling my old boat. We have decided that we want to buy a SIB as the new house is right next to the sea and would be silly not to!

Have been doing loads of reading and using the search bar but cant seem to find what I wanted. Not knowing a great deal about SIB's I rang up boat world yesterday and had a long chat with one of the sales chaps

It will be mostly my wife and myself using the boat with a small lab and maybe once in a blue moon our 14yo daughter. The chap recommended the Boatworld air v type 330 with a 9.9hp orca engine

Will be mostly in sea lochs and lochs keeping close to the coastline

So my question is does this sound like a good package choice?

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Biker_Medic

Hello All,

Not been on here for a long time since selling my old boat. We have decided that we want to buy a SIB as the new house is right next to the sea and would be silly not to!

Have been doing loads of reading and using the search bar but cant seem to find what I wanted. Not knowing a great deal about SIB's I rang up boat world yesterday and had a long chat with one of the sales chaps

It will be mostly my wife and myself using the boat with a small lab and maybe once in a blue moon our 14yo daughter. The chap recommended the Boatworld air v type 330 with a 9.9hp orca engine

Will be mostly in sea lochs and lochs keeping close to the coastline

So my question is does this sound like a good package choice?

In my opinion "No".

You will get lots of conflicting advice, but the one thing I'm pretty sure about is, most will agree is 3.3 will be very snug!

I'm out and about today and was just having a coffee break. I shall give my two penneth worth fully when I get back home.

[Biker_Medic]

Ah cheers mate that would be really helpful! Like the idea of being able to put it in the back of the car and trying different places as well

[Steve509926]

It may be useful to provide as much info as you can, that way you will get much more targeted replies.
ie: budget, location, car - make/model, age and fitness (yours, not the cars), touring, fishing - just as much info as you can think of.

[Biker_Medic]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

It may be useful to provide as much info as you can, that way you will get much more targeted replies.
ie: budget, location, car - make/model, age and fitness, touring, fishing - just as much info as you can think of.

Live just outside Glencoe North Ballachulish

Have 2 cars one Dacia duster and one Nissan Qashqai also live right next to the loch

Both mid 40's and reasonably fit do a fair bit of hill walking and loch swimming mainly using the boat for touring around and a bit of fishing when out in it nothing to serious just enjoying the area we live in and avoiding all the crazy tourists on the roads in the summer!

Budget anything up to 3-3.5k really

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Biker_Medic

Live just outside Glencoe North Ballachulish

Have 2 cars one Dacia duster and one Nissan Qashqai also live right next to the loch

Both mid 40's and reasonably fit do a fair bit of hill walking and loch swimming mainly using the boat for touring around and a bit of fishing when out in it nothing to serious just enjoying the area we live in and avoiding all the crazy tourists on the roads in the summer!

Budget anything up to 3-3.5k really

We have a Volaire 390 which is just about on the limit of "portable", just me & the missus most of the time & it's comfortable. We've had 4 in it & it was cramped. Don't forget all the extra gubbins that comes along with the boat, fuel/clothing/cool box/fishing gear etc. We have a Suzuki DF20 on the back & I wouldn't was anything smaller tbh. SIBs need more power in comparison to a similar sized RIB. We paid around your budget for our outfit including the engine, brand new from Excel at the '21 boat show.
If you live so close to the water, have you considered a RIB? You could be in & gone from Corran Ferry slip, before you've got the SIB out of the boot.

[User name]

Originally Posted by Biker_Medic

Hello All,

Not been on here for a long time since selling my old boat. We have decided that we want to buy a SIB as the new house is right next to the sea and would be silly not to!

Have been doing loads of reading and using the search bar but cant seem to find what I wanted. Not knowing a great deal about SIB's I rang up boat world yesterday and had a long chat with one of the sales chaps

It will be mostly my wife and myself using the boat with a small lab and maybe once in a blue moon our 14yo daughter. The chap recommended the Boatworld air v type 330 with a 9.9hp orca engine

Will be mostly in sea lochs and lochs keeping close to the coastline

So my question is does this sound like a good package choice?

That's a good boat for the price. The air floor will make for a much more portable boat that is easier to set up than those with alloy/wooden floors. They're easier to move around on launch wheels too. The only little niggle I have with these type of floors is that they're not actually flat, but it's not a dealbreaker. Rigid floors take up more space when packing/storing too. If you're going fishing it might be better to have a rigid floor, given the amount of sharp implements onboard, plus the teeth and spines of some target fish.

At 3.3 metres it's perfectly good for 2 people, a little comfy with 3. You could probably go a little bigger, but the whole boat will fit in a small/medium hatchback so you'll have loads of room in a Duster or Qashqai.

I haven't seen many of those Orca engines in person but I believe they're rebranded Chinese models that are exclusive to Boatworld. They're probably Hangkai or one of the other clone brands. They might be good, but when it comes to engines I'd stick to the big brands for their trusted rep, access to parts and they'll hold their value better too.

[Biker_Medic]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

We have a Volaire 390 which is just about on the limit of "portable", just me & the missus most of the time & it's comfortable. We've had 4 in it & it was cramped. Don't forget all the extra gubbins that comes along with the boat, fuel/clothing/cool box/fishing gear etc. We have a Suzuki DF20 on the back & I wouldn't was anything smaller tbh. SIBs need more power in comparison to a similar sized RIB. We paid around your budget for our outfit including the engine, brand new from Excel at the '21 boat show.
If you live so close to the water, have you considered a RIB? You could be in & gone from Corran Ferry slip, before you've got the SIB out of the boot.

Thanks for the reply mate, don't want a RIB really want to be able to pack things away in workshop and not have a boat parked on the drive hence the SIB plan!

Will google Volaire 390!

[Biker_Medic]

Originally Posted by User name

That's a good boat for the price. The air floor will make for a much more portable boat that is easier to set up than those with alloy/wooden floors. They're easier to move around on launch wheels too. The only little niggle I have with these type of floors is that they're not actually flat, but it's not a dealbreaker. Rigid floors take up more space when packing/storing too. If you're going fishing it might be better to have a rigid floor, given the amount of sharp implements onboard, plus the teeth and spines of some target fish.

At 3.3 metres it's perfectly good for 2 people, a little comfy with 3. You could probably go a little bigger, but the whole boat will fit in a small/medium hatchback so you'll have loads of room in a Duster or Qashqai.

I haven't seen many of those Orca engines in person but I believe they're rebranded Chinese models that are exclusive to Boatworld. They're probably Hangkai or one of the other clone brands. They might be good, but when it comes to engines I'd stick to the big brands for their trusted rep, access to parts and they'll hold their value better too.

Cheers mate really helpful reply, Think more sort of cruising around than dedicated fishing tbh

With the Boatworld 380 know much about them?

[Steve509926]

Hi again, back home earlier than I thought.

Apart from living in a dream location and being in your 40's ( I wish! ), your wants and needs are very similar to mine when I was looking for a sib 4 years ago.
2 relatively fit adults, mid size Goldie and the occasional teenager. Needed to be able to pack away as we tow a caravan, wanted to beach hop, tour and explore.
We started off thinking a 330 would be ideal for our needs, until we persuaded a guy on Windermere to let us sit in his. Very quickly it became apparent that it would be far to small for 2 adults and a Goldie, let alone an adult size teenager.
We went the other way, Honwave T38 or a Volaire 390. We went to see a T38, saw it, sat in it, and although it ticked so many boxes it wasn't for us. Two years previous we spent a fortune when our then dog had to have a cruciate operation when she slipped on ice. The sloping air floor of the T38 (as is the Boatworld Air V decks) ruled that out just in case our dog slipped and tore a cruciate, didn't want to go through that again and, we have later found out, it's quite a wet boat.
That left the Volaire 390. We took a trip to Excel to see it, heart nearly ruled head. It has everything we wanted space, flat'ish deck, slight "V" keel. But it's very, very heavy and importantly it's packed away size is also very big and heavy. Set up next to the Volaire was an SD360 airdeck, it ticks all the boxes for our needs. It's still big and heavy, but it can be split into 2 packs to make it more manageable, that's the Sib we now have and we don't regret it (regret the colour, shouldn't have bought red) Boatworld now do a similar airdeck which I would take a look at.
As for outboards, personally I would go for a front line make, reputation, service, spares and resale value all in their favour.
9.9hp on a 330 will get 2 up on the plane, will struggle with a 30kg dog and IMO will keep dropping off the plane with 3 up and a dog.
15hp on a 360 will get 2 up + dog on the plane, a little harder with 3 + dog, depending upon sea conditions.
20hp on a 360 easy to plane with 3 + dog.

All the above is based upon my experience and others will undoubtedly differ.

Take a look at some of my videos (no I'm not self promoting) to give you an idea of the size of an SD360 with 2 adults and a dog.

https://youtube.com/@boatingintheuk?si=BAgBGx7IhivchahQ

[User name]

Originally Posted by Biker_Medic

Cheers mate really helpful reply, Think more sort of cruising around than dedicated fishing tbh

With the Boatworld 380 know much about them?

I don't know much about the Boatworld one specifically, but I have a 380 Yamaha and while the extra space is a "nice to have" when there are 3 or 4 of us, I often find myself favouring the smaller boat out of convenience. There's a sizable difference in the weight and how compact the 380 folds vs the smaller 330. That said, either would be manageable for the average, reasonable fit and healthy bloke so if you think you'd value the extra space, the 380 would be a good shout.

[Steve509926]

There is a Boatworld V380 on one of the videos I did, one of the guys on here bought one and I went with him on his maiden voyage.
If you went for a "V" floor type of sib, the Boatworld V380 is a decent sib, however I think the Honwave T38 ie3 is much better quality and worth paying the extra for.

[Biker_Medic]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Hi again, back home earlier than I thought.

Apart from living in a dream location and being in your 40's ( I wish! ), your wants and needs are very similar to mine when I was looking for a sib 4 years ago.
2 relatively fit adults, mid size Goldie and the occasional teenager. Needed to be able to pack away as we tow a caravan, wanted to beach hop, tour and explore.
We started off thinking a 330 would be ideal for our needs, until we persuaded a guy on Windermere to let us sit in his. Very quickly it became apparent that it would be far to small for 2 adults and a Goldie, let alone an adult size teenager.
We went the other way, Honwave T38 or a Volaire 390. We went to see a T38, saw it, sat in it, and although it ticked so many boxes it wasn't for us. Two years previous we spent a fortune when our then dog had to have a cruciate operation when she slipped on ice. The sloping air floor of the T38 (as is the Boatworld Air V decks) ruled that out just in case our dog slipped and tore a cruciate, didn't want to go through that again and, we have later found out, it's quite a wet boat.
That left the Volaire 390. We took a trip to Excel to see it, heart nearly ruled head. It has everything we wanted space, flat'ish deck, slight "V" keel. But it's very, very heavy and importantly it's packed away size is also very big and heavy. Set up next to the Volaire was an SD360 airdeck, it ticks all the boxes for our needs. It's still big and heavy, but it can be split into 2 packs to make it more manageable, that's the Sib we now have and we don't regret it (regret the colour, shouldn't have bought red) Boatworld now do a similar airdeck which I would take a look at.
As for outboards, personally I would go for a front line make, reputation, service, spares and resale value all in their favour.
9.9hp on a 330 will get 2 up on the plane, will struggle with a 30kg dog and IMO will keep dropping off the plane with 3 up and a dog.
15hp on a 360 will get 2 up + dog on the plane, a little harder with 3 + dog, depending upon sea conditions.
20hp on a 360 easy to plane with 3 + dog.

All the above is based upon my experience and others will undoubtedly differ.

Take a look at some of my videos (no I'm not self promoting) to give you an idea of the size of an SD360 with 2 adults and a dog.

https://youtube.com/@boatingintheuk?si=BAgBGx7IhivchahQ

For some reason the link to YouTube doesn't work mate, can I search for your videos?

Would prefer the one bag tbh!

[Biker_Medic]

Originally Posted by User name

I don't know much about the Boatworld one specifically, but I have a 380 Yamaha and while the extra space is a "nice to have" when there are 3 or 4 of us, I often find myself favouring the smaller boat out of convenience. There's a sizable difference in the weight and how compact the 380 folds vs the smaller 330. That said, either would be manageable for the average, reasonable fit and healthy bloke so if you think you'd value the extra space, the 380 would be a good shout.

Cheers mate great help! With the 380 what sort of HP would be best?

[Biker_Medic]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

There is a Boatworld V380 on one of the videos I did, one of the guys on here bought one and I went with him on his maiden voyage.
If you went for a "V" floor type of sib, the Boatworld V380 is a decent sib, however I think the Honwave T38 ie3 is much better quality and worth paying the extra for.

Is the Honwave smaller than the 380? What HP with the outboard would the honwave need?

So many choices!

[Brinormeg]

Another Volaire and 20hp here, and to be honest I would personally consider it to be too big, awkward and heavy for your vehicles and needs. (Although I'm sure others will say they manage fine)

A good sib, but if buying again, and in your fantastic location,I would definitely be considering a small trailered rib if I had the storage space.

As you haven't, and if you can live with the sloped air floor, perhaps the honwave does sound to be one of the best choices overall. One i might be considering myself soon enough!
I think I saw here that somebody added a wooden floor to the honwave!

Unfortunately with sibs its all a bit of a compromise, but I would agree outboard choice would also dictate sib size and vice versa as they do need a bit of wellie to get them going with a half decent load.

Recently tried 5 and dog in an inland loch, and when the weather turned....was a complete and utter nightmare.....that will never happen again!

But good luck with your search anyway mate

[Fenlander]

Hi BM and welcome to the forum... again. I am an always out of the boot of the car daily inflate sibbing guy. As others have said you are in a location many of us can only dream of. And at your ages then weight of SIBs and OBs in the sizes your are thinking of should not be an issue.

When you were here before what sort/size of boat did you have...a RIB I assume?. Just be interesting to know your start point of experience and expectation. Have you had a look through the "Which SIB" sticky post. Lots of info in there.

You are right the SIB and OB choices do have huge variation. We have often said in the past buying a used outfit around 3.5-3.8m with a 15hp 2-stroke is a good place to start as it is quite possible on water experience will make you decide to swap either SIB or OB and then the loss will be minimal or perhaps even nothing.

Are you set on new both/either SIB/OB and also are you certain between 2 and 4 stroke?

[Fenlander]

Here is our setup the other week to prompt some ideas. It's a 3.8m with air floor and a 15hp 2-stroke. I have a 9.8 2-stroke as a future backup when the 15hp is too much to lift. The 10kg saving between them is very worthwhile.

If you are set on a 4-stroke then a 10hp of almost any make will weigh the same as my 15hp 2-stroke.

We are usually two adults and medium dog with rarely an extra lightweight daughter. With one of us on each seat and the dog in front of Mrs F by the time we have some dry bags with kit as well it's comfortably full. 10hp is just, only just, OK with our usual two crew. Add the extra person then you need more than the 10hp.

We recently downshifted to a light 10hp for easing lifting effort but in truth it took the edge off what I expect of the outfit so we went back to 15hp and are just very careful carrying the OB now.

[69cmw]

You need a Honwave T38 or an Elling KB 350

And I just happen to know someone selling the very things 😎

In Scotland too 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Biker_Medic

For some reason the link to YouTube doesn't work mate, can I search for your videos?

Would prefer the one bag tbh!

Don't know why it doesn't work as it works for me, here it is again, highlight it and keep it pressed until it says "do you want to open" or "open in a new tab":--

https://youtube.com/@boatingintheuk?si=KoRQSnvZInqBD95M

Don't get hung up on one, two, three, four bags....... by the time you've got out on the water you'll have lots of dry bags for different things, plus a builders bucket for an anchor, chain, rope etc

The Boatworld V380 is a direct ripoff of the Honwave T38 ie3, performance wise they are probably the same, quality wise they are different, and in my opinion it's worth paying that little bit more if you don't mind the sloping floor of the "V" deck.
If you do go down the road of a "V" deck (just remember your dog) I presume it will be because you want a bit of performance, so I would suggest going for a 20hp ob, if you go less you will always ponder if you could have gone for a little bit more!