SIB question in Southend on Sea

[Cuboide]

Hi all, I bought a 2.65m sib with a Tohatsu 3.5hp 4 strokes. I am in Southend on Sea and have yet to get the Sib wet. My idea is to inflate and launch from the shore at Thorpe Bay and venture to Mulberry Harbour for fishing.
Does anybody knows the area and how strong is the tide? Just to be sure if the 3.5hp will be fine out there. Thanks!

[chriswjallen]

Originally Posted by Cuboide

Hi all, I bought a 2.65m sib with a Tohatsu 3.5hp 4 strokes. I am in Southend on Sea and have yet to get the Sib wet. My idea is to inflate and launch from the shore at Thorpe Bay and venture to Mulberry Harbour for fishing.

Does anybody knows the area and how strong is the tide? Just to be sure if the 3.5hp will be fine out there. Thanks!

Hi Cuboide

I think you will be fine to launch around Thorpe Bay as you can launch straight from the beach at +\- 2 hours vs high water assuming you can park on the esplanade and ferry your gear to the waters edge to set up.

You need to plan carefully as at LW springs the tide will go out as far as the Mulberry Harbour which is 1M from the shore and you need to ensure you leave with enough water and enough to get you back ashore!

I’d pick a day with light wind (F3 or less) as the estuary can get quite lively, and launch around 1 hour before HW to get a feel for your SIB and engine combo on its maiden voyage close
to shore. See how it handles and copes with the 3.5HP outboard and you can easily get back with good tide beneath you.

Welcome and hope this helps. Look forward to hearing how you get on i due course

[Cuboide]

Thanks Chris!

[Cuboide]

Originally Posted by chriswjallen

Hi Cuboide

I think you will be fine to launch around Thorpe Bay as you can launch straight from the beach at +\- 2 hours vs high water assuming you can park on the esplanade and ferry your gear to the waters edge to set up.

You need to plan carefully as at LW springs the tide will go out as far as the Mulberry Harbour which is 1M from the shore and you need to ensure you leave with enough water and enough to get you back ashore!

I’d pick a day with light wind (F3 or less) as the estuary can get quite lively, and launch around 1 hour before HW to get a feel for your SIB and engine combo on its maiden voyage close
to shore. See how it handles and copes with the 3.5HP outboard and you can easily get back with good tide beneath you.

Welcome and hope this helps. Look forward to hearing how you get on i due course

Hi Chris,

I launched the SIB yesterday at Thorpe Bay. All good but it is a pain to get the gears down as access to the beach is not easy, it is just myself. Anyways, I went to Mulbury Harbour and got a couple of bass, not too big (released) and a keeper on the way back much closer to the shore. All in all very good and the SIB behaved very well.
Going forward I am thinking to launch at Two Tree island, need to check how much they charge to use the facility, few years ago was not cheap...

[chriswjallen]

Hi Cuboide

Excellent to hear. Did you take any photos you could share?

Yes Two Tree Island is expensive at circa £30 per launch (saw your other post too).

I’ve never used it but it is busy on summer weekends and there is a hut there for the inspector. Lots of folk use it for PWC I believe.

I have a SIB which I sometimes launch from the beach at Westcliff / Chalkwell where there are some small mini slip ways and I’ve never seen an inspector to charge me £30

Chris

[Cuboide]

I have not taken any photo, hands too dirty with the bites��. I launched from the slipway just on the side of Warwick road, the issue is the parking there, so I had to walk with a heavy kart loaded with the gears for at least 10 minutes. I have the wheels on the transom so any beach with easy car access would work better for me. Would you know of any suitable beach not to far from Southend on sea area? Thanks