your thoughts on the top 5 sibs/ tenders

[clydeoutboards]

Hi

there seem to be hundreds ( ok lots) of makes out there. what would you top 5 inflatable makes be that is not a toy i.e. will take an engine

Dave

[Mollers]

Willk has one of the best small sib combos. Give him a shout.
Careful though, he will attempt to steer you out of a sib and into a bloody great blow-up tug built by his mate.

[spartacus]

Zodiac has to be in there, and Avon (which are the same company now), and Hondwave.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Mollers

Willk has one of the best small sib combos. Give him a shout.
Careful though, he will attempt to steer you out of a sib and into a bloody great blow-up tug built by his mate.

LOL - if I was that twisted, I'd be pushing a Suzumar. That's what all the big cabin lads are issued with at HQ.

Still and all, a vote for the Quicksilver 2.7M from me, if only because it hasn't had any issues and flits along nicely at 18kts with the Toohotsue 9.8

[lightning]

Our Zodiac 285s is a great SIB, well made and had no problems with it. Planes easily with a 6hp on it and is easy to assemble (solid floor)

Now on its fourth season and has had plenty of use.

[Max...]

Stick with the big four names - Zodiac, Honwave, Quicksilver, Avon. Also Yamaha and Suzumar are good too as made by Zodiac etc and rebadged.

[prairie tuber]

"Top 5" Is incredibly vague - What qualities are you referring to? Durability? Performance? Warranty? Value?

What size range are you considering?

What budget range are you considering?

Zodiac is mentioned, but there is a world of difference in build quality and toughness of their military SIBs compared to their recreational SIBs

[clydeoutboards]

Thanks max, I had not thought of Yamaha or Suzumar.

[Downhilldai]

Avon, mun.

[PeterM]

My list would be ;

Avon
Zodiac
Bombard (been impressed by all thier SIBS)
Honwave
Quicksilver

Of course the first 3 are all the same company now .

[Max...]

Ohh, forgot Bombard - not seen much of their smaller SIBs but the 380 Aerotech is the default choice for those who want a Ribby SIB.

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by PeterM

My list would be ;

Avon
Zodiac
Bombard (been impressed by all thier SIBS)
Honwave
Quicksilver

I've never used a Honwave but I have owned examples of all the others and they have all been good. The Aerotec 380 is in a league of it's own though as far as I'm concerned - I've got two now!

How about Lodestar? I haven't used one but they've been around for a while and the boats I've seen at shows seem to be well made.

[Nick Hearne]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

I've never used a Honwave but I have owned examples of all the others and they have all been good. The Aerotec 380 is in a league of it's own though as far as I'm concerned - I've got two now!

How about Lodestar? I haven't used one but they've been around for a while and the boats I've seen at shows seem to be well made.

Now John you are just getting greedy!
I have been very happy with my Bombard Aerotec 380 & had a Yam in the past which was good quality too, I also have a Achilles round tail which is well made in hypalon it has been used & abused even used as a doughnut as it has a flat bottom when I have forgotten to bring the Boston valve for the real doughnut!!

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Nick Hearne

Now John you are just getting greedy!

Hello kettle, this is pot, over...

Ok, so we wanted something easy to store, setup and use so the Aerotec won. A 25hp motor gave plenty of speed but was just too big and heavy to be lugging around. The 15 is better, but runs out of puff a bit if the boat is loaded. It's a bit cramped anyway with four of us on board plus kit.

So instead of getting a bigger boat, we got another of the same.

All tucks away in the garage, total cost less than a 4m Searider, minimal running costs and next to no depreciation!

[Nick Hearne]

OK it’s a far cop, I will keep quiet