I think eventually the floors do give up on the big SIBS. Mine was 16 years old but as well as the transom glue starting to fail.. I broke the front floor join section several years ago. It was an easy repair. Two years ago I bolted galvanized steel bars across each wooden floor sections as they were warping to the shape of the inflatable keel underneath the floor. Again this solved the problem. Several years ago a floorboard wore through a tube causing a leak. Just wear and tear. Again it was repaired easy enough but I think there comes a time to call it a day.
A major failure in a rough sea was always on the back of my mind. A friend's Honwave ali floor was also buckling with constant use in heavy seas .. so we are not the only ones. It happens with heavy usage though..a casual user shouldn’t have much issues.
Im still getting used to the lightweight Alu hull RIB but it certainly does not cause me concern in rough water. However the SIBS can handle the rough water just as well. Neither will sink or fill with water.
The RIB drives like a motorbike instead of a soggy mattress. Far better fuel consumption. I even notice when towing the RIB compared the wide SIB..the car computer is getting 2mpg more which all helps. Its much easier to launch when on trailer with rollers. Very much quieter when underway. It does not slam any more than the SIB did ..in other words I slow down if it gets too uncomfortable..but hey..even car ferrys do that.
I can keep speed up for longer in the RIB than the SIB though..but need more testing to ensure that is consistant.
I wondered how the low short shaft transom would get on in a following sea as its noticeably lower than the SIBS ..however having a 2m swell chasing the boat at the weekend and at times overtaking it.. it was not a problem.
Example ..This wave is towering high above the horizon and the boat just bobbed as it passed by ..it started breaking as it passed but no water came over the low transom.
Advantages of my old 430 size SIB ?
I always stuck up for its performance in the past ..however now the only advantage I can give is cost and the fact it could be rolled up and put in the shed at the end of the season .. Oh..and internal space on SIB is generally much bigger. I cant think of any other advantage at present. That may change if I put a hole in the tinny when hauling it on a beach..but I doubt that will damage it either.
Would I go back to a Heavy SIB on a trailer again ? Yes..if I was skint ..but not for any other reason as the small Ali Hulls are the same weight as the Floored SIBS of similar size. The best part of my upgrade was it uses my existing SIB outboards so not an expensive upgrade relative to other upgrades
All my opinion based on my experience..others may disagree ..but I hope it helps some.
spy-sea-one
