Confused newbie.com

[GunnerStu]

I know my budget and in danger of asking opinions on a forum here goes:

I’ve identified a couple of boats that I think should meet my needs, but after seasoned users views. I’d appreciate thoughts on; sea going ability (looking to island hop/camp around UK), fuel economy, and a bit of blasting around the place). Max 4people up in general...

I’ve found a SR5.4 Milspec w Yam 90 or Cobra 6.4 w Honda 130...both are in my price range (the SR a few grand less (older)

Let the flood gates open

[Brian]

For goodness sake, you seem to be more worried about members "blasting" you?
People dont here. It is not "that" sort of forum.
People are VERY helpfull. (You just let us know if not!!!!!!).

Cant help with you choice however, sorry.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by GunnerStu

I know my budget and in danger of asking opinions on a forum here goes:

I’ve identified a couple of boats that I think should meet my needs, but after seasoned users views. I’d appreciate thoughts on; sea going ability (looking to island hop/camp around UK), fuel economy, and a bit of blasting around the place). Max 4people up in general...

I’ve found a SR5.4 Milspec w Yam 90 or Cobra 6.4 w Honda 130...both are in my price range (the SR a few grand less (older)

Let the flood gates open

That is imho a very difficult choice given your use. The sr5.4 is very well respected & has probably the best outboard engine ever made fitted the cobra probably wins in the looks department. That said with 4 people & camping gear it could soon get cosy in the sr depending on seat layout etc. The extra 1 mtr in length for the cobra will make a huge difference in space and seakeeping, the honda engine will likely be as economical if not more so than the two stroke yam. The honda is a good engine however my opinion is that 4 strokes in general wont have the longevity of the two strokes & many have succumbed to internal corrosion issues and carb problems when laid up.
The choice between the two boats is a very difficult thing to call in my opinion. I think on balance for your use if the cobra & honda was immaculate and been owned by a fastidious owner who regularly flushed it etc I think I'd lean towards it
But I certainly wouldnt discount the sr with the 90 yam

[Brian]

There you are Gunnerstu, some excellent advice from Beamishken.

[BigE]

Without shadow of a doubt the Cobra would be my choice. A very capable boat in general (I've three friends with Cobra's in the 6-7 meter range). I'd say the 130 engine is a little small but would do okay.

The main thing that would swing it for me is size, for storage of the camping and other stuff you need to take around I would go bigger regardless of the difference in sea going ability. You can choose to not go out in rough weather but you can't choose to make your boat longer/wider on a whim.

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by beamishken

That is imho a very difficult choice given your use. The sr5.4 is very well respected & has probably the best outboard engine ever made fitted the cobra probably wins in the looks department. That said with 4 people & camping gear it could soon get cosy in the sr depending on seat layout etc. The extra 1 mtr in length for the cobra will make a huge difference in space and seakeeping, the honda engine will likely be as economical if not more so than the two stroke yam. The honda is a good engine however my opinion is that 4 strokes in general wont have the longevity of the two strokes & many have succumbed to internal corrosion issues and carb problems when laid up.
The choice between the two boats is a very difficult thing to call in my opinion. I think on balance for your use if the cobra & honda was immaculate and been owned by a fastidious owner who regularly flushed it etc I think I'd lean towards it
But I certainly wouldnt discount the sr with the 90 yam

+1
..... except the 130 Honda will probably be be fuel injected so carb issues not a problem but they do need cam and balance shaft belts checked and replaced if necessary (not the end of the world) but my 6.5, when it had the 130 Honda burned marginally less fuel than my previous 5.2mtr with it's 75hp two stroke Mercury.

PS. The Honda never missed a beat all the time I had it......traded in at sixteen years old.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by GunnerStu

I know my budget and in danger of asking opinions on a forum here goes:



I’ve identified a couple of boats that I think should meet my needs, but after seasoned users views. I’d appreciate thoughts on; sea going ability (looking to island hop/camp around UK), fuel economy, and a bit of blasting around the place). Max 4people up in general...



I’ve found a SR5.4 Milspec w Yam 90 or Cobra 6.4 w Honda 130...both are in my price range (the SR a few grand less (older)



Let the flood gates open

All things being equal, the extra metre on the Cobra would swing it for me. That said, we downsized from a 6.4 to a 5.45 as we needed something easier to launch & tow. A 5.4 is cosy with 4 pax onboard, add camping gear, cool box, dog, fishing tackle etc then it becomes a struggle. Either boat will handle any seas that you are daft brave enough to venture out in.

[GunnerStu]

I never doubted the incoming advice @Brian! I’ve been tracking this forum for a while now. Sensible answers must mean it was a reasonable question (all of the back of the great threads.

So, time to put the miles in and inspect a couple of boats!

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

All things being equal, the extra metre on the Cobra would swing it for me. That said, we downsized from a 6.4 to a 5.45 as we needed something easier to launch & tow. A 5.4 is cosy with 4 pax onboard, add camping gear, cool box, dog, fishing tackle etc then it becomes a struggle. Either boat will handle any seas that you are daft brave enough to venture out in.

Another aspect that might swing it the way of the Cobra is range.
I found the smaller boat with the two stroke gave me range issues. I'd think the Cobra's tank will be way bigger than the SR and if you guess they'll both burn around a litre/N-mile you need to consider fuel availability and if you want to, or have the space to carry jerry cans.....

[Dan Gurney]

Originally Posted by Last Tango

Another aspect that might swing it the way of the Cobra is range.
I found the smaller boat with the two stroke gave me range issues. I'd think the Cobra's tank will be way bigger than the SR and if you guess they'll both burn around a litre/N-mile you need to consider fuel availability and if you want to, or have the space to carry jerry cans.....

+1 to this. Check tank capacity and setup for both. If the SR doesnt have a built-in tank (and in my experience few do) then you going to be on 20 litre portable tanks and even 3 of those take up a lot of space in a boat of the SRs size. I had an old Humber Attaque with a Yam 85 2 stroke and a hundred litre tank built into the console and at WOT it didny last long!

[HDAV]

What vintage is the cobra? Picton era or later? The rough weather heavy sea performance of the cobra would be the only real downside, big fuel tank and 4 stroke motor and more deck space means it will be the better tool in most conditions only rough water would make you wish you had the SR.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by HDAV

What vintage is the cobra? Picton era or later? The rough weather heavy sea performance of the cobra would be the only real downside, big fuel tank and 4 stroke motor and more deck space means it will be the better tool in most conditions only rough water would make you wish you had the SR.

You reckon?...Nothing much "wrong" with Cobra Hulls and talking RIB's A metre goes a long way
Old tech long in the tooth (they all are now!) "wet deck SR".. For a LONGER and DRYER bilge equipped inboard Tanked ...more spacious and IMO...(of the two specific Boats mentioned) BETTER riding more modern design...AND Four stroke powered...(you can always up the Gee Gees later if you fell the need)
UNLESS serious issues are found.
COBRA ALL THE WAY for me
I have fond memories (best place for em) of the SR's....But You tried staying IN (or more correctly...ON) an SR at speed in a stiff Chop!??...boy do you need those foot straps!

[HDAV]

I would take the cobra too, although last time I did it came back minus a vhf antenna and windscreen....

Not allowed too anymore......

[jonp]

Are you going to be trailering the boat ?

Going bigger makes quite a difference in running costs and storage in my opinion. I can fit a 550 pro in my garage at home saving on storage yards. It also trailers perfectly with a single axle trailer, saving once again. Running costs of servicing and fuel burn are also reduced with the smaller outfits most of the time. Sea handling differences between the sizes you mention are simply down to opinions and personal choice and experience. I drive a 7.7 comercial Gemini dive boat and a 10.4 naiad dive boat but would rather be in my own zodiac 550 when conditions get bad simply because I do around 500 sea hours in my own boat, which feels like a part of me rather than a vessel I drive.

I run my boat far offshore running several hundred km in a day and feel totally safe, even in large swells and big chop.

I don't use seats and far prefer standing in rough conditions. Large cooler boxes for storing fish or dive gear can be used for anyone who likes sitting down but sitting down in the conditions I push my boat in is almost impossible most of the time. My last trip involved an 80km run in 25-30knot 2.5m chop where I ended assisting two women who capsized their 24ft boat.

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by jonp

Are you going to be trailering the boat ?

Going bigger makes quite a difference in running costs and storage in my opinion. I can fit a 550 pro in my garage at home saving on storage yards. It also trailers perfectly with a single axle trailer, saving once again. Running costs of servicing and fuel burn are also reduced with the smaller outfits most of the time. Sea handling differences between the sizes you mention are simply down to opinions and personal choice and experience. I drive a 7.7 comercial Gemini dive boat and a 10.4 naiad dive boat but would rather be in my own zodiac 550 when conditions get bad simply because I do around 500 sea hours in my own boat, which feels like a part of me rather than a vessel I drive.

I run my boat far offshore running several hundred km in a day and feel totally safe, even in large swells and big chop.

I don't use seats and far prefer standing in rough conditions. Large cooler boxes for storing fish or dive gear can be used for anyone who likes sitting down but sitting down in the conditions I push my boat in is almost impossible most of the time. My last trip involved an 80km run in 25-30knot 2.5m chop where I ended assisting two women who capsized their 24ft boat.

However...

In this instance we're comparing a 90hp 2 stroke with a 130hp four stroke and I found going from a 5.2mtr with a 75 Merc two stroke to a 6.5 with a four stroke (130 honda) reduced my fuel running costs. The difference in trailering was insignificant, both boats (with trailers) being under 1.5tons and easily towed on a single axle trailer with any large salon.
But the big issue is range....I will do 100 - 150 n/miles in a day and carrying 150litres of fuel on a 5.4 mtr boat with 4 up is going to be a tight squeeze.

[jonp]

Originally Posted by Last Tango

However...

In this instance we're comparing a 90hp 2 stroke with a 130hp four stroke and I found going from a 5.2mtr with a 75 Merc two stroke to a 6.5 with a four stroke (130 honda) reduced my fuel running costs. The difference in trailering was insignificant, both boats (with trailers) being under 1.5tons and easily towed on a single axle trailer with any large salon.
But the big issue is range....I will do 100 - 150 n/miles in a day and carrying 150litres of fuel on a 5.4 mtr boat with 4 up is going to be a tight squeeze.

When you say carrying 150 lt of fuel, do you mean above deck ? My 100lt underfloor tank gives me a range of 300km, loading and conditions can drop this to 250km.

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by jonp

When you say carrying 150 lt of fuel, do you mean above deck ? My 100lt underfloor tank gives me a range of 300km, loading and conditions can drop this to 250km.

The 5.4 SR isn't likely to have an underfloor tank. Maybe an under console tank but more likely outboard portable tanks.
My 5.2mtr with an old school carburated 75 Merc burnt nearly twice what your your getting. It was consistently around 1ltr/NM. (about 180km/100ltr) so it's 60ltr in built tank was a constraint and there wasn't much deck space left for jerry cans.
The 6.5mtr with the Honda 130 ran about 0.9ltr /nm and the same boat with a new Merc 150 burns about 0.8ltr/nm. This is for a cruising speed of 24/25 kn. takes a nose-dive if you push the wrong side of 30kn.
In-built tank is 135ltrs and there's plenty of room to stack 4 x 20ltr gerry cans across the front of the console.
I suspect the Cobra he is going to look at will be a similar configuration.

All speculative however.......how many times have you went to look at a boat advertised for sale and drove away wondering what planet the vendor came from.

[jonp]

Both outboards are old, one can be smelly from two stroke oil and the other extremely heavy and approx triple the price for dealership servicing. Ask a dealer for an approx service cost.

When I saw Yam 90 I assumed the F90 seeing how those old two smokes are banned now in most parts of the world ( my mistake ). I believe the old Yam though it has a very good reliability history was a pretty thirsty outboard.

I had a Honda 90 that put me off going with that brand again unfortunately.