A good all rounder???

[tonye]

Hey guys,

Firstly let me apologies lol for more newby questions! I’ve read tons of posts (great forum btw!) and still have more questions

I think the best thing is for me to describe my situation. The boat will largely be used at sea for beach hopping & coast exploring with my girlfriend or fishing and spearfishing with a mate. It would be great if we could do some water skiing as well. I wouldn’t have thought it would ever have more than 2 adults in it, maybe on occasion it will have 3 people in it tops but very rarely.

I think more often than not I would be on my own though, so launching it is a bit of a concern. It will be launched from various places not just strips etc. It would also need to be packed away after every trip unfortunately however I do have a van so plenty of space lol. It would be ace if it was as hassle free as possible to set up and strip down.

It would be ace if it could thrash around in the chop however I think I’m hoping or all things from one boat. I think stability will come with size, which I’m assuming I will struggle to launch on my own and I suppose I don’t really need the space anyway. Although there is something very attractive about a nice big boat lol

Budget would be £1.5 - £2.5 top end (pref as low as possible though) and second hand would probably be best with my budget.

I should add that I know very little about boats and outboards except what I’ve read on here however I’m a fast learner and love adventure which I’m hoping this SIB will bring

What would you guys recommend then & thanks in advance!

[willk]

Welcome to RIBnet. Let me look into my crystal ball a mo...

hmmm.

I see them...

I see the members recommending something for you...

I see a Somme Barge, no, a Lombardini, no, not that either...

Oh, it's a Bombard 380 Aerodeck with a 15hp Yammie two stroke.

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by willk

it's a Bombard 380 Aerodeck with a 15hp Yammie two stroke.

It has to be said that this is a very popular set up

Though I would want way more power.

[tonye]

Lol that made me proper laugh

What kind of price do you think I should aim to pay?

[willk]

Originally Posted by Channel Ribs

It has to be said that this is a very popular set up

Popular! That combo caught on here quicker than the clap.

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by tonye

What kind of price do you think I should aim to pay?

We have one going locally for 850, which seems a good price.

With engines, it all depends what you want.

[willk]

Originally Posted by tonye

What kind of price do you think I should aim to pay?

Oh, I don't do prices, but I'd bet if you gave a few of our Atlases a month or two of shouldering 15hp lumps down pebble beaches, you might get a good deal on one...

[tonye]

Here's potentially a silly question Fishing and inflatable boats... Its not a recipe for disaster yeah???

[Max...]

Nothing is more of an exercise in compromise than the world of boating. Like many of us here you might find the first boat you buy was not right and you quickly move on - think carefully though how serious you are about skiing - take that out of the equation and it opens up a lot more choice and a lot more lighter weight, easily managable rigs - if it *has* to be packed in a boot and you *really* need to do some skiing (will be gentle pairs skiing if a 25 HP SIB) then the 380 is probably the only thing to go for.

Without the skiing any of the air floor SIBS around 3.5m with a 10 or 15 HP 2 stroke will be very managable and affordable. Don't worry about the inflatable floor/fishing (spearing!) thing - a thin sheet of marine ply on the floor will protect it and give a better base for all the gear.

[Max...]

Forgot to say - have a look through previous topics - I have spent hours and hours this last few weeks checking out past contributions to arrive at what hopefully will be a reasonable choice for our needs - similar budget, 2 or (rarely 3) adults + 2 little kids (but mostly 1 adult + 1 child). No water sports but some gentle summer coastal use with river pottering mostly.

Ended up going for a Zodiac Fastroller 3.4 with Toooohaaaaaaatsusususu 9.8 2 stroke - picking it up tomorrow.

Some helpful topics here:

Looking for an SIB

New SIB experience

What SIB would you recomend?


Proposed new SIB... worries about air floor and PVC durability.