bombard 380

daffid · 03 August 2008, 14:06

hi does anyone know what sort of speed you would get out of a bombard 380 with a 15 hp 4 stroke motor compared to a 25 hp 4 stroke motor

Locozodiac · 03 August 2008, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffid

hi does anyone know what sort of speed you would get out of a bombard 380 with a 15 hp 4 stroke motor compared to a 25 hp 4 stroke motor

Much lesser, don't know data speed in Km/miles, go for the 25 if budget possible. Handles better speed, hole shot, more weight to move. Consider the 2 stroke options as they weight about 10 less kilos compared to 4 stroke versions if lighter is a must.

Happy Sibbing

daffid · 03 August 2008, 15:20

but they dont sell 2 strokes any more and they use lot more fuel

daffid · 03 August 2008, 15:24

does anyone know what the difference in speed is between a 15 hp 4 stroke and a 25 hp 4 stroke on a bombard 380

prairie tuber · 03 August 2008, 16:08

The only definitive answer anyone can provide given the information you provided in your question, is that the 25 hp 4 stroke will give you 66.66 % more power than the 15 hp 4 stroke. The actual speed difference that will make depends on a bunch of variables such as the load in the boat, propellor selection and the water conditions.

Locozodiac gave good advice. Go for the most powerful (and lightest) motor that both you and your boat can handle. If you are going with the Bombard 380, and you can find 25 hp 2 stroke (short shaft) in good condition that would probably be your best choice. Unless you are using your boat almost daily, the cost of the extra bit of fuel that a 2 stroke of that size will consume, will probably be offset by the difference in the cost of the motors.

matt h · 03 August 2008, 16:50

Prairie tuber, superb advice, most of the four strokes will be way to heavy , if you want to go the four stroke way, you will have to choose a far less powerfull unit,
i had a Bombard 380, awesome boat, the only four stroke you could saflely put on the back (also not breaking your own) is a 9.9, and thats going to be slow especially for a craft with a deep V hULL
look for a Yam 15 short shaft 2 stroke, i used to use less than £10 per day fuel, and thats not a lot for a days entertainment,
as the Bombard is a airdeck and roll up craft, the engine will be removed daily, trying to take off a yam 25 four stroke 25 @ 62 kgs or a 20 @52 kgs is quite hard ,also then recovering the engine to the car....also for your info,The max transom weight for a engine is 70 kgs, (thats what the brochure says). hope this helps

daffid · 03 August 2008, 17:05

ok so buy the bombard 380 with a 2nd hand 2 stroke motor thanks for ya help

matt h · 03 August 2008, 17:11

Yam 15 or Yam 25 is ideal due to power and weight, both just very very rare at the moment. Keep scanning daily.Good Luck.

prairie tuber · 03 August 2008, 17:34

Definitely get a (high quality) launching wheel set for it. It will be much quicker and easier to set the boat up right beside your car, then wheel it to the shoreline than to carry the boat and motor to the shoreline and set it up there. Also, a good electric pump (see the "Puff needed" thread) will be worth it's weight in gold for reducing setup time.

I set up my zodiac 'old school' style many, many times for several years. Once I got some proper launching wheels and a good electric pump it was a bit of an epiphany for me. Get the best quality launching wheels (with big pneumatic tires) you can find - cheap ones will create more hassle than they will eliminate. The same principle also applies to the electric pump.

daffid · 03 August 2008, 17:39

does anyone i can buy the bombard 380 with 25 hp 2 stroke motor with steering ive bin looking on boats and out boards and googled it and cant find it anyone know any good sites

matt h · 03 August 2008, 17:59

boats and outboards, appollo duck, e bay,trade it free ads, Boat Trader, Ribnet!!

prairie tuber · 03 August 2008, 18:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffid

does anyone i can buy the bombard 380 with 25 hp 2 stroke motor with steering ive bin looking on boats and out boards and googled it and cant find it anyone know any good sites

Am curious - why with steering, rather than a tiller?

Poly · 03 August 2008, 19:33

Daffid,

Not sure how often you are planning to lift this in and out the back of a car but given you are keen on a SIB and were worried elsewhere about engines on their sides I assume that is your plan. I suspect, unless you are going to always have two adults available you will struggle to lift a 25 HP 4-stroke in and out and onto the back of the boat. Its going to be around 70 kg. I struggle to lift a 20 HP 2-stroke on my own - and it weighs just under 50 kg.

If you can find a good nick 2nd hand 2-stroke then thats probably the best option (if new 2 strokes were available I doubt many people would be trying to persuade you to go with the 4-stroke option). But if you are in a hurry then I doubt you will find a decent one, unless you are very lucky. As you are new to boats (and engiens) you are then faced with the issue of spotting a good one.

I can't help much with what speed - but 20 HP 2 -stroke on a similar sized but probably heavier boat with 2 adults on board will do just over 20 knots without optimising the prop etc. Assuming you have the best prop for the job and aren't overloading the boat (1 or 2 adults only) I would think you will be in the 17-24 knot range with either engine you were considering at WOT.

As others have said at this size of engine fuel ecconomy is not normally a major deciding factor.

All boats are a compromise (unless you have unlimited funds). You need to weigh up: top speed <--> ease of portability <--> age/warranty etc on engine.

I would probably lean towards the 15HP 4str - but thats for my personal importance of the above three factors.

RJH · 03 August 2008, 20:07

I would tend to agree with the last post. We had exactly that combination: a Bombard 380 with 15hp 4 stroke Suzuki. Great boat and engine and all round fantastic fun for 2 adults and 2 youngsters. Quite agree with points about portability. I struggled to throw the 15hp around but it was manageable. Wouldn't have liked to try anything bigger. The one thing I would say is that in the year or so that we had it never once did I even think about top speed! I have no idea what it was but my guess wouold be around 20kts. All I know is that it planed fairly easily with us all on board and generally seemed to be a well suited combination.

Locozodiac · 04 August 2008, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffid

does anyone i can buy the bombard 380 with 25 hp 2 stroke motor with steering ive bin looking on boats and out boards and googled it and cant find it anyone know any good sites

Inflating a large 380 sib & high pressure floor, putting the engine, on, off, deflating the sib, rolll it over, put inside car trunk is a hell of a job, maybe suited for youngsters, for peace of mind & back, if your budget can hold start with the best boating procedure, buy yourself a trailer for the 380 and place a nice 25 Hp 2 stroke engine on transom, that will depend on the type of sibbing doing, lake, river, open beach use, if you have a propper tow car & space to keep the water beast secure. If this option is possible, buy the brand engine you most like. Yamaha, Tohatsu, Suzuki, etc.

If budget is low, no towing car nor propper space available, go for a Tohatsu 18 HP short tail, weights nearly the same as any 15 HP, about 51 Kg, but nice to have that extra 3 HP and 50 CC more available when needed, have been reading posts that 2 stroke engines are getting hard to get in UK cause environment not friendly. See if you can buy a second hand then, a very nice nasty portable engine. Buy tiller models, more versatile to use and place on/off transom than steering models.

A Ribnetter certainly will complain about the extra budget on gas compared to 15, why worry, will you be sibbing at full throtthle all the time, the anser is no, prob just to plane faster and then cruise at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle. The gas consumption at full WOT (wide open throttle) for both are: 7.3 for 15, 8.5 for 18 Ltr/Hr. Your wallet nor the nice 380 won't complain at all.

Happy Sibbing

mike13401 · 04 August 2008, 21:49

A very useful thread as I have just bought an absolutely mint 380 from Ebay for £400 inc transporting.
I am like yourself trying to decide which way to go with engine choice,at the moment I have a 9hp Suzuki which I think is probably too small.
But I am only planning solo or with a mate so the boat will never be really loaded.
Great info
Thanks
Mike

Easyrider · 04 August 2008, 22:13

I can help you with you origonal question-difference of speed between the two is about 8/10 knots.
As has been advised before-I would deffinately go with a 2 stroke.

Wavesurfer · 08 August 2008, 12:16

I have a Honda 20hp 4 stroke on a Bombard Aerotec 380, with the motor raised 1" on the transom. This motor is only 46kg and seems a good match for the boat, and fuel economy is good. As others have said, top speed depends on the number of crew, and wind and wave conditions.

The rolled up 43kg boat can be moved using a sack barrow (£13 from B&Q). The engine has good lifting handles and I use an outboard trolley to move it. The boat can be inflated and ready to launch in 20 minutes using the Bravo BST 12HP SuperTurbo pump, a 12V Power Pack, and the Bombard/Zodiac transom wheels. To save time, the wheels and motor are fitted onto the hull at the same time as the electric pump is inflating the tubes and floor.

Locozodiac · 08 August 2008, 15:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wavesurfer

I have a Honda 20hp 4 stroke on a Bombard Aerotec 380, with the motor raised 1" on the transom.

Hello, why did you have to raise the engine 1" for :

1-To meet the engine factory distance specs required from boat's bottom to the anticav plate. 2-Excesive watter splash was coming into boat jumping the tubes/ transom area ? Or both issues, can you please explain. Was the sib in a better ride mood as compared to before modification ? Had the same splashing problem with a Tohatsu 18, 2 strokes and a 360 Alum floor Sib. Had to to the same, now excellent performing.

Happy Sibbing

daffid · 08 August 2008, 20:41

thanks for all the replies been really helpful still not managed to find the outfit i want ,the reason i wanted steering was sitting position is far better and more enjoyable have been in a bombard 420 with and without the steering !
is there any other inflatable floor boats like the bombard/ may start a new post as there dont seem to be any 380`s 2nd hand anywhere
thanks again