Hi from Bristol UK

[T4bus]

1st post so hi.

Apologies in advance for any ignorant questions, but would be grateful for some lead on outboards .

So the Mrs & I have 4 kids which we would like to take out on our recently purchased Zodiac 340 Acti-v. Its 4 years old but is 100% immaculate and unmarked.
We have life jackets, will buy radio gear & educate ourselves on waterways rules, reg's & general safety.

Outboard budget is low! About £750 so I'm looking at used 2 strokes, main use will be up local rivers (when slow moving) and also in Poole key and Salcombe, don't need speed but am mindful that 6 up we may need to make progress against light tides so I'm looking between 8hp up to the boats max of 15hp.

So accounting for history age & condition, is there some basic choices that are more reliable & some to avoid? Are some higher capacity motors in lower state of tune so possibly more reliable?

I have serviced and maintained 2&4 stroke dirt bikes so should be able to find my way around the motors once I get into this, but I would like to avoid buying the motor that everybody avoids if poss.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

[Chris Caton]

hi n welcome to RIBnet

can't help you with your outboard, other than to suggest the search tab top right'ish of page, but I'm sure someone will be along soon. or you could try Facebook "small outboard appreciation society"

enjoy you boating, great fun for the family and something the kids can actually join in with n not just watching dad do, great stuff

[Festinghouse]

everyone has their favorites, i personally am a mercury / mariner fan. i have experience of your boat being fitted with a 15hp mariner which was light and very reliable. speed wise, it didnt break any records but was more than adequate for pootling around. the sib i used to own was 3.6 long fitted with a mercury 25, that was a totally different beast and used to fly! sibs are great fun, dont under estimate their capabilities - they will cope with more than the occupants will.

[Locozodiac]

Get the max transom rated for, assume a 15. Better having the extra power and not in need of, than...you know the rest.

Get a Thohatsu 2 strokes 18 HP, weights same as any 15 HP, but with bit slight more power to move more passengers at better speed, whether at fast displacement or plane.-

A 340 sib is rather small for 6 passengers and gear, expect just fast idle or fast displacement speeds with any 15-18 HP engine. For a 6 member family, minimum a 380 Mt sib.

Happy Boating

[T4bus]

Thanks for info / replies, I realise as said that the 340 is designed for 5 adults + 1 child so with very light 10yr old twins, 1 13 year old & a 16 year old girl who would seldom join us we should be OK for a bit. I see us plodding around Poole key etc at a slow speed & possibly take the kids out 1 adult & 2 kids at a time from the beach for a bit more fun.

Budget has been a big consideration, I got the Zodiac 340 Acti-v for £800 which I don't think is cheap or expensive for it's condition, it's claimed to have been used 4 times previously & shows no evidence of use at all, came with large diameter transom mount flip up wheels, electric pump, Zodiac seat bag, anchor & chain.

I guess with 6 on board it not going to move any faster than displacement speed, I was a little concerned that the 15/18 hp motors could oil up when plodding / trolling, or are they more efficient?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by T4bus

Thanks for info / replies, I realise as said that the 340 is designed for 5 adults + 1 child

once you've tried it you may rephrase 'designed' to 'rated for'. its a bit like one of those busses they use at airports to transfer you to the aircraft - it can take that many people, it might even be relatively safe at low speed, but its not something you'd want to spend all day doing...

I was a little concerned that the 15/18 hp motors could oil up when plodding / trolling, or are they more efficient?

Not sure if you can get an autolube for that money - but if you can then it will avoid the issue.

[T4bus]

Originally Posted by Poly

once you've tried it you may rephrase 'designed' to 'rated for'. its a bit like one of those busses they use at airports to transfer you to the aircraft - it can take that many people, it might even be relatively safe at low speed, but its not something you'd want to spend all day doing...



Not sure if you can get an autolube for that money - but if you can then it will avoid the issue.

Hi Poly
Yes I agree it may be cramped, my comment looked like I was defending it's capability but what I meant was that I realise we are at maximum capacity so would not use it frequently with all on board, only short hops.

Our original plan was to buy a couple Canadian canoe's & row them but storage and transport is an issue, so the "compromise" was the Zodiac which we can put in the back of our van & inflate on arrival. The kids are very active with other sports so well likely use this 3-4 times a year which is why I wish to keep the costs as low as practically possible. Somehow I just know the cost is is likely to escalate