Quicksilver 340 Sport or a Honda T3.2??

[Andy JC]

We have a static caravan on Branscombe beach (where the Napoli ran aground!) so gonna be taking a week down there first week in Aug.

There aren't any slipways too near so a SIB is the best option. Might take the sr4 down as well this year and launch from Seaton or Lyme Regis.

Salcombe sounds like a nice place to explore, would like to get down there myself at some point this year...

[Andy JC]

A few people have said I'm mistaken about the max engine size for the T38 (including 2 dealers), well I've just found this pic of the transom plate which should clear matters up

I think they must have increased the max hp as well as the max weight for this years model. Strange that even the Honda website still states 20hp, they really need to get their website up to date..

[ian parkes]

I can't remember what the plate said on my 3.8 honda , but the dealer did offer me the choice of a honda 20 or a yamaha 25 2 stroke .
I don't think honda make a 25 and their 30 is too heavy and they did try to sell them as boat and engine packages with their own engines .
Maybe they have realised there is also a good market in selling the boat only and the choice of a 25 would ake it sell even better .
Great little boat isn't it , wish i could have kept mine

[Andy JC]

Yes, its well made and takes no time to setup... very handy to chuck in the boot of the car

[Locozodiac]

Originally Posted by Andy JC

Yes, its well made and takes no time to setup... very handy to chuck in the boot of the car

Wei Hai name is mentioned on the Honda 380 sib plate, for most boaters that could be any oriental fancy name, but no, this is China’s tech zone state near the Yellow Sea where most of the sibs/ ribs are being assembled today. There seems to be a main huge inflatable factory with lots of satellite small companies working for the main one, acting as sales agents selling the same product with minor cosmetic changes for different international popular brand names Companies. Well reputed brands are assembling their inflatables with parts and PVC fabrics imported from Korean providers, with just Chinese hand labor.

I laugh when a final end user states that Honda, Quicksilver, Suzuki, Tohatsu brands just to mention some sib/rib name, rates their products as wery well made, the correct word would be, well assembled. The only difference between brands is the PVC or Hypalon fabric thickness employed, the thinner the less cost. You won’t see Dupont Hypalon fabrics on any of these brands because of the high costs Dupont has, but will see Orca fabrics that are less expensive and well made alternative fabric brand.

Don’t be surprised to find in the market a 15” rib with center console and seats for under $ 4,000 dollars, ribs are assembled employing PVC 1.2 mm, which is the thickest high quality PVC available. These low cost boats could be a interesting price/quality alternative for new boaters, and experienced boaters as well who wound like to count with a second less pricy sib/rib and invest what have been money saved in engine and accesories.

Hope not, that in a near future on Avon tramsom plates will be possible to read “Assembled in Wei Hai, China” sales strategy in order to compete worldwide to reduce hand labor costs and better their final end user products costs.

Bottom line: would you still buy the same Honda sib assembled in PRC (People's Republic of China) with a “Ping Choy” brand patch glued on it, probably not. But still buying a Honda China assembled sib, all is reduced to just pure commercial brand marketing strategies. Is a matter of follow the competitive market or die…

Happy Boating

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by Locozodiac

The only difference between brands is the PVC or Hypalon fabric thickness employed, the thinner the less cost. You won’t see Dupont Hypalon fabrics on any of these brands because of the high costs Dupont has, but will see Orca fabrics that are less expensive and well made alternative fabric brand.

Don’t be surprised to find in the market a 15” rib with center console and seats for under $ 4,000 dollars, ribs are assembled employing PVC 1.2 mm, which is the thickest high quality PVC available. These low cost boats could be a interesting price/quality alternative for new boaters, and experienced boaters as well who wound like to count with a second less pricy sib/rib and invest what have been money saved in engine and accesories.

This is not accurate. Dupont developed and trademarked hypalon (chlorosulfonated polyethylene) which is basically a coating for fabrics. They do not themselves produce and sell the hypalon coated fabric that are used on inflatable boats. 'Orca' is a brand name that Pennel & Flipo (a French company) uses for a range of hypalon coated as well as polyurethane coated fabrics that they make specifically for inflatable boat applications. Pennel & Flipo do NOT produce a PVC coated fabric for inflatable boat applications.

The Orca line of hypalon fabrics set the the standard for high quality. Virtually all high end inflatable boat manufacturers and retubers (eg. Tilley) that use hypalon tubing, use Orca brand hypalon fabric from Pennel & Flipo.

Additionally fabric thickness is not the sole determinant of quality for either hypalon or PVC fabrics.

http://www.pennel.fr/Pages/orca_prod_range_home.htm

[longjohn]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

I can't remember what the plate said on my 3.8 honda , but the dealer did offer me the choice of a honda 20 or a yamaha 25 2 stroke .
I don't think honda make a 25 and their 30 is too heavy and they did try to sell them as boat and engine packages with their own engines .
Maybe they have realised there is also a good market in selling the boat only and the choice of a 25 would ake it sell even better .
Great little boat isn't it , wish i could have kept mine

Just bought a secondhand 3.8 package yesterday - its 1 month old and it definitely said 25hp on the transom - thought its fitted with a 20hp Honda

[br1anuk]

Does anyone who has a T38 or T32 have any problems with leaking valves, as I have a T38 being given the once over for a warranty claim and apparently there is an acceptable allowance for leakage.

Usually when we use our boat we inflate it for the day only, but in the summer holidays we left it inflated on the trailer and were very surprised to see that it had lost so much air overnight. It transpired one valve was leaking from the inside and the other was leaking from around the circumference, the leaking valves are both the high pressure ones in the floor.

This is on top of an oar failing the very first time we used the boat trying to get through the surf before we could drop the engine. The oar split right up the welded seam to the hole were the "button" pops through.

I had a T32 for 2 years previous to this and had no problem, I used my 15hp Mercury 2 stroke on the back and it really flew along.

Cheers

Brian.

[ian parkes]

the two layers of the air floor are laced together with a matrix of fine nylon threads , where the valves are cut into the floor a loose thread can often get drawn into the valve on deflation or get trapped in the seat where the valve clamps into the material .

Check for a thin white thread trapped inside the valve that is leaking internally . the valve that is leaking around its outside may just need tightening gently with the tool provided but its worht undoing it first to make sure no threads are trapped in between the two parts that clamp together .

didn't have any problems with my honda but i did with a little waveline air floor , it was easily cured.

[br1anuk]

Thanks for that I'll pass the info on to the dealer if they have no luck.

Cheers

Brian.

[Locozodiac]

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

This is not accurate. Dupont developed and trademarked hypalon (chlorosulfonated polyethylene) which is basically a coating for fabrics. They do not themselves produce and sell the hypalon coated fabric that are used on inflatable boats.

Additionally fabric thickness is not the sole determinant of quality for either hypalon or PVC fabrics.

If this is so, why on the dupont haypalon application profile mentions their product to last longer on inflatable boats: "Fabrics with an attractive coating of Hypalon® are weather- and water-resistant, rugged ... yet are lightweight and easy to handle. All these qualities make it perfect for use on inflatable boats". Pennel, Orca hypalon is it's competitor, perhaps more used than Dupont beceuase of better priced, who knows.

It's not determinant, but helps a lot for any boat to last longer being better protected against nicks, abrassions, etc than thinner same materials Good hand made, perfect gluing and thicker fabric materials will determine for a better long lasting product.