Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
 
Old 21 September 2014, 20:57   #1
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: East sussex
Length: no boat
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 14
What SIB / outboard combination are you using?

Theres always a lot of chat on here about what SIB or outboard to buy, but what about once you've brought your SIB?

What SIB / Outboard combination are you running and does it meet your requirements or is there things now looking back that you would change or intend to change?

Just be nice to get feedback from people that were asking that very question on what SIB or outboard!
__________________
Gav501 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21 September 2014, 22:04   #2
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Sussex
Boat name: Bombard
Make: Aerotec 380
Length: 3m +
Engine: Mercury Mariner 15hp
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,398
Blah , blah, blah...Aerotec, Mercury/Mariner 15 2 stroke. Had many various SIBs and engines but this is the dream combo in SIB-world as far as I'm concerned...blah, blah, stuck record....see sticky above...blah...best compromise, lightweight, fast, economical, easy to carry, launch, inflate, store, lift, sea worthy, safe, handling...blah, blah. Blah...!
__________________
Max... is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21 September 2014, 22:24   #3
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Burnley
Make: Excel
Length: under 3m
Engine: Outboard petrol 5HP
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 70
I have an excel SL260 (lightweight) inflatable with a Vector 4 stroke 5hp outboard with 12L external tank. Great combination for me for inshore fishing and running about and I am about to take delivery of a Torqeedo 1300S electric motor for inland waters, inshore backup and fishing on lakes or lochs where noisy petrol engines are not allowed. As with previous post easy to pack away and store in small garage on motorhome, easy to inflate and economical.
__________________
claretcass is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21 September 2014, 22:26   #4
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: East sussex
Length: no boat
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 14
Yeah i have already read the sticky thread. Just interested to see if people have wished they done something differently.
You say you have had many SIBS and you found the aerotec and 15hp the best combination, but what made you decide to change. Was it just a case of upgrading or fancied a change or maybe you thought you wish you had done something different?
I take it if you was starting over again you would go straight for your current combo etc.
__________________
Gav501 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21 September 2014, 22:31   #5
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Sussex
Boat name: Bombard
Make: Aerotec 380
Length: 3m +
Engine: Mercury Mariner 15hp
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,398
Have you read the sticky?? See my review and thoughts in there, link to bombard review on page 2 IIRC.
__________________
Max... is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21 September 2014, 22:52   #6
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: East sussex
Length: no boat
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 14
Yeah i read it before i started this thread. Only a couple of people said what setups they were using. Most people you talk to are happy with what theyve got, however everyones needs and preferences are different.
__________________
Gav501 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21 September 2014, 23:06   #7
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Cambridgeshire
Boat name: Nimrod II
Make: Aerotec 380
Length: 3m +
Engine: Yam 15 Tohatsu 9.8
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 8,273
I think it can be a constant meandering path.

I started out with a Seagull then a 3.5hp on my first SIB for river pottering then moved up to a 9.8 Tohatsu when we took it on the sea. That was great fun with 2 or 2.5 people but fell off the plane with 4 so we went for a 15hp. Great fun and reliable 4-up performance. Then a couple of the crew jumped ship so I decided to downshift to a 4hp (and smaller SIB) for river and estuary pottering. Soon missed the performance so decided 8hp was a better compromise for just me mucking about and better displacement performance with my remaining crew member. Having not immediately found an 8hp to buy in a fit of madness I came within a few pounds of winning an outfit with a 25hp which we'd convinced ourselves we could manage on a trolley and thought it would be huge fun. And finally just today we picked up another outfit with a 15hp which is probably more sensible... and back where we were last year..

Next year who knows what hp will be on the back but there's no doubt it will be supported by logical decisions of the moment.
__________________
Fenlander is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 September 2014, 05:35   #8
Member
 
Peter_C's Avatar
 
Country: USA
Town: NorCal
Boat name: SHARKY
Make: AB
Length: 4m +
Engine: Honda BF75 & BF5
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,896
For a SIB, my 4.2 meter Zodiac Sport Futura MKII HD, with a 40hp 2 stroke, does very well for scuba diving. I can beach launch at numerous places. It has hoist launch capability for a couple of our rougher coastal areas. It will haul six people even with dive gear packed in (four divers works great). Now I would be really happy if it grew-up into a larger RIB with a 4 stroke.
__________________
Peter_C is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 September 2014, 08:05   #9
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: North Lincs
Boat name: na
Make: F-Rib 330/Excel 330
Length: 3m +
Engine: Parsun 15hp
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 233
I am on my 6th sib over 30 odd years. I have had round transom puddle jumpers with a seagull outboard up to a Zodiac Yatchline rib with a 40hp outboard but I confess a 3.20 - 3.40 does everything I want and in most cases I stick to a 15hp which I find to be a great all round combination. It is also true to say that I usually have a 3.5 - 5hp engine as well because I don't always need the 15 and am in the process of looking for a little engine at present.
I always have a 2 stroke because of the weight advantage, I am an aging ole tart and gone are the days when I could carry a 15 on my shoulder so every set up has to be easy to move on land. To this end I think launching wheel choice is quite important to get the best handling of the complete boat.
At present I am running a Excel SD330 air floor which is a breath of fresh air to put together unlike aluminium floors when the weather is cold and you have wet cold hands but would I have another---------------no. Don't get me wrong, these craft are nice to use and very compact added to that, the Excel is a well made craft so why would I not have another. Well, in all these years of owning a sib, I have never had a flat air floor before and was not aware of the critical need for pressure to be maintained to get optimum performance or cavitation / ventilation can be a problem which is something I suffer with now at higher speed. I think perhaps if I were to use a smaller engine it would not be the issue I have now.
I digress.
I WILL get one of the folding ribs, F-Rib or Winboat at some stage because they offer me a fold away boat with a rigid floor but the speed of an airfloor to set up and take down and stick with a 15 and a 3.5hp engines so that would be my ideal package.

Phil
__________________
philpot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 September 2014, 09:07   #10
Member
 
MatFromPoland's Avatar
 
Country: Poland
Town: WARSAW
Boat name: T1
Make: HIGHFIELD OM540DL
Length: 5m +
Engine: EVINRUDE 115 HO
MMSI: 261026640
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 612
It is always a compromise. Number and weight of crew, foldable size, size in a car weight of boat and weight of engine (plus condition of your back).
If I go only with my wife I do prefer BOMBARD AEROTEC plus HONDA BF20 or any other lighter engine. If I go to Greece by car and I have limited space I made some strange "family SIB" based on HONWAVE T38. For family 2+3:


My dream SIB was also ZODIAC FUTURA Fastroller but it is too big when folded (140cm) plus some people rated it as perfect SIB but not for choppy water plus family cruise.
__________________
MatFromPoland is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 September 2014, 12:44   #11
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: South Coast
Make: Quicksilver
Length: 3m +
Engine: outboard
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 142
This year Sold my Quicksilver 3.4 air deck with 2 stroke 2006 mariner 2 stroke (troubled) and Walkerbay 10 rid and sail kit 4 hp. 2 stroke (untroubled) and new 5hp 4 stroke (lovely) and had mice eat my hyperlon Avon 2.8 which I took to the dump, so I'm Sibless. My tuppence worth is your needs change and are dependent on why and who you sib with, families grow up. Unlike other boat users unless you race or fish with friends you can become a singlehanded sibber. I found therefore the smaller the easier to use and the more it gets used. For me I find myself looking at Avon yacht line jet boats but spending most weeks out Sea or river Kayaking occasionally alone or with others and club. Old boaters just don't die they find other boats to obsess about. Your skills and experience are often transferable wherever you find yourself or whatever combination you find yourself with. its unlikely your stick to one combination once your needs or circumstances begin to change.
__________________
Sunstreaker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 September 2014, 14:34   #12
Member
 
Mantaclause's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Penrith
Make: Lodestar
Length: 3m +
Engine: Yamaha 30hp 2stroke
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 31
I WILL get one of the folding ribs, F-Rib or Winboat at some stage because they offer me a fold away boat with a rigid floor but the speed of an airfloor to set up and take down and stick with a 15 and a 3.5hp engines so that would be my ideal package.

I have never heard of a folding rib before ,does anybody have any experience of these? It sounds like a good idea to me.
__________________
Mantaclause is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 September 2014, 17:37   #13
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: North Lincs
Boat name: na
Make: F-Rib 330/Excel 330
Length: 3m +
Engine: Parsun 15hp
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 233
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mantaclause View Post
I WILL get one of the folding ribs, F-Rib or Winboat at some stage because they offer me a fold away boat with a rigid floor but the speed of an airfloor to set up and take down and stick with a 15 and a 3.5hp engines so that would be my ideal package.

I have never heard of a folding rib before ,does anybody have any experience of these? It sounds like a good idea to me.
Been in touch with them today so with luck I will be meeting up in the near future and putting one to the test----------------fingers crossed

Here are the links
Foldable RIBs : f-rib u.k, Patented folding RIB technology

Nesting, Portable, Folding Boats & Dinghies UK - Nestaway Boats Ltd - F-RIB Folding hull RIBs

Phil
__________________
philpot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22 September 2014, 19:00   #14
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: East sussex
Length: no boat
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 14
Thanks for all your comments there seems to be many good reasons to change your SIB. Thats why i started this thread because many people appear to have had more than one SIB.
Also them folding ribs look great, makes you wonder what the future holds.
__________________
Gav501 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




All times are GMT. The time now is 16:00.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.