Which SIB?

[lockieboi]

Which is best, Aliminium deck with inflatable keel i.e SEAPRO 340 HD or high pressure air deck i.e Honwave/bombard aerotec.

Only want advice about performance and comfort really not worried about weight or looks.

Any advice welcome.

Thanks

[Popeye1]

Originally Posted by lockieboi

Which is best, Aliminium deck with inflatable keel i.e SEAPRO 340 HD or high pressure air deck i.e Honwave/bombard aerotec.

Only want advice about performance and comfort really not worried about weight or looks.

Any advice welcome.

Thanks

lockieboi,

I'm going to take mine out on Saturday and test it, I will let you know how I get on, not that I can compare it against anything else I've been on, because this will be the first SIB I've ever been on!!!!! It all depends what you want to use it for, my sole purpose is for fishing so in my case an aliminium floor was essential.

On the other hand if the wife kicked me out then perhaps I may regret it, because an inflatable floor would be a lot more comfortable to sleep in with a duvet pulled over you !!!!!!


Popeye

[thornbackflound]

Originally Posted by lockieboi

Which is best, Aliminium deck with inflatable keel i.e SEAPRO 340 HD or high pressure air deck i.e Honwave/bombard aerotec.

Only want advice about performance and comfort really not worried about weight or looks.

Any advice welcome.

Thanks

As said by Popeye,If you wan t it for fishing ,Hard deck the one to go for.

[lockieboi]

Thanks for the replies.

The only problem i have with the air deck is how much it moves when planning.

Am i right in saying the ali floor wouldnt do that?

Where you off to saturday popeye, Minnus bay? keep meaning to try that place sounds good.

[rik_elliott]

Most air decks flex on the plane. Bombard aerotecs don't. They are at least as good as a hard floor in terms of performance and as they weigh less the advantages keep pouring in. Less ideal for fishing though, be a shame to puncture the floor!

I had a wood floor Avon was good v little flex as long as you keep the tubes at correct pressure. Let the tubes go a little soft and the nose of even a hard floor sib can start to flex up with loss of performance.

I'd personally go for the aerotec every time. Can't easily fit a console though if that's important to you?

Oh and if it's performance you want and money is plentiful I'd suggest contacting prairie tuber - he has probably one of the most solid high performance rigs I've seen on here.

[Nick Hearne]

Bombard aerotec gets my vote, not as wide as some,but the bow is much deeper than most & so gives a dry ride
Nice & light,gose realy well with a 15hp 2st.

[Popeye1]

Originally Posted by lockieboi

Thanks for the replies.

The only problem i have with the air deck is how much it moves when planning.

Am i right in saying the ali floor wouldnt do that?

Where you off to saturday popeye, Minnus bay? keep meaning to try that place sounds good.

lockieboi

Probably will go to Minnis Bay, or may possibly try Sandwich Bay. If I catch anything I will let you know.

Popeye

[lockieboi]

Thanks for the replies.

The bombard is slightly out of my price range.

Anyone know how the more budget end of these compare to ali decks?

The ones i am looking at are the honwave V hull and the Europe V hull from mes-marine.com

Anyone know if these are good/bad better/worse than ali decks

Sorry for all the questions just dont wanna buy a SIB thats no better than what i already have.

[surferbill]

I do quite a lot of fishing with my Honwave airfloor 3.8m up here in Thurso. It is comfortable for 3 guys fishing . Handles a rough sea no bad for a wee boat. For the price it has been a decent boat, big tubes, feels safe and stay pritty dry
Was worried about hooks bursting the floor to start with but more relaxed now after a couple of years with no problems.

even if you have the floor up to the correct pressure it still flexes and i think hinders performance, i would love to try the ali floor for a day just to see if i made the right choice as i hummed and hawed about it for a while. i use a trailer and very rarely deflate the boat so the extra weight or hassle inflateing it would have been no bother.

A flat floor would be a lot better i reckon for fish boxes and stuff so it does not all slide into the V

The thing i have been most impressed about is the how little fuel the 20 hp Honda fourstroke i have uses i go fishing trips 2 or 3 times a week buzz about pulling creels etc and can go for weeks not topping up

[thornbackflound]

Originally Posted by surferbill

I do quite a lot of fishing with my Honwave airfloor 3.8m up here in Thurso. It is comfortable for 3 guys fishing . Handles a rough sea no bad for a wee boat. For the price it has been a decent boat, big tubes, feels safe and stay pritty dry
Was worried about hooks bursting the floor to start with but more relaxed now after a couple of years with no problems.

even if you have the floor up to the correct pressure it still flexes and i think hinders performance, i would love to try the ali floor for a day just to see if i made the right choice as i hummed and hawed about it for a while. i use a trailer and very rarely deflate the boat so the extra weight or hassle inflateing it would have been no bother.

A flat floor would be a lot better i reckon for fish boxes and stuff so it does not all slide into the V

The thing i have been most impressed about is the how little fuel the 20 hp Honda fourstroke i have uses i go fishing trips 2 or 3 times a week buzz about pulling creels etc and can go for weeks not topping up

Nice to see a fellow sib fisherman,nice bit of kit