2nd hand Vs New 3.8 SIB

[williams359]

Im in the position to buy a second hand Bombard 3.8 with a few scuffs and a couple of patches on floor but holds air well and in decent condition. Or i could buy a new honwave 3.8 air floor. Which would you go for and why?

Honwave £1100
Bombard £850

[stray]

Haggle on the Bombard.

[John-B]

Inflatable Boat | eBay

might be worth a look.

rgds John

[beamishken]

Bombard

[Fenlander]

If you were asking to compare a 10yr old hard floor Bombard/Zodiac with a similar size hard floor Honwave at similar prices I'd probably go for the Honwave.

However if you want a "performance" inflatable then the Bombard Aerotec is probably the way to go. But do check it really is as good condition as is being presented as a few pro repairs needed on the Bombard might swing the value stakes towards the Honwave.

[Max...]

Just back from a truly epic maiden day on my new Aerotec, will post more in the other topic but I'm seriously blown away, as would be any other SIB by it. It really is unique. And yes, haggle on that Bombard price. Never be afraid of patches, if not done properly just remove them and do a pro job at home.

[The Bass Stalker]

Originally Posted by Max...

Just back from a truly epic maiden day on my new Aerotec, will post more in the other topic but I'm seriously blown away, as would be any other SIB by it. It really is unique. And yes, haggle on that Bombard price. Never be afraid of patches, if not done properly just remove them and do a pro job at home.

Why so good? What are you comparing to? Don't get me wrong, I am really pleased you like it, just wondered why its soo good compared to others? One always wonders if you have the right boat, I've got a quicksilver 430hd with a 30 on the back and just went 6 miles off shore(29 miles round trip as start in estuary) yesterday and not sure I would want to do that in such a light boat, but I probably cant be bothered to take mine to pool harbour for a couple of days, but I would a bombard. Compromise, compromise, compromise. Thanks and look forward to the pics

[The Bass Stalker]

Btw. Am I right in thinking they say that pvc boats only have a 10 yr life? In which case be careful on the older boat if too old.

[beamishken]

We have a 10 year old excell dinghy which hasnt really been well looked after but regularly used & its still perfect id expect another 10 years out of it
Dunno where a 10 year life comes from
My pal has a bombard & id happily say its a better boat than any of the ones with inflatable sausage keels

[Landlockedpirate]

Originally Posted by beamishken

We have a 10 year old excell dinghy which hasnt really been well looked after but regularly used & its still perfect id expect another 10 years out of it
Dunno where a 10 year life comes from
My pal has a bombard & id happily say its a better boat than any of the ones with inflatable sausage keels

The problem isnt the PVC, its the glue that holds it all together. Official line is 10 years, but a lot last longer. We have 2 identical age Bombards in family (1999), the 380 is perfect,but the AX2 has already fallen apart. You can go from a perfect boat, to a basket case in a few days. The AX2 had no issues at all, till the transom simply fell off

[Landlockedpirate]

Originally Posted by The Bass Stalker

Why so good? What are you comparing to? Don't get me wrong, I am really pleased you like it, just wondered why its soo good compared to others? One always wonders if you have the right boat, I've got a quicksilver 430hd with a 30 on the back and just went 6 miles off shore(29 miles round trip as start in estuary) yesterday and not sure I would want to do that in such a light boat, but I probably cant be bothered to take mine to pool harbour for a couple of days, but I would a bombard. Compromise, compromise, compromise. Thanks and look forward to the pics

I dont think the 380 is the best Sib in the world (even though I have one), but it is the best performance packable sib in the world. However for 6 miles offshore and the amount of kit you carry, the Quicksilver is a better boat.

To the OP, I have had both. The Bombard is the better boat, no question, but the Honwave is extremely good as well. The 2 questions I would ask are whats the condition of the Bombard and what engine do you intend to use ? More powerfull engine options, choose the Bomabard, the floor is simply more rigid under higher power and heavier loads.

[The Bass Stalker]

Originally Posted by Landlockedpirate

I dont think the 380 is the best Sib in the world (even though I have one), but it is the best performance packable sib in the world. However for 6 miles offshore and the amount of kit you carry, the Quicksilver is a better boat.

To the OP, I have had both. The Bombard is the better boat, no question, but the Honwave is extremely good as well. The 2 questions I would ask are whats the condition of the Bombard and what engine do you intend to use ? More powerfull engine options, choose the Bomabard, the floor is simply more rigid under higher power and heavier loads.

Thanks, I was amazed at how much kit we chose to take as going out that bit further. The truth is we'd all like more than one and I can see from this forum that the bombard is almost the ultimate all rounder.

Regards the 10 yrs, it's just something that stuck in my head when I originally researched it. Was told 10 for pvc and 20 plus hypalon. I hope its longer as mine is an 08 but its still superb now. I would just be wary buying a 10 yr old pvc boat if it were that old. The point to the op is, find out more about bombard and share the info for more advice.

[williams359]

The engine I have is a 9.9 two stroke Johnson which i would upgrade in due corse. It will get my mate and I on the plain in the Honwave t30 a 54kg boat.