Bombard aerotec

[duggie12]

A friend of mine bought a bombard aerotec and a 15hp 2 stroke from someone from this forum recently. We took it out yesterday. I was really impressed with it!!! It was a lot of fun!

I thought about buying the bombard or honwave airfloor a year or so ago because I wanted a lighter option in addition to my t40, but I opted for the frib 360 because I had tried airfloors before and decided I wasn't keen. But after yesterday I was sort of left wondering what advantages my frib has over the bombard. I know none of these boats are going to be able to be bashing into 2 metre waves and planing but the bombard was so much smoother in small chop than the frib. It still bounced about the same but the bounces were much smoother! It is also a bit lighter and packs up smaller. And they are roughly the same price. The frib obviously has a hard floor but I didn't find the inflatable floor of the bombard unsteady.

I think both are great boats but it did get me wondering if I should sell my frib and buy an aerotec.

Anyway just some thoughts, as opposed to a question I suppose.

Cheers
Duggie

[Fenlander]

Interesting to hear an unbiased view Duggie.... your findings are broadly the same as Chipko on here who had the best comparison of all owning both Frib and Aerotec at the same time and using with the same OB.

We all have slightly different needs and the high cost... narrow slightly cramped shape... floor not best suited to stowage of kit or dogs... potential for splash over transom etc would rule it out for many. But for our use and load it has extended the range and sea states we'll go out in. The Mrs always says it is the safest and most confident she's felt in any smallcraft of the many we've owned.

As well as it's ability in a chop another rarely mentioned benefit of the V shape hull is in that just off/just on the plane speed you might be using in heavy seas the transition to plane is far far less "bow in the air waiting to climb the hump" than any other SIB I've used. The hull shape copes very well in these situations. For us this has given greater ability when a little caught out with wind against tide conditions.

[duggie12]

Cheers fenlander I didn't know about that bow hump factor you mentioned so will bear that in mind

Simon and i are going to do a weekend trip with both boats sometime soon so I'll get a proper chance to try them out at the same time and then decide

The bombard seemed less roomy inside but I wasn't sure, so I'll take a measuring tape with me and find out

[kaman]

I must admit I am a HP air floor convert myself.
After 3 years ownership of a Plastimo 3.3 m aluminium floor / sausage keel sib, then 7 years ownership of a Honwave 3.5ae aluminium floor / sausage keel sib, I bought a 2nd hand Honwave 3.8 air floor last year.
Without a doubt the T3.8 is my preferred option in a chop. It has the greatest bow dead rise of the previously mentioned Sibs. I was fully intending buying a Highfield 380 cl rib and roller trailer this year but decided against it as I'm loving my Honwave T3.8 too much.
Due to an ongoing neck / shoulder injury i have been put off the harsh / rigid hull / floor varients for now.
I do find the high pressure air floor of the Honwave acts somewhat as a shock absorber.
I recently went on a 2 day sea fishing excursion with my old man and he was in awe of the T3.8 sea keeping abilities.
I have briefly tried a Bombard Aerotec a few years ago but it was not in snotty conditions.
I wonder how the bargain basement Honwave T3.8 and an Aerotec would compare side by side??????
The Honwave is cheap as chips compared to aerotec and seems to be put together a bit more robustly than the Aerotec which appears on this forum more often than not due to they're transoms falling off.
I would never have considered a v shaped airfloor sib in the past but I can't see past one at the moment.

[duggie12]

Hi kaman, my friend Simon bought a honwave t38 a few years ago and we tried it once and did not get on with it at all. We just found the whole floor wobble thing way to disconcerting. For that reason it would never work for me but I appreciate that lots of experienced sibbers love them. I wish I did too because they are great value.

For me if it was an inflatable floor I was going for it would now be the bombard, purely because of the floor issue and nothing else

Cheers

[kaman]

Howdy Duggie
I honestly can't say I've had any issues with the floor in my T3.8 Honwave. I am a bit anal when it comes to pressurising the floor and tubes tho.
I like to get the sib in the water for 10 mins to acclimatise to the water temp before I top the pressure back up with my bravo. I have been out in some very rough conditions in both the 3.5ae and T3.8.
I have felt the floor in the T3.8 flex somewhat when slamming down after going over a big wave but this for me is a good thing as the air floor absorbs the shock generated very well.
I have never felt that I was going to damage or break the T3.8's airfloor, but I have honestly feared that the aluminum floor in my 3.5ae was going to come apart underneath my feet when pushing on thru rough water. The aluminium floor doesn't flex but it does creak and crack in protest to being stressed[emoji1]

[duggie12]

Yeah some folk don't seem to have an issue with the floor, I'm certain we had the pressure correct though. We tried over inflating it, checking pressure on the water and so on, Simon got in touch with the manufacturer about it and we spent some time moving kit about the boat but we couldn't stop the wave/bubble thing that would sort of work it's way through the floor when moving

Hopefully I'll get a chance to try the t38 again at some point in case we were doing something wrong!

I've got the t40 kaman and I'll be honest I've always felt it to be totally solid and I love it for bigger trips but I just wanted something lighter as well, hence the frib

[kaman]

Yup I concur my 3.5ae is soild as well.
Maybe a bit too soild for my liking as it transfers it's wave jumping shocks to my ageing bones.
I have heard a lot of folks refer to the wave / bubble thing but can't say I've experienced it?
You will be well placed to decide which boat meets your needs best with you current rigs and having experience of other rig outs.

[duggie12]

Yeah it is a bit bumpy I know what you mean
If I could be sure I wouldn't experience the 'bubble' I'd go with the honwave over the bombard, because I'd get a new one for 1k

I want them all ! :-)

[Fenlander]

>>> Honwave is cheap as chips compared to aerotec and seems to be put together a bit more robustly than the Aerotec which appears on this forum more often than not due to they're transoms falling off.

This is why to be on the safe side 99% of time for newbies and upgraders looking to an air floor I advise a Honwave 3.8 over an Aerotec. You see it's not comparing like for like.... most of the Honwave owners have boats from new to 10yrs old so we are not seeing many age issues yet... whereas all of the Aerotec owners with glue failure have boats in the 10-20yr age range.... often nearer 15-20yrs. So it's not the build quality as such more the age.

And there's the rub... if you can get a new Honwave with warranty for the cost of a 8-10yr old Aerotec you really need to want the Aerotec badly to go that way.

[Fenlander]

>>>Cheers fenlander I didn't know about that bow hump factor you mentioned so will bear that in mind

To make sure all factors are known remember I'm almost never solo where with a 20hp of course the bow can be made to rise... but with Mrs Fenlander pinning the bow by sitting on the standard seat position and the full tank plus anchor bag under the seat the bow rise is negligible compared to all the other SIBs I've used with the same load positioning.

Oh yes and remember the Aerotec V hull is a bit draggy and in my experience if you mainly operate on lakes or inland lochs in calm conditions a flatter profile skimmy SIB or Frib will be a few knots quicker with any given OB size.

[Max...]

Lots of Aerotec love on this forum of course over the years, it's a pretty unique SIB. posted my thoughts here mostly:

http://www.rib.net/forum/f50/bombard...tml#post619422

[duggie12]

Cheers max,interesting read

[henners115]

Hi,

I have a 3.8 bombard commando that i'm willing to sell.

No patches, in A1 condition, has a hard ali floor with wooden keels, makes the boat very stable and handles well. Rated to 35-40hp max.

will fit in a hatch back or estate packed down.

drop me ur email if u would like some images

[rik_elliott]

loved my aerotec. mine was one of the ones that the transom fell off of last summer. i dont think i would buy another based on that - but the repair and reglue was very cheap and definitely better than just binning it. ive never used a honwave, but i would be tempted to go for the air deck 3.8 if i was in the market again in the future as it does look a solid little boat.

the aerotec was 90% as good as my old caribe 4m rib (shallow v) in waves and was an absolute hoot, but a lot less spacious than any other boat its size i had ever used. the SR4 destroys it though.

[stray]

Interesting to hear an unbiased view Duggie.... your findings are broadly the same as Chipko on here who had the best comparison of all owning both Frib and Aerotec at the same time and using with the same OB.

I owned an Aerotec and an F-rib at the same time, I sold the Aerotec.

My reasons, and others may beg to differ:
The F-rib makes a much better fishing platform.
Quicker to set up and easier to get into its bag afterwards.
Quicker onto the plane and Planes at a lower speed.
Much more stable at speed and in chop (the Aerotec wanted to follow the troughs).

I enjoyed owning the Aerotec, but it's more suited to thrill seekers, but the F-rib is more refined.