Quicksilver 380 Heavy Duty

Mike B · 07 April 2008, 11:23

Hi All,

I'm starting to reside myself to having to let go of my current RIB - just not using it enough to justify the space on the drive and the insurance, servicing etc.

But I need to keep getting wet! So I've been thinking about a SIB.

I have my eye on a Quicksilver 380 HD (alu or Wood floor) with probably a 15HP 2 stroke.

Couple of questions:

1) Would this cope with 3 adults and 2 sets of dive kit? for short trips?

2) Any ideas on rough top speed, 2 up?

3) Any other similar alternative make/model anybody rates?

4) Any other general comments!

Cheers

Mike

Nick Hearne · 07 April 2008, 12:13

I would say you will need more power, but the boat will do the job well with a 25 or 30 hp on it! You will probably also end up with it on a trailer as it will weigh rather a lot!

Mike B · 07 April 2008, 12:43

Thanks Nick,

I was thinking that may be the case, I am looking at some 25hp mariners as an option.

I'm trying to get away from the trailer (well boat trailer anyway, plan to have the deflated boat and engine in a box trailer).

I'd like to be able to use the boat more where there is no slip access. If we can't get the box trailer near to the shore, there will be a 2 or 3 (reasonably) fit people to lug the boat and engine separtately then assemble on shore.
Boat 95 kg
Engine (25hp) ~50kg
I think will be just about managable - will prob put some launching wheels on too.

On another point has anyone used un-regulated Scuba tanks to inflate RIB/SIB in a hurry?

Thanks

Mike

Nick Hearne · 07 April 2008, 13:34

My brother in law has this very set up 3.80 + a 25 hp mariner & 3 of us can just lift it & carry it down to the water, launching wheels would do the job, some are rated up to 275kg

I have used cylinders to inflate tubes in the past & still have a old reg to do the job works very well, but you have to be careful not to over inflate!

prairie tuber · 08 April 2008, 02:55

Good quality pneumatic launching wheels make a world of difference. With them, it is pretty easy for me to unload a rolled up 4.2m Zodiac Grand Raid (Mark II), from my vehicle, inflate it, mount the launching wheels & a 25 hp 2 stroke, and then roll the rig to the water edge on my own. This is so long as the path to the water edge is relatively smooth and not too soft of sand. If the path is really rocky and steep, it is hell for one person. I do the set up right by where I was able to unload the vehicle so that I'm rolling rather than carrying stuff.

Clipper · 08 April 2008, 03:25

"mount the launching wheels"

are there launching wheels that you dont have to bolt into the transom and you can take off when not in use?! are they the ones that are designed for aluminum boats or are they SIB specific wheels? i have been unable to find any that dont bolt on for SIBs, is there a well known manufacture?

cheers

prairie tuber · 08 April 2008, 04:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clipper

"mount the launching wheels"

are there launching wheels that you dont have to bolt into the transom and you can take off when not in use?! are they the ones that are designed for aluminum boats or are they SIB specific wheels? i have been unable to find any that dont bolt on for SIBs, is there a well known manufacture?

cheers

The type I have for my zodiac use a bolt that goes through the transom and screws into a threaded hole near the top of the arm that holds the wheel. Further down that arm is a slot that is slid over a button neat the bottom of the transom this system requires you to take the arm and wheel right off the transom and place in the boat once in the water so you can get underway.

Nick Hearne · 08 April 2008, 09:43

I did have these on my last Sib http://www.polymarine.com/products/p...s-up-to-230kg-[1839].cfm

I now have the Zodiac ones as prairie tuber, they came with the new boat!
They are great for getting the boat to the water, but for me as we tend to do a lot of beach hopping the others are better as you can just lower them & drive up in to the shallows as the wheels will not let the prop hit the sea bed!

prairie tuber · 08 April 2008, 12:45

Hey Nick, Those swing up style launching wheels would undoubtedly be alot more convenient than the ones I have. When using the wheels, do they seem quite solidly attached to the transom or do the arms rattle in the brackets?

Nick Hearne · 08 April 2008, 14:24

when up or down they are a very tight fit & wedge down so they do not rattle about! In fact I'm talking my self in to buying some!
Nick

prairie tuber · 08 April 2008, 15:01

That's good to know. It can be hard to tell how sturdy something is just by the pictures. While my system is sturdily held to the transom, it can be a huge hassle in some situations. Particularly if, when rolling the boat backward into the water, one (or both) of the wheels drops down between a couple of rocks and you can no longer push it backwards or forward. At this point you need to;

a) Wade into the water, reach over the transom & unscrew the bolt holding the stuck arm.

b) You then have to lift that side of the boat up by about an inch so that the button on the bottom of the transom slides out of the slot in the bracket on the arm.

c) You then pull the arm and wheel out from between the rocks and toss it into the boat.

d) Repeat a - c on the other side

If the above scenario occurs with the swing up type launching wheels you simply step into the boat from the bow end, walk to the transom and release the lower positioning pin. If necessary, step back out of the bow onto the shore & pull forward on the bow rope. As the arms swing back away from the transom, the wheels pop up & out of the rocks, and allow tires to float straight behind the transom.

andreworiordan · 08 April 2008, 22:39

I own a Quicksilver 430HD XS, found it to be very good, even in rough weather, have more pics at www.quicksilver430.blogspot.com i used to have a 25hp and now have a 40hp, the 25 was nice but i needed the extra hp for wakeboarding etc, nice boat and i would say to get the alumn, floor over the plywood.

Nick Hearne · 09 April 2008, 07:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

That's good to know. It can be hard to tell how sturdy something is just by the pictures. While my system is sturdily held to the transom, it can be a huge hassle in some situations. Particularly if, when rolling the boat backward into the water, one (or both) of the wheels drops down between a couple of rocks and you can no longer push it backwards or forward. At this point you need to;

a) Wade into the water, reach over the transom & unscrew the bolt holding the stuck arm.

b) You then have to lift that side of the boat up by about an inch so that the button on the bottom of the transom slides out of the slot in the bracket on the arm.

c) You then pull the arm and wheel out from between the rocks and toss it into the boat.

d) Repeat a - c on the other side

If the above scenario occurs with the swing up type launching wheels you simply step into the boat from the bow end, walk to the transom and release the lower positioning pin. If necessary, step back out of the bow onto the shore & pull forward on the bow rope. As the arms swing back away from the transom, the wheels pop up & out of the rocks, and allow tires to float straight behind the transom.

No sorry but the ones I have used you have to pull down the arm & wheel to release it so it will be faster to do but you are going to get wet!

Nick Hearne · 09 April 2008, 07:31

This may help to explain it!

prairie tuber · 09 April 2008, 11:59

Thanks for the detailed pictures Nick. The bottom attachment point uses the the same slot & button system that mine use. I was under the impression that there was a pin system down low similar to the 2 further up the arm.

fred bolton · 27 April 2008, 19:02

Has anyone used these :- cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160231124997&_trksid=p 3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching#ebayphotohosting
Are they any good?

prairie tuber · 28 April 2008, 02:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by fred bolton

Has anyone used these :- cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160231124997&_trksid=p 3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching#ebayphotohosting
Are they any good?

Here's a direct link:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=td.s5os5%3E5

The 2 images on that ebay link show 2 completely different sets of launching wheels (one image showsa pair of bent arms , the other image shows a pair of straight arms).

Trickdog · 28 April 2008, 13:44

The transom wheels on my previous SIB (3.8m with 15hp outboard) looked exactly like those with the bent arms. I was very impressed with them - robust and very easy to raise and lower. I only used them when beaching the boat, so I replaced the hex nut on the pivot bolt with a wing nut. This allowed the bolt to be extracted and the whole arm removed in seconds without any tools.

Nick Hearne · 28 April 2008, 14:33

I would like to see a second fixing point lower down as if you are pulling along & hit something there is very little to stop the hole arm ripping of the transom, the ones I had had a second bolt at the bottom they clipped in to!

Channel Ribs · 28 April 2008, 15:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike B

1) Would this cope with 3 adults and 2 sets of dive kit? for short trips?
2) Any ideas on rough top speed, 2 up?

Hi Mike,

It would cope, but the 4.3m version is note a lot more money and packs into a very similar space - well worth a look.

The 15HP will do 16-18kn and a 30HP will top 22kn easily.

These transom legs are superb:
http://shop.malthouse-marine.com/ind...d=73&parent=21

They in either the up or down position and make launching very easy.

Please let me know if I can put together a package price for you?