SIB and Outboard Advice for a Newby

[Fenlander]

>>>I'd also read that the air floors can bulge up sometimes causing an air bubble and prop venting.

Yes that can be an issue and is as unpredictable as to it happening or not as to any particular SIB being difficult to get its alloy floor in.

[Wazzajnr]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>>I'd also read that the air floors can bulge up sometimes causing an air bubble and prop venting.

Yes that can be an issue and is as unpredictable as to it happening or not as to any particular SIB being difficult to get its alloy floor in.

Yes, maybe I'm lucky with mine?
I must say, getting just the right amount of air in the tubes is really important.
Prior to having a good pump I was loathed to let out air I'd slaved to get in there so I would struggle on with the boards but now, with the new pump it's much better.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Wazzajnr

Mainly rigidity and no risk of puncturing it. Lots of kids climbing in and out with stones stuck to their feet.
I'd also read that the air floors can bulge up sometimes causing an air bubble and prop venting.

I've never used an air floor so have nothing to compare with but I'm very happy with my ally floor one and would buy another tomorrow if the need arose.

Can't disagree with the possability of punctures on an air floor, but I negate that by using non slip matting, which serves two purposes the main one for me being "non slip"

The air trap bulge has happened with my airdeck, less than a handful of times in 70 i'sh hours. It's soon overcome by decreasing/increasing the throttle, and it tends to only happen on very flat water which isn't very often especially on the sea.

I've never had an ali deck so it's hard to truly compare, each will have their good and bad points.

I think whether you go for an airdeck or a solid deck, the main concern is size and weight especially with the car you currently have and the purpose you want to use it for.

To give you an idea of packed away size, my SIB in its bag measures 1430 x 640 x 580

[Fenlander]

>>>getting just the right amount of air in the tubes is really important.

Yes you are right the amount of air is crucial... on my Honwave it needed to have about 50-75% of the tube volume filled. Much more and it was really tight to do the stringers.

[Fenlander]

>>> the main concern is size and weight especially with the car you currently have and the purpose you want to use it for. To give you an idea of packed away size, my SIB in its bag measures 1430 x 640 x 580.

Indeed packed size is crucial to ease of carrying in any car. In recent times I've used Mondeo and BMW 5-series estates. Despite being larger cars once the SIB's longest packed dimension is over 1.1m it won't fit widthways or front to back within the loadspace and needs backrests folding so you lose the rear seats. Even my current Mercedes day van is only 1.2m width in the loadspace so with Steve's SIB we'd be seat shuffling.

If you have an air floor SIB of 3.8m or under they usually (but check what the actual is for any you might buy) pack into the 1.1m or less width then in something like a Mondeo size you can get the SIB, outboard, tank, transom wheels and all the other kit within the loadspace leaving the rear seats free. There will be a little room left in odd corners of the loadspace for other holiday type gear if packed in flexible bags not cases.

Done this way we've managed two week self catering holidays in Scotland with SIB and kit leaving both rear seats usable.

Attached image our old Citroen C5 (slightly smaller than a Mondeo) packed with a Zodiac 360 air floor and Mariner 15 plus the rest of the kit with the exception of lifejackets and boating clothing which had already been taken out.

[JBL97]

Yeah its a lot of gear that will take up a lot of space in my current car which is not a practical car if I'm to take up this new hobby.

I think a SUV or estate is required to be comfortable with moving this amount to equipment around but that's another headache and expense I've to add onto the list 😅

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

To give you an idea of packed away size, my SIB in its bag measures 1430 x 640 x 580

Mis typed it should be 1340, but it's still bloody big!

[chipko]

Whilst our previous two, plus current, sibs have been air floors can’t help thinking the alumin/ply hard floors now seem to get a lot of bad press. Yes they are relatively heavier but give a good ride and a solid feel. In fairness only heavy once assembled and if on transom wheels the extra weight may not be a massive problem for many slipway/firm terrain launches. Not too heavy bagged up as it’s in separate packages….typically 40 kilo hull and 25 kilo floor for say a 3.5m boat.

Agree assembly can be a knuckle skinning affair on a new rig, but with a little practice/technique and the initial hull stretch it does get a lot less of a drama. Reckon it only adds five or ten mins max. to assembly time over air floors. High pressure air floors do take a good few minutes to inflate and inflict a lot of stress on fairly fragile and expensive 12v pumps.

I’d not discount another hard floor out of hand, and infinitely better than a flat air floor/sausage keel rig….worst of both worlds if powered up to achieve planing speeds.

[Mattster]

Originally Posted by chipko

Whilst our previous two, plus current, sibs have been air floors can’t help thinking the alumin/ply hard floors now seem to get a lot of bad press. Yes they are relatively heavier but give a good ride and a solid feel. In fairness only heavy once assembled and if on transom wheels the extra weight may not be a massive problem for many slipway/firm terrain launches. Not too heavy bagged up as it’s in separate packages….typically 40 kilo hull and 25 kilo floor for say a 3.5m boat.

Agree with all of this. Although I am a month into owning an air floor, and very happy with that decision, I previously fished out of a couple of wood/alu floor SIBS for many years. Setup was never a major issue, perhaps 5 minutes extra of fiddling about (2 people, admittedly), and once on the water a solid deck is IMO preferable to an air one. The fact that the boat and the floor are separate also gives you a bit more flexibility when packing the car etc, and less of a single monolithic weight/bulk to put in and take out.

[JBL97]

Some great info being provided which is much appreciated.

Definitely not black and white when it comes to choosing a SIB and pros and cons to different sizes and floor types.

The Honwave T38 airfloor does sound very appealing as its a lighter, quicker setup and easier to pack away and store, however its 600 euro more expensive and I have to order from the UK to Northern Ireland and drive up and collect it so warranty isnt very straightforward.

I've read some more into the Bark SIBs and from what I gather they appear to be very well made and handle very well on the water, however they are solid wooden floors and about 30kg heavier than the Honwave but it comes in separate bags so with 2 people it shouldn't be a huge problem. I do plan to do some solo runs on occasion but with transom wheels that should be manageable from what I read on here. The 600 savings should cater for the wheels and other bits and pieces too.

Its good to hear that setting up should take much more than 10 mins from solid floor to airfloor albeit a bit more stressful especially if its a bit colder or in an awkward place.

I have also read tons of post from guys who have only set up their solid floors once or twice and couldbnt handle it and bought a trailer or an airfloor so again very much mixed opinions across the board.

As mentioned in my OP, I can get the Bark 3.6 solid floor for 900 euro delivered in about 2 weeks and there is also a 3.3 version for 850 euro so I am leaning towards one of these.

Price difference isnt much but would it be safe to say the wiser option is to go with the larger of the two?

This is both of them FYI

Bark BT-330SD - https://bark.ua/en/barks/motor_boats.../bt-330sd.html

Bark BT-360SD - https://bark.ua/en/barks/motor_boats.../bt-360sd.html

[Fenlander]

Remind me what brand/size of motor you have in mind to go with either?

[JBL97]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Remind me what brand/size of motor you have in mind to go with either?

I haven't bought one yet so open to suggestions on that also. I was thinking 8, 10 or 15