Hello from Southend-on-sea, ESSEX

[Sparxy250]

Hi all,

I'm kev from southend on sea, essex

Have spent the past few weeks reading through a lot of threads and posts on here so thought i should introduce myself.

I'm looking at buying an Excel Vanguard XHD 435 (with sectioned aluminium floor)
In the next few weeks or possibly the Excel valante 390 (full air floor)

Im just wondering if anyone had any real experience with the excel boats as i cant seem to find a great deal of information on here or online.

Any opinions or experiences would be great.

My uses will be river, locks and sea use (inshore)

Look forward to your replies.

Kev

[jeffstevens763@g]

Hi kev welcome we had an HD excel at work took a lot of abuse from our teams and never let us down it got pinched from our yard after 4 years of use so burglar bill thought it was worth the risk joking aside they are worth the money.
Adey on here just bought one too a 360 I think worth a chat
Cheers

[Sparxy250]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

Hi kev welcome we had an HD excel at work took a lot of abuse from our teams and never let us down it got pinched from our yard after 4 years of use so burglar bill thought it was worth the risk joking aside they are worth the money.

Cheers

Cheers mate, I'm glad they seem to be good. Ive done loads of research and lots of reviews, videos etc just couldn't seem to find anything that seemed of a good quality that wasn't through the rough. Im quite new to the whole boat thing I've driven speedboats abroad etc before but never had the chance of playing with a SIB so I'm kind of hoping for the same handling and experience.


Budget isn't really an issue its just storage and as the sibs can fold away seems perfect to stay in the " Man Cave " in our apartment .Just trying to convince the wife. Shes up for it just need a few more excuses other than u can sunbathe and have a glass of prosecco to seal the deal and we can go have a look at the excel showroom.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Hi mate a sib is a different ball game to a speed boat hull and not for everyone but if your just going out in decent weather you will have loads of fun I down sized from a 6 m rib to my sib and to be honest I enjoy it more but then that's all we had was a sib in the days when I dived so what I am saying is they are well capable in the right conditions & handling.if budget is not a problem have a look at the excell 4.20 rib significant prise rise but might be better for the family and that can be the biggest obstacle making it enjoyable for them too.
Ah storage problem just noticed rib not possible one thing to mention I like big tube diameters it feels safer and more comfy to sit on in my opinion and a 4 m boat a good size my 3.65 is a 3.80 with shorter stern cones and a nice size 46 cm dia tubes.
Cheers

[Sparxy250]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

Hi mate a sib is a different ball game to a speed boat hull and not for everyone but if your just going out in decent weather you will have loads of fun I down sized from a 6 m rib to my sib and to be honest I enjoy it more but then that's all we had was a sib in the days when I dived so what I am saying is they are well capable in the right conditions & handling.if budget is not a problem have a look at the excell 4.20 rib significant prise rise but might be better for the family and that can be the biggest obstacle making it enjoyable for them too.
Ah storage problem just noticed rib not possible one thing to mention I like big tube diameters it feels safer and more comfy to sit on in my opinion and a 4 m boat a good size my 3.65 is a 3.80 with shorter stern cones and a nice size 46 cm dia tubes.
Cheers

Yh im feeling more towards the vanguard 435 so 4.35 meters seems a good size i think mainly me and mrs and occasionally parents, friends etx

I believe the tubes are around 50cm?

Was the excel u had at your work have the aluminium floor or just an air deck floor? I'd be interested to hear the pros n cons from experience and oppionion.

Yeah main use will be decent weather having a cruise down the thames or rivers and locks, do want to give it a bit and maybe get a ringo out with the wife on 😉.

Stuck bewteen air floor and aluminium! 🤔

[jeffstevens763@g]

Hi mate I am not an air floor man not knocking them in fact lighter much easier to set up especially in your case ( no room for a trailer) stick transom wheels on and you can pull across the beach have a look at the aerotec threads on here for more info.
I like Ali floors more hard wearing and more scope for fixing stuff just my bag to be honest sadly there's no perfect boat I trail mine and use slipways mostly although I do launch from the beach when needed.
A 4 m boat & a 20 hp engine is IMO about the best compromise in terms of room speed and portability.
I opted for a HD boat through expeariance it suits my style of boating and weighing in at 100 kg it's no easy boat to handle stuck a 25 hp on 61 kg now I have more power than I need and max for the boat PVC boat as hypalon 2/5 more expensive PVC 5 year garantee hypalon 10 year garantee.

Hope that helps a bit cheers

[Sparxy250]

Im deffo heading towards the ali floor as an option hoping it offers a little more stability and as u say a much better platform to work from overall, just curious as to how transom wheels will work when the boats deflated and packed away are they removable or are they a fixed item once bolted on to the transom.

Deffo going to have a look at some of the threads on the aerotec u mentioned see if i can shed any more light on what bits i may need or ideas to help me get a better experience.

[jeffstevens763@g]

There are different types of transom wheel most leave a bracket on the transom but they don't impair roll up just a bit of foam on them will prevent any accidents.the aerotec boys use a bow dolly too which is home made that helps by supporting the bow so you only pull not lift as well.
I must say if your going Ali floor they are a pain to keep setting up hence the aerotec popularity but that might not bother you. There are some light weight ribs too that pack away to surf board size they are worth considering too look at ribeye there are others but that will give you an idea.
Side mounting roof racks are a good help too so you could set up at home not sure what size , weight they go to but worth a look Barnet marine do then a mate of mine has one for an Ali boat.
Ron hale marine web site has loads of boat/ engine specs to choose from saves time choosing.
Have a look at fenlander on here loads of info and reports about sibing he's an aerotec man.
Cheers