Avon Adventurer 6.2

[neilb]

I am looking to buy an Avon Adventurer 6.2 and would appreciate anyones opinion/experiences with this particular RIB. I am also unsure which is the best engine for this boat. The last one I looked at had a Yamaha F100 four stroke although I have been told that the F115 is alot better especially for this size of boat.

Any advice would be grately appreciated.

[Rannsachair]

Rib International have a test on: reading room under

http://www.ribmagazine.com/index.htm

My previous boat was a 12 year old Avon Searider: the build quality is excellect . I considered the 6.2 myself, though decided on a Redbay 6.1 as my boat is mainly used around Jura/Islay/Mull of Kintyre and I felt the Redbay had a better hull design for waves in this area and a far better console with jockey seating for 4/6 (see photo).


I also went for the Yamaha F115: excellent engine, quiet and economical and negligible effect on top speed compared to a friend with a similar boat and a Suzuki 140.

Good luck.

[John Kennett]

You can go straight to the RIB International review at http://www.ribmagazine.com/AVON620.htm

I'm not ssure what the standard seating configuration is, but I would avoid the bench seats and go for sit-astide jockey seats if you want to do any serious cruising. Given the choice of 100hp or 115hp on a 6.2 metre boat I would opt for the larger, but 100hp should be perfectly adequate.

John

[zod550]

i have a yamaha f100 4 stroke on my zodiac 5.5 m. my boat is a bit heavy ( close to the weight of the boat you are looking at)and i wish i went for a 115 hp. the 115 yamaha 4 stroke is a bit heavier (400lb vs 365lb) and i think the transom weight is important. merycury has also come out with a 115 4 stroke that is about 380 lbs. the f100 has been great but i have had a couple of problems with the tilt/trim. the 115 yamaha has a different trim system that is better i am told. hope this helps. chris

[neilb]

Thanks for all the usefull advice. I will be attending the Boat Show at Southampton this month to try out Avons demo Adventurer 6.2 which I believe has a 115hp four stroke outboard.

Thanks

Neil

[Brian]

I had an Avon Adventure for 2 years, a 6.2 with a 130hp Honda 4-stroke.
Comments:
lovely engine but too heavy for boat. If you move things forward enough to counterbalance the engine you will be unacceptably close to the bow.
install TWO auto-bilge pumps, one at the stern, on the deck and one on a float switch between the deck and the hull. Dont believe them when they say "water can't get in there"-it jolly well does
I had Outhill seats, console etc. I was NOT happy with their design and quality of build.
pretty happy with boat itself-seems to be well built. A minor annoyance though was the grap straps running full lenght along both sides flapped and slapped on the sponsons like a manic skiffle player on speed.
Please see below, moored at Mayflower Marina, Plymouth

[neilb]

Thanks for all the advice Brian. I had heard roumours that the Honda 130 was old and heavy. It is basically a car engine placed on its side.

Neil

[Powerboat]

I understand that the Honda 90 4 stroke was actually a honda civic 1.5L engine and the honda 130 was a honda prelude 2.3L engine !

I'll be in Southampton as well and would be very interested in test driving a yam 115 4 stroke as I'm considering it for next years boat(s) . Does any one know if you can pre book test drives .

Best wishes ,

Stuart

[John Kennett]

I know that the outboards were derived from existing car engines, but I think that it has been a bit over simplified here! The Honda four strokes are undoubtedly good engines, and Honda's five year warranty demonstrates their confidence in them.

One problem that has arisen with the RIB market is that the 135 is quite a heavy engine for it's output, and is a lot to hang on the back of a 6m RIB which has lead to some poorly balanced boats. A Honda 90 on a 5.5m RIB would be a much better match.

On the other hand, the Yamaha 115 does seem to be the four stroke outboard of choice for many people at the moment.

John