Excel voyager sr470 - Thoughts please...!!!

[chipko]

While I'm no fan of Excel or Chinese ribs and do realise it's hull length not boat (tube) length that governs sea keeping but steady on.

The 4.7m Excel has an internal (hull) length of 3.5m. In comparison a UK built XS 460 also has an internal length of 3.5m. Okay the XS is 10cm shorter but the ratio is not much different.

Also, as pic from their website shows, tubes don't seem to sit too low in the water when planing.

[Ceejay]

In this photo taken from the Excel web page, the tube aft of the transom looks to be fairly long.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by chipko

Attachment 121116

Neo - is this the seating layout? You planning to put the 11 year olds on the suicide seats? And expect them to want to come out again??

[chipko]

Originally Posted by Ceejay

Attachment 121117
In this photo taken from the Excel web page, the tube aft of the transom looks to be fairly long.

You're right, rear tube overhang looks noticeably longer than the grey tube 470 which is the current version. If the boat Neo was considering is like the blue one then yes, hull is short in relation to overall length.

[neo]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Neo - is this the seating layout? You planning to put the 11 year olds on the suicide seats? And expect them to want to come out again??

Yes shiny this is the type of seating i would be requiring for the 11yr olds but in the same breath i would not be going out in bad conditions with the family,
Day trips on rivers and lakes would be more there thing to be fair.

[neo]

Originally Posted by Ceejay

Attachment 121117
In this photo taken from the Excel web page, the tube aft of the transom looks to be fairly long.

Yes ceejay this blue one is the exact same set up as this

[neo]

Guys have you heard of a Europa 5.2 rib
Is this another Chinese rib ??

[chipko]

Yep, afraid so. Chinese built, glued pvc tubes, med style seating, moderate 'V' hull.
Probably won't find many fans here. [emoji107]

[Limecc]

Disappointing that shoddy ribs out of China mean that some people are unable to accept that anything good can be produced in that country. Makes the Excel a bit of a bargain second hand though.

Maybe if we apply the same principle to my Suzuki engine which was made in Thailand I made a big mistake going for that brand.

[neo]

Have a look at this guys on Ebay and see what you think


2010 Europa 5.2 rib with a 90 hp tohatsu out board.not jej ski, power boat.

Regards Ian.

[Fenlander]

>>>Disappointing that shoddy ribs out of China mean that some people are unable to accept that anything good can be produced in that country.

The simple fact is that China can make something as well or badly as you wish. It is down to the level of QC any importer/seller seeks from the factory and/or imposes on them at the receiving end... added to the price point of course.

I am old enough to remember "Japan made" being a byeword for cheap junk... oh how things have changed in that regard.

You only have to look at my Zodiac/Bombard experiences to know the supposedly premium brands can get it wrong too.

[beamishken]

There's plenty of good stuff made in China I bought one of the first excel sibs that came into the country it's still fine 13 years later
Also have a rib eye tender made in China that's fine too
I think most mainstream sibs are made in China as well
You just need to sort the good from the bad and not just assume because it's made in China it's shite

[Orwell boy]

Hate to repeat myself but I am old enough to remember the first Honda stationary engines on lawnmowers ,wacker plates and water pumps ,not to be touched with a barge pole from the old school ,but hey most of them are probhably still running ,
I have even replaced a couple of briggs and strattons with the Chinese copies and you cant fault them for reliability ,starting etc etc , so come on guys ,they have the tooling and the willing workforce, just like we used too have ,quite often they are using top world leading fabrics and adhesives ,many of the tubes look better after several years than the home built stuff

[Chris Caton]

if you're not in any rush why not find yourself a good hull for a winter project, you can have the console/seating arrangement you want fitted to the hull and if necessary get new tubes fitted, lots of engine choice from new or 2nd hand, if you can find one a Avon Searider SR4.7 would do everything your after

[Ceejay]

I've no idea where the idea crept into this thread that all things of Chinese manufacture are bad and to be condemned. I'm not aware that anyone said or implied this.
There is however a problem with RIBs of Chinese manufacture that do not comply with European Recreational Craft Directives, and that are brought into the U.K. with false CE markings, and these can even be a danger to occupants.
Even where Chinese manufactured RIBs do comply with the RCDs, their design and build quality is often poor and they will not perform to anything like the level of a well constructed RIB, built to a good design.
The build quality of SIBs and inflatable tenders is not nearly so critical in terms of safety and my opinion would be that many of the Chinese versions can represent good value for money.
Where RIBs are concerned though, Chinese manufactured ones are cheap for a reason. Conversely quality RIBs come at a price because they are well designed and built strongly to cope with life at sea.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Ceejay

The build quality of SIBs and inflatable tenders is not nearly so critical in terms of safety

? and yet they are measured against the same CE / RCD standard you hold dearly for RIBS?

Where RIBs are concerned though, Chinese manufactured ones are cheap for a reason. Conversely quality RIBs come at a price because they are well designed and built strongly to cope with life at sea.

I don't think price and sea going quality are necessarily directly correlated in RIBs. There are some expensive ribs around that invested more in their appearance and sunpad comfort than hull design, and there are some robust ribs around that are not as expensive as they would be if they had better marketing/branding.

In terms of Chinese built ribs - I've mostly only heard positive things about Highfields. Partly this may be because of a clued up importer. Certainly it will be because Ali ribs are limited in choice, the material is a fixed cost and the labour is the "expensive" bit. Possibly it is because there is no UK equivalent to assume must be the benchmark.

[neo]

Thank you for the comment Ceejay/Poly dor the comments and incite
And chris this would be and idea but i work in austraila and do month on month off so would be a little harder to achieve as appose to a 9-5 job in the uk.
I did see an avon searider sr 5.4 about 2 month ago which was awesome it ticked all the boxes big time for me and the family but i was not the fastest to the phone and it had sold

Regards Ian.

[Chris Caton]

Originally Posted by neo

And chris this would be and idea but i work in austraila and do month on month off so would be a little harder to achieve as appose to a 9-5 job in the uk.
I did see an avon searider sr 5.4 about 2 month ago which was awesome it ticked all the boxes big time for me and the family but i was not the fastest to the phone and it had sold

Regards Ian.

yeah, you have to be quick to pick up a nice Searider, but they are out there and they do change hands, don't let working away put you off as there are good people around that will do the work for you, not as expensive as you may think