Excel 365

[sladonians]

Just agreed to buy an Excel 365, lovely boat with a stack of extras. No motor though.

What would people suggest as a good motor for general river / estuary and fair weather coastal use?

Also, is it better to inflate / deflate and store in a camping trailer, the ones with the solid roof? Of is it better to get a small dinghy trailer and keep it inflated for easier set up and launch?

Plus, I’ve seen some rather clever bow spray dodgers, where can I get these?

Thanks in advance

[sladonians]

Excel sell an inflatable bow dodger that will fit your boat, or you can find them in ebay, or you can make one!

Engine wise it really depends on what you can carry / lift and how much you want to spend.
No limit? Get a Suzuki 20 (or 15 if your boat isn’t rated to 20). They are the lightest of the powerful engines but still weigh over 40kg.
Need it to be light? A single cylinder four stroke or an old two stroke are you only options. The four stroke won’t be powerful and the two stroke would be hard to find, noisy, smelly and thirsty.

Inflate / deflate: there is no better or wise solution - this comes down to circumstance and personal preference. Do you have space to store a boat on a trailer? Do you want to trailer it? I’m for example I pack my boat down and transport it in the car because I have nowhere to keep a trailer.

[harrison]

If a 365 am I correct in assuming it’s the Vanguard model.

That’s a fairly meaty ally floor sib at around 70kg so if you have the room to store a boat trailer, then that would be my choice over a camping type trailer. Plus a big bonus saving all that pesky assembly faffing.

Motor wise, as Chris commented. An 8/10hp will be more than okay but for only a few kg more then one of the current crop of lightweight efi 15/20’s will provide much more fun. Agree the Suzuki is still the pick of the bunch...in fact there’s a cracking as new one for sale on the other channel.

[sladonians]

Cheers yeah found their site and saw them. Good piece of kit.

I think I’ll likely go for a 15-20hp motor which will mean I can go wherever I fancy. My RIB is a Highfield 660 6.5m with a 150hp Motor. It’s a fast and stable aluminium hulled Boat which is great for coastal and fast cruising. The small 2.5m Aquafax is essentially a tender for the RIB and something to potter around the very upper reaches of the rivers and creeks on a lazy Sunday. I see this one as filling the gap, allowing me to go, for example, from Hamble over to the Beaulieu on a good day but also small and light enough that if I fancy taking a packed lunch and beaching for a bit or going right up the rivers I can.

I kinda like the idea of no trailer, makes it portable and more accessible. It should all fit in the back of the Land Rover no problem.

Thanks for the reply Chris, see you out there possibly?

[sladonians]

If a 365 am I correct in assuming it’s the Vanguard model.

That’s a fairly meaty ally floor sib at around 70kg so if you have the room to store a boat trailer, then that would be my choice over a camping type trailer. Plus a big bonus saving all that pesky assembly faffing.

Motor wise, as Chris commented. An 8/10hp will be more than okay but for only a few kg more then one of the current crop of lightweight efi 15/20’s will provide much more fun. Agree the Suzuki is still the pick of the bunch...in fact there’s a cracking as new one for sale on the other channel.

Cheers Harrison,

I think the Suzuki 15 is the one I will go for. Point noted about the trailer, I certainly have space both at home and also at the local sailing club Lake where I already keep a couple of dinghys. Cheap as chips to keep a small boat and or trailer there.

Can’t wait to get it now and get out there. Had a cracking day yesterday in the RIB on the Solent, can’t wait to start exploring some of the more quiet and inaccessible parts.

[ChrisParish]

I see this one as filling the gap, allowing me to go, for example, from Hamble over to the Beaulieu on a good day but also small and light enough that if I fancy taking a packed lunch and beaching for a bit or going right up the rivers I can.

You may be surprised by the places you can get with the Excel. I have done Warsash to Yarmouth a couple of times now without any problems, as well as Warsash to Sanddown.

Thanks for the reply Chris, see you out there possibly?

That would be good - I'm always up for shenanigans.