Buying Advice Please

[Ymaohyd]

Hi all. I am a kayaker looking at buying my first sib. The intention is to use it for fishing around the bays on the Gower and West Wales and to explore the coastline.
There will be at times be two adults and two children on board but it will mostly be two adults fishing.
I am looking at 3m or 3.2m sib with either an airdeck or aluminium floor.
I am considering outboards from 6hp to 10hp.
I will be transporting the setup in a car to use it.

My big question is will a 6 or 8hp be safe to use with the above in mind or do I need to consider a 10hp as a minimum.

Any advice will be appreciated.

[ChrisParish]

I would say that for two adults fishing you should look at 3.2 as a minimum size - they feel a lot smaller out on the water and every cm counts when it comes to seaworthiness.
Unless the two adults are very slight I would be looking at 10hp minimum. It’s worth noting that there is often a big weight jump between 8 and 10hp, and often no weight difference between 10hp and 20hp.

Performance wise - 2 adults in a 3.2m and an 8 or 10hp engine would probably plane in good conditions.

From my own experience, I would be looking at 3.2 to 3.8m (eg Honwave T32 (air deck) T35 (aluminium) or T38 (airdeck)) and an engine between 10 and 20hp.

Air deck vs aluminium - the high pressure V air floors are very good but I would stay away from the air floors which are a flat board with an inflatable keel underneath. Aluminium gives a slightly more stable platform at the expense of top end performance.

Really it comes down to budget and car size.

[Ymaohyd]

Thank you for the reply - it is very helpful.

Any pointers on what to look for when buying a used outboard?

[ChrisParish]

Always make sure you see them running and started from cold. As soon as you arrive ask them to take the cover off before they start it and let you check that the engine is truly cold by placing you hands on it. I have had engines which were an absolute pig to start from cold but would start with half a pull when warm and trust me when I say you don’t want one like that!

When it is running look for a good amount of water coming from the tell-tail.

Have a think if you are looking for 4 stroke or 2 stroke. Older 2 strokes are often lighter than their 4 stroke equivalents (not always - some of the later generation Yamaha’s were almost as heavy as a 4 stroke) but they use more fuel and are louder. However, they do have the advantage that they can be easier to transport because they can be laid on any side, where as 4 stroke engines can only lay in specific orientations or oil goes in places it shouldn’t.

Personally I will pick 4 stroke over 2 stroke on a modern boat. Some older boats (like my little zodiac) are rated for the horsepower of 4 strokes but not the weight, so a light 2 stroke is better if you want to max out the horse power.

There are some fantastic second hand engines around - I picked up a great 9.9hp Johnson from 1984 which runs like a dream, and another from the 1970’s which is like new (but it’s long shaft, so no use to me at the moment - just can’t resist a bargain)

[tbn3]

Do you know anything about the electric motors and what size (thrust between 50 +/-) for a T38 3.8 M Air V-Floor or T40 aluminum 4.0M, I think those are the sizes...
Never having taken any type of inflatable boat I’m at aa loss.

Thanks very much.
tbn3

[Limecc]

Do you know anything about the electric motors and what size (thrust between 50 +/-) for a T38 3.8 M Air V-Floor or T40 aluminum 4.0M, I think those are the sizes...
Never having taken any type of inflatable boat I’m at a loss.

Thanks very much.
tbn3

Electric motors are ok for displacement speeds but since a 55lb thrust engine produces less than 660w or 0.88hp you are not going to plane or make headway against any stronger currents or winds.