F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

Hello all

Newbie here - yes, I've posted an intro ;)

I was walking around Whitby earlier when I saw what I now know to be a SIB, for sale

Returning to my caravan, I decided to do some research and found this forum, along with even more questions

My name is Tony, 50 years old from between Manchester & Huddersfield, and I have a little dog called Ben.

Ben is a rescue dog who spent the first 5 years of his life in rescue. To catch up with all the things he missed out on as a puppy, I bought a touring caravan and we go away on dog/dad adventures every few weeks

2 years ago this saw us as Windermere and a very nice boat hire place let me take out an electric boat before the main tourism times (actually 7am) so that Ben could try being on a boat for the first time. He absolutely loved it

So much so, I built my first boat, a car-toppable 14 ft Sassafras canoe (will post pics if anyone is interested)

The only thing is, its a little bit 'tippy' ..... so I've always fancied a bit wider boat and this desire resurfaced today when I saw the SIB for sale

AS I've said, I tow a caravan so towing another boat as well is out of the question - but a boat that folds up would appear to tick all the boxes. I tow with a hard top Hilux so transport & storage are sorted

I didn't know that FRIB's even existed till I found this forum !

The SIB I found is a Honwave 3.8 - perhaps a little big for "1 dog & his human" so I'm looking for suggestions from those more experienced in these matters. My main requirements are :

* Easily handle-able by one man, on ground as well as in the water
* Durable & proven design
* Reliable suitable engine, ideally 4 stroke - most likely this will mean 'Honda'
* Straight forward to set up / inflate / deflate / pack away
* Easy to launch ...... those wheels are a clever idea !

If I could find one that takes a bimini top, even better ..... not so much for sun, more as a fixed umbrella, we are in the UK after all

Would like recommendations about places to buy as well - Ely Boat Chandlery was mentioned but that appears to have closed now

As I said, I'm 50 and looking for maximum enjoyment. So I'm looking for a quality boat & a quality engine - I want to be enjoying myself, not arguing with an outboard that won't start !

I'm not 'hung up' on brand of boat, though I did like the Honwave I saw with its Honda engine

so .... over to you lot

What are your recommendations & suggestions

With kind regards, Tony & Ben dog

Hi Tony.

Ok, to address your questions -

Boat:
I would recommend that you look at either the Excel Volaire 390 or the Honwave T38 (although their quality control is slipping / has slipped).
Both pack down relatively small and can be handled by one person without any problem.

Engine:
I would not recommend Honda - they are heavy!
For performance a Suzuki Df20 or a Mariner/Mercury 20efi. I have a Suzuki and that is unbelievably easy to start - first pull every time.
For light weight pretty much any 6hp fourstroke.
The 20 will push 4 people along at 15-20knots in either boat, the 6 will manage about 6 knots.

Launch wise, both boats can be fitted with launch wheels although there are pros and cons to each (Honwave wheels are weird, swan necked things and the Volaire needs spacers)

Either boat could be fitted with a Bimini top but it would be a diy job - I don’t know of a boat off the top of my head which comes with one as standard.

Hope this helps.

For 1 man and his dog purposes I’d look at the Frib 275 and a 4 stroke 6hp motor (mine is a Yamaha so that would be my recommendation). Both items are manageable single handed and will fit in the boot of most medium to large cars. Very quick and easy to set up and the 6hp motor will have you nipping along very nicely.

if you are planning to go out at whitby (scarborough/ bridlington/ flamborough)i'd say the bigger the better in both boat and engine as it can get lumpy at the entrance to whitby harbour. minimum 3m length, and minimum 9.9hp outboard so you can punch the tides with ease. it's not like the solent up here, you dont get any weather/wind protection from the Isle of Wight...

it's more a qustion of what you can move on your own. personally for you and the the hound i'd look at ally floor sib/ F-rib or actual rib (most swear by air deck but considering the area you may be using ie, east coast i'd rather have something substantial under me but thats just my two cent), good flat floor, more rigid but a bit heavier. as for brand/price thats up to you. if you are prepared to tow then a 3 to 3.5m rib/ F-Rib is in my eperience the most hardy but then i'm biased. i like grp!!!

The F-Ribs are great if your budget will stretch to that.
Smaller boats have a harder time in big seas so I would go as big as you can manage.

Si Crowe wrote: ↑

11 Jul 2019, 07:48

if you are planning to go out at whitby (scarborough/ bridlington/ flamborough)i'd say the bigger the better in both boat and engine as it can get lumpy at the entrance to whitby harbour. minimum 3m length, and minimum 9.9hp outboard so you can punch the tides with ease. it's not like the solent up here, you dont get any weather/wind protection from the Isle of Wight...

it's more a qustion of what you can move on your own. personally for you and the the hound i'd look at ally floor sib/ F-rib or actual rib (most swear by air deck but considering the area you may be using ie, east coast i'd rather have something substantial under me but thats just my two cent), good flat floor, more rigid but a bit heavier. as for brand/price thats up to you. if you are prepared to tow then a 3 to 3.5m rib/ F-Rib is in my eperience the most hardy but then i'm biased. i like grp!!!

I'm happy with towing Si, but I'll already be towing a caravan

I like GRP too - years ago my parents had a 21ft Draco powerboat with a 175 Volvo sterndrive - but for me, now, it has to be something that either packs away (in the car) or is within the carrying - and my lifting - capacity of the 4 bars on my Hilux roof

ChrisParish wrote: ↑

11 Jul 2019, 06:36

Hi Tony.

Ok, to address your questions -

Boat:
I would recommend that you look at either the Excel Volaire 390 or the Honwave T38 (although their quality control is slipping / has slipped).
Both pack down relatively small and can be handled by one person without any problem.

Engine:
I would not recommend Honda - they are heavy!
For performance a Suzuki Df20 or a Mariner/Mercury 20efi. I have a Suzuki and that is unbelievably easy to start - first pull every time.
For light weight pretty much any 6hp fourstroke.
The 20 will push 4 people along at 15-20knots in either boat, the 6 will manage about 6 knots.

Launch wise, both boats can be fitted with launch wheels although there are pros and cons to each (Honwave wheels are weird, swan necked things and the Volaire needs spacers)

Either boat could be fitted with a Bimini top but it would be a diy job - I don’t know of a boat off the top of my head which comes with one as standard.

Hope this helps.

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your recommendations & suggestions

The boat I was looking at yesterday is a 3.8 mtr Honwave, but I'm kinda seeing now that it's WAY overpriced, even with a 20 hp Honda

I agree about the extra length !! ....... who would disagree

I kinda figured that being here in Blighty & not Key West, the bimini top will be something I'll have to figure out for myself

Interesting that you feel the Honwave is overpriced - it is one of the cheapest SIBs out there. A similar spec f-rib is £3500

ChrisParish wrote: ↑

11 Jul 2019, 17:15

Interesting that you feel the Honwave is overpriced - it is one of the cheapest SIBs out there. A similar spec f-rib is £3500

I was only going off what they seem to sell for on eBay (historic item search)

Maybe I'm mistaken, if so I'm happy to admit it

Honwave 3.8 meter (2 years old) with electric pump, oars, carry bag & 20 hp 4-stroke Honda for sale for £ 3000 -- quoted as 'price when new' £ 4200

It’s the engines which are the pricy bit. The boat is about £1200 new (and many dealers can beat that price). A brand new Suzuki (better than the Honda in my opinion) is about £2600 or a new Mariner/Mercury is around £2300.
I personally opted for new boat and second hand engine to get me started.