Ullswater by sib

[mspark]

So today would be our maiden voyage in the ebay purchase. The weather was glorious with full sun and a 6 knot breeze. My son (9) looked a bit worried by his dads latest adventure, we travelled to Waterside House Camp Site who charge £12 for all day parking and launching and are extremely accommodating. It took me longer to inflate all chambers with my 12 V compressor than I was expecting, I need to get that sorted for next time. The Mariner 15hp 2 stroke which I transported on its back on my bike rack was fitted on the back of the sib. I removed the spark plugs gave then a clean and wipe, turned the engine over with a couple of pulls then squirted some easy start in the plug holes and refitted the plugs. Launching the sib was a bit rough as there are lots of sizeable rocks on the waters edge. We both jumped in the boat and lowered the motor, opened the fuel vent, pumped the fuel, pulled out the choke and gave the cord a pull. The motor started first time and we were off. The first thing I notice is the throttle works the opposite way to how I imagined and we have a few odd moments then I'm getting the hang of it and wow this boat can move. We spent about an hour going up and down the water and boat, motor, captain and second mate never missed a beat. The 2 stroke motor is noiser than I was expecting so may take ear plugs next time but for the first outing it proved brilliant and the big smile on my sons face made the outing worth all the money spent. Arisaig hear we come.

[MCL]

congrats on the new purchase, Im relatively new to SIBs myself, love it. check out bravo BP12 pumps, they are worth every penny if inflating every outing. Have you got a photo of your engine on the bike rack as I am considering doing something similar. Also lets see a pic of your new boat!

[chris moody]

Sounds like you had great fun day mspark. A couple of handy tips; don’t use easy start as it will ruin your engine, and if you sit on the right hand side and use the tiller in your left hand it will twist the correct way. Enjoy your Sib.

[mspark]

Thanks Chris I will cease to use easy start with immediate effect. As my wife is left handed I could get her to do the driving that way she can't tell me I'm doing it wrong. Next pictures will be from Arisaig, our first trip made me realise how far you can travel in a short space of time, we've been used to canoes and kayaks, I need to think about more safety equipment before we venture to far from shore.

[Stray]

Well done, a first outing with no major mishaps.
For starting the motor try; open the choke, pump up the fuel bulb, gently turn the motor over 3 or 4 times with the pull cord, then give it a good pull. Usually works for me, even in colder weather.

[Cliff]

[quote="mspark"] Waterside House Camp Site who charge £12 for all day parking and launching and are extremely accommodating.

Thanks for the info on the boat launch, looks like a good place

[Gazzago]

You can launch for free next to the steamer at Glenridding.

There is the old slip way built for Donald Campbell and Bluebird. It’s not in great condition and you might prefer just to launch from the beach next to it but it’s an option.

Parking will cost £7-8 for the whole day. The car park fills up quickly in nice weather too!


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