F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

evening folks,
been out twice now with our honwave T32, have been thinking about a trailer for the boat so we can leave inflated. another thing i have been thinking if we decide to get a bigger engine (15hp) eventually its going to be heavier than the 6hp we have at the moment.
my question to you guys is, is it ok to travel with the boat on the trailer and the engine still attatched to the boat or should the engine be inside the towing vehicle?
hope its not a silly question but was thinking it may sway me to a trailer sooner.
kind regards
colin

Hi Colin,

Not a silly question at all and, as it happens, I’m in a similar boat. Well nearly, it’s a T38.

Recently re-engaged with this sibbing lark and am now committing what I previously considered the ultimate cardinal sin....having a roll up/blow up boat on a trailer. I’m never going to live this down.

To be honest, after a few trips just can’t be arsed with all the faff inflating/deflating then yet more inflating/deflating once back home to clean etc. In mitigation though, I did have an old trailer lying around (as you do) ripe for adapting. A tad short and bouncy but nowt that can’t be sorted.

So, yes I think it will be ok to tow with our 20hp motor mounted on transom, even on an air floor boat. I’ve positioned the trailer bunks hard up to outer sides of the floor directly under tubes and extending well past transom. Floor just hangs freely between with all weight and bounce whilst underway transferred to full length of tubes.

Tubes and floor will be inflated at, or near, working pressure whilst towing to limit excessive flexing caused by weight of outboard. Boat will be kept on trailer for storage, outboard removed, and tube/floor pressure reduced to half working pressure.

The downside to trailering though will include increased fuel consumption, reduced speed, need for slipway, parking and increased parking fees.