Hello from Glasgow

[harrison]

Yep agree. If you can’t go boating, next best is come on here and talk boating bollocks.

Despite this, think op is getting some useful info.

[ChrisParish]

I find I can store my outboard any way up I like, provided that I keep it spinning such that the inertia keeps the oil in the sump......

We aren’t nuts here, but you would be forgiven for thinking we were! You can tell it’s too windy to go out on the water.

[Kingfisher]

Yeah deffo some good info, its funny the waders got mentioned cause i was thinking they would be ideal for launching but not so ideal should u end up goin over the side unexpectedly..

[Andy B]

If you’re going to buy a sib that you trailer all the time, why not just buy a rib

Classic. Oh the irony.

Nice one Martin

I've got coffee all over my keyboard now!

There is one point that gets overlooked with solid floor SIB's and that is that they usually come in 2 bags.
Now this all depends on how you look at this.
Having owned a solid floor SIB for quite a while I can say that you do get the hang of getting the floor in and out and i'd go as far as to say that on the times when i did turn up packed away it took me no longer to assemble than others.
In fact i found the thing that took the most time was all the talking......
When i recently sold the Zodiac I demonstrated it for the new owner and had it assembled in only a few minutes....

Lugging the boat around packed away was no more hassle than any other large SIB, you just had to do 2 trips.
The bag with the boat in was probably lighter than say a T38, due to not having the extra material require in a high pressure V floor.
Once assembled the boat was easy enough to move around on launch wheels, and with the engine fitted it would offset some of the weight of the boat.
I can remember helping Mitch on a couple of occasions with his T38.
No disrespect to Mitch at all, but when you've got all your kit onboard any large SIB starts to become a handful...

As stated above there are Pro's and Con's to every design, but i think the building and packing away of a hard floor SIB gets over played.

However,
I did tend to keep mine on a trailer, but that's because i have the space and because i live on the coast and it's nice to use it at a moments notice.

[Kingfisher]

Thanks andy what u said there is kinda what i was hoping to hear , im not too worried about the grazed knuckles bit , im a maint sparky so used to spanner rash and wrestling with pumps ect outside in the wet and cold .. its all a compromise and i think for me the extra hastle is worth havin a solid floor under my feet ... what about the engine ??? Are these new efi engines any good or do people still prefer the older carbed ones ??

[harrison]

That’s great. Nowt wrong with hard floor sibs.

Much easier with motors though, any one of the new efi motors;

Suzuki 15/20 efi
Tohatsu 15/20 efi
Mercury 15/20 efi
Mariner 15/20 efi

The Merc/Mariner/Tohatsu are the same motors and all made by Tohatsu. The Merc/Mariners have a fancy tiller and the Tohatsu has 7 year warranty. All weigh between 43 to 45kg so just go for best deal, nearest dealer or best looking.

Now the difficult bit: should you go 15 or 20 as they both weigh the same.

[ChrisParish]

The general advise with motors is fit the max power for weight that you can afford / your boat can handle / you can carry. My 9.9 mariner only weighs 5kg less than the 20.

Also - waders are great for launching but not great for falling in. I use a set of neoprene waders for winter launching.

[Kingfisher]

Think ive got a good idea of what im looking for cheers guys .. all i need to do now is tell the wife shes not getting a kitchen ... wish me luck

[sonny1]

Think ive got a good idea of what im looking for cheers guys .. all i need to do now is tell the wife shes not getting a kitchen ... wish me luck

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[Alimac]

Hiya... reasonably new myself Kingfisher, having purchased my boat in Aug last year.
After much research and a day out with Paul (Oban( Paul) I went for the Honwave T38ie and Suzuki 20h (lightest in weight across the range and understand 9, 10, 15 and 20h all same weight). I also now have trailer so best of both worlds as can still fold and stick it in the boot if the need arises...Boot to boat circa 20mins... Im in Dunoon if your ever across and want a look at an Airfloor
Alimac