I’m getting a little concerned…

[chris moody]

I keep wondering if the Excel SD Volante in either 3.6m or 3.9m size might be a worthy competitor. But I've never met anyone that has had one.

http://www.excel-inflatables.co.uk/infl ... -sd360.php

It would be great to get one of these and a T38 out head to head on the water together for sea trials. Maybe we should approach Excel boats and see if they are prepared to lend us one for a few days to test it against the legendary T38.

[harrison]

Forgive me if mistaken, but aren’t the Excel’s flat high pressure floors with inflatable sausage keel under.

[ChrisParish]

Yep. This is usually seen as the worst of both worlds.

[Mitch]

Forgive me if mistaken, but aren’t the Excel’s flat high pressure floors with inflatable sausage keel under.

Yep. This is usually seen as the worst of both worlds.

What’s the matter with you two guys, don’t you like a bit of sausage

[ChrisParish]

I like to gobble sausage as much as the next guy, I just don’t like them under my bum.

[ChrisParish]

All jokes aside - I would love to see a side by side comparison between the two boats. It would be good to find an alternative in case the quality control issues at Honda / Sun get worse.
The excel 390 is 10cm wider inside than the Honwave.

I wonder if @chris moody could pull off borrowing one from Excel? That would be really good.

[chris moody]

I'll make some enquiries and see what I can sort out.

All jokes aside - I would love to see a side by side comparison between the two boats. It would be good to find an alternative in case the quality control issues at Honda / Sun get worse.
The excel 390 is 10cm wider inside than the Honwave.

I wonder if @chris moody could pull off borrowing one from Excel? That would be really good.

[Brerabit]

I didn’t know anything about Excel boats until @Chris Moody mentioned them here so I looked them up and it turns out they’re only 10 minutes from where I live, which is a big comfort factor.
Went to see them this morning and I’m quite impressed with two of their boats as an alternative to the Honwave T38, namely the Volante SD390 and even more so with the Volaire RD390.

Apparently the Volaire was developed primarily for the emergency services due to its performance characteristics and rapid deployment but it is available to the public and is becoming increasingly popular with ‘serious SIBers” . The current version now features the more pointed bow shape of the Volante plus the Honwave style of eyeleted web around the top of the tubes.
Other features which I noticed were the seats (two of), which are made from ribbed extruded aluminium with special attachments at the ends which attach to a long fitting on the boat. This enables either of the seats to be placed in a choice of positions. There is also a guide and clamping cleat at the bow for the anchor rope. One of the best features is the removable high pressure floor. Not only does this provide a flat floor in the boat and protection for the inflatable hull but it also creates a bilge space beneath it so your feet and kit aren’t sloshing about in water, plus should it get punctured, it’s easily lifted out for repair or replacement. Below this and above the hull are what I can only describe as a couple of full width bracing boards which sit flat across the hull, under the floor and are held in place by the floor and the curvature of the tubes. This I’m told is a very effective method of preventing the distortion in the hull that has been described by some with T38s where it seems air gets under the boat. Another advantage to their hull design is that it doesn’t appear to need the inflatable trim tabs and therefore no need for those awful Honwave transom wheels, conventional hinged, swing-up-and-down ones will work fine.

Another plus point is it’s available in red, black, navy and two shades of grey - but not white…

It all looks very good to my untrained eye but I would love to hear from somebody who knows about this stuff.

[PeterM]

I have owned 2 Excel Sibs over the years a 2.7m ( used basically as a tender ) and a 3.3 for more river use as a standalone boat.

I was very impressed by both ( I'm sure so were the thieving gits that stole the 2.7 !) - well put together and good value for money - some nice little features as you mention to make the friendlier to use.

They didnt fold down as small as some of the Bombard boats that replaced them or they were used to replace - but thats a minor issue.

I recall seeing the bigger version (4.5M? ) being used for charter to the public on the River at Fowey - so they must be tough enough to stand up to some abuse