Avon Redstart opinions?

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Endacy

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Since my cabin cruiser is still far from being finished I have turned my attention to my Avon Redstart in an attempt to get out onto the water this summer – even if it is in an inflatable dinghy. I got the boat for next to no money and have spent a few quid getting it ‘ship shape’, such as a new valve bung for the seat, an outboard bracket and recently more patches than you can shake a stick at for the floor. Never having had it in the water I hope I found all the holes!

Anyway to my questions: I have a small Seagull 40+ engine to fit to the boat, I have read a lot on here about these boats and am concerned about it just tipping over when I go to start the engine or sit at the back to steer it. The boat has no solid floor or slats, just the fabric bottom, is this OK? Should I consider a plywood floor like some people on here have described? I will probably extend the tiller to the centre seat so the boat is better balanced, would this be enough to make the boat useable without making a floor? Marine ply is expensive so it’d be nice to avoid making a floor up.

Has anyone else used one of these boats with a small seagull like mine on their own, and was it ok? Cheers!
 
ive used mine with a 2hp with and without the floor.
you could make a 3 peice floor out of non marine ply.
im pretty heavy and sit at the back and its okay but next time id extend the tiller to reach the center.
 
A small seagull pushed my old one along ok. I used it with no floor in most of the time.

They are noisy though, and a new mariner 2.5 went alot better (about 5 - 6 knots instead of about 3) and was quieter.
 
I have a redcrest which is 1ft longer than a redstart and have used it with a 40 plus. It was a bit overpowered when I was using it solo and lifted at the front when I opened the throttle near to full without the wooden floor. I didn't try it with the floor. I now use a forty featherweight, one of the last to be built and I think is actually called a 45 with about 2hp, this is ok solo on full throttle.
 
A 40plus is a bit on the large and heavy side. A 40 Featherweight (Early ones were call 40 minus) would have been better. Although the powerhead is the same the gearbox is smaller and lighter. It is also a shorter shaft length.
You will have problems actually fitting the outboard on the bracket if you do it afloat unles you weigh the front of the boat down . A 25 litre water carrier will be sufficient.

You may be able to get an additional rigid seat which can be attached with velcro enabling you to sit close enough to steer without sitting on the side and getting a wet bum. (I usually put the oars across and sit on them)

We do not have floor boards.

A small Yamaha or similar would have been lighter and much much quieter.

If it is a 10:1 fuel mix one try to get the carb needle to convert it to 25:1. It makes them much less messy to handle

If you run a Seagull you need to know about the Saving old Seagulls website
 
My Redstart sits on deck through all the weather and rubbish .... literally year after year. It has patches on patches - floor that is.

I use it with the last remnants of slat floor left, sometimes without and when I first got it - a full rigid ply floor, split into 2 sections, joint under inflatable seat - that was fantastic - but a pain to fit / carry.

I use a Mariner 2.2 on back - I bought it with a Johnson 4.5 Twin .....

Find it fine .... no complaints...... apart from that daft metal o/board bracket !
 
I have a Redcrest, with no floor slats. It carries me plus two children(about 160kgs) plus some kit and its own weight.

I use a Honda 2hp 4 stroke which is a bit tired and quite slow but it's OK. The only thing I would say is that with a helmsman next to the motor the rear tube tends to tilt back a little and this chokes off the motor's thrust a bit and it occasionally misses a beat which can be a bit worrying but that's all.
 
Yes - I use a Seagull Forty Plus on a Redstart

It is fine.

You will need a tiller extension of some sort in order to sit on the thwart.

Starting the engine is OK - hand on tank, pull cord.

The more "interesting" bit is stopping it, by the recommended method of shutting the fuel tap at the back of the tank so as to empty the carburetter chamber - this involves reaching right round to the back of the engine.

A little experience wil soon teach you where the (hot) block and spark plug are and where the fuel tap is!

I find it useful to carry some sort of weight forward - a jerry can of fresh water, or something of that sort.

I have a slat floor - I would think that you will be OK with no floor, but a plywood floor would be nice to have.
 
Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

On mine if the slats or ply floor is not in .... the fabric floor does give a lot and lead to a dance trying to stand up to get in / out !

If you are good at rounding the edges and cutting reasonably accurately - there is no reason why a part floor couldn't be made from ply ... it doesn't have to be complete as with mine. Cut correctly the side tubes when pumped up will hold it from sliding ..... so you could in fact create stowable sections to go ahead of and aft of the seat .... purely to stand on ? Can't be any worse than slats - probably much better.
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

Thanks for the replies so far everyone!

Could non-marine (exterior grade) ply be used for the floor? Wouldn't it fall apart the second it got wet? It would be much cheaper and easier to get hold of though. Could a sealant be used to help it out, you can use brick sealant/waterproof to seal canvas, would it work on ply? I could get all i need from Wickes!

I like the bed slats idea, that would be very cheap and easy, very tempting, assuming they are wide enough to reach the edges and wedge under the tubes.

I can appreciate that there are better engines out there but I don't have any money to spend on one! I got this seagull going myself for very little money by cannabalising parts and repairing stuff myself. It is in very good coniditon and runs nicely now, i'm loath to sell it and get a different one. It is sadly too old to be converted to 25:1.

I think a wooden floor would be helpful if only for the weight it would add to the front of the boat to stop it tipping up!
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

Exterior grade ply will do fine - the glue is the same but there are more voids in it and the veneers are less durable. Be sure to coat the end grain in thin epoxy and it will go for years.

I love my Seagull - the 40+ is the pick of the bunch. Mine runs on 10:1 and I reckon the oiliness helps to keep it happy.

The other point about the Redstart is that it is a little swine to row - the Redcrest is far, far, better. But you can just about pry it along.
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

[ QUOTE ]
Could non-marine (exterior grade) ply be used for the floor? Wouldn't it fall apart the second it got wet?

[/ QUOTE ] It should be Ok, but like most things in life some is better quality than others. My dinghy is made of exterior (WBP) grade ply and that is now 28 years old.
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

Excellent! I may go for some exterior ply then and make a proper floor. It would also mean i could put the engine on the floor, launch the boat the stick the motor on from the inside.

I don't have any epoxy though, you mean like the West stuff? That's quite pricey, is there an alternative? I saw a post on here that said G4 pond sealer works?
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

Really, anything will work over the short/medium term. Varnish, primer paint, whay have you! Epoxying the edges is a way of getting a long life out of exterior grade ply when used in boats.
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

Exterior grade WBP is fine as long as you seal the edges and cuts with lashings of paint or varnish.

My floor is WBP and over 10 yrs old ..... fine.

The Seagull ..... don't listen to some of these "old fa**s" who want you to go buy same engine as they have .... I like Seagulls, I've had Seagulls and would have one again .... but then again I really am an old sea Fa** !!
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

[ QUOTE ]
I like Seagulls, I've had Seagulls and would have one again .... but then again I really am an old sea Fa** !!

[/ QUOTE ] Well someone has to say it. I agree with that statement , all three parts of it! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Ok without but does gives rise to a bit of dance !!

OK then, I'm going to make a two piece exterior WBP ply floor, sealed with whatever external varnish I can afford, I am assuming for wood that is actually going to get wet that varnish is better than preservative or stain. I am also going to make a tiller extention, from a broom handle. I was considering extending the throttle up to the end of my new lengthy tiller, but that’s a lot of effort on a Seagull, and I figure when I need to go slowly and need fine throttle control I can just crouch in the back on my new ply floor without fear of the boat falling over!
 
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