Bombard AX1

[jakeroyd]

Bought a Bombard AX1 last year really because it's the only size of 'proper' dinghy that will fit in the cockpit locker of my small boat.
My other dinghy , a 2.3m Plastimo is a real brute to lug out of the forecabin and blow up in the cockpit.

I reasoned that the AX1 at 2.1m would be small but just adequate for 2 adults.

Well it got it's first test recently.

Easy to handle and blow up and launch etc.
Yes it is very small , only tested it with me on board so far.
My reason for posting concerns it's stability.

Having returned to the boat and tied up on the stern my wife wanted to take a picture and asked me to move over onto the other tube.
As I did so the whole dinghy started to turn over , going down by the aft corner that i had moved over to.
It was only by a bit agility I suppose that I avoided going in the water by moving my centre of gravity back inside the boat.
It took water over the tube into the boat.

I had a Honda 2hp motor on which of course also provides a tipping moment of it's own.

OK I know it's small and I know we all have to be very carefull with small dingies but I am concerned now for our safety in the normal boat to shore journey in a dinghy.
In my 2.3 I never worried about say going from the Bag in Salcombe around to the dinghy park but in this I would.

Looking at it a bit more critically , to make it easy to roll up etc. the tubes are not very big in diameter and their distance apart (beam) is also not very large.

The rating plate states.
Max motor weight 15kg , max power 2.3Kw.
so OK
Max number of people 2 (you would struggle with 3!)

Total weight of passengers , luggage and motor must be <165kg. (or 363lbs)
Honda is about 30lbs
Me , 175lbs
Wife , 185lbs

So all up we are at 390lbs with no luggage.

So it means we are a bit over and should not really be two up.

The plate also says it conforms to ISO 6185 which i must look up.

I think the problem really is that just due to the shape of a human your centre of gravity can get outside the centreline of the tube very easily.

So I think for me it's not really fit for duty and I think will have to go.

My reason for writing , anybody else had issues with the AX1 ?

TIA


The Honda is about

 

[prv]

I've been in an AX2 and thought that was small enough. Never seen an AX1, but it must be tiny! Sounds like it's only really suitable for one person in practice.

Pete

 

[Topcat47]

When you're a fat B@££*r like me, it's really a 1.5 (remember those child/adult sidecars?). It's also a very tender tender, as you have found. I tried one and rejected it as "not fit for purpose" after my first trip out to a swinging mooring in Portsmouth harbour. The stowage problem is a serious one with small boats, my current dinghy is strapped to a cage over the main hatch. It still gets in the way, but at sea it's less of a problem and I don't have to lug it out of the cabin before inflating it. An alternative is to drop the crew off with the luggage and pop the vessel back onto the mooring single handed.

 

[seumask]

We found that a small round tail ie Wetline / Waveline 230R was a lot more useful than the AX2 and packed down small or the shape you might need because it did not have a hard transom. You still get stability issues but they are less of an issue as the dinghy is wider . PS Don't leave a Round tail dinghy empty and tethered with the engine on as they can be more easily tipped over by waves an wind. We found we could get 2 adults and 2 children aged 7 in the boat for short trips.

 

[alahol2]

I'd search for a second hand Avon Redstart. Served us well for very many years, 2 adults/2 kids. Rolls fairly small.

 

[Kelpie]

We have both an AX2 and an Avon Redcrest. The AX2 came with our boat and is definitely marginal when it comes to space and stability. We nearly swamped it once getting off a beach in Muck, and have hardly used it since then.
The Avon is great but I avoid using it with the outboard because I feel the cg is too high and too far aft, just doesn't feel right.
As to stowage, the AX2 probably stows a tiny bit neater but it's a longer package, albeit a slimmer one.

So, in conclusion, the AX2 is only much use for singlehanded trips with the motor on... for everything else I would prefer the Avon.

How much smaller is the AX1? Is it visible with the naked eye??

 

[VicS]

How much smaller is the AX1? Is it visible with the naked eye??

0.4 m and only rated for 1+ 1 passengers as opposed to 3 for the AX2

AX2 http://www.zodiacmarineusa.com/bombard-tenders/bombard-ax/ax-2

AX1 http://www.zodiacmarineusa.com/bombard-tenders/bombard-ax/ax-1

 

[alahol2]

I'd search for a second hand Avon Redstart. Served us well for very many years, 2 adults/2 kids. Rolls fairly small.

In fact... http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?363414-Avon-Redstart-for-sale-on-ebay , No connection.

 

[TQA]

Sure it is small and light but also wet and tippy. What were you expecting? As for saying it is not 'fiit for purpose' LOL.

It does it's job which is carrying one person around. I see singlehanders with small boats out in the Caribbean using them all the time.

 

[jakeroyd]

I take your point tqa. But this ax1 is not stable just with one in

 

[Davy_S]

We had an AX2 hard floor with a Suzuki 4hp 2 stroke (bag of ****) on the back, it was ok for two on the Irish sea (it would plane one up, when the **** Suzuki would run) we took it with us to Greece, not the Suzuki, we found a mug for that! We played around in the warm water using it for 50 metre trips ashore, 4 up rowing, no problems whatsoever, no fear of it flipping, two males 12/ 13 stone two females 9/10 stone. no fear at all of any problems possibly because of warm water. not tried the AX1, that must be tiny!

 

[Halo]

Call me simple but i thought and AX1 was for 1 person and an AX2 for two. Whilst the rating plates state a max of 2 and 3 persons respectively the weight limits would prevent ye typical overweight yachties from using the max number
I expect you get what you pay for versus the price of an Avon which even second hand will probably cost a lot more than a new Bombard
When I sold an AX2 recently I stated that you would not want more than 2 in it unless it was flat calm

 

[Davy_S]

Hi Simple You are of course right! we bought the AX2 for two people, in which it seemed quite capable, of course my Ionian example was simply tried out because it mattered not if we fell in, it was warm and close to shore, it did cope quite well however.

 

[No Regrets]

I am on my second AX2, and while it all works well, it's far less seaworthy than, say a Honwave 2.7 which has far more air in the pontoons!

However, it's very light, packs up real small and has those handy little pumps in each side!

We use it two up with two small dogs, never had a problem, but with a Mercury 2.5 performance is stoic rather than inspiring. Would like a 4hp, which is more than it's rated at...

 

[Topcat47]

As I was the one who made the "not fit for purpose" comment, let me say it was based upon a single trip, one-up from Hardway to my mooring. Actually I didn't make it to my mooring as it was swamped and I turned back to Hardway. I considered myself lucky to get back at all. I ditched the seagull after that trip too.

 

[Enya]

I am contributing to this thread only because I have an AX1 and use it regularly between my mooring and the shore in Portsmouth Harbour. OK I weigh about 9 stone but have used it with 2 other adults. Used regularly for 5 years now. I have never experienced any problems with it but avoid top speed because it might tip up at front. I always finish off blowing it up with a foot pump to make sure it is fully inflated. I am confident in it even in pretty blowy conditions. (2.5 HP Mariner).

Sounds as if it just is not suitable at higher loads.

 

[jakeroyd]

An update to this bit of a ramble.
Just got back to the boat after pur weekend of delightful weather.
Tested the dinghy again in Mayflower marina.
Yes it is small. But we seemed to do ok.
Tried it first one up with the bf2 on.
My mate found it ok.
Then yested it with 2 up.
2 up is beyond the plated total weight but not that far above.

After some experimentation we found that you have to sit opposite the handle on the outboard otherwise ypu have no room to steer.
You must also interlock your legs alternately.

Done like this it's possible.
So it gets a reprieve from eBay for the time being.

Here is a video of my mate testing one up.
Apologies if this does not work. I am new to Dropbox.
http://db.tt/wTkLih9b

One further observation we made is that it seems very sensitive to inflation pressure.
I may have tried it underinflated the first time.