inflatable + o/board - cheap and cheerful ?

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splashman237

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Is it worth double the cost to go for a 2.7m Honwave v floor and a 5hp honda at around 2k or just go with say a 2.7 waveco v floor and a Hidea 5hp at around £1k ? Is the quality/reliabilty/name that much better? Any thoughts ?
 
splashman237 said:
Is it worth double the cost to go for a 2.7m Honwave v floor and a 5hp honda at around 2k or just go with say a 2.7 waveco v floor and a Hidea 5hp at around £1k ? Is the quality/reliabilty/name that much better? Any thoughts ?
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Depends what you are going to use it for.

Ref the inflatable, what material is it made from? The PVC ones don't last as long as the Hyperlon ones.

Also how heavy is it / if you want to store it, how small does it pack up?

What's the pump like...

What are the oars & rowlocks like / are they usable?

Ref the engine - I'd be considering warranty length and after sales service alongside the cost, likewise cost of a service. Also being a 4 stroke they can be funny about which way you lay them down.

I can't comment on the makes, but hopefully these have given you something to think on...
 
Hypalon is no longer available at the cheap and cheerful end, but PVC is - they say - much improved.

Deflatables have a power rating - make sure the engine you choose doesn't exceed it if you ever want to make a warranty claim!

5hp engines are relatively heavy to manhandle, do you actually need that much power? I use 2.5 horses to drive a 2.6m, seems more than adequate.
 
I have a second hand Avon Redcrest (Hypalon) in very good nick bought for £270 and a 2hp 2 stroke mercury o/b bought from a forumite for £150, that's cheap and cheerful...:)
 
northwind said:
The PVC ones don't last as long as the Hyperlon ones.
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I'd really like to see some evidence of that - my PVC Bombard (made by Zodiac) will be ten years old next year, seen regular use, and left out in the sun (sometimes for months, and it's HOT here) with no noticeable degradation (apart from the wooden bits...).

Just curious, is all....
 
As others have said, depends on what you plan to do with it. If its just the odd day out and you look after it a bit the cheaper route is fine. But if its regular use humping about, dragging on off boats, davits and beaches then the Honwave will serve you better IMO. Good points on the engine - a 2.5hp will push you along about 5-6Kn but will only weight about 15-16kg even with a bit of fuel in. A 5hp with weigh 25-28kg. Thats a heavy beast to be lugging very far. If you want to plane it though you will righly need 5-6hp on a 2.7
 
Do check out the size / diameter of the inflatable tubes !

My 32 year old Zodiac 240 is far more safe & seaworthy than modern cheaper jobs with relatively tiny tubes; when trying a cheap modern thing I was horrified and quickly resurrected the Zodiac.

Modern large diameter tube Zodiacs are expensive though, it takes a fair bit of shopping around re. tube sizes.

Also watch out for stowage space and weight.

My 22' boat can stow the Zodiac under the cockpit, but only if it's a 'round tail' type; when I tried a solid transom design - as seems standard, easy to manufacture kit these days - it proved very difficult to stow and remarkably heavy too.
 
If budgets an issue, I would go half and half. Decent budget dinghy and a branded engine (Honda, Yamaha, Mercury etc). The Chinese engines are a bit of an unknown quantity, what happens when it goes wrong etc.

The HondaWaves are excellent(we had 1), but they are heavy.
 
I would try and source one or possibly both 2nd hand - but this depends on what you are using it for. In my case, i needed a tender to get to the boat on a lake.

I managed to get a 4hp 4stroke mariner 2006 for £350 on ebay. It needed a new fuel filter as it had been left for some time with fuel in, but its as good as new now. Same thing with the dingy - got a 2nd hand waveline 290 with the airdeck floor.
 
I'd go for a second hand Avon rover 2.80, just look at how many 20 + year old Avons are still in use. They are heavier than a newer cheaper PVC inflatable, but you won't ever wear it out and they are very stable and safe. Engine wise I'd forget 4 stroke, yes they run cleaner, but in they arnt any smoother running (untill you get over 2 cylinder) and there a pain in the ar*e to stow. I'd get a well loved 4hp yam / mariner 2 stroke.
 
Ok so Summarising - Hypalon might be better than PVC , but depends on use / wear , maint,sun etc . Honwave good gear - And smaller motor seems better 2.3hp ok but not for planing - with three dogs and SWIMBO, planing not a high priority, was only thinking about pushing against a tide stream .
Chinese engines , I read on a previous post that Hidea had good reputation (and that the guts of engines was the same as one of the well known makes) , 4 yr warranty etc any users can comment ? Honda Suzi or Mercury who has best support ?
 
Twister_Ken said:
If you do decide to posh it, the inflatable that always seems to do well in tests is the Lodestar range.

http://www.rochemarine.co.uk/pages/Lodestar-Press.html
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I've had a Lodestar NSA260 for about 5 years, bought it after reading a group test in one of the magazines which gave it 'best buy'. Mine is PVC but they also do them in Hypalon. Roche Marine advised me that the extra cost of Hypalon was only justified in regions of strong sunshine as it stood up to uv radiation better than PVC. Reasoning that this wasn't likely to be a problem in Lancashire I opted for PVC. I've had good service from the Lodestar - the detail design is notably good and also the general quality. Would buy again.

I power it with a 3.5 hp Tohatsu 2 stroke which gives ample power.
 
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