# Inflatable boat & engine. Thoughts please.



## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

I'm in the market for a small inflatable boat & engine. Something that can be carried on the van roof rack & the engine stashed in the garage beside the other junk. This will obviously entail carrying the thing to the water or rolling it on launching wheels.

It's a few years since I've owned an inflatable. My last one was a Bombard & made out of Hypalon. Vinyl as a boat material was seen as a cheap option & much less easy to repair if the worst was to happen. IE a leak or a small tear.

So my question is this. Has material technology moved on much ? Most of the small 3M sized boats seem to be made of vinyl now. What's the scoop ?

And yes....before you ask, I'm looking to buy either new or 2nd hand, so if you know anyone who's selling etc, please feel free to PM me. I'm looking for something about 3M with an engine that can make the thing plane with a couple of adults onboard. I'm in East Lothian .

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts or advice.

Dave.


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## andrewball1000 (Oct 16, 2009)

davesport said:


> ... I'm looking for something about 3M with an engine that can make the thing plane with a couple of adults onboard. Dave.


I have seen a small RIB where the transom and sides fold inside and you end up with a smaller package to store, rather like a tortoise shell. I have been considering one ,myself as the sea worthy characteristics of a RIB are far better for coastal work.

Roof storage would be fine or else clip on back of van like a bike rack. I doubt it would fit in a garage. They make two sizes.


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## bulawayolass (Jul 27, 2010)

I have an inflatable kayak but can take 2 adults not sure what you are looking for though l like brookbanks service get one of their store cards and save a fortune. They sell quite a few inflateables. 
Mine is the blue tango.
http://www.canoesandkayaks.co.uk/product/8211/Z_Pro_Tango_200_Inflatable_2_Person_Kayak_Z_Pro


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## Gretchibald (Jul 22, 2011)

Will be interested to see how you get a 3M on the roof, got to weigh at least 50k.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Unless the boat has a rigid hull I would be very surprised if you can find an engine thats light enough but has enough grunt to get an inflatable planing with 2 adults aboard!!!

Outboard motors are not particularly light weight and neither are 3m inflatables so check your payload carefully before lashing out !!!


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

I have a Tinker Foldaway RIB, with transom slightly strengthened to take a 5hp outboard (standard 4hp from memory) and it planes with 2 adults (but not obese ones). Great sailing dinghy, too. All goes in the boot of a medium saloon car, and readily in a motorhome garage.

Dave
http://www.caravanboat.info/page2.html
http://www.caravantalk.co.uk/caravan-and-boat/the-caravanners-boat/a-question-of-choice


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## Patrick_Phillips (Aug 17, 2006)

We have been carrying a porta-bote and 6HP Mercury which is good for three people. Sadly (for you!) we have just sold it because the amount of use didn't justify the weight...
They are very stable. Used by fishing folk because they are steady enough to stand and fly fish in them.
6HP would not get it to plane for me although everybody said it should!
The UK importer is http://www.intramore.co.uk/ in Lowestoft.
They are not the cheapest boat in the world! The launching wheels alone are £250. But then we sold our £3k outfit (boat & motor) for £2.5k after three years!

Patrick


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

I know why you really sold it, Patrick ;-)






Dave


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I went down this route when I first got the van as I have been around boats all my life and love the water.

I bought a Quicksilver Aire Deck 3.1 metre dinghy brand new for about £850. Solid as a rock and the payload was probably more than most vans (around 600KG I think).

The whole thing rolled up and went in the luton but at 35 or 37 KG from memory it was flipping heavy to get up there.

I bought a 3 year old Yamaha 8 HP four stroke at a bargain price and it was perfect. The thing with two or three adults on board went like the clappers. 

Mars D hated it. IT was a bit like flying along on one of those ringo things you see in the Med! I loved it and with your feet under the straps it reminded me of my windsurfing days!

The engine was always awkward to get in and out. it weighed about the same as the boat 35Kg ish and it wouldn't go in our garage so had to be stored between the front seats. 

With all that weight and a scooter on the back it was too much and too much hassle. Great outfit though and after 3 outings it was sold for more than I paid for it! Chap came up from cornwall for it! Could have sold it ten times over as good second hand outfits and engines are hard to find.

Dont be tempted to go for a cheap chinese engine that seem attractive. They are crap.

Get a Yamaha

Good luck


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

We have one of >These< from Mailspeed marine..

It is 2.7 meters long with a 2.5HP Suzuki 4 stroke outboard. It will not break any speed records but will take 3 adults and the engine is very light as is the boat, and it will fold up to go in the boot of a small hatchback along with the engine..

Great fun rowing it ..









View My Video

We have as much fun in this as our other boat we sold last year a 7meter Osprey with a 130hp Yamaha outboard on the back, it cruised at 30 knots and about 48 knots top speed :wink: ..

ray.


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## Topefisher (Apr 20, 2011)

I too had a Quicksilver Air Deck 3.1M and just used the 4hp Yamaha 4 stroke Auxilary Engine from my fast fishing boat.

Ideal choice would be a 5hp Honda engine as they are normally around the lightest per hp and one, if not, the most reliable.

Remember whatever you settle on, to keep it under 10hp else you will have to register it and pay launching fees at most coastal launches.
( Why you see a lot of of 9.9hp engines around ).

You may well be far better trailing your choice as there is far more equipment needed other than the hull itself and motor, in particular saftey gear and maybe an electric inflator etc. Small trailer or even dinghy trailer will do.

Be safe and get trained if you go out to sea.

Believe it or not a large percentage of sea accidents actaully occur when people travel twixt shore and moored boats where no great distance is involved.


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

I would not advise anyone to go out to sea in any of the small dinghies being discussed, they are OK as a tender to get to a larger boat in a sheltered environment..

If used sensibly on calm water such as a lake they are good fun and safe..

ray.


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## Patrick_Phillips (Aug 17, 2006)

DABurleigh said:


> I know why you really sold it, Patrick ;-)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Fantastic!
Actually it is also very close to the truth. They provide a simple wooden stick which makes the whole process very easy to do. But it is just a stick. You lose it. You know you can get a replacement from any wood pile. But you forget. Then you try this guy's trick!!!
Patrick


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## 91502 (May 1, 2005)

Hi
We had a 3m Yamaha inflatable with a 9.9hp Yamaha motor. 
The inflated boat went on the roof of our Hymer 694 and the motor in the garage. I made my own launching wheel but it was not easy to lug around on the sand when complete with fuel tank etc. 
It was ok for speed wih 4 adults and 2dogs across the bay at St Tropez amongst the million pound boats but with just 2 on board it was eye watering fast. I am used to fast cars and motorbikes but this was something else. 
I bought it off this forum and sold it 4 years later for a nice profit on eBay. 
Certainly fun but limited places to use it. 
James


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Patrick_Phillips said:


> DABurleigh said:
> 
> 
> > I know why you really sold it, Patrick ;-)
> ...


I did consider a Porta-Bote before buying my Henshaw Tinker Foldaway RIB. I liked the way it folded flat yet given its hull-form could plane with a reasonable outboard. But when I saw it in the flesh on a work trip to the States it seemed typical US quality fittings - build down to a price. Probably fit for purpose, but hardly an object of desire.

Dave


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## Patrick_Phillips (Aug 17, 2006)

DABurleigh said:


> I did consider a Porta-Bote ...But when I saw it in the flesh on a work trip to the States it seemed typical US quality fittings - build down to a price. Probably fit for purpose, but hardly an object of desire.
> Dave


Yep. It is what I call "good ole boy engineering". You use only the materials you can buy at the local hardware store and make sure it doesn't break when you jump on it. Design is function and aesthetics is not something we want in our community...!

Patrick


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