What rubber dinghy ? :)

[frosted]

Hi there , im wondering if I can get some help in regards to a small river dinghy, I have no idea about boats and the one person that does know is overseas and hard to get hold of

Im quite confused with all the types and makes of dinghy, rigid , semi rigid , 2.5bhp to 15 bhp engines in different sizes makes, then its the hull the floor and durability

Realisctly I would like a boat that
Can take 1 engine and 2-4 adults on board
Is suitable to go on the Thames without sinking
Not to puncture in a bit of grass
Be able to travel at 10 mph if possible
Fit in an estate car if required with no trailer

Some questions I have , excuse the description


The bottom of that boat , is plastic or just rubber material is it better to be plastic ?
Some have 2 chambers some have 3 and some four , what is the best layout and does it matter ?
What is a decent make and what else i need to know ?
Do I need the launching wheels or can 2 people launch it easily ?


I have a small budget , im looking at used stuff as package or buying separately budget is £1000.00

I will show you what im looking at now, maybe someone can point me to something decent

This could be quite a cheap way into pleasure boating
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
and
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...


I did try and contact the seller but he hasnt got back to me as if it can be folded
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

This i quite like because it has a plastic bit under the boat
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...


I like this because its cheap but the engine sounds like will not last too long
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...


I put in a bid on this because its new , dont really like the colours but its 3.8m long and apparently the french army uses it to jump from low flying planes . To me it looks like possibly a chinese boat made on the cheap given a high RRP to fool people . I stand to be corrected

Willing to pay up to 700 if its decent , maybe too big ??
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

This has everything i think it will sell for 1200-1400 is it worth the money ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...


Sorry for the long post, wording and punctuation

Edited by frosted on Tuesday 26th April 17:21

[frosted]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-2-MTR-FISHING-SPEED-BOAT-S...

I quite like this one

[Jackleman]

Try and get one made from Hypalon if possible rather than PVC or PU.

Good makes include Avon and Zodiac.

There are a lot of very cheap import inflatables on the market now, not so good quality wise.

The Tinker that you posted the link to is very well made also by Henshaws down in Somerset.

Avoid old Narwhals as they have badly designed seams that are prone to going wrong.

[frosted]

Jackleman said:

Try and get one made from Hypalon if possible rather than PVC or PU.

Good makes include Avon and Zodiac.

There are a lot of very cheap import inflatables on the market now, not so good quality wise.

The Tinker that you posted the link to is very well made also by Henshaws down in Somerset.

Avoid old Narwhals as they have badly designed seams that are prone to going wrong.

Thanks

In the end I went with a Avon Typhoon 3m and mariner 8 bhp motor for £750

Thanks again

[danyeates]

Good price. I just sold a Bombard Typhoon and Yamaha 8hp for £1,200.

[jamiebae]

Ooooh, now that looks like a good idea! Have been toting with the idea of a little boat to mess about on the Thames with and these look ideal...

How cheaply can you do it and will any of them fit in the boot of my '07 Focus hatch?

[cabbron]

i have just sold my 3m tohatsu rib,9.8hp 2 stroke,lovely rib and ultra reliable lightweight engine.tohatsu out boards are great,had several and never ever had to spend a penny on them.this rib took 4 and did 20mph+ gps with 2 of us!another good o/b are the 3.3hp mercury/mariner 2 strokes-should fit your needs well.mine did pack down to boot size,had the inflatable v bottom-recommend this as flat bottomed ones do skit about.it also had rigid floor boards and this made the boat so much more solid feeling.hope this helps.

[frosted]

jamiebae said:

Ooooh, now that looks like a good idea! Have been toting with the idea of a little boat to mess about on the Thames with and these look ideal...

How cheaply can you do it and will any of them fit in the boot of my '07 Focus hatch?

Haven't picked up my sib but the owners assures me that it will all fit in a Mondeo sized car . At the moment I got insured and registered my boat to use on the Thames , total cost £120 pa . Hopefully there will be no nasty surprises with the outboard 2stroke mariner , the owner assured me he had it from new and serviced on time .

Is there anything else I would need to know (routes included ) ?

[john_p]

How easily will an outboard go into a reasonably sized car ?

I've shifted a 4hp Mercury around and it was pretty unwieldy, as well as being full of fuel and salt water

Does it need to stay "upright" (tilted out obviously)

[frosted]

john_p said:

How easily will an outboard go into a reasonably sized car ?

I've shifted a 4hp Mercury around and it was pretty unwieldy, as well as being full of fuel and salt water

Does it need to stay "upright" (tilted out obviously)

Good question , and I have no idea . Many onwers talk about mobility and not many topics covered about this issue . I know I saw somewhere that its better to lean down a 2 stroke than four stroke but really and truly I have no idea, maybe someone else can give us some advice ?

Personally I thought about using a hand trolley to mount the motor and move it like that , however it may not work !

[danyeates]

2 Stroke engines can lay down any way up, as long as it's not actually upside down! A 4 stroke engine generally has to lay down on it's tiller arm or on the front of the engine downwards, otherwise they can leak engine oil into the carb, inlet manifold and onto your boot carpet.

[cabbron]

^what you said-2 strokes have quite a following for a few reasons this being one of them.shame most if not all the small stuff is now 4 stroke.2's are definitely less wieldy/lighter,more robust,cheaper to service and usually have bullet proof reliability.only drawback is chucking the mix in but no hardship really.

[frosted]

On my way to the river now after spending a whole day repairing and washing the inflatable , will update with some pictures later

[maser_spyder]

cabbron said:

^what you said-2 strokes have quite a following for a few reasons this being one of them.shame most if not all the small stuff is now 4 stroke.2's are definitely less wieldy/lighter,more robust,cheaper to service and usually have bullet proof reliability.only drawback is chucking the mix in but no hardship really.

2 strokes are effectively banned in Europe now due to emissions regs. The only ones that can pass are the direct oil injection types, which aren't the small ones. Has been like this since about 2007 IIRC.

[cabbron]

as i said.i was in a marine yard this weekend and they were asking nearly new prices for mint late small 2 strokes,seems that in reality the public still want them.the bigger direct injection 2 strokes such as the tohatsu's and particularly the evunrude e-tecs are excellent motors too.after much research i shall be going for a new 150 e-tec this year.

[frosted]

I think people still prefer 2stroke because they are lighter and easier to service . I'm sure you can still buy new 2stroke outboards , I'm not sure if it's commercial only but they are still being made and sold

[maser_spyder]

frosted said:

I think people still prefer 2stroke because they are lighter and easier to service . I'm sure you can still buy new 2stroke outboards , I'm not sure if it's commercial only but they are still being made and sold

Smaller ones (non direct injection) can now only be sold for commercial use, not 'domestic', so you'd need to be a marine related operator to be able to purchase a new one.

It is still possible to obtain them, but not like you used to pre '97.

They're still being made for other markets in the world where they aren't effectively banned, so there's plenty still about.