Inflatable Boat Questions

[portcorjeau]

Hi
I know some of you may remember me, but I have been on another planet more or less and have had zero time for the internet. No, I was not in jail just extremely busy.

Anyhow, dont laugh, some of you use my boat for a tender, but that is all I have so it will be my little rubber boat.

Questions,

How fast at full throttle does a 5hp Honda short shaft engine run?

When you go boating, since I have bare and very little boating knowledge more than being a passenger on them. How do you go out to sea or to coastal sea?

Do you go with the outgoig tide or when the tide is already out then you launch your boat?

This is a serious question because I really dont know and I want to do some coastal fishing in France on my little rubber ducky and a 5hp engine as I dont have a boat license YET and can only use this small engine for now. Initially I was to buy a Mercury but opted for hte Honda as it has more power than the Mercury even tho it is supposed to be 5hp.

I dont want to get sucked out to see so I need to know go out with the outgoing tide or wait til its out?

Thanks very much
Danielle with no experience

[daddle]

With wind and tide against you you may not be able to return to land with only 5hp. In protected water 5hp is fine. You should ask locally about the conditions before each trip. For a small dinghy it takes more like 10hp to reliably go places.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by portcorjeau

Initially I was to buy a Mercury but opted for hte Honda as it has more power than the Mercury even tho it is supposed to be 5hp.

5HP is 5HP. An inch is an inch, and a pound is 2.2 kilos. It's a unit of measurement and is supposed to match a standard.

[daddle]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

5HP is 5HP. An inch is an inch, and a pound is 2.2 kilos. It's a unit of measurement and is supposed to match a standard.

But horsepower is not thrust. So therein lies the difference.

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by daddle

With wind and tide against you you may not be able to return to land with only 5hp. In protected water 5hp is fine. You should ask locally about the conditions before each trip. For a small dinghy it takes more like 10hp to reliably go places.

A light weight single floor RIB like our AB 9'6" will get two people, a tank & dive gear on plane, FAST, with an 8 hp. This is not the case with heavy, double floor models, or REALLY deep Vs like Caribe.

M.

[Boracay]

If you could give more information about your boat and the year/model of your outboard we could give more information.

However on the small amount of information that you have supplied your small inflatable boat with a 5hp outboard is only suited for sheltered waters during good weather. Taking it onto open waters would be very dangerous.

Even on sheltered waters in good weather you will need lifejackets and all other safety gear recommended for your area. Carrying a mobile phone in a waterproof container with emergency and other assistance numbers preprogramed could also be a good idea.

As a general rule you should not go further than you can paddle unless you are prepared to loose your boat.

From what I can gather, for your area, almost any incident in bad or even cold weather could be fatal.

As a general rule I would suggest that using your boat when winds are forecast to be over 10 knots, the temperature is expected to be below 18 degrees centigrade or where there is any current should be avoided.

Your local search and rescue organisation may conduct safe boating courses. If they are not busy they may be able to suggest appropriate places to use your boat.

[Unicorn Dreams]

A KILO is 2.2 pounds, not the other way

FWIW

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Unicorn Dreams

A KILO is 2.2 pounds, not the other way

FWIW

Uh Huh. Is there such a thing as dyslexia when writing?

[David_Old_Jersey]

depends on how big the boat is (and how full) - but broadly speaking you are looking at between 4 and 6 knots, so you won't be waterskiing.

Tides? plenty of places in France where that speed will see you going backwards from the tides, so you need some knowledge of the area to decide when to set out (and come back!). Also remember that your fuel tank will be quite small, so only looking at maybe a hour or 2.

IMO what you really need is someone with you in person to show you through the boat and the area, but the short answer is not to go further than you can row until you understand more (boats shrink rapidly in size at sea - yours will be very small!!).

[Lancerbye]

A lot of lack of info here. The size type and weight of the inflatable has more to do with how fast you can go and in what kind of waters than the size of the engine. I also have a 9 ft. RIB with an 8HP Honda that planes with two people (400 lbs plus groceries) aboard. Hp is only one part of the equation.

[portcorjeau]

Originally Posted by Lancerbye

A lot of lack of info here. The size type and weight of the inflatable has more to do with how fast you can go and in what kind of waters than the size of the engine. I also have a 9 ft. RIB with an 8HP Honda that planes with two people (400 lbs plus groceries) aboard. Hp is only one part of the equation.

Hi, I got back from 3 weeks boating in Brittany on my little zodiac 340 with 5hp engine. I never had to use full power. I had a great time and that little boat handled well in very strong tidal streams, two spring tides with raging currents and high winds of 8knots for that size boat. And I was able to go past the commercial harbor in the middle of the bay of Brest with only turtle speed. I could have gone gaster but the little boat handled so well in such conditions. I eventually turned back as the winds were picking up and I just didnt want to get into trouble. I entered the mouth of the Elron with the spring tides running inward at maximum speed at the 3rd hours of the flow and she still handled well considering it was a small boat and only 5hp and on the lowest speed. The only time I found I had a struggle is in Aber Wrach with high winds coming off the land and currrent flowing quite fast at another spring tide, I didnt get into trouble but I used up a lot of gas going against current and wind, but the little boat still did pretty well. I wont test it further than I did, but I was able to enjoy a nice time on some lovely waters with my little thing. with no problems.

[portcorjeau]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

depends on how big the boat is (and how full) - but broadly speaking you are looking at between 4 and 6 knots, so you won't be waterskiing.

Tides? plenty of places in France where that speed will see you going backwards from the tides, so you need some knowledge of the area to decide when to set out (and come back!). Also remember that your fuel tank will be quite small, so only looking at maybe a hour or 2.

IMO what you really need is someone with you in person to show you through the boat and the area, but the short answer is not to go further than you can row until you understand more (boats shrink rapidly in size at sea - yours will be very small!!).

I had very strong spring tides on August 15th in Rade de Brest and i didnt go backwards at all, and I didnt use full power either I was on turtle speed which is the very lowest and I did well with the boat. The winds was aso much more than 6 knots after 5 hours on the water, the waves were getting a bit too big for me after five hours so I stopped boating and came back in. many sail boats were also coming back to the marina.

I actually got to know the tides and wind in three weeks. Before that, I had NO clue, but even the cloud formations I got to know and read the clouds to know waht was going to happen and if to boat. It was quite a nice experience for me actually. And the bay was quite full of boats of all kinds and other means of water sports.

[Hydra]

The strongest tidal stream in Rade de Brest is at "Pointe des Espagnols", 2 hours after High Water. It can exceed 7 knots on spring tides. However, it is easy to go around this area.

Alain

[portcorjeau]

Originally Posted by Hydra

The strongest tidal stream in Rade de Brest is at "Pointe des Espagnols", 2 hours after High Water. It can exceed 7 knots on spring tides. However, it is easy to go around this area.

Alain

Hi, sounds like you had a nice time. i was also in Rade de Brest August 5 but on the la Recouvrance sailing ship It was a lovely time. The springs we had I made sure to avoid beign someplace two hours after high water, cuz I knew the strongest stream would be at the 3,4 hours mark so I made sure to keep my booty where there would be no danger. But the mouth to the Elron was still very swift. But it was still nice to have enjoyed it in my tiny boat with a small engine

[Hydra]

My atlas of tidal streams says that at the mouth of Elorn, the current is 1.2 kt in spring tides.

Alain