Going over to inflatables.

[Papa-t]

I’ve owned several small boats and kayaks. I pull a fifth wheel camper and stay at the coast of NC in April and October for the entire months. Decided to purchase a Sea Eagle FKS16 and a 6hp Mercury four stroke. Already picked up the engine and waiting on the inflatable that’s been back ordered since October. Hope I made the right decision. Here’s a pic of the inflatable from Sea Eagles site. Will support up to a 10 hp engine and has a 1745 Lb weight capacity. I did get the extra three year warranty which gives me a six year warranty.

 

[Sea Eagle Mark]

We had a SE 12.6 for 2 years and LOVED it! We also had a 6hp Tohatsu and I could get it up to 16knts. Had to sell it because of my hernia surgery. (Don't ask) We actually went to Port Jefferson, NY to visit the showroom. They couldn't have been nicer. Have fun and keep us posted.

 

[Papa-t]

Thanks for the reply Mark. We can’t wait to get ours. Ordered in October and still back ordered. Supposed to ship out this month.

 

[SoCalPescador]

Congrats, looks like a great boat! As long as you can handle the weight of packing/unpacking, loading/unloading, it should be all good.

I, too, camp towing a travel trailer. We camp around the Southwest (CA, NV, AZ, NM, etc. Coastal, inland lakes, rivers, etc.

I recently purchased a Zodiac 11.5' and a Honda 5hp. It is large enough for fishing and cruising with family, yet small enough to pack/unpack for travel.

 

[Papa-t]

Finally got my inflatable in after waiting almost three months on back order. Checked things out then deflated it and stored it until warmer weather.

 

[Sea Rider]

Papa-t
First time seeing one of those, is it a 16 footer inflatable, is the deck a hard pressure one with some kind of hard panel on top between bow and transom ? Is there too much wasted aft space between the transom and tube's ends as seen in pics ?

SoCallPescador
If the inflatable keel's air valve has a pointy rubber tip it's the diaphragm type, Zodiac should have installed the same valve type used in side tubes which are far better holding air. Was it a foot or hand pump delivered with the Sib ?

Happy Boating​

 

[Papa-t]

The fks is 16 feet. There are three chambers. 1-floor, 2-sides. Inflates to 15 psi and is rock solid on the sides and the floor. The inflation is you have to open each of the three inflation covers. The stem is a spring loaded. To inflate you have to push down and turn 1/4 turn counter clockwise. To deflate you have to push down and turn 1/4 clockwise to open valve. It comes with a large two stage hand pump. But honestly I don’t see how you would pump it up. It would take me hours to pump it up that way. It takes approximately 30 minutes with the electric two stage pump. There is some wasted space in the rear on each side. But I think they give that space for the raising of an outboard motor. To compare the rock solid after inflation. Take your spare tire off and lay it on the ground and stand on it. That’s what it reminds me of. It comes with a three warranty. I purchased an extra 3 years for six years total.

 

[Sea Rider]

Those large carriers needs an electric pump yes or yes. Know well those high PSI air deck floors which needs to be top inflated for the Sib to ride well once on water, ended modfying a 12V electric tire pump attaching a hose with a pressure gauge and valve adapter at the extreme that screwed into the air valve, took some time inflating the air deck to 14 PSI but did its job nicely.

No need to fully press open the air valves when inflating the tubes or air deck, the pump has sufficient power to keep them well opened, not fully though which isn't needed. Same works when inflating with a hand or foot pump, try that next time. The hand pump factory delivered with is for reinflation purposes to top all the air chambers once on water. Have fun !!

Happy Boating​

 

[Papa-t]

Got our FKS16 out for the maiden voyage in one of our freshwater lakes today. Stayed out for about 6 hours. Our Mercury 6hp did well. Of course the winds got up to 15mph. Going into the wind we still reached 13mph. All in all everything went well. Can’t wait to hit the sound at the coast in the spring.

 

[Sea Rider]

Got our FKS16 out for the maiden voyage in one of our freshwater lakes today. Stayed out for about 6 hours. Our Mercury 6hp did well. Of course the winds got up to 15mph. Going into the wind we still reached 13mph. All in all everything went well. Can’t wait to hit the sound at the coast in the spring.

To take the max out of that FKS16 inflatable that 6 HP motor needs to rev at its max wot rpm range which is 6K, all portable motors factory delivered with a prop are medium pitched, are only good for break in purposes while powering large applications, afterwards the motor needs to count with less pitched props...

Happy Boating​

 

[Papa-t]

I understand about the prop. However I’m not going out to race. And with me and my wife in the boat; going into 15mph winds and still hit 13mph is very good in my opinion. I also figured out that I had forgotten to trim the outboard up. I still had it in the lowest down position. So, with all that once I trip up the motor I think I’ll be closer to 15-16 mph which is plenty fast enough for us. Heading to Hatteras NC on the 31st and staying for the month ofApril. I’ll report back and let everyone know how it does in the sound.

 

[Sea Rider]

This triming the motor up on a manual trim motor it's a highly ranked word of mouth tech fallacy, If you read closely the Motor's and Inflatable Owner's Manual will find out that on both the motor should ride perpendicular to the water level, that's with AV plate riding same for the prop to achieve its top prop thrust along a perfectly deck ballanced passenger load.​

What does Tohatsu states : The selection of the correct propeller will allow the engine to obtain it's full RPM as well as the designated horsepower. if the outboard can not reach its max specified RPM it cannot reach its specified horsepower. To cure that out need to install and test less pitch props for the motor to run towards its max wot rmp range which is 6K as loaded to achieve its 6 HP cowl rated output.

Once there can throttle at the throttle setting you like the most and in case need the extra power to get the combo out of trouble just go full throttle for the motor to respond faster. If don't want to go to thru all the hassle of buying, installing an induction tach and water testing props, buy at least one less pitch from the factory delivered prop, the combo will perform much better 100% guaranteed....

Happy Boating​

 

[Papa-t]

 

[Papa-t]

So, have taken the Sea Eagle out several times in the sound while camping at the coast. Everything has been great so far. Easy to inflate with the two stage pump. The Mercury 6hp has also been flawless. Goes in as low as 6” of water. For my wife and I it’s perfect so far. Plenty of room. Very stable. Plains quickly with two people. Stable to stand up and fish. Easy to get in and out of the water. Deflated and packed it actually fits in the back seat of my 2020 Chevrolet crew cab. Hears a picture of it in the canal behind our camper just before we went out ona fishing day and another day out in the sound.

 

[pelican*]

Papa1 Your sib is set up very nice. and well thought out. Be safe have more fun.

 

[Papa-t]

Few pics from the skiff

 

[MaddogShady]

Looks great! Did you consider the SeaEagle Fastcat 14, or any other brands such as the Takacat (various lengths)? I am in the market to get one, and looking for a stable platform that stays relatively dry. Do you like the 6hp, or think it needs the 9.9hp? I keep going down that rabbit hole...

 

[jimmbo]

It certainly may raise Eyebrows when you say, "I have to go blow up my Boat"

 

[Papa-t]

Lol Jimmbo. And Maddog Last year they didn’t have the fast cat 14. They only had the fast cat 12. At the time the 12 had the seats that you have to step over and I didn’t want that. Now the newest FKS 16 weights 82lbs instead of 99lbs. I have a six year warranty on mine and the way things go if mine gets any leaks in the seams they’re have to replace it. So I might end up with the lighter one sometime in the future. The only thing I don’t like about the FKS 16 is the small area on the transom. I’d like to put fold down launching dolly wheels on the transom but there’s really not enough room with the small space for the outboard. But the heavy duty dolly cart I purchased with it works well so I’m ok.

 

[MaddogShady]

Thanks- do you have a link for the dolly? I am down to the FSK with canopy package and a 6hp Tohatsu or a Takacat 380/420 model with a 20hp. It has 18" or 22" tubes, and open bow and transom for water. I just want something stable to fish 2 people that doesn't soak me in a small chop.
Do you have a link for the dolly you like or any of the attachments?