How quickly time flies as I see it's over 2 months since our last post detailing how we’d selected an ADC deck crane and Seafarer 3.4m RHIB. Meantime we've had nearly 3 weeks of cruising around the Waiheke / Ponui area since Christmas, selecting here due to the ease with which our kids and grandkids could join with us. Weather was mostly fine and sunny, though as seems common now the wind was up a bit. We caught plenty of fish and had a great time. Now we continue with the saga of our new RHIB.
Bring on the power
My friend Frank and I put Honda, Mercury, Suzuki, and Yamaha on our list of 15hp 4-stroke outboard power options. Over the years I’ve been a “Yamaha man”, but have also owned Honda and Suzuki while Frank has a lot of experience with Mercury and Suzuki, so we’re happy that any of these engines will meet our needs and turn our focus to points of difference. While some dealers were very helpful we’re frustrated getting good information from others.
Question: “can we have a catalog showing all the features and specifications?”
Answer: “naa mate all that stuff is on the web these days”, or in one case “naa mate but there’s another dealer just up the road and he might have that stuff”.
Fact 1 – all of the manufacturers print expensive, comprehensive glossy brochures and spend a fortune on advertising.
Fact 2 – they may be horrified to learn some of their dealers don’t have brochures available for serious buyers and in most cases make no effort to inform us about product features.
Fact 3 – yes most of the information is on the web, but have you tried printing it? And yes if I’m going to spend around $5,000 on a product I want a nice glossy brochure.
We finally get our brochures and start an analysis.
Dealer prices offered to us range from $4,895 for the Suzuki to $5,339 for the Honda, but we’re buying on features not price. Several dealers cite supply issues, but in reality all options are available if not immediately.
We build our spread sheet noting that each brand has some unique features, but become increasingly impressed with Suzuki:
-It’s several kilograms lighter than all other options and we feel this weight saving is significant aft of the RHIB’s transom where it counts (Suzuki advertise as being “lightest in class”).
-We prefer electronic fuel injection (EFI). Some dealers say this is a disadvantage citing reliability, but EFI was first introduced in 1987 (by Mercury) and in our view that’s long enough to be well proven.
-It has a unique Lean Burn Control System offering increased fuel economy (Suzuki claim an incredible 45 per cent).
-We like the non-start fresh water flushing system (which Yamaha also has).
With Suzuki also offering the lowest price we decide for this option.
Choosing our accessories
Chandlers supply storage covers and engine covers in various sizes and these are essential for protection against harmful ultra violet rays and the elements.
Seafarer fitted a set of Beachmaster pneumatic wheels plus two stainless steel rod holders. We also add a universal tiller extension.
Frank used his Quicksilver for expeditions and carried all his equipment aboard. Our Seafarer will primarily be used as a tender, so we’ll only carry basic equipment of buoyancy vests, anchor, chain and warp, length of line for towing or other emergencies, orange safety square, bailer, sponge, telescopic boathook marked for depths, knife, inflation pump, basic first aid kit and spare kill switch. Secondarily we’ll use it for exploration or fishing expeditions when we’ll carry additional safety and other gear as appropriate, for example hand-held vhf, mini binoculars, air horn, water and snacks. We’ll also carry aboard Rapport a spare propeller (of a different pitch) with nut and split pin, sea water pump impeller, water pump kit, spark plugs and puncture repair kit.
The Suzuki didn't arrive in time for our post Christmas cruise so we use a 6HP Mercury 4-stroke we had spare. This had enough power to plane with one aboard and almost plane with two. Since our return we have the Suzuki installed and look forward to trying it out. The Seafarer RHIB is great - plenty of room and very stable and dry.
