Motorized boats: varieties, best models and recommendations for choosing

The motor greatly simplifies the movement on the water. But boats equipped with it require a lot of attention, and they are not as simple as they seem. You need to know all the subtleties and nuances of such boats.

The specificity of any motor boat is naturally equipped with an outboard motor. Such boats are practical and very widely used:

• fishermen;
• hunters;
• tourists;
• athletes;
• military and police;
• in freight traffic;
• in organizing entertainment;
• in rescue operations.

The hulls of motor boats are either completely devoid of a deck or have a "partial" deck. In the closed part of the cockpit, various things, equipment, products, and so on are laid. To install motors, so-called transoms are used - vertical walls with a perfectly flat surface. The width of the transom varies depending on what class of boat it is designed for. Seats are provided to the side of the transoms for those using the craft and passengers.

Since now the main properties of engines and their dimensions are unified, you can put almost any power plant on a particular boat. Cases of incompatibility are rare and are usually strictly specified in the documentation. It should be taken into account that boats can be equipped not only with gasoline, but also with electric motors. They are quieter, but have less autonomy.

Many PVC boats come with a low pressure inflatable bottom. They suit equally well:

• fishermen;
• hunters;
• lovers of extreme sports;
• lovers of calm walks on the water.

NDND ensures not only the safety of the craft, but also its increased compactness. This will please those who cannot allocate a lot of space for its storage or are forced to transport it in a private car. As for wooden boats with a transom for an outboard motor, they are not mass-produced anywhere now. They are made either for themselves, or at best in small workshops on an individual order. Polyethylene boats equipped with engines also deserve attention.

Relatively recently, it was possible to buy such equipment only from foreign companies. But now its release is organized in Russia. Manufacturers note that the HDPE construction is quite good:

• for hunting;
• For fishing;
• for tourism;
• for everyday walks.

The lightness of HDPE makes it possible to achieve very high maneuverability, which is unattainable on other types of boats. Until relatively recently, you could find many rubber models. To be precise, they are made from a special rubberized fabric. However, PVC has proven to be a much better option and is supplanting such designs. True, rubberized matter is quite cheap, and this alone will allow it to maintain a fair amount of popularity for a long time to come.

Metal (or rather, aluminum boats) also deserve attention. Other things being equal, they are heavier than PVC structures. Boats of various capacities are made from this metal - from 1 to 4 people. There are even more spacious options. Of course, they are designed for a strong motor, which is the only one capable of moving such a boat and giving it high speed.

Continuing the story about the options for the execution of motor boats, you need to point to models with a hard bottom. This is a kind of compromise between ordinary PVC products and an all-metal assembly. The increased rigidity of the bottom is very important in shallow water and in other places where there is a high risk of a strong blow, scratching. Many of these models have a relatively weak motor (5 hp, 10 hp). You can also buy Russian boats with a hard bottom.

Models of boats with a rigid hull and inflatable sides received the abbreviated name RIB. They are made with a GRP keel or materials with comparable mechanical properties. But fiberglass stands out favorably from the general range:

• mechanical strength;
• resistance to weather conditions and biological harmful factors;
• long service life;
• absolute moisture resistance.

Same hull (aka rigid-hull) inflatable boat. In English technical literature, it is commonly referred to as RHIB or RIB for short. The main advantage of this design is increased stability. But you need to understand that any water craft is made for a jet or propeller motor. They cannot be interchanged, and therefore it is worth paying special attention to this point.

Designs with a water jet are more secure. After all, since there is no screw, it means that it cannot be broken. In rescue operations and just when landing on the shore, when driving through places full of snags and stones, this is very important. In addition, the water cannon provides increased mobility, which will be impossible to achieve on propeller-driven craft. However, the installation of a jet engine must be done with great care to avoid technical problems.

In addition, a water jet scheme is, by definition, less efficient than a classic propeller. For the same distance at the same speed and load, more fuel will be spent. In reality, jet boats are justified only on shallow water bodies or on mountain and rapid rivers. Anywhere else, ordinary people (not rescuers, military or expedition members) practically do not need them.

It is quite obvious that the transportation of 200 kg of cargo on a boat with a 2 hp engine. With. practically unrealistic. But this does not mean that you will have to purchase the most powerful watercraft in any case. You just need to focus on devices with more power. Suppose it is required to ensure reliable and simple gliding on a boat 3.3 m long. The weight of the craft itself is assumed to be 80 kg (including cargo, fuel), and the weight of the fisherman is 70-80 kg. Then a 6 hp motor. With. hardly suitable, but the optimal value would be 8 liters. With. If the glide path is not required, you can limit yourself to the same 6 liters. With.

In general, you can say this: even for two anglers or hunters carrying a serious load in gliding mode, 15 liters. With. will be redundant. They need to focus on the power of 9-12 liters. With. Important: all boats with engines weaker than 10.88 liters. With. you can not even register in the inspection for small boats. But the tax is calculated starting from 5 liters. with., regardless of the fact of registration. At the same time, each subsequent 110 kg of load means the necessary additional power of 5 liters. With. Motors with a capacity of 20 liters. s., 30 l. With. and further up to 35 liters. With. inclusive belong to the middle group. They perform well on boats 4-5.5 m long, even when fully loaded.

Similar engines are suitable for canoes. They are mainly used to ride 3-4 people at once. Engines of increased power deserve special mention. They are installed on ships with a length of 6-8.5 m. Power 50 liters. With. allows you to freely develop speeds from 80 to 110 km / h. In practice, this is the limit of engine power allowed for installation on boats used for personal purposes.

Choosing the “largest” boat on the principle of “enough room for all occasions” is one of the biggest stupidities that buyers make. Very often, "cases" never come, and as a result, a large part of the power is wasted. This results in additional operating costs. But buying a very small boat, trying to save money at any cost, is also not an option. It is necessary to focus on achieving a reasonable balance.

Important: even those who firmly decide to ride alone, sooner or later have to take on board additional passengers or serious cargo. Even the best single boats can't handle this all the time, especially in windy and rough conditions.

Almost all beginners opt for PVC structures.They can only be advised to give preference to the reinforced variety of this material. It surpasses the unreinforced type both in strength and in reliability during long-term operation. PVC without reinforcement is only suitable for a beach mattress or a life buoy. Of course, you should focus primarily on the products of well-known companies. And among it - on models that have favorable reviews on different sites.

The color of the boat is usually chosen according to your taste. But for fishermen, boats in dark colors are undesirable. And for hunting, you should choose ships of camouflage colors. As for the type of bottom, the inflatable version is preferable in terms of strength.

The boat has a good reputation "M1 frigate". It holds 220 kg of cargo or two passengers. The boat reaches a length of 2.4 m, and a width of 1.17 m. The standard cylinder diameter is 0.32 m. But if you need to choose an economy class boat, you should pay attention to the Frigate 300 EK. 3 or 4 passengers fit freely inside, and the total load is 345 kg. A wooden deck is provided. The boat is 3 m long and 1.52 m wide. Customers can choose from either green or grey.

A good option is also "Admiral 305 Classic". This is a decent 2-seater boat with a solid fixed transom. It can be equipped with engines up to 8 liters. With. The recent modernization has increased the stability on the water and the stability of the heading. The own weight of the boat is 24 kg, and it can carry up to 425 kg of cargo. The craft was equipped with cylinders with a diameter of 0.4 m.

The top of ideal motor boats also includes products Tulin. This company designs its products to best meet the needs of hunters, anglers and hikers alike. A Russian-made boat model is popular K-280. Its length is 2.8 m, and the diameter of the balloon is 0.32 m. The density of PVC used reaches 0.7 kg per 1 cubic meter. m.

Other options are:

• width 1.25 m;
• load capacity 200 kg;
• number of passengers 3;
• the keel is not provided;
• permissible engine power 3 liters. With.;
• seat fastenings according to the lyktros-lykpaz system.

It is worth taking a closer look at the lightest inflatable motor boats. The greatest grounds for claiming this title are "LAS-1". In the process of its production, excellent Finnish PVC is used, which has 5 layers. You can easily put the boat in a backpack. Its mass will not exceed 3.8 kg, which makes it easy to make long-distance transitions with the LAS-1 behind.

As an alternative, one can consider "Frigate 320 EK". This is already a keel boat made of strong material. It can accommodate up to 4 people, and a high speed is guaranteed. The permissible motor power is 10 hp. With. Own weight "Frigate 320 EK" is 34 kg.

How to choose a boat motor, see the following video.