SpearFish Boats – Fast Efficient Inflatables

SPEARFISH BOATS 310

The 310 is a boat we didn’t really want to build, but turned out to be excellent! At 3.1m long and 1.45m wide, it’s much beamier than the original SpearFish designs, whilst retaining their “proper boat shape bow” and inflatable spray canopy features. It was developed mainly at the request of experienced yachtsmen who liked these features but couldn’t accommodate a 4.5 or 5.2m boat as their tender.

So with that pointy bow (front) the 310 effectively has about the same capacity as a typical 2.5 to 2.7m dinghy, but spread out into a more efficient shape. As a result it’s much easier to row, and much drier when motored into a chop, than the “square nose” type. It’s a really nice little boat!

AND… the SpearFish 310 works particularly well with the electric outboard motors that have become so popular in the last few years. Most inflatables are designed to plane with a petrol outboard of 5hp or more, but are very wet at displacement speeds… if you have an electric outboard, or stick to the speed limit in most harbours, you can’t plane. The SpearFish 310 is closer to a displacement hull shape, meaning it’s very efficient (giving more range) when combined with an electric outboard such as the ePropulsion Spirit or eLite. You’re more likely to arrive at the pub with dry trousers too!

SPEARFISH BOATS 450WB

The 450WB is the mainstay of the SpearFish Boats range, with the ability to carry three adults or two and two children – and plenty of room to stretch out. It has what we consider to be the optimal length (for efficiency) to beam (for stability) ratio for this type of hull, and with a 6hp motor can achieve speeds of 14 to 15 knots with two adults on board. Most conventional-shape dinghies would require 10hp or more to achieve that, so the SpearFish gives you a much more portable set-up overall (a typical 6hp motor weighs 25kg, whereas a typical 10hp motor weighs 37kg plus).

Out on the sea, the SpearFish 450WB’s relatively fine bow – which slices through the waves rather than hammering into them – means you will be able to maintain higher speeds against a chop than other inflatables. And also stay much drier into the bargain.

If you’d prefer the quiet and smooth nature of an electric motor, the 450WB will make the most of your battery, giving more speed or range or both.

Like all SpearFish, the 450WB is a very well-made boat, with a total of 6 chambers: 4 in the main tube, plus the high-pressure floor, plus the (air-frame supported) bow canopy. The tube fabric is German-made Valmex, and the high pressure floor has a (deliberately) oversize rubbing strip running down the keel line.

IS IT THE SAME AS A KABOAT? No! At first glance, SpearFish Boats and Kaboat (and various other implementations of the same general idea) are inflatables with relatively long and narrow hull shapes, yes. But SpearFish Boats are a much further developed and refined version of the concept. Key differences include: SpearFish boats have a “forced V” shape underwater at the bow, which cuts through the waves much more efficiently and comfortably than flat-bottomed boats; SpearFish boats high pressure floors are integral, rather than a loose insert (makes the hull much stiffer ie less flexible); SpearFish floors are below rather than between the tubes. This improves the underwater shape and gives you more leg height space (your knees aren’t in your face!); SpearFish boats have the upswept bow and inflatable bow canopy that keeps you dry when others don’t; SpearFish boats are built to very high standards by a very well-respected factory. They cost a bit more, but if you’re going to sea in it with your family…

We’ve now sold several SpearFish Boats to customers who previously purchased Kaboat-type craft, thinking it was a cut-price route to the same thing, but later realised SpearFish is a much better implementation!

SPEARFISH BOATS 520WB

The SpearFish Boats 520WB is essentially a scaled-up version of our popular 450WB. So it’s longer, wider and has larger diameter tubes, with a significantly-increased carrying capacity (over half a tonne!). The only bit that’s not scaled directly is the canopy height, because if that was scaled up from the 450 most people wouldn’t be able to see over it…

The 520 has the potential to take larger outboard motors if you are OK with the extra weight. It will still plane two-up on 6hp, but is obviously faster with 10hp and should plane with three adults or more. The benefits are not just speed; a 10hp motor producing say 6-8hp will be much more relaxed and refined than a single cylinder 6hp motor running flat out.

A Dobryzinski, SpearFish Boats 520WB owner (using his boat off Holy Island) said:
“It runs BEAUTIFULLY, handles chop with reassuring excellence, and it was choppy at moments today. Wind up to 20kts and waves reaching about 1m or height of the windshield of the boat, confused sea where the waves were bouncing off the cliffs. I started in sheltered area and progressed carefully to more and more exposed sea, avoiding white overfalls… more stable taking waves from abeam then I thought it would be.”