ski racing

[Cagedbanana]

i have it in my head that i want to race next year,(2012) ski racing nationals in a rib
it would be F3, limited to 21ft long and 150hp.
would i really be at a loss tying to keep up with bernicos and cyclones (doing around 65mph max) with a rib? and is there any reason why, to my knowlage, a rib hasnt been raced before. My budget will be very tight so most if not everything will have to be second, third or fourth hand, but as i see it i have a year and a bit to prepare it all.
any help/ advice would be great
thanks
chris

[Polwart]

Someone who knows more about racing will be along shortly - but it strikes me that what we consider a good rib in the UK usually = deep V so less efficient use of HP than most "ski boats" - therefore you'll not go as fast. I can't see the main advantages of a RIB being a priority in conditions where you want to tow a skier at 60+ mph - presumably that needs fairly good sea conditions for the skier.

[Cagedbanana]

Originally Posted by Polwart

Someone who knows more about racing will be along shortly - but it strikes me that what we consider a good rib in the UK usually = deep V so less efficient use of HP than most "ski boats" - therefore you'll not go as fast. I can't see the main advantages of a RIB being a priority in conditions where you want to tow a skier at 60+ mph - presumably that needs fairly good sea conditions for the skier.

Well exactly, thats my point, it is very rare in the uk to get waters which would allow flat out all the time. If it was a completely flat race for the whole hour, i couldnt see us being able to keep up. My main reasons for wanting a rib, compared to a hard boat are

i previously had a ring 18 with a 225 promax, and as much as it was very fun and very fast, the ride wasnt great.

i also like using my boat for fun too, and like watersking, wakeboarding etc, i find you have alot more storage for equipment and passengers on a rib too.

lastly, after skiing behine a few ribs, i do find that in rougher water, the tubes do seem to flatten the wake a bit more making it easier to ski behind.

if i was lake racing/river racing and knew the water would always be flat, i wouldnt consider it, but considering 90% of the races are done offshore, i think, think being the important word here, a rib could be a viable option

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by Polwart

presumably that needs fairly good sea conditions for the skier.

http://vimeo.com/13668861

[Nos4r2]

Are you thinking of installing a water ballast system into the rib?

[Cagedbanana]

That video seems to be doing the rounds at the moment, that was a particularly hard race, but they're far from flat. An yes was thinking of installing a bow tank when I find the right boat

[Cookee]

There is a ski racing section on Boatmad.com, but they're all hard boaters over there - the thing with the current boats are they are designed for the job whereas there aren't and RIBs designed for the job, it would shake the established racers up a bit though!

[Cagedbanana]

I'm on boatmad as freedom, but didn't fancy asking the question on there, just assumed I'd get the response why do you want tubes? I fancy doing something a little different. Like i said above tome there definatley are some potential advantages to running a rib for me. I definayely think it would be intresting to see the results. (you don't do any hulls that would conform do you?) The main things I have to consider are in f3 no carbon or Kevlar hulls are allowed neither are stepped hulls I belive.
Thanks
chris

[Cagedbanana]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Are you thinking of installing a water ballast system into the rib?

And For sure, put a sun pad over it for the leisure times

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by Cagedbanana

I'm on boatmad as freedom, but didn't fancy asking the question on there, just assumed I'd get the response why do you want tubes? I fancy doing something a little different. Like i said above tome there definatley are some potential advantages to running a rib for me. I definayely think it would be intresting to see the results. (you don't do any hulls that would conform do you?) The main things I have to consider are in f3 no carbon or Kevlar hulls are allowed neither are stepped hulls I belive.
Thanks
chris

What size does an F3 ski race boat have to be?