First post here: New to me Protector 28

[slojava]

Great info on this forum, I've enjoyed reading and learning.

I started with a 15' AB inflatibles boat w/75HP. After a great year with that boat I saw this model of boat on the east coast and found one on e-bay.

Protector boats in Alameda, CA did a great job on the maintenance needed, highly recommended!

One picture at the shop with the sun cover off and back bench seats out. 40'er in the background with another 28' protector.

Second shot on the water with a fresh pair of 150s.

Got the CA numbers on and building racks for the stern for 4 surf/paddleboards. The first trip is to Hollister ranch later this week.

Many adventures to come with this boat.

[Maximus]

Very nice!saw one up close last season,enjoy!

[prairie tuber]

Welcome! That is a very impressive boat!

[jyasaki]

Welcome to the forum.

Saw another Protector (might have been a bit larger) in Monterey, oh, maybe 4, 5 months ago. Nice looking boat, as is yours.

What's in Hollister? Some lake? All I know about Hollister is that there are a bunch of cows.

Anyway, Congrats on the acquisition;

jky

[slojava]

Hollister ranch is a privately owned stretch of coast line north of Gaviota, CA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollister_Ranch

Many surf spots but difficult to get to unless you know a property owner, or have a boat.

[dsteding]

Nice boat.

I've got an 18 foot Avon Adventure, and am putting it together to surf a bit on the Olympic Peninsula this fall. What are guys doing in terms of mounting boards on their RIBs when going to the Ranch? I was thinking of soft racks modified to strap to the tubes.

I have about 40 inches by 54 inches behind my center console, less up front. Probably be taking nine foot longboards out there. If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

-Doug

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by slojava

Hollister ranch is a privately owned stretch of coast line north of Gaviota, CA

Ah. Thanks.

Cow ponds don't sound like as much fun.


jky

[codprawn]

Protectors are great boats but not cheap. Made in New Zealand but pretty popular all over the World.

[slojava]

After considering many exotic rack designs like roof supports and roof racks, over engine racks etc. a buddy of mine helped come up with a simple solution. I made some racks from a trip to Home Depot for about $50.

The Protector has a fiberglass bench seat that can be un-mounted from the floor. I ended up moving the bench seat forward about 38". This boat has a rubber floor coating so the seat stays put with weight on it.

(2) 2x4s are mounted with carriage bolts and wing nuts for easy removal using the holes made for the cup holders on the seat and some existing holes made for the engine guard rail which was removed at the stern. The 2x4s have (5) 1.25" holes with 32" lengths of PVC. I pounded in the PVC with a small sledge hammer and mounted D-rings on each end of the 2x4s for tie-down points.

I attached a couple of photos with 3 stand up paddle boards and 1 long board. Stand up paddle boards are a great way to get to and from your boat if it is moored.

For the 15' AB Inflatables VST boat I have (that I need to sell soon) I ended up strapping the boards together and strapping them across the bow (pointing to the side).

The tubes do a great job dampening the bounces if you can have the boards lay on the tubes directly. The closer you get to the stern the less the boards move around. I learned in 1-4 ft swell the boards don't really even need to be tied down with this rack set up.

I'd be interested to see what rack systems you guys have come up with.

BTW for a trip summary we had nice calm seas and it took about 1:45min to go from Port San Luis, CA to Government point around the corner from Point Conception. About a 165 mile round trip including checking out the surf breaks up and down the coast in the area.

Cheers!

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by slojava

I attached a couple of photos with 3 stand up paddle boards and 1 long board. Stand up paddle boards are a great way to get to and from your boat if it is moored.

I've seen these stand up paddle board things in Monterey quite often recently. Seems like a kind of weird way of doing things (at least to me - I can fall over just looking at a skateboard...)

jky