1st outing tomorrow

[T4bus]

Day off work booked tomorrow, weather looks good so we've planned the 1st trip out, kids been practicing knots & we think we have a rough idea what to do?

So from buying the SIB in November, joining the forum & pestering people for advice on just about everything we thought it prudent to get it wet in a local river before anything adventurous.

If all goes to plan, the dinghy floats, the engine works & we don't drown, call social services to take the kids away or instigate divorce proceedings I'll put some pics up of the impending chaos tomorrow.

[Festinghouse]

im sure you will be fine, have fun!

[SIBer]

Zodiac + Mariner, apart from the back ache from all the lifting you will be fine if you have bouyancy aids for all.
Where are you going?

[T4bus]

Originally Posted by SIBer

Zodiac + Mariner, apart from the back ache from all the lifting you will be fine if you have bouyancy aids for all.
Where are you going?

We have launch wheels too so minimal lifting, Plan is to park alongside slipway which is 3 miles from home and right next door to our local RIB dealer, they will take a quick look over our outfit & probably flog us anything that we have failed to procure already Plod around on the river outside their shop for an hour or so, practice slow maneuvering & play about with fenders, tying off etc until were happy that all is well & then go through the nearby lock so the kids get familiar with it all.

Oh! & yes we have 6 bright orange huge lifejackets so will stand out as complete newbies.

May pop along the river a bit & pop in the pub for a well deserved pint & some chips.

[Max...]

Sounds awesome, enjoy it, sun should shine tomorrow too.

[Black]

Not sure where you are, but the weather has dawned sunny in most parts.

Looking forward to seeing the photos, enjoy the experience.

[T4bus]

So………
The boat shop was shut! I got the days wrong, it’s always shut on Tuesdays and always has been, I knew it shut during the week and “presumed” Wednesday. So we were restricted to a stretch of river approximately 1.5 miles long as I could not purchase the desired lock key.
On the positive the boat didn’t sink, the Wife and I remain in marital bliss and the boys don’t seem too mentally scarred, one of their mates came along (no added pressure then) and my brother turned up to admire my exceptional level of incompetence. The slipway does not run below the water line so we had to lift the arse end of the boat in (advanced portage practice), the motor started & I was off, did a neat turn in the river & attempted to return to pick up a couple of the kids, made two passes & thought they’d have to take their chances and jump in as I passed because stopping without crashing seemed unlikely! Common sense finally kicked in & I turned my approach upstream, things went much better. The boys got the hang of it far better than I did, even puling neatly up to the pontoon, one twin son is a winger so took the obvious role of sitting up front letting the wind blow through his hair, his twin brother is flanker, he was first to take control and for 11 years old he was brilliant, the older brother (14) is a hooker, he lifted the engine out for me & wanted to “make it go fast”, the wife made sandwiches & shook her head at the boys a bit.
As for the outfit, the motor seemed smooth when just off the idle but when trying to keep up with the narrow boats it felt rough to me, almost a bit of a knock? Maybe just me but it certainly was not as smooth as I expected, wasn’t too bad when I gave up the helm to the boys but was very noisy sat next to it, having spent about 4 hours making sure everybody achieved a degree of competence & the motor continuing to idle smooth & start 1st pull I assume it’s OK & possibly needs setting up, the smell of petrol gave me a headache though, not sure if the breather valve on the tank is supposed to be undone? I presumed it did to prevent the tank from vacuuming, not sure if this was the cause but the fuel smell was overpowering! So a few things to fettle before going further but overall a good day with most of us taking a turn & getting involved.
Oh! I've read many posts complaining about the acti-v keel sitting off line? It did. I simply 3/4 inflated the floor only, stood the boat up nose in the air with the tubes not inflated, easy to reach under to position the keel centrally before fully inflating it.

[T4bus]

Few more pics

[Chris Caton]

a grand day out, well done

[NeilH]

Looks great fun!

[stray]

So you're hooked then.

[Barrowboy]

Fantastic!

It's frequently said that the enjoyment of boating is often inversely proportional to the size/cost of the boat and it looks like you've cracked it on your first trip.

[Black]

Looks a great family day out, well done!

Couldn't agree more with Barrowboy's statement, some of the best days we've had have been on the little boats.

[The Bass Stalker]

Yes leave valve open. 2 strokes are always a bit smelly and noisy. You get used to it. Mines a 30hp so rarely use flat out so it's not too bad. Make sure mix is right. Probably 50 to 1. Too much oil will be smoky.

Glad you enjoyed. Your adventures have just begun.

[steco1958]

Looks a good day out, kids all had smiles on their faces, jackets and kill cord all used, what could be better

[Max...]

Originally Posted by Black

Looks a great family day out, well done!

Couldn't agree more with Barrowboy's statement, some of the best days we've had have been on the little boats.

+ 1

Lots of people + little boat + sun + spray = unbeatable fun for a few £'sss.

[T4bus]

Originally Posted by stray

So you're hooked then.

Looks like...Great day out & kids loved getting involved.

Originally Posted by Barrowboy

Fantastic!

It's frequently said that the enjoyment of boating is often inversely proportional to the size/cost of the boat and it looks like you've cracked it on your first trip.

Possibly, though many years ago my late father had a westerly Pentland & we loved trips out to the island & up through Buckler hard etc.. unfortunately with a family the size of mine we will have to stick with the blow up for a while yet.

Originally Posted by The Bass Stalker

Yes leave valve open. 2 strokes are always a bit smelly and noisy. You get used to it. Mines a 30hp so rarely use flat out so it's not too bad. Make sure mix is right. Probably 50 to 1. Too much oil will be smoky.

Glad you enjoyed. Your adventures have just begun.

100:1 on mine, it's noisy at about 1/4" throttle but gets better flat out?

Originally Posted by steco1958

Looks a good day out, kids all had smiles on their faces, jackets and kill cord all used, what could be better

Umm.....ski board, RIB with bigger engine, onboard bar, no seriously it was great to get the kids pulling together.

Originally Posted by Max...

+ 1

Lots of people + little boat + sun + spray = unbeatable fun for a few £'sss.

Cheers for the feedback...we will learn, honest