Ceasar Thunderbolt

[ian parkes]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

Hi Ian

If you are in the area please feel free to give me a shout and I will happily take you out for a play. As for setting it up you could have four bucket seats side by side as you don't have to have a central helm position.

See attached.

Rgds

Richard

Thanks for the offer . would like that , but unlikely I shall be in the Solent area in the near future .
Thats a pic of Colins boat in Brixham you have posted there isn't it ? Thats the boat i saw when I visited Ceasar . I think it had been to Ribex.

I think for the cost of them they could sell a few if a demmo was sorted out .

[Nauti Buoy]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

Thanks for the offer . would like that , but unlikely I shall be in the Solent area in the near future .
Thats a pic of Colins boat in Brixham you have posted there isn't it ? Thats the boat i saw when I visited Ceasar . I think it had been to Ribex.

I think for the cost of them they could sell a few if a demmo was sorted out .

Yes that is correct, she was at Ribex this year. So demo rib with 4 bucket seats? more family orientated?

[ian parkes]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

Yes that is correct, she was at Ribex this year. So demo rib with 4 bucket seats? more family orientated?

Lookin at the pics i think 4 bucket seats would make moving around the boat difficult and leave little space for any kit .

I know a jockey may not be best for this boat but maybe the only way , a low jockey with footstraps and backrests would possibly be a better compromise .

Oh and a boarding ladder cos climbing in over those tubes would be impossible after a swim

[bobbyjoeufb]

Looks great!

If I ever sell my Zapcat for a bigger boat will have to be one of these!

[Colin F]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

Oh and a boarding ladder cos climbing in over those tubes would be impossible after a swim

boarding from the water over the front is pretty easy, nice slide into the boat at either side of the nose cone. Plenty of good hand holds too

[Nauti Buoy]

Tom from Rib International left this morning from Port Solent to go by sea in my Thunderbolt to Guernsey. He set off at 12.30 so all being well should be there by 4pm. They doing a write up on it so should hopefully be in the next issue. They also have a 10m Cougar support boat doing the crossing so hopefully should have some excellent action shots to post on Monday after they get back. They are planning on returning on Sunday.

[Hightower]

So that's why it wasn't on you Versadock this afternoon then. I was hoping to catch a glimps, I thought you'd bunked off work again .

I look forward to seeing some action shots next week and reading Tom's write up in Rib International.

[Nauti Buoy]

Spoke with Hugh earlier today and they got across to Guernsey in just over 3 hours averageing 30 - 36 knots. So good going really. Their passage went as planned so hopefully they will get a good run back on Sunday.

[Nauti Buoy]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

Lookin at the pics i think 4 bucket seats would make moving around the boat difficult and leave little space for any kit .

I know a jockey may not be best for this boat but maybe the only way , a low jockey with footstraps and backrests would possibly be a better compromise .

We are modifying a jockey now so will post pics end of next week with a modified layup. Centre double jockey, approx 13" high so low down, similar height to a jet ski.

[ian parkes]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

We are modifying a jockey now so will post pics end of next week with a modified layup. Centre double jockey, approx 13" high so low down, similar height to a jet ski.

Sounds good ,
I can't get these boats off my mind , 30 - 36 knots sounds like a very good speed to keep up on a trip like that , will be interesting to read about it ,fuel used , comfort , etc .

Thinking about the jockey on my boat which is quite low , the biggest problem is a lack of anything to wedge my back against as it is a 2 seater . I end up wedging my feet at the edges of the deck against the tubes and wishing i had handlebars instead of a steering wheel .
13" sounds very low , will you be able to take any wieght on your legs ? I guess what makes it worse is a cat doesn't lean into turns.

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

We are modifying a jockey now so will post pics end of next week with a modified layup. Centre double jockey, approx 13" high so low down, similar height to a jet ski.

Perhaps you'll have storage underneath as there's very little or none that I can see on the exsisting set-up.

[Nauti Buoy]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

Sounds good ,
I can't get these boats off my mind , 30 - 36 knots sounds like a very good speed to keep up on a trip like that , will be interesting to read about it ,fuel used , comfort , etc .

Thinking about the jockey on my boat which is quite low , the biggest problem is a lack of anything to wedge my back against as it is a 2 seater . I end up wedging my feet at the edges of the deck against the tubes and wishing i had handlebars instead of a steering wheel .
13" sounds very low , will you be able to take any wieght on your legs ? I guess what makes it worse is a cat doesn't lean into turns.

It is quite low but this will allow you to either put your feet forwards of the helm into foot straps or sort of in a kneeling position and again into foot straps behind, also keeping the COG low. The steering wheel will be suitably placed so as to not be uncomfortable. There will also be a support behind both the drivers seat and the passengers, likewise foot straps will be positioned suitably for the passenger. Fuel tank will remain at the rear of the boat so storage will be able to go under the jockey.

Will post pics as soon as the boat has been modified.

[ian parkes]

sounds interesting . maybe its just me but it seems to me that Ribs etc in general are not really thought out in an ideal way to use in rough conditions .

You need one hand on the steering wheel and one on the throttle , niether of which you can hold on to .
A really strong wheel or handlebars and a twistgrip or thumb throttle mounted on it would surely work better wit a seperate lever to engage gear .
Just my thoughts ,

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

sounds interesting . maybe its just me but it seems to me that Ribs etc in general are not really thought out in an ideal way to use in rough conditions .

You need one hand on the steering wheel and one on the throttle , niether of which you can hold on to .
A really strong wheel or handlebars and a twistgrip or thumb throttle mounted on it would surely work better wit a seperate lever to engage gear .
Just my thoughts ,

Our 770 BananaShark comes with an optional foot throttle and an indicator style trim switch - both hands on the wheel at all times, and a very instinctive driving position for driving quickly (the 250 Verado does over 60mph).

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

sounds interesting . maybe its just me but it seems to me that Ribs etc in general are not really thought out in an ideal way to use in rough conditions .

Agreed

Originally Posted by Cookee

Our 770 BananaShark comes with an optional foot throttle and an indicator style trim switch - both hands on the wheel at all times, and a very instinctive driving position for driving quickly

I've tried it, and it works very well. Definitely the way to go on a fast RIB IMHO.

I have real reservations about the suitability of jockey seats for regular use at higher speeds (above 40 knots for sake of argument). There are exceptions where jockey seats have side supports and are sized/positioned to fit the helmsman properly, giving reasonable ergonomics, but very few fall into this category.

Jockey seats are great for travelling at moderate speeds (ie below 40 knots) in a variety of conditions, but with the trend to put larger and larger motors on RIBs the speeds are creeping up. The standard fitment on a 5.8m RIB now seems to be a 150 when a few years ago a 90 would have been much more usual, giving a top speed of around 45 knots instead of 35.

In the last couple of years we have seen a marked increase in the number of reports of people being thrown out of their RIBs. I think that higher speeds and unsuitable seating are probably the root cause.

Sorry, that turned into a bit of a thread hijack! Maybe it needs a thread of its own . . .

John

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by Hightower

Perhaps you'll have storage underneath as there's very little or none that I can see on the exsisting set-up.

Storage shouldn't be an issue with this design, there's plenty of deck space on the boat. Just a matter of having some nylon daisy chains attached to & running the length of the floorboards (as tie down points), and using nylon webbing with cam buckles (and large PVC bags for items that need to be kept dry).

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

Agreed
I've tried it, and it works very well. Definitely the way to go on a fast RIB IMHO.

I have real reservations about the suitability of jockey seats for regular use at higher speeds (above 40 knots for sake of argument). There are exceptions where jockey seats have side supports and are sized/positioned to fit the helmsman properly, giving reasonable ergonomics, but very few fall into this category.

Jockey seats are great for travelling at moderate speeds (ie below 40 knots) in a variety of conditions, but with the trend to put larger and larger motors on RIBs the speeds are creeping up. The standard fitment on a 5.8m RIB now seems to be a 150 when a few years ago a 90 would have been much more usual, giving a top speed of around 45 knots instead of 35.

In the last couple of years we have seen a marked increase in the number of reports of people being thrown out of their RIBs. I think that higher speeds and unsuitable seating are probably the root cause.

Sorry, that turned into a bit of a thread hijack! Maybe it needs a thread of its own . . .

John

I think you have summed up our company philosophy very well John! Kevin (Kitten) and I have used a great number of other makes of RIBs whilst working in the film industry, and we have always tried to make an ergonomic boat which is as safe as possible, and I think the 770 does that with a huge amount of dry storage as well!

To get back on thread ........... why would you want a jockey seat in a Thunderbolt anyway? I don't see the point, only the downside! I have raced a Thundercat, and if the Thunderbolt corners anywhere near the speed of its smaller cousin, Jockey seats would not be at all practical ............................ Probably!

[codprawn]

When I mentioned a jocky seat I was thinking of something very low profile like a jetski with handlebars and foot pegs/straps. Maybe even sprung/damped.

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by codprawn

When I mentioned a jocky seat I was thinking of something very low profile like a jetski with handlebars and foot pegs/straps. Maybe even sprung/damped.

It's not the high or low profile that is the issue, it is the characteristics of the craft - a jet ski or a RIB doesn't corner flat or with high G's like these things do, they tilt into the turn, and I am sure that a bucket seat has more lateral support than a jockey - whatever height it is!

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Cookee

It's not the high or low profile that is the issue, it is the characteristics of the craft - a jet ski or a RIB doesn't corner flat or with high G's like these things do, they tilt into the turn, and I am sure that a bucket seat has more lateral support than a jockey - whatever height it is!

Depends how strong your thighs are.......