F-Rib 275 ..first impressions

[Neil Harvey]

Brilliant; could one be made with two uprights to hook over the transom, one each side of the outboard, so it could be used with the motor attached?

[The Gurnard]

Hi Neil..yup..I see no reason why not ? My 3.3 is very light so I can just plonk it in place... so didnt need that requirement. I also suspect I will leave it in my car after launching..unless Im intending landing somewhere for a long time..then it will be in the boat behind me.

Variations are up to each individuals imagination and needs. Example..the shelf the boat sits on is quite wide..to support the rear of the boat from tipping sideways. There is no reason someone could not hold it to the heavy duty metal angle brakets on the board..with a couple of coach screws and wingnuts. That way it can be packed away even smaller.

I myself am now making a handle which will be coach bolt and wing nutted to the board... so the handle is in a folded in position. I can then turn the handle round.. retighten the wingnuts..and its now a sack trolley to wheel the folded up F Rib around :-D

Im only planting the seeds for folks..and letting them see there are other ways of doing things than the way they are used to.. and also save them a lot of money..if the can do DIY.

The F Rib transom wheels plus Spray dodger new from the shop will cost around £350. I made both for less than £50..and they will work just as well

[Paul_S]

Very nice Gurnard. Congrats on the new purchase.

[The Gurnard]

Thanks Paul..Im delighted with the boat

The transom dolly is now painted a guppy grey to match the F-Rib..

The real power of a transom dolly is...when you have more than one boat.

It fits my Seago Slat floor just need an addition packing piece on the dolly shelf as it is a shorter transom...and it also fits the Quicksilver 4.3 HD



It will transport OB engines ..sack trolley style. I don’t need it for the wee 3.5Hp..but if I go for a 25kg 6hp..I would need it.



Then..to show how versatile it really is..because the wheels are on a 12M threaded rod.. easy removable ..I can put them back on the drawbar of my heavy trailer Quicksilver..it makes pushing it across shores much easier too.



For £30 squids and a few hours DIY ..a very useful item...and I love good value and versatility for my money

Hopefully proof that the word "Boat" and "Marine" ..dont necessary spell ... "Money"

[Fenlander]

It has to be said... total genius. Hats off to you and all that!

Genuinely interested to hear of the first test outing. I was very keen on the Frib concept when it first was mentioned on here and think it may be particularly suited to this size of craft. I've mentioned in previous posts the 375 didn't suit us in 2015 when we bought a new SIB but it's always about our specific needs at a specific time so who knows??

[The Gurnard]

Thanks Fenlander..and I will certainly give an honest opinion on its performance. The weather here has turned cold and windy again. Im hoping that around Thursday..I will get a break to get her maiden in

You and I are both long enough in the tooth to know..there is no perfect boat.. or everyone would have it.

I personally think the F-Rib 375 would be too heavy to manage single handed. I know a guy who has the 360..and it performs very well with his 20hp four stroke. It folds down small so fits in his estate..but I think he has started to trailer it as its heavy to lift in and out alone ..along with his 20hp fourstrok..but his back gives him a bit of bother as it is. He loves the folded size though..as he also takes it in has caravan.

Thats why I chose this size.. I can lift it no problem ..but I couldn’t carry it far. I do love the hull..but then..its a RIB not a SIB.

Still hoping we can meet up this year and we can compare in person

[Fenlander]

>>>its heavy to lift in and out alone ..along with his 20hp fourstroke..but his back gives him a bit of bother as it is.

Yes a situation I know well and have to allow for.


>>>Still hoping we can meet up this year and we can compare in person

As long as dates work out for you we're very much hoping that will happen too. I'll be in touch soon as we expect to have a near two week window to offer around July in an excellent Knapdale location.

[jrzmotorcycle]

Hey Gunard nice boat!!!! I will bet that 16 year old Seago boat is made of PVC too!!! It lasted!!!! A lot of false crap has been said about PVC not lasting long time. After 15/16 years, people get sick of there toys anyway, and get a bigger one, newer one, etc.... so if a inflateable boat lasts 10 years or more, that is great!!!!! Looking to get the 375 flat bottom maybe in 2918 or so. Good luck bud!!!! Joe.

[The Gurnard]

Look forward to Knapdale Fenlander

Im sure you will enjoy the F-Rib JRZ. You will certainly know all the good the bad and the ugly points of this one. I am writing an honest review on everything .. I dont sell them.. and I bought this one ..no discount or freebies either. But I am still 100% delighted with her.

In the same way that I was a bit over enthusiastic thinking that I could easily carry the F-Rib ..in my arms..across a 100m rocky shore .. I think the advertisement which says ... “CAN be folded into an impressive size of 34” x 36” x 18” is a bit optimistic too.

It was certainly that size when delivered.. but unless you like spending time sucking every last gasp of air out tubes..then wrapping neat parcels .. I suggest you give yourself another inch ..perhaps two inch.. on all dimensions.. which is still impressive for a 2.75meter RIB.

Im a man who likes a quick deflate after a days graft.. followed by a fold and tuck..so wont spend time trying to get the F-Rib small enough to perfectly fit its straight jacket. The Guppy’s package looks like the Incredible Hulk busting out his tight shirt.

I have no problem moving it on my DIY transom dolly.. even in a folded state. You even get a spare strap in the carrier holdall.. perhaps its intended as a compression strap..but it is handy to strap it to the trolley dolly.



Hmm..looking at the side view of it .. .perhaps I now know why I was counting Guppies instead of sheep ..trying to get to sleep...last night ?

Although a little oversized ..due to my poor packing process..it fits in my car ..no problem..and the bunk I sleep on has plenty room too. I take the rear seats out during summer months..so plenty room behind the boat for outboards..dollys.. duckboards and a big box of misc boating gear.. so for me ..it get another 100% for portability .. considering it is an almost 3m long RIB.



However ..for those of you who are OCD about their boats ..keep in mind..it is a gel coated hull..and as such will get scratches along the keel. If you don’t like that..best keep to SIBs. I have a few marks from only a handful of days working on it on the concrete slabs. It doesn’t bother me as I have had a few gel coated hardshell boats in the past.. and they all do the same. I have kept strips of PVC from my retired Seago..and will glue them onto the keel at a later date.. for protection..as I know I will haul her ass up barnacled beaches...without wheels or other protection.



I started painting the duck boards a nice guppy grey last night ..but things got a bit messy..so will finish them today.

[The Gurnard]

This morning..I started transplanting some Seago recycle parts into the Guppy. The F-Rib is a quality boat..but very basic. That is often best..as you can then deck it out to suit yourself .. as we all have our own ideas in what we want in a boat.

I wanted fixtures to secure things.. so searched through the Seago bits until I found the safety rope fixtures. These are three inch diameter plastic fittings with a hoop for rope attachment



I wish the rumours that cheap sixteen year old Chinese glue is useless was true ..but in my experience.. its anything but. I tried pulling the first fixture brutally off the PVC..even with using a vice and lever ..but it was extremely difficult..in fact ..the PVC started tearing before the glue was going to give.



Then I had a Gurnard brain wave. I was having boiled eggs for lunch..so thought I would pop the next two fixtures in the boiling water to see if it softened the glue. I gave them a three minute rolling boil as I like my eggs slightly soft centred.



Still no joy getting the fixtures free from the PVC.. so I decided to trim the PVC flush with the fixtures and Sikaflex the lot onto the Guppy’s hull. Makes great mounting points to tie down Transom Dolly and Duck Boards etc.



My eggs tasted a but rubbery though ?

[kaman]

Cracking idea there Gurnard using the fixings on the deck - sikaflexed down.
At this rate you will have cross bred Frib and Seago puppy known as a Frea-go

I've been swotting up on a potential replacement for my Honwave over the weekend.
The Highfield 380 and Rib Eye TS400 are leading the field.
Both are - give or take a couple of KGS identical in bulk to my Honwave.

The one thing that I did ponder was how I would lash my camping gear etc to the concave deck - I do like the flat padded sib floor.

I think your idea may have hit the nail on the head.

[The Gurnard]

You are making a good choice Kaman ..just convince the wifie..and go for it.


Ok..I have bored you all with my new toy ..showing you all the individual bits n bobs that make an F-Rib into the Guppy. I will tweak a few things once I have an adventure or two on her..but nothing major. So she is in her complete state ..ready for the sea.

Initially I will use my 3.3Hp outboard for power..weight 10kg.. I can lift it with one finger. Transom Dolly..stowed on the rear floor ..will be secured with the fixtures once the Sikaflex cures in a few days



Plenty of room in the cockpit for my happy ass.. I can fish from it too..as long as I am not targeting the big congers. Duck Floor bilge can be a bait well if I want. I have to paint the top of my boat box guppy grey..so all is colour coordinated. Then I will fix the compass and fishfinder to the lid. Battery for air pump and fishfinder will be housed in the box..along with the rest of my gear.



An overall rear view of the Guppy...



And finally..the front view



I loved my Seago to bits..but there is no way she could compare or compete with the Guppy ..which is now a very capable boat..well suited for my needs.

She is not a SIB.. she is not a RIB .. but she is a true boat in a suitcase ..and Im willing to bet that with her smooth hull..will go faster than a Bat out of hell..with a 15HP on her transom.

Thanks for reading my drivel ..and I hope you found it interesting. I will leave you all in peace now..until I post about her maiden voyage. I will leave the paint work to settle for a day..and perhaps find time on Thursday for her baptism..weather dependent.

Regards
The Gurnard

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

[DerekFix]

Really enjoying reading this thread. Look forward to reading more after your baptism on Thursday ( weather permitting ). Enjoy your new boat.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Looking forward to the trial report gurnard all good info for potential buyers.
Out of interest did you abraid the surface before sticking with sikaflex?.

Cheers

[Paul_S]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

Looking forward to the trial report gurnard all good info for potential buyers.

Cheers

+1

[jeffstevens763@g]

There's a video on YouTube of an frib fully deflated on the plane certantly get you home with all your kit nailed down.

[Fenlander]

Quite impressive... just 7 days from delivery to a fully featured expedition craft!

I do hope you manage to get out tomorrow Gurnard. Of course things can change rapidly but in our favoured west coast holiday location tomorrow is due to be dry, mostly sunny with light winds.

[The Gurnard]

I name this puppy
The Guppy
May God bless her
And all who mess in her



Take one Guppy .. at 36kg weight
Take one Gurnard . at 88kg weight
Take one 3.3Hp Mariner ..at 10kg weight



And what do you get ?

11 M.P.H of course.. its easy to calculate ..when you have an F-Rib 275





I will write today’s adventure in due course .. and put it in a new thread called

“A Guppy in the ‘Goil”

Read it at your peril .. as you may never want an inflatable bag in your car boot again..when you can have a boat in a box there instead

[Poly]

So Gurnard, any risk that the quicksilver will be relegated by this?

[The Gurnard]

Wow..no way Poly..the Quicksilver is my open sea crossing boat.

The Guppy is far too wee for that..however..as she was a doddle to trundle down Lochgoilhead ramp.. and unbelievable speed with the 3.3Hp. I also went 20 miles in her today..and used 4 litres of go juice ..that the beauty of wee outboards



My hardshell Vin Rouge at 158kg was a brute on that ramp.. she is gone.. she only managed 6 MPH..but has a displacement hull..so no surprise there. 4HP was her power plant



And so is the wee Seago Slat floor ..also shown on Loch Goil..she only managed displacement speed too...with same 3.3 Mariner ..she is in the bin



The guppy for sea lochs and inshore coastal work only.. although I will happily do Gigha and the Summer Isles in her too. I have yet to test her in a chop.