Newbie teen wants a RIB! - Page 3

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9D280

I could be a bit controversiaial here and suggest if you've been sailing lasers, presumably you have a bouyancy aid?

As for the fuel, yes you can go miles on a small engine (Rhu - Tignabruach & back with my old SR4 / Sus 25), but if you get swamped & the tank is "poisoned", for the money a second tank will cost .... Even if it;s just a 20L that you park under the seat. Two hulk 30L tanks will sit happily between the transom braces. Granted they wipe out your entire rear deck space......

It depends what you're doing. If it's all rescue boat for dinghies stuff , the deck space will be infinitely more useful than an extra 20L of fuel. Alternatively, if you are cruising, spare fuel has it's advantages but you'll be at the helpm for 99% iof the trip, so the rear deck might as well not be there... and if you are cruising, it's more fun to go "in company" so then you have a second boat as backup...... I didn't have an aux for nearly 2 years, but was always out with another rib or playing rescue boat, so didn't need one.

One thing is for sure. Once you've got the boat, your "needs list" will change as you use it for different things.

Yes, i do of course have a buoyancy aid, but for comfort and practicability i'd rather spend £70 on a Lifejacket. I should have enough to buy some essential accessories, but as you say, a buoyancy aid would do the job.

I don't think i'll be going too far afield, and if i do decide to go further, then i can always add another tank. I think i'll just have to wait and see. It depends how the boats laid out when i get it, i might not have room for extra fuel.

Anchor, Lifejacket, VHF etc. are higher priority than a second fuel tank. All these things are starting to add up! I think it really will depend on what boat i get and how equipped it is.

9D280 · 18 November 2009, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewislikesboats

Yes, i do of course have a buoyancy aid, but for comfort and practicability i'd rather spend £70 on a Lifejacket.

But a Bouyancy aid is a lot warmer........

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewislikesboats

All these things are starting to add up! I

Welcome to the world of Ribs......

Like I said, the toy list will evolve as you start to use the boat.

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9D280

But a Bouyancy aid is a lot warmer........

True... come to think of it, i used a Bouyancy Aid for my course, and didn't really notice it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9D280

Welcome to the world of Ribs......

Like I said, the toy list will evolve as you start to use the boat.

It's already started and i don't even have the boat!

Thanks for the advice

severncoxswain · 18 November 2009, 17:28

Hey Lewis

One thing you should watch out for Lewis is the engine, there are a lot of SR4's out there that have a two stroke outboard that balances it, though you do need to watch it on fuel, Doesn't always go done well with them (drink alot basically).....

Don't just look at the boat and the engine but look at wat comes with it. . .eg VHF (my area), steering ect.....

U knw the trouble that camy has had with his engine which is two stroke, yamaha. . .and the trailer obv....

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 18:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by severncoxswain

Hey Lewis

One thing you should watch out for Lewis is the engine, there are a lot of SR4's out there that have a two stroke outboard that balances it, though you do need to watch it on fuel, Doesn't always go done well with them (drink alot basically).....

Don't just look at the boat and the engine but look at wat comes with it. . .eg VHF (my area), steering ect.....

U knw the trouble that camy has had with his engine which is two stroke, yamaha. . .and the trailer obv....

I think i could argue with that though. Luckily for Camy, 2 strokes are a lot easier to repair, and i don't think a 40/50hp 2 stroke would be too different on fuel consumption from a 4stroke, with their weight and so on...
What does Ribnet have to say?

I was actually going to ask that. I read that the Yam 50 is the most popular modern(ish) engine choice for SR4's, but what's the most common on older ones? What should i be looking out for?

I've been talking about accessories. I think i should be able to save up to £3000 by next year meaning i can get a good boat and should have some left over to spend on toys.

Poly · 18 November 2009, 18:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by severncoxswain

Hey Lewis

One thing you should watch out for Lewis is the engine, there are a lot of SR4's out there that have a two stroke outboard that balances it, though you do need to watch it on fuel, Doesn't always go done well with them (drink alot basically).....

at the size of engine on a SR4 (prob 50HP max) even a very thirsty 2 stroke isn't going to burn stupid amounts of fuel if you can learn that the throttle is an analogue control and not just WOT/tickover. Worst case it will be burning about £20 an hour, maybe half that if you are sensible. Bearing in mind that the engine will likely be reasonably old to be in budget 2 strokes are much simpler and potentially much cheaper to fix.

Quote:

Don't just look at the boat and the engine but look at wat comes with it. . .eg VHF (my area), steering ect.....

whilst a trailer is an important part of the package and a good condition one important if it will ever be going anywhere except the dinghy park, I think you would be ill advised to pick your boat based on its gizmos. As 9d280 has already highlighted almost all these are non-essential, can be bought specific to your needs with up-to-date kit relatively cheaply. Vendors often attach too high a "mental" value to the electronics. Hull, tubes and engine (and possibly trailer) are the things to concern yourself with for a trouble free experience. On the engine front - I would suggest that Power-trim-and-tilt is potentially more important than you realise - its the one thing I would go back and add to my spec if I could.

Downhilldai · 18 November 2009, 18:19

On a £3k budget for the boat, you won't get much of a 4-stroke motor. A decent 50hp 4-stroke is worth £2k min on its own.

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

On a £3k budget for the boat, you won't get much of a 4-stroke motor. A decent 50hp 4-stroke is worth £2k min on its own.

Yeah, and it's very unlikely to get a 4-stroke on a SR4. Probably far too heavy!

Downhilldai · 18 November 2009, 19:04

The nobber Hugo Montswannery-Gob did a review of a SR4 with a Yam F50 on RIB International last year. He reckoned it was stern heavy, but perhaps he was carrying the fuel too far aft - can't remember the detail, but maybe someone could dig out the article.
Afterwards, BHG were trying to sell the boat for around £7k IIRC

Anyway, you're better off with something like a 3-cylinder Yam 50 2-stroke.

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polwart

at the size of engine on a SR4 (prob 50HP max) even a very thirsty 2 stroke isn't going to burn stupid amounts of fuel if you can learn that the throttle is an analogue control and not just WOT/tickover. Worst case it will be burning about £20 an hour, maybe half that if you are sensible. Bearing in mind that the engine will likely be reasonably old to be in budget 2 strokes are much simpler and potentially much cheaper to fix.

whilst a trailer is an important part of the package and a good condition one important if it will ever be going anywhere except the dinghy park, I think you would be ill advised to pick your boat based on its gizmos. As 9d280 has already highlighted almost all these are non-essential, can be bought specific to your needs with up-to-date kit relatively cheaply. Vendors often attach too high a "mental" value to the electronics. Hull, tubes and engine (and possibly trailer) are the things to concern yourself with for a trouble free experience. On the engine front - I would suggest that Power-trim-and-tilt is potentially more important than you realise - its the one thing I would go back and add to my spec if I could.

Aggreed.

What would be a good engine which incorporates PTT which i could get in budget?
I know a lot who have bought without it and regret it now. It's not easy to fit.

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

The nobber Hugo Montswannery-Gob did a review of a SR4 with a Yam F50 on RIB International last year. He reckoned it was stern heavy, but perhaps he was carrying the fuel too far aft - can't remember the detail, but maybe someone could dig out the article.
Afterwards, BHG were trying to sell the boat for around £7k IIRC

Anyway, you're better off with something like a 3-cylinder Yam 50 2-stroke.

Great, thanks!

Is that usually fitted with PTT?

Downhilldai · 18 November 2009, 19:11

Back in the early '90s, Yam were doing a special deal on the 50hp with manual start, no PTT for less than £2k, so a lot of these made their way onto cheap boats like SR4s. Nothing wrong with these motors, but ES & PTT is nice to have.

Later versions are much more likely to have the toys on.

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 19:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Back in the early '90s, Yam were doing a special deal on the 50hp with manual start, no PTT for less than £2k, so a lot of these made their way onto cheap boats like SR4s. Nothing wrong with these motors, but ES & PTT is nice to have.

Later versions are much more likely to have the toys on.

Ah, okay.

I'm going to go for PTT. I think it really effects the performance and capability. ES would be good to have too.

Downhilldai · 18 November 2009, 19:25

You won't have PTT without ES.

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

You won't have PTT without ES.

It would be good to have as a result of having PTT ....

mdt · 18 November 2009, 21:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polwart

if you can learn that the throttle is an analogue control and not just WOT/tickover.

Could I suggest you read the title of a thread prior to posting....

which part of Newbie teen wants a RIB and not expecting WOT being the norm did you not guess?

lewislikesboats · 18 November 2009, 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdt

Could I suggest you read the title of a thread prior to posting....

which part of Newbie teen wants a RIB and not expecting WOT being the norm did you not guess?

Matt, It's different when i'm paying for the petrol :P

9D280 · 19 November 2009, 09:29

OK, brain dump based on last night's posts.......

SR4 with a 50 will be a bit ballistic. They'll run quite happily (granted a bit lethargic off the mark) with a 25, which then means you can get a nice cheap one (due to the lack of horses) & upgrade the engine later and be picky about your bigger engine..... I have seen a few examples of that where the engine was upgraded, then the hull was enlarged (old hull sold with small engine, Big engine then became a small engine on the next size up hull which in turn was then replaced by a bigger engine...)

PTT - Yeah, it's handy, but if the trim pin is set up properly & the boat balanced, it's not as necessary as it may sound. I used to run mine on 2 posions - "cruise" & "rescue". - tucked in one hole for the short sharp need to get on the plane stuff for resce duties, up a hole for cruising. If you go Yam, the 3-ram PTT unit I am pretty certain was used on everything between 50 & 90Hp, so finding a retro - fit might not be as bad as you think. (I may have one going spare, but not quite yet!) Having said that, it's useful enough that I'm trying to retro- fit my Merc with PT, with two possible options. (hence the "maybe" available) I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it not having PT, but that's just me.

Fuel economy - only really becomes a big difference at long times tickover on engines of that size. At WOT or close to it, the bottom line is you still need to burn X amount of fuel to produce Y amount of heat to create Z amount of horsepower. There won't be a significant difference in the fuel bills unless you are running 24/7. If, however you are doing a lot of waiting around jybe marks for people to tip their dinghies, a 4- stroke is a good choice for a few reasons, the ambient noise being one...... From memory the one 4- stroke 50 that's almost a 2- stroke weight is the carb'ed Honda 50.

The other oservation is that unless you have unlimited budget, your "choice" will probably boil down to the first one that comes along at the right price! (I think you may have seen the beginnings of this scenario already! - I had planned for an SR4.7, but the Humber appeared at the right price & fitted my garage, so I now have a Humber!)

lewislikesboats · 19 November 2009, 15:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9D280

OK, brain dump based on last night's posts.......

SR4 with a 50 will be a bit ballistic. They'll run quite happily (granted a bit lethargic off the mark) with a 25, which then means you can get a nice cheap one (due to the lack of horses) & upgrade the engine later and be picky about your bigger engine..... I have seen a few examples of that where the engine was upgraded, then the hull was enlarged (old hull sold with small engine, Big engine then became a small engine on the next size up hull which in turn was then replaced by a bigger engine...)

PTT - Yeah, it's handy, but if the trim pin is set up properly & the boat balanced, it's not as necessary as it may sound. I used to run mine on 2 posions - "cruise" & "rescue". - tucked in one hole for the short sharp need to get on the plane stuff for resce duties, up a hole for cruising. If you go Yam, the 3-ram PTT unit I am pretty certain was used on everything between 50 & 90Hp, so finding a retro - fit might not be as bad as you think. (I may have one going spare, but not quite yet!) Having said that, it's useful enough that I'm trying to retro- fit my Merc with PT, with two possible options. (hence the "maybe" available) I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it not having PT, but that's just me.

Fuel economy - only really becomes a big difference at long times tickover on engines of that size. At WOT or close to it, the bottom line is you still need to burn X amount of fuel to produce Y amount of heat to create Z amount of horsepower. There won't be a significant difference in the fuel bills unless you are running 24/7. If, however you are doing a lot of waiting around jybe marks for people to tip their dinghies, a 4- stroke is a good choice for a few reasons, the ambient noise being one...... From memory the one 4- stroke 50 that's almost a 2- stroke weight is the carb'ed Honda 50.

The other oservation is that unless you have unlimited budget, your "choice" will probably boil down to the first one that comes along at the right price! (I think you may have seen the beginnings of this scenario already! - I had planned for an SR4.7, but the Humber appeared at the right price & fitted my garage, so I now have a Humber!)

Thanks 9D280! This is a lot of help.

Buying a cheap low hp engine could be an option, which i could later upgrade to one of my choice. As you say, it's likely i'll probably have to take what i can get at the right price, so maybe i could buy fairly low HP, and switch to an ideal one maybe a year or two later.

I'll keep it in mind.

Same goes for PTT, maybe it would be better to buy the engine with PTT, after the initial buy. It depends what comes along.

2-Stroke doesn't bother me, in fact, if i was to go with the "buy ideal engine later" plan, a modern 2-stroke would probably be my preference. I don't see me doing any rescue in my boat anyway (at least i hope not!)

willfinch36 · 19 November 2009, 15:40

I used my RIB for "support boating", got grief because I didn't have a prop guard. So they told me I needed one (ideally). Next week, RYA had said something about not needing a prop guard at all, its like make your minds up and stop buggering me about as I do stuff out of my own time and expense!