few questions from a noobie

[iandl]

Hi …..been lurking for a few weeks now and decided to ask a few newbie questions. I work out on the oil rigs and never thought I would want to go and play in the sea as well as work in it….i do a regular coxwains course for work and recently at the Fleetwood campus had a go of one of their ribs and this is where I got the bug I think.

Just purchased this old ex FRC from a rig standby boat …..not expensive but hopefully will cure me if this bug is going to take off or not. I believe it to be an avon searider 5.4m with a 70hp evinrude. I haven’t picked it up as yet as I am trying to get my trailer finished for it (see pics) ….picking up now looks even further off than I thought due to get my nice new axles stolen overnight.

Questions…..i bought the boat on a whim as I felt it was too cheap to miss out on …..i went over it when I got off the rig and it doesn’t seem too bad….i thought the tubes were down a bit but the guy said he let the air out slightly due to it being out it the glaring sunlight and didn’t want the tubes to over inflate…..he then pumped them up a bit and they seemed fine…is this a normal problem?
I checked over all the electrics and everything seemed to be well maintained and and professionally installed and everything worked …is their anything I need to be careful of?
The engine also seemed to be well maintained, it started well but I didn’t want to run too long as I had no coolant through it …….are evinrudes reliable? Or should I be looking for a replacement sooner rather than later.

Got an old epirb from the rig but it will need sent for a new signature …any ideas where i can get this done?

Also bought a handheld Icom IM3 vhf radio…….i use radios regular offshore for speaking to pilots, standby boat and supply boat captains regular and have done various radio courses over the years ….is their any licences I need to aquire?

Thanks for reading my ramblings and hope I managed to post the pics ok

Cheers

Ian

[Tomas]

The boat looks just great. I'm a bit biased being a SeaRider owner but they are tough as nails. I have a 4.7 which is a US Coast Guard Model and looking at the very tough strakes on your unit, you got the industrial heavy duty unit. The hulls on these unit are heavy weather capable.

My tubes in the tropics are ten years old and solid. Yes, to answer a question, often the tubes are left somewhat under inflated or will seem that way early in the morning or during overcast conditions and will tighten up as the air expands in the heat of the day. Unless something horrible was done to your tubes, you should have no worries there.

I've read reports of transoms that were drilled and left unsealed allowing moisture to impregnate the wood core. Check any through transom holes for proper sealing and inspect for any cracks and observe for any movement, which you surely don't want to see.

I've got a Johnson 50 on my boat, Evinrude and Johnson are both built by Bombardier and are good engines. The engine discussions circle around either fuel economy, 4 stroke vs. 2 stroke and or WOT flat out speed and most people like whatever it is they have vs. all others but a properly maintained Evinrude is a good solid power unit. I would of course have the engine gone over by someone that knows what they are doing and give it a complete PM service.

You say somone nicked your axle That's not nice!

There is such a wealth of information on RibNet that I am sure you will receive several good replies and if you look in this forum as well as Engines, Electronics and others, many many subjects are covered in detail.

Let me know how happy you are once you get going!

Tomas

[Downhilldai]

Boat looks good - if the tubes hold air and the hull is as good as it looks, then you should be pretty well sorted.

Outboard: the 2-stroke Evinrude 60/70 isn't a bad old lump - probably worth getting it serviced and checked out before you go off to sea in it - lots of people did away with the VRO (variable rate oiling) system on these and went back to basics with pre-mixing the 2-stroke oil with the fuel. Worth checking if this has been done here and if not, that the VRO works ok.

As far as I remember, the Seariders became available with orange toobs around 1992, so it may have been re-toobed? Hull number will tell you it's age. Toob pressure can build up if left out in the sun and the toobs don't appear to have PRVs, so the precaution may have been wise - pump them up and see how they hold air.

VHF: you'll personally need a SRC licence, which it sounds like you already have, but the handheld radio and any fixed installed ship's radio will need to be licenced with Ofcom - easily done on line and free (on-line, it is, anyway)

Trailer: looks well up to carting a SR5.4 around - sorry to hear about your axles. Presumably, you'll be getting it galvanised?

Wiring: check condition of cables around the terminals - they can corrode away to nothing if ordinary (not tinned) copper wire has been used. Also make sure the fuses are in good nick and carry spare fuses and bulbs for the nav lights.

The self-righting frame on the back will probably be a bit OTT for leisure use, so you may want to change it for a more modest A-frame, to save a bit of weight - is it ally?

[iandl]

thanks for your replies......the self righting frame does look a bit cumbersome, not sure if its ali or not ....someone has painted it in the past, i'll have a good play first before i make any decisions on removing it though

bit gutted about the axles going...the fact someone has climbed my fence and been in my back yard concerns me a bit ......

the trailer was due in at the galvanisers today but without the axles it cant move .......seems a bit daft them taking the heavy axles and leaving all the wheels and tyres ...police reckoned they might come back for them ... i hope they do!!

once i finally get it home i'll be able to give it a good going over and probobly need to ask more Rib questions ....
anyone know of a good evinrude service centre in central scotland

cheers

Ian

[Nos4r2]

Looks good! It's a shame that self-righting A-frame isn't the folding type or I'd be trying to buy it off you.

[Downhilldai]

I forgot to ask what's going on with the bracketry behind the winch post on your trailer. Is it some form of bow snubber, or somewhere to fix an LPG cylinder?

[MikeCC]

Welcome Ian.

Is it possible that the tubes have been painted at some point? Not usually a problem - hypalon paint seems to stick quite well.

You mentioned an old EPIRB. You should be able to re-register it with your details. Take a look at the MCGA website page here. You might want to contact them if you have any doubts. One way or the other, they should know that unit number is not on the original vessel, just in case of any activation, real or accidental.

I wouldn't fire up the engine again without either putting it in a tub of water or using flushing muffs.

It's a personal preference, but some people block the flooding hull on the SeaRider to improve acceleration (ie there's no water to dump). You can do this by blocking the large hole at the bottom of the transom and the two small ones at the bow. You can still get water in there though, so you need to consider a bilge pump to remove it.

The downside of not having the flooding hull is that the boat is not so stable at rest because there's no ballast. Depends how much diving or fishing you might be doing . . .

Have fun.

[iandl]

Thanks Mikecc, ....yes the tubes have been painted at some point.....but they dont look to bad ...i'll see how much i enjoy playing with it first before i venture into spending time and effort and cash into it.

i'll go and look at the MCGA website shortly.....point taken with the engine...i was aware though it shoudnt be run long without coolant.

i quite like the idea of the flooding hull for stability ....need to give it a trial before i decide on whether to block up holes or not.

on an excellant note ....police came this morning and reported they have found an axle ...only one though...in a field not far from me....it might end up being a single axle trailer.

downhilldai....the brackertry is for the jockey wheel ......i picked up the coupling via the bay and its quite a substanstial looking affair...i can see where you are coming from though.........isnt the gas cylinder for pumping up the rib (LOL) trying to find the little smileys but havent found them yet.

cheers

Ian

[three-rex]

Originally Posted by iandl

anyone know of a good evinrude service centre in central scotland

cheers

Ian

Hi Ian

servicing - I'm trying to remember here - I think the best recommend I've had is David Anderson - somewhere near Dundee.

failing that - there's a place at Balloch Marina (Crossan) - but I think he's Mercury speciallist

Bosun's locker at South Queensferry sell Evinrude, so that makes Ferry Marine (also at Port Edgar) a likely candidate - as they're next door

[iandl]

cheers three rex ......i'll phone them around ...i have also been told about mitchell outboard services are pretty good in Glasgow.

finally got home and finished the trailer ... only single axle but glad it is now , its a lot more manouvrable....i probobly went ott with 2 1800kgs axles but now its only one it looks ok. the axles have been a nightmare due to getting one pinched then the galvanisers losing it only to turn up a few hours later but only after i had driven home dejected....anyways heres the final assembly ready to pickup the boat. hope its worthy of a home built trailer

for anyone interested ...i picked up the axles and hitch coupling on ebay for £450 although they are trailer parts traders, wheels ,tyres, winch, steel £300 and rollers another £200 and £115 for galvanising and about 4 - 6 days to put together then another day to assemble after galvanising .......also fitted a home made flush kit and bearing savers.

all in all not a great saving but i feel i have got a better trailer than i could buy for just over a grand.