Handling a rib in big seas

[allegria]

Being new to ribs, i have only experineced ribs in calm conditions. But found that off the bigger wakes of boats a 5.2m rib i rented would burry its bow in the following wave. This was only wake so i'm just wondering what the behavoiur of a rib would be in larger seas 2m + waves. Would the waves not break on the bow?. I'm sure the boats are competent enough, i'm just looking for helming tips for handling in big seas.

These questions may seem very basic but i'm still learning.

Regards,

[Nauti Buoy]

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread....t=Handling+Rib

and

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread....t=Handling+Rib

[Swifty]

Its important to set the trim of the boat.
This can be done in two ways. First make sure that the load is evenly distributed. Having all the weight at the front will put the bow down, and all the weight at the back will put the bow up.
Secondly the trim of the engine will put the bow up or down. Trim in and the bow will be down, trim out and the bow will be up.

Going downwind you will be surfing down the front of a wave, this is great fun but when you get to the bottom the boat will want to keep going downhill!. To lift the bow up to climb the next wave and not dig into it trim the bow up.
Going upwind you will be climbing uphill up the front of a wave. To stop the boat going ballistic you will need to adjust the speed. The wind will now be under the bow and will slow the descent of the bow, causing the boat to land arse first. You will also get a pendulum effect because of the heavy engine on the stern. Trim bow down to reduce the effect and adjust the speed for a tolerable landing.

Another big tip is to avoid breaking surf. Its a whole world of sh** and you will find very quickly that big surf is to be avoided. Get some experience in small surf and work your way up.

ATB
Tim'mers.

[MarkWildey]

Allegria

We are all learning everytime we go out.

Swifty is correct that having the trim set, i.e. the engine, is a key component of staying safe and ideally dry.

Following seas can be the most dangerous and being in control of what is happening will stop any stuffing. Adjust your speed and angle of approach so that you feel you understand what will happen and then look at the next wave and plan for how the boat will come off the first wave and land on the second.

The idea is to get on top of the waves and miss out the troughs. On a trip to France years ago we were in big-ish seas ( I was scared ) but had a comfortable trip because we got on top. The faster you go the faster mistakes will happen so pick a speed for the conditions that make you happy.

Go out in easy conditions and try different things so see how the boat handles and reacts.

A good book to get is "Fast Boats in Fast Seas" by Dag Pike.

Good luck.

Mark