Hard standing and buying a new boat

[Jimbob]

As i have just joined, very simply i love ribs and i am an advanced Instructor but have the following questions

I live in Reading and as such want to find a good spot to hard stand my boat, to that end i initially decided on Northney Marina as i do lots of teaching there and thats where i did my cruising yachtmaster exams from. Anyway there is a waiting list so I'm trying to find a good place to store my boat with a slip and facilities (e.g a marina). Any ideas that are close, i looked at hamble point but its 25 quid each way on the slip. This really is preventing me from getting a bigger boat at the moment. e.g i dont want to spend half the day just travelling

Secondly, i quite like the scorpions (as most people do), but i also quite like the following, but have heard some horrow stories, so what the real SP on the boats below

1) Camel Ribs 655
2) Those Ballistic -trans agular (something like that)

[Seamonstie]

Hi Jimbob,

Owned since new a Ribtec 6.55, great rib, very safe in heavy seas, good build quality. Fitted with Honda 130 but will be upgrading to the new Honda 150 Vtec in the very near future. With the 130, getting 37/38 knots, two up and about 150 ltrs of fuel on board, expecting 42/44 knots with new engine.

This is not an ex Camel rib, they are quite a bit heavier with all the extra gear they had but I am told their hull was slightly beefed up.

The only reason I am updating the engine is that the original engine came with a 5 year warranty, it has 18 months left and I was offered a great deal on a new 150 and a good pex on the 130 plus a new 5 year warranty.

Peter White has a lot of good things to say about the Ribtec hull.

Good luck

Richard

[Alan]

Right, 'erewego....

Scorpions. Fantastic build quality, seakeeping & performance. Can't praise 'em highly enough. Used to own one, been round Britain in another etc etc. But v. expensive new and as rare as rocking horse do do secondhand. (that being said, Bembridge Outboards I think seem to have a ludicrously cheap 8.1m Scorp/225 Opti for sale for a while.). Anwyay if you can afford one new or do find a secondhand one, buy it and you'll never look back. (Unless you sell it and then regret it.....grrr )

Camel Trophy Ribs. Well 1stly lop off all the scafold pole rollcage that is pointless, heavy and green. Then sell that Honda 130 to some old chap who likes a nice sedate quiet ride. Bolt on an Opti 200 and wahaay you go!! Ribtec 655 is good hull. Some Camels have lead a hard life. Whatever you do, don't pay over the odds just cos its a camel trophy RIB!

Trans Agulhas whatever ballistics. Ditto. Don't pay over the odds cos its a trans whatever. Its been thrashed racing. Ballistics are very hard riding but fast RIBs. Not my cuppa early grey. Also South African built which means that build quality can be a problem. (He says diplo-feckin-matically! )

Bigger RIB often means compromise on towing vehicle/storage. Personally I had a 4x4 and was fortunate to have a good place to store the RIB so could enjoy the benefits of towing it around. The downside is the 7 hrs it took from Essex to Plymouth for the weekend! There are storage options Solent way that don't have to cost the earth. Drivers Wharf is popular. Calshot Activities centre is cheap (but not so secure.)

HTH,

Alan

[Peter J]

I'm very new to this forum so I have nothing to compare it too, but I visted Calshot Activities Centre and you can leave your boat there and get free launches. Its about £400.00 but its full for this year - you would have to go on the waiting list. Its locked at night and they have security cameras but I did see a post from someone who had a RIB nicked from there. So you may want to quiz them about their security record. I thought about leaving mine there - any one else care to comment on Calshot?

Hope this helps.

Peter.

[Searider]

Hi Jimbob,

Have you tried Mercury Marina on the Hamble. I know that it's MDL as is Hamble Point but I think that the slip is cheaper - although it does dry at low water.

Duncan

[Manos]

As there were some comments on the Scorpions, I just been on an 8.50 with a 250 Ficht on it. The boat is HUUUUUUUUGE, lots of storage space and I thought I was riding on a frigate. The waves were p[assing by us and not huge bangs at 20 knots and force 6. I was impressed!!

BUT..... the bow on the RIB was going up down on any state of the trim and sea waves or calm (proposing is term??). When I ask the owner (and friend) why is it doing this he said that this is how Scorpions go.

Is this correct?

Re Ballistics I have heard good comments in SAfriuca about the boats. Also they say finish quality is good. Any one has any 1st hand experience on these boats and any photos. I have many of the Transagulhas Challenge races but I want to see how the recreational boat sits in the water and get an idea before we go for a ride in them. Thanks

[Alan]

Manos, The beauty of a scorpion in my experience is the way it rides in the rough without the crash bang wallop that some RIBS have. The "porpoising" I think you describe is not a characteristic of a Scorpion or any well set up powerboat IMHO. Porpoising is most noticable in calmish conditions where the boat is trimmed too far out of the water.

[Richard B]

At the risk of contradicting my good friend Alan, the a mild "porpoising" type effect can be experienced in a Scorpion in certain conditions. It's not a dangerous or particularly uncomfortable experience, and usually affects the boat at low speeds (under 30kts) in gently rolling seas. Usually, going a little faster is the solution . Alternatively, a small adjustment of power or steering can settle the boat. I think the reason for this is the "warped deadrise" hull which doesn't have any flat sections (it curves all along its length like a banana) and the extremely fine bow which doesn't have a lot of buoyancy due to its low volume. This is in total contrast to a hull like a Ribtec which has a constant deadrise and a more bulbous bow. The payoff for the Ribtec is that they feel very stable at all speeds. The payoff for the Scorpion is their handling in the rough - you can take it as fast as your abilities will let you

Manos, you might like to suggest to your friend that he tries keeping a little more weight up front (anchor & chain) or just being a little more bold with the throttle. We find that ours runs level and smooth. An 8.5 Scorpion is capable of maintaining lunatic speeds in even F6 conditions. Definitely suitable for Honda Firebird riders

Jimbob - I've recently written a PM to someone else about storage so I'll forward it to you shortly.

[Rogue Wave]

Originally Posted by Manos

BUT.....
Is this correct?

No !

Scorpions are great boats with a very nice buils quality, Ours has been used constantly for two years and I still can't find a fault with it

Ribtec hulls are good enough, but the Camel trophy ribs are heavy and underpowered. Alans comment are correct . Also the fit out quality of Camel ribs is questionable..particularly electical work. You have to remember that the company had to make 60 within a time frame and as any project manager will tell you a firm deadline usually means you kiss Kwality control good bye. this was certainly the case with the Camels. If I still haven't talked you out of one then mine is for sale and it's cheap.

Ballistics if these are the ones for sale at Ribsforsale then they ain't a bargain
if it was about 6 k less then it would be also an engine that's been raced for a thousand miles plus practice . Riva seems to reckon however

Why Northney that's a long way from Reading.......? try Drivers Wharf, Itchen, Elephant boat yard Hamble , Foulkes Hamble, Ken Baker Portsmouth. Security is an issue with boat yards so befor you settle on one see how many you can get into into and more important out of without being challenged! I suspect that might be some of the content of RichB message to you.

Finally Alan next time sell your bloody boat to me I would never contradict anybody who sold me a bargain

Drivers and Ken Baker are lifting yards but KB does have an all tide slipway

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

Ken Baker Portsmouth...

Ken Brown???

[Rogue Wave]

I bow to your superior pedantacism oh Master Bateson

[Pete7]

porpoising is caused by the engine lifting the nose of the boat out of the water until it is no longer supported and drops down again. The engine power then lifts the bows up and the cycle repeats itself. Lots of boats can be made to do it, not just warped V designs. Richard is right however the problem is easily cured by changing the trim slightly, or moving something heavy around the boat, normally a chuffin great fat diver and his kit.

Pete

[Richard B]

Well, I was just thinking of poor old Jimbob cursing the yellow pages and 'phoning every Ken Baker in Portsmouth!

And to think that I was about to agree with you....

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

Security is an issue with boat yards so befor you settle on one see how many you can get into into and more important out of without being challenged!

Very sound advice. BTW Shamrock are doing a good summer package in cluding launches for £180ish a month

[Manos]

Thanks guys for the info re Scorpion. My friend has quite a few bits in the bow locker (which I may add has suspension things to keep it up and make lifting it easier -- WOW what a luxury!!)

May be the engine is set up the wrong way or has a lot of weight aft. But it definitely was going up and down not so much on the chop (well it did but possibly was the waves too) but on the flat. It did this in all states of trim settings up down, middle. Very strange, but overall very nice LARGE (is the operative word) RIB. Pity is so expensive

Re Ballistic I think that is not as expenssive as they sell it in the UK

[Brambles]

Hi,

My opinion for what it's worth is as this. Please bear in mind that I am no expert, that I have no money invested in either boat and that my only experience of ribs is as a passenger and driver of a Ribtec 6.5 & Scorpion 8.1.

The Ribtec was a great boat, with excellent sea keeping abilities, upto about Force 6 or 7, but very wet!

The Scorpion is an in a different league alltogether, an awesome boat & very dry.

We have been out in some very heavy seas in the Scorpion this year - in particular off the coast of France a few months ago - and it was superb.

I had put most of this down to the differnce in size, however a trip to Plymouth in fairly moderate seas in the company of another (larger) Rib this weekend put it into perspective. We had to slow down a wait for the other boat to catch us up on numerous occasions. A combination of good hull design and, please don't underestimate this, good seating for the driver & crew won the day. He was uncomfortable above 30 Knts and we were uncomfortable below that.

The Scorpion can feel a little bow light at first, but as others have mentioned, trim it correctly and drive it at the speed it was designed to go and it all comes together.

At the end of the day it all comes down to money and if your budget allows I would say go for a Scorpion. The build quuality is fantastic and you should get a good price when you come to sell.

Happy boating.

[Rogue Wave]

I wouldn't deal with that fat c*** that runs Shamrock Quay if I were you, he does not honour his agreements

A good place to go is Eastalnd boat yard at the top of the Hamble they have a lot of very happy ex Shamrock Quay and Saxon Wharf clients there.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

I wouldn't deal with that fat c*** that runs Shamrock Quay

Mate of yours then?

[Rogue Wave]

he's not good for his word Richard, he causes us nothing but fkkn grief. All the local yards love him because they are picking up a lot of work because of him

what was the RIB that accompanied you to plimuff

[Manos]

Originally Posted by Richard B

Die dulci fruimini

What that means Richard Very poor in lantin never liked it at school

[Louise]

Manos, 'Have a nice day'.

Stu - think it was a Revenger.