new member from alaska bering sea

palehorse · 31 July 2009, 02:24

hello all new to the sport at a old age retired bering longliner have been on the water lots. I started small with aquillis 310 hardly a rib at all and bought a older avon sportsboat & new 50 merc two stroke ,had two 4 stroke yamahas and back to the 2 hope to pick up a brit boat from Canada while the exchange is still good. Hope I can learn from you all and maybe you can learn from me Im a high hour outboard user . Also any retired sas or elite force from GB love to hear from you Im a cop & gun collector and hunt still alot even at my age Kim

prairie tuber · 31 July 2009, 02:46

Welcome Pale Horse,

I think you'll enjoy this site alot. You'll see a handful of Avon RIBs in Canada, there are also some BC based RIB builders that make some very good RIBs such as Zodiac Hurricane, Polaris, Titan etc. What length of boat were you looking for?

palehorse · 31 July 2009, 04:28

tuber I would like a polairs in 16 or 18 feet I want alum bottom not fiberglass been there done that with a 150 yamaha or honda 4 stroke soon we will not be able to get any other. I am wanting a mil spec 470 seal boat if I can find a low time model at a decent price . kim

prairie tuber · 31 July 2009, 05:36

Keep an eye on the "RIBs for sale in North America" section of the North American forum. Every so often, used zodiac FC-470s show up at decent prices and in very good condition. For even better performance in rough conditions a catamaran hulled foldable inflatable boat (such as a Gemini Dive 470 or 530) will provide a substantial improvement over the futura hull design of the FC-470.

4.7m -5.3m is an excellent choice of length for foldable inflatable boats because they are so versatile (though they need to be trailered to be practical for one person to use). At this length, they can readily handle rough open water conditions at respectable speeds, though typically not at as fast a speed as can be handled large, heavier RIB. However you can also run these foldable inflatable boats up rapid strewn river systems where you'd never be able to get a similarly sized RIB into.

As for engines, in addition to the 4 strokes, it is also worth having a look at the direct injected 2 strokes such as the Evinrude ETECs and the Tohatsu/Nissan TLDI series, which meet the most stringent of emissions standards.