New user... First question....

[K&S]

Hi to all of you, I have been a spectator on this site for some time and have learned a lot.

Myself and the family are the proud owners of a Hardy Pilot 20 which we keep on the Clyde. We have owned this for 2 seasons and loved every minuet.
Our reason for wanting to move to a rib is because with limited holiday and free time available we need something to get us to our destination a little quicker. This summer we traveled from Holy loch to Oban which took the best part of two weeks to achieve.


We are looking at the XS 600 or 650 we are undecided on which boat and with what engine. I have no real preference to engine except that it must be 4 stroke.

The boat should be '' good fun" with good speed for days out waterskiing etc but also capable of longer cruising at reduced throttle (ideally we would like to cross to Ireland at some point but will leave that for a thread in the future.) We are a family of two adults and three kids (12 >16).

I would love to hear your advice.

Many thanks,

Kim & Susan

[codprawn]

WHY must it be a 4 stroke?

[K&S]

My only real reason is the noise and convienience of pure petrol. I have used 2 stroke allbeit 10 years go and i know the technology is better now. our Hardy was supplied with a Johnson vro which was good, if a little smelly and loud but we replaced it with a Mercury 4 stroke and dont think i could go back.

[MikeCC]

Kim and Susan,

What Codders actually means is "a hearty welcome to RIBnet and I'm sure there will be lots of people willing to offer sensible advice and assistance"

Originally Posted by codprawn

WHY must it be a 4 stroke?

Possibly also because they are looking at longer cruising at slower speeds?

You'll find lots of discussion about the relative merits of various hull/seating/engine combinations, but i'm sure some opinions will be along soon.

Mike

[Sarah G]

Gotta say from a non-techy point of view that if the right boat comes along - don't turn it down because it has a 2-stroke. We have a Tohatsu 140 two stroke. You don't need to pre-mix as it has a separate chamber for the oil. I was worried that it would be noisy but I haven't really noticed a problem and she goes like a rocket.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by MikeCC

Kim and Susan,

What Codders actually means is "a hearty welcome to RIBnet and I'm sure there will be lots of people willing to offer sensible advice and assistance"

Possibly also because they are looking at longer cruising at slower speeds?

You'll find lots of discussion about the relative merits of various hull/seating/engine combinations, but i'm sure some opinions will be along soon.

Mike

I would have but he said he's been lurking for a while so he should be used to me!!!

Love the Hardy Pilot - nice solid go anywhere job.

i have to be honest 4 strokes are a LOT quieter at low speeds - on the Hrdy Pilot they are ideal but I will bet you will find the throttle setting on the RIB will usually be the wrong side of 1/2!!!

[K&S]

We have enjoyed the luxury or a roof above our heads, cooking and sleeping facilities and the 1l per knt fuel economy.
We have pretty much explored everywhere we can with the time available to us so we feel the need for speeed.... and a beter set of waterproofs.

Does the extra few inches in length make a vast difference in sea keeping. Both lengths are rated cat C but would the extra length be usefull

We are considering suzuki 150 / 175 any thoughts?

[Rogue Wave]

HI,

Despite everything I#ve told my ladies over the years yep size does make a difference if you can accomadate the 6.5 then do it.

We use an xs 5.5 with a 4 stroke Merc 100 for training on and Its fine albeit a little arse heavy but quite frugal

There is a guy in our yard who has an XS 650 boat is a good un its got a Suzi 140 and he loves it, dark blue toobs and orange GRP looks great, surprisingly. it is called excess

I think however you shoul seriously consider an Opti or Etec 150 the performance will be stunning and both engines are as economic as 4 strokes but boy can they turn it on when they want to. Whe you are buying a new engine the warranty period has to be a big part of your decision. Mercs have 3 years how long do the Suzi#s have.

I really do think hardy#s are fine boats BTW

[IBWET]

Originally Posted by K&S

We have enjoyed the luxury or a roof above our heads, cooking and sleeping facilities and the 1l per knt fuel economy.
We have pretty much explored everywhere we can with the time available to us so we feel the need for speeed.... and a beter set of waterproofs.

Does the extra few inches in length make a vast difference in sea keeping. Both lengths are rated cat C but would the extra length be usefull

We are considering suzuki 150 / 175 any thoughts?

Welcome to the forum,

I have a Ribcraft 5.85 with a DF150,the engine is like a modern car engine, it dosen't cross your mind that it won't start...good engine.

We followed a rib from Rothesay over to the cumbrae (it was an 8 mtr) out of the bay our boat was a lot quicker (we were waiting for him), as soon as the wave height increased we couldn't maintain the pace and he just disappered.

It makes a big difference.

[Jon Brooks]

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

HI,
Mercs have 3 years how long do the Suzi#s have.

3 Years on the Suzi's