Rib Camping Idea

[smokie]

Hi,

I'd like to get some comments on a rib camping idea I've been thinking about. Say you had two ribs one with a t-top and each carrying two passengers. Assume you are on a multi-day trip and wanted to camp but couldn't because either terrain or other reasons.

My thought is to put together a frame of metal tubing that would be supported at each end by a rib. Five 2.5m poles could support 4 adults with canvas between them. The poles would have an end piece connecting all 5 .

One could then set two inflatable tents. See http://www.airzonerecreation.com/

The whole thing would be custom made & easy to assemble. Canvas folded & stored. Tubes transported on top of the t-top.

[Tiger]

Smokie, welcome to the site.

Nice idea for camping on the boat and I have been in a few situations on land where the boat would have been far better and dryer!!

I'm not sure if I understood you right, but you are looking to make a platform to site the inflatable tent(s). Seems a hard way to do it but i wont knock it as I'm sure it could be made to work.

I would keep it simple and use a sleeping bag in a bivi bag, thermarest matress (worth the money) and a tarpualin (keeps the frost off!!). You need some flat(ish) space though.

I had a problem sleeping down below on a boat so i slept in some coiled heavy line in just the bivibag for shelter with no problems. Tarp is useful to keep rain off off course, but need to tie down well and think about where the water runs off to.

Don't want to go into too many other ideas, lets see what the other have done.

Tiger

[Pete7]

Spent a week living on board in 95. Used a rope from the front winching eye over the front tubes across the console to the a frame. Then had a tent like boat cover hang over that. Material was similar to a normal tent and proved very waterproof. Used inflatable matresses down each side of the centre console jammed under the tubes which meant two people could sleep on board in comfort. The only problem was a thunderstorm one night started to fill the rib as the back was open for ventilation (high summer). Water came in and slowly started to fill up the rib. Woke up at 3am with a wet foot and spent an hour bailing out with a mug. Chose Jersey marina because they have fab showers and stuff which solved the washing problem, and a fishermans cafe with great kippers for breakfast. Hot water for coffee was supplied freely by nearly by gin palaces when they saw me trying to light a camping stove on board. (We carried 70 gallons of petrol in plastic cans!) Rib cruising had just started to take off and they thought us mad to cross the channel in an inflatable boat. The trip was organised by a young man who would go onto greater things, in a big yellow cabin rib thingy, has the initials A.P.

[matiboy]

batfalcon , on his profile he has a website

he has done all sorts to his rib, looks like something out of mad max, one thing that will be of interest is the full tent canopy that he has had fitted

I'll try and find a link as he has posted pics in the gallery in the past

[crazyhorse]

Another angle that may be some good is a roof tent.

http://www.bimo.com/skydome1.htm

Im to old for all this milarki.

Enjoy and wrap up well.

[Ribald]

My Ribcraft 4.8 came with an overall camping cover which the previous owner had made professionally. It fits over the bow tubes, consul and a-frame and has a door on the port side and at the rear. Bungee toggles are clipped to the lifeline fixing points and a draw-string goes all round the bottom to the stern where it fits over the pointed stern tubes

I would imagine it's quite cosy inside but not a lot of room to lie down owing to the limited space between the consul and the inside of the tubes.

Mind you, after a day on the water, a good meal and a few beers, you could probably sleep anywhere

If I can find a picture, I will post it here.

[Keith Hart]

Hi

Surf through Batfalcon's website and see what he added to his rib (in sunny climes though).

Keith Hart

www.geocities.com/mandri