DIY SIB improvements ?

[camelgas]

Gurnard: Good to see this thread updated.

Great to see Homemade stuff, even better when many parts are "womble'ed" or sourced on the cheap !.

Sorry about you recent loss and enjoy whats left of the season.

[kerny]

Great pics and report Gurnard, I always look forward to seeing your posts and sorry to hear about your mum.

[The Gurnard]

Thanks for the kind words guys, it is appreciated.

I also spent a lot of time in the lovely Loch Etive. It is my favourite sea Loch in all of Scotland.
I often wild camp and find my peace and quiet there, far from the madding crowds. I live off the fish that I catch and wander the hills when not on the water. The nearest road is 10 miles from my camp spot .. so there are few interruptions.. and I don’t feel a need to lock the door of my tent for fear of burglars.
The views that surround me are to die for. But the best thing about it all is .. it costs very little .. just like the DIY mods to the SIB. We sometimes have a tendency to put too much value on materialistic things .. they worry about them.

Camping at Loch Etive



The boat is safe in the garage as the tide is going out. Im stranded until it re floats in six hours time ..then I will go shopping for my dinner.



Got one.... and Im very partial to a tender Ling..I ate well that tonight.




Drifting but certainly not in the doldrums.. its a slow pace of life.. but not a lazy way of life.
I wonder what the loch looks like from the top of that mountain on the starboard side ?



Only one way to find out I guess.. climb it and see... which I did yesterday



If my old mom ever taught me anything.. it was that money doesn’t make a person happy.. so learn to do things yourself ...

Oh..and my wealth is my health.

[Squid Boat]

''If my old mom ever taught me anything.. it was that money doesn’t make a person happy.. so learn to do things yourself ''...

''Oh..and my wealth is my health'' Quote:Gurnard

Cheers to that mate and your mom.
I always really enjoy reading your posts mate, great innovation and dam fine images and stories.

All the best

[Peter_C]

I really like your adventures Gurnard

[WDI]

What a great thread!

I'm very much a DIYer too so this is right up my street.
As a very recent SIB owner my only contribution at the moment is my bow dodger, but there'll certainly be more to come! I've certainly taken some inspiration from you guys...

For this one I repurposed an old PVC groundsheet that I've had kicking around for years. Too many holes and tears to be used with the tent anymore so now it's gets a new life. I'll probably make up a few storage bags from some more of the scraps as well.

G

[jwatson]

That looks just what I need and I found a tarp in good condition earlier! How have you attached it to the boat? Are there elastic loops on the sheet and toggles glued to the tubes of the boat?

[WDI]

Yes, that's exactly it.

The round black toggles are are an original attachment for a dodger.

I've stitched small loops of 1" dark grey nylon webbing (old rucksack strap) onto the dodger and threaded through those are small, stitched loops of 4mm black bungee shock cord.
This way, the webbing spreads the stresses and when the bungee eventually fails I can just make up a new loop, or use a zip tie for a quick fix.

[bartiny]

What about something like this?

12' INFLATABLE BOAT'S SUN SHADE RAIN OVERNIGHT CONOPY BIMINI COCKPIT ENCLOSURE | eBay

[WDI]

Well, now there's a thought

I was toying with something (not quite as tall as that) to provide a full cover should I ever need to hunker down in the boat overnight, or as somewhere to sit on a rainy beach day...

[apshutt]

For transporting myZodiac (inflated) to the water I use a sack truck.

I attatch it to the tubes by Ratchet strap wrapped around the handle of the sack truck and then through the carrying handles of the sib (Ratchet should be fairly tight) It is more stable with my V-floor deflated, but that defeats the object of inflating it near the car then moving it.

I then just wheel it down by the front handle on the sib.

http://www.rib.net/forum/members/120...icture5584.jpg