Airberth v Versadock (or similar)

JeffD · 07 February 2013, 11:19

Hi, does anyone have experience of either of the above to Marina berth a new 7.8 RC. I heard that the boat sticks to the modular pontoon when it is hot? Any thoughts?

j.fishwick · 09 February 2013, 19:58

I keep my rc 6.8 on a versa dock all year round. the air docks are out my price range so didn't consider these in my decision making. i have a keel guard on my rc, which does create more friction on the dock. to get my rib completely out the water i have a winch system to pull it up a further half a meter or so. this also doubles as a back winch system to pull the boat backwards until the engines are able be lowered into the water. other advantages to versa dock are that you can walk around the vessel on the dock allowing for easy wash downs. also there is very little or no ongoing maintenance.

JeffD · 09 February 2013, 20:35

Thanks. Yes I considered a keel guard it for the reasons you described decided against it. Given the whole objective is to keep the boat out of the water i am not sure That i can justify an air berth. I don't really see he diference.

j.fishwick · 09 February 2013, 21:50

My versa dock works great and i am very pleased with it. i think they are ideal for ribs whereas the air berths come into there own for other vessel types. there is a rib on an old air berth in the same marina as me and now i have the versa dock they are considering changing. at the end of the day it probably comes down to personal preference. i really like the fact that you can just step off the boat and onto the dock. the air berth in my marina always looks a bit precarious for boarding and disembarking. if you are ever in Plymouth and want to see my set up please feel free to get in touch. James

ashbypower · 09 October 2013, 15:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by A.N.Other

If you haven't found a suitable solution yet drop me a line message and I will give you a call.

Guess that will be after Trade membership

thomas · 09 October 2013, 16:46

I looked at a few of these dock things and despite being more expensive than it's clones I bought a Versadock and so glad I did. My boat sits high enough that it bearly gets wet at the back and the bung is high and dry so I can remove it, it also has high density PE tubes running the length of the dock that the boat sits on which makes launching no effort at all. Lesser docks seem to wrap around the hull and have six inches or so of boat in the water which kinda defeats the object.

tim griffin · 09 October 2013, 19:04

Have an air berth on our Ocean 8.5 very easy to operate on your own, friend has the versa dock system again easy to use but bit fiddly putting it all together.
Tim