At last!

Lordy · 06 May 2008, 14:03

After months of to'ing and fro'ing I finally took delivery of a little Zodiac Acti-V 3.4 with a Mariner 15hp on Friday. (As per a previous thread, and at the advice of some fellow Ribnetters, on Saturday I also took delivery of a 2002 Jeanneau Leader 705, but she's not a RIB, so I won't go on about her!)

I went for the Zodiac for obvious reasons, though notably the Zodiac dealers I spoke to were hugely knowledgeable and helpful. Thanks Julie at Chas Newens - clearly a world expert - but finally to Leon at Wills Marine in Devon. He couldn't have made the whole process more simple - I recommend him highly to anyone 'in the area'.

So, as I set off down the Kingsbridge estuary to Salcombe, there was enough chop in the water to give 'LittleLordy' a bit of a test. Being an inflatable floor, there was a fair bit of 'rippling movement' that would no doubt have concerned me had I not already been warned about it on this esteemed forum.

And yes, you're right - I wouldn't want to tiller steer anything much bigger than a 15 - I'm so relieved I didn't go for the bigger 25/30 I was originally planning.

With just my young son and I in the boat as we originally set off, she fairly flew over the water, even though we couldn't go at wot. When the rest of the family came out the next day - making 5 of us - there was an understandable drop in speed, but we still managed to plane without wot.

So far so good, or so brilliant actually - apart from a small side-on, beaching mishap with a wave down at South Sands. Oh and a struggle to get the transom wheels up after we'd re-launched from the beach - all thanks to the excellent advice I have received on Ribnet.

So, many thanks to one and all, for the advice on both the boats I now very proudly own. I hope I'll be able to advise any 'newcomers' as well as you lot have done for me...once I get a few sea-hours and an RYA course under my belt, that is!

PS John - how easily does blood wash out of these Ribnet t-shirts??!!

Locozodiac · 06 May 2008, 14:22

[QUOTE=Lordy]

Being an inflatable floor, there was a fair bit of 'rippling movement' that would no doubt have concerned me had I not already been warned about it on this esteemed forum.

Get the best performance of your sib by inflating tubes to recommended pressure & air floor to it's high working pressure, see max pressures on your boat manual, balance sib passengers properly.

Happy Boating

Nick Hearne · 06 May 2008, 14:29

Sounds like a lot of fun, might see you down in Salcombe over the Summer!
It this the new Boat?

Nick

Lordy · 06 May 2008, 14:54

Hi Nick

Not sure if that's the boat, but below is definitely the boat, and a couple of pics of LittleLordy too.

Thanks again for your advice Nick - as you can see, I followed it, or most of it anyway!

Yes - you'll recognise me in Salcombe - I'll be the one with the bloodied Ribnet t-shirt on!!

Cheers!

Nick Hearne · 06 May 2008, 16:12

Your welcome, what happened to "but as we only get down to Salcombe once or twice a year, it's hard to justify the cost. Maybe in a year or two?!"

Have fun & make the most of red diesel why you can!

Nick

fred bolton · 06 May 2008, 18:08

Which transom wheels did you fit?

Lordy · 08 May 2008, 08:38

Not sure which transom wheels they were - just supplied by Wills Marine. Very sturdy though, with pneumatic tyres.

hobnob · 08 May 2008, 14:04

They look like the official Zodiac type, with small transom brackets and kinked legs to keep the CoG as far back as possible.

I have just bought the same type from Yamaha (who used to sell Zodiacs under their 'Yam' name) for £105, tax included.

RIBnet users said launching wheels were great, and they are. I recovered my SIB from the Thames recently, and took the boat, engine, kit, and 2 year old son 300 metres to the car on my own. Fantastically faff-free boating!