Flying to China to visit RIB factory - what should I video?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by beerbelly

my comment was in reply to another member saying all ally welding looks bad .i disagree a skilled welder can produce beautiful welds in aluminium

I know, I was agreeing with you 100%

[paulbrown22]

Snap - having owned an aluminium bluewater cruising sailing yacht (and looked at numerous others), when properly done all hulls can look amazing.

[gpsguru]

Originally Posted by beerbelly

my comment was in reply to another member saying all ally welding looks bad .i disagree a skilled welder can produce beautiful welds in aluminium

A decent TIG welder can lay a 'row of pennies' with both SS and Ali (yes, I can), however, a lot of boat hulls are MIG welded as the heat is more localized and heat transference is less than TIG. Therefore, less chance of distortion, however, MIG is not TIG and the welds do not look nearly as good, but they will be strong and functional, but rather than a row of pennies, they will be more 'bead' like with some undercutting.

But to say Ali MIG welding looks bad, is, as you say, just plain wrong.

[tinker]

I have seen mig production welding on aluminium jag xj's that was undetectable, welding was done then the excess weld was linished back giving a seamless joint between the bodyside c pillar and roof.

Same welder reconstructed an ally prop for me as well, the more you do it the better you get and 120 welds in an 8 hour shift tends to perfect the technique.

[Fenlander]

>>a skilled welder can produce beautiful welds in aluminium

Indeed... even my modest priced e-MTB has lovely looking frame welds.

[Frank Portugal]

Hi, did you do any video?

[Alpineman]

Stay away from Hedia, Qingdao Hedia Boat Co., Ltd. I ordered my Aluminum Rib paid in full December 21st 2023 and as of today I have not received it. After I ordered I sent messages and they would not reply keeping me in the dark. I started another thread with more details. https://www.rib.net/forum/showthread...ferrerid=30216

[Easedalenovice]

If you look at 3D Tender they are selling a lot of these China Ribs and they seem very good quality. I think buying from them and their various agents is far better, les risky and in the end possibly just as good value for money

[Alpineman]

Originally Posted by Easedalenovice

If you look at 3D Tender they are selling a lot of these China Ribs and they seem very good quality. I think buying from them and their various agents is far better, les risky and in the end possibly just as good value for money

Do you know if they have dealers in Mexico or USA?
I should have mentioned I’m in Mexico.

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Alpineman

Do you know if they have dealers in Mexico or USA?
I should have mentioned I’m in Mexico.

Not sure about that you would need to have a Google around

[TikiTorture]

Originally Posted by Frank Portugal

Hi, did you do any video?

Hey Frank, I will make a video and it will likely be a series based on all the content.

Update: I have received the boat and let's just say I am currently in dispute with the supplier and am awaiting a permanent resolution. In a nutshell, there is a laundry list of missing components, incomplete work, not made to spec, damaged items, safety violations, etc. So my plan is to make a video on my experience, give a walkthrough of what I received, then start posting some videos detailing the fixes.

Ultimately I think its appropriate to let the view decide if this is the route they want to go.

[Hypalon]

Tikitorture, Is it Weihai Xiangda Marine Co, or which company is it? There are a bunch of these companies on Alibaba that “appear” to have a fantastic looking RIB, and the price would be insanely cheap, assuming the product is a quality product.
A few years back we needed 5,000 AC/DC adapters to a certain spec at work, so we contacted a vender on Alibaba. When they arrived they started to fail, and quickly and when we opened them up it was clear they used e-waste components to build the adapter, essentially they installed used components. No wonder they were cheap.
On Alibaba the RIB pictures are always low res and vague.
I look forward to seeing the video, and hearing more details. BTW, how much did you pay and did it also include an engine?

It would be nice if you could share some details?

[TikiTorture]

Originally Posted by Hypalon

Tikitorture, Is it Weihai Xiangda Marine Co, or which company is it? There are a bunch of these companies on Alibaba that “appear” to have a fantastic looking RIB, and the price would be insanely cheap, assuming the product is a quality product.
A few years back we needed 5,000 AC/DC adapters to a certain spec at work, so we contacted a vender on Alibaba. When they arrived they started to fail, and quickly and when we opened them up it was clear they used e-waste components to build the adapter, essentially they installed used components. No wonder they were cheap.
On Alibaba the RIB pictures are always low res and vague.
I look forward to seeing the video, and hearing more details. BTW, how much did you pay and did it also include an engine?

It would be nice if you could share some details?

No that is not the company. But it is in the same region. Weihai, Qingdao, Shandong, etc is the boat manufacturing region. This is where they all are located. Even Highfield is located here.

I'm going to wait on naming the company & boat details until there is a resolution, I don't want to jeopardize any refund. Once the dust settles, I'll post again and include details in the video.

[Max...]

Any update?

[willk]

Originally Posted by Max...

Any update?

These China RIB threads all remind me of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct.

There's a RIB. You think you're gonna get a glimpse of it.
You don't so you read the thread again.
Multiple times - but no RIB.

[Max...]

There speaks a man who wore out the pause on his VHS BITD!

[5M1T]

Originally Posted by Alpineman

Stay away from Hedia, Qingdao Hedia Boat Co., Ltd. I ordered my Aluminum Rib paid in full December 21st 2023 and as of today I have not received it. After I ordered I sent messages and they would not reply keeping me in the dark. I started another thread with more details. https://www.rib.net/forum/showthread...ferrerid=30216

The company you're dealing has jerked you around separately, what they're doing there isn't acceptable, but with regards to time frame, I was 7 months between paying my deposit for a build, and having it delivered.

However - my company was proactively communicating throughout that period, and it was the height of covid impacting shipping - I imagine it should be much faster now.

Best of luck with getting it sorted - hopefully you resolve it and don't lose any money.

[Hypalon]

5M1T, I have seen the Lianya boat videos, how do you like your RIB, can you tell us about your experience and perhaps share a photo or two?

[5M1T]

Originally Posted by Hypalon

5M1T, I have seen the Lianya boat videos, how do you like your RIB, can you tell us about your experience and perhaps share a photo or two?

I've added some photos and a bit about it in my own thread to avoid getting this one too off track - if there's anything you'd specifically like to now, please ask away.

[TikiTorture]

Originally Posted by Max...

Any update?

I’m still in talks with Alibaba Trade Assurance Program for a resolution. It’s extremely hot where I live, so a simple boathouse is being built, should be done tomorrow then I’ll make an intro video of the issues. Tried making a vid the other day but camera kept locking up from the heat.

I promise I’ll be posting more info about this. Just takes time.