Mass Produced Ribs.

Mollers · 02 December 2005, 19:06

Are the mass produced Ribs inferior to the low volume "Cottage Industry" produced ribs? In hardboat manufacturing the bigger companies such as Searay and Cranchi have the resources to invest in huge state of the art hermatically controlled factories where perfect conditions are maintained for GRP production. Whereas, a Fairline laid up in the UK on a rainy day could have moisture built in. In the ribbing fraternity we tend to deride the likes of Zodiac, but is it deserved?

pressman · 02 December 2005, 19:10

Be careful with what you are saying!!

Mollers · 02 December 2005, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by pressman

Be careful with what you are saying!!

Why?

codprawn · 02 December 2005, 20:02

Give me the Fairline any day!!! Isn't it strange that with all the high tech out there nothing beats good old hand laid up???

When you want to see quality usually the smaller the yard the better it gets - look at Dale in Penbroke for example - their Nelson is stunning - shame about the 7 year wait and the price tag!!!

pressman · 02 December 2005, 20:04

Agree with you on that one codders

Mollers · 02 December 2005, 20:08

The Cranchi is stunning VFM Codders. The Brit boats are really getting a run for their money these days. Sealine are now owned by Brunswick (Merc/Mariner) Marine as are Searay, so they could soon be a greater force.

codprawn · 02 December 2005, 20:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollulnan

The Cranchi is stunning VFM Codders. The Brit boats are really getting a run for their money these days. Sealine are now owned by Brunswick (Merc/Mariner) Marine as are Searay, so they could soon be a greater force.

Yes I actually looked into getting a Cranchi 39 - but then they stopped making it and introduced the 41 - which is the same length give or take a few inches!!! And no suprise the price went up by about £40,000 - well they had to do something to justify the price hike!!!

Mollers · 02 December 2005, 20:27

A mate of mine has a 39 Endurance, when he bought it it was 80k cheaper than a Princess V40. In the end he said that if the Cranchi the Princess and the Fairline had all been the same money he'd of still gone for the Cranchi. He had a Fairline Targa 30 prior and was fed-up with the poor quality and numerous problems. The main one being cheap plastic hot water system fittings which would fail causing the boat to lose its coolant.

Pete7 · 02 December 2005, 22:53

Mollulnan, you might want to have a read of this:

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm

"One good example is a Sea Ray where the hull side had ONE layer of woven roving, two thin layers of chopped strand mat, and all the rest of the laminate was some kind of brittle putty".

Pete

Jonny Fuller · 03 December 2005, 00:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollulnan

In hardboat manufacturing the bigger companies such as Searay and Cranchi have the resources to invest in huge state of the art hermatically controlled factories where perfect conditions are maintained for GRP production.

You're avin a radox!

do some research on searay, i'd start with google, using words like 'delaminate', or 'rotten balsa core'.

EDIT> sorry, pete7 beat me to it.

Mollers · 03 December 2005, 08:54

Google, Google, Google. How many Searays have you two owned?!! Let's have some first hand experiences for a change, rather than those of some hillbilly hick from Skintsville Mississippi who new a guy that once had a Searay!! I've been involved with this boat type for years, the only other manufacturers that compare with Searay in this sector are Four Winns and Chapparal. Get Googling on some of the others and see what "Horrors" you can dig up.

Charles · 03 December 2005, 09:11

Searay = poor man's Fairline ! You're comparing apples and oranges!

RIVA · 03 December 2005, 09:17

in 2003 there were 130,000 ribs + 2.5 m made in europe and france made 35% of them

there were 6570 ribs made in the uk

italy made 6100

slovinia made 25
can't be botherd listing the 30 countreies

so evan the big boy zodiac is hardley mass produced
when you look at other figures for boat manafactures

its not a cottage industry but its not premiership either

Pete7 · 03 December 2005, 09:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollulnan

Google, Google, Google. How many Searays have you two owned?!!

I haven't owned any and when I read this 5 years ago I decided that I wouldn't be owning a "US lake boat" in future either! I was very careful with my post not cast judgement but let the reader decide and make there own mind up. The pictures I think you will agree are quite worrying.

Pete

Mollers · 03 December 2005, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by ct01

Searay = poor man's Fairline ! You're comparing apples and oranges!

Fairline Targa 30
Searay 315 Sundancer

So which is the apple and which is the orange?

Jonny Fuller · 03 December 2005, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollulnan

Fairline Targa 30
Searay 315 Sundancer

So which is the apple and which is the orange?

I'm not a fairline fan particularly, so not a comparison i'd make, but I can show you plenty of Searays, including the NEW one my brother bought, with laminate problems, bad crazing, and bits falling off all over the place, rotten core (unprotected/sealed), etc, etc, etc, so mr expert, do you know what a chopper gun is?, would you want a boat made using this technique?

Just because a company is small, doesn't mean they don't know how to build a boat properly. There will be good, and bad, in both main stream mass manufacture, and 'cottage' type builders, you just gotta choose, but of course you'll need knowledge for that, so you'd better seek advice.

beyond that, i'd just echo pete7's words

Jonny Fuller · 03 December 2005, 10:15

would you consider a maxum 'mass produced' and on a par with Searay for modern techniques?

have a look at this: http://www.boatmad.com/forum/showthr...ighlight=maxum

Rogue Wave · 03 December 2005, 10:27

I know what a chopper gun is and no i wouldn't want a boat produced by that method. As there is no real bonding between the layers of Mat.

I'd have to believe however that using proper laminating techniques on more of a production line basis might lead to some economy of scale leading to leading to a reduced COQ to the manufacturer and then hopefully the customer.

Id be interested in hearing the views of Gav, Steve the boat, TD, Leeway or Bryn? (trio) about it and indeed the toobers

Cookee · 03 December 2005, 10:56

Another point to bear in mind when comparing the two scales of manufacturer is the ability of the smaller "Cottage industry" company is thier ability to make more of a custom build for a customer, whereas with the larger companies you get what they are making.

paul tilley · 03 December 2005, 13:42

in my humble opinion the best build quality of hulls is normally from the smaller manufacturer as are all of the uk rib builders but you will always get rogue (no offence stu)manufacturers like the one who used to use chipboard for the transom !!! ps riva where did the statistics come from the number of ribs built in the uk seems very high