Newbie questions...

Andy.R · 07 January 2002, 23:25

Hi folks,
I'm new to the forum so please be gentle with me!

I am buying a rib (found on RIBnet - thanks!), hopefully getting it this weekend.
Already looking at spending more money (or is that increasing my debts!

) and would appreciatte some help/info.
A-frame - need one! Any ideas on supplier, costs etc. Nav lights would then be good too.
Depth sensor - fish finders seem to be same price as straight gauges/sensors. Any recomendations?? Quite like haveing speed on it, but not gps as I have a handheld. Garmin look pretty good??
Thanks in advance for any help and am sure I'll have loads more questions.
Cheers,
Andy.
z

LamacqS · 08 January 2002, 07:02

A lot depends on what you want to use the Echo Sounder for?
I've had a hummingbird 100 for several years and it has proved to be reliable.

Watch out for the transducers, the ones from garmain can be quite big and cumbersome, especially if the speed component is attached.
One good thing about Garmin though is the after sales customer service, from my experience its been first rate.

Also have a good look at the mounting brackets for what ever model you decide on as some can be quite weak.

Regards

John Kennett · 08 January 2002, 07:46

Congratulations on buying a RIB! What did you get?

An A-frame and depth sounder are not what I would consider "must have" accessories, although they are handy to have. If your budget is limited then there are other things that really should have priority. You may already have everything else, but just in case here are some things I would buy first . . .

lifejackets
anchor
flares
vhf
charts
compass

The best way to get an A-frame at a good price is design it yourself and get a local engineering company to make it for you. This will cost about a third of the retail price, but does require some work! Otherwise try talking to a couple of RIB manufacturers and see what they can offer.

There seem to be very few A-frames sold as generic accessories, but it might be worth calling John Bridger Marine in Exeter 01392 216420 who I have found very helpful in the past.

Don't know much about depth sounders -- I've never had one! If I was going to get one I would save up for a forward looking one from EchoPilot though.

Have you got a drysuit? If you haven't, I would seriously suggest that you invest in one of these instead of either the A-frame or the sounder -- it will make much more difference to your boating enjoyment!

John

Andy.R · 08 January 2002, 09:31

Hi LamacqS and John,
Cheers for replying. The boat is a 4m Avon with 40hp Mariner. The previous-but-one owner decided to paint the grey tubes orange which looks a bit strange! Also it has side-to-side seating (2 forward/2 back) which looks a bit strange. May replace with a "proper" console if I can find one cheap enough or second hand.

I should have given a bit more background on myself. I am an RYA Senior Sailing and Powerboat Instuctor and tend to have most of the personal kit and quiet a bit of boat kit though I have never owned a boat! I do most of my water activities with Kent Scouts and use their craft. Also involved in the Kent Scout Water Activities Fellowship .
I have some engineering contacts so will chat to them and get my tape measure, pencil and ruler out!

I saw the spec on the echopilot but looks a tad expensive, but we'll see...
Thanks again for your feedback.
Andy.
z
--
http://www.waterscouts.org

dpround · 08 January 2002, 10:56

I bought a NavMan (plastimo) fish-finder which gives speed, depth and water temp for the inflatable. The main reason I bought it was it was the cheapest! I haven't actually used it yet unfortuantely so I can't report on performance.

I can see that the depth measurement would have very little value if you are doing 20kts but I am hoping that it will give me a little confidence/warning when I am exploring the various swatchways provided that I go dead slow.

David

John Kennett · 08 January 2002, 12:30

Andy

Quote:

I should have given a bit more background on myself. I am an RYA Senior Sailing and Powerboat Instuctor

Fair enough!

I've tweaked the setup so that more information from the user profile is displayed on the left -- I think it might be overkill now though . . .

I've started a separate thread here for any feedback

John