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Old 12 April 2010, 12:59   #1
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SR4 Advice

Hi everyone, I'm a new member and this is my first post.
I'm currently researching which boat to buy and the SR4 seems to be coming out on top within my budget range(£2000- £4000) I have a few questions which are quite crucial to my purchase.
Where I live there is a ramp onto a flat shallow beach where launching is free. Is it possible to launch and recover an SR4 by hand and how deep does the water need to be? The trailor can be towed up and down the ramp. With this in mind, what would be the best size motor? I would be using the boat for fishing and wakeboarding.
Also, would this rib be man enough to make a summer crossing to the Scillies from Sennen 28 miles?(weather permitting) Obviously with the correct safety equipment and in company.
I don't know if i'm asking too much of one vessel, my previous experiences are inshore sailing boats and deep sea fishing boats so my knowledge of ribs is in it's infancy.
Thanks for reading, I look forward to your replies.
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Old 12 April 2010, 13:37   #2
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Firstly, Welcome to Ribnet!

Hand launching is the easy bit - it's recovery that is harder work! If it's flat, maybe not as difficult, but to put it in perspective, any sailing club I;'e been with where SR4s are dragged out by hand you are easily looking at 4 or 5 fit people for a surprisingly shallow slope. The surface and your trailer will play a big difference too - flat, hard packed sand is a lot easier than a pebbly or deep mud beach.

How deep? That will depend entirely on your trailer. A swing beam roller type will require a lot less water. (Mine was on a T- frame bunk trailer - the whole thing went swimming to get the boat off. Swapped for a swing beam, and at the same slips, I now don't even need to unhitch from the car.

As for the engine, I may as well start the inevitable ribnet bun fight and say for fishing (i.e you, your friend and your catch) you could get away with a 30. For wakeboarding you'll likely need a 50.


For a cruise like that I'd definetly go in company, But I'll leave the locals to expand on that. Thing with an SR4 is that if you get nasty chop it can be a very lumpy ride. That aside, the boat will handle it, if you can! The distance is down to your fuel supplies.

I loved mine. Only reason I traded up was for a bit more space. (and was looking at a bigger SR before I tripped over the Humber)
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Old 12 April 2010, 14:25   #3
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Thanks for the welcome and for the advice. The beach (Marazion) is very flat and hard packed and nine times out of ten, swell is negligible. In fact I often see boat owners driving their vehicles down the beach but they obviously have more money to spend on replacing rusty cars than I do.
The trailer, as you say will be crucial. At low tide you can sometimes walk out thirty odd yards to get knee deep.
I've read that the SR4 is a good sea boat, as a surfer of big waves worldwide for some twenty five years, I'm always keen to get out and scare myself. I'm hoping to take my surfing experience into ribbing. Some of my friends are over in Ireland tow surfing into waves easily larger than my house. They use jet skis to tow in but usually have ribs as back up.
Fun fun fun.
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Old 12 April 2010, 15:31   #4
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I think I may have been there many years ago on holiday. If it's the beach I think it is, yep, that's flat!

As you say, the SR is a very seaworthy boat. For skiing etc it also has a water ballast system, which essentially means it needs a bit more grunt than the average rib of a similar size to get going, but lots of people block this up (search the threads here - plenty of pics etc) As a sideline, without the ballast you won't need quite so much water to get it off the trailer as it will float slightly higher)

As for fun, I used to get mine airbourne regularly with a 25HP on the back!
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Old 12 April 2010, 16:22   #5
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West of West Penwith, down where Cousin Janner liff.

Launching/recovering on Market Jew (Marazion) beach would not be the easiest, especially if there were a bit of sea running. PZ harbour is free, but tidal.
We do the Scillies regularly, you'd need a decent weather window to cross in a 4m boat. It would be a doddle in flat calm conditions, but would be very slow going should it kick-up.

Shaggy is over at Hayle, he's a ribbing/surfing kinda bloke.
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Old 12 April 2010, 18:29   #6
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Thanks for your replys guys. If it is the beach you were at on holiday you'll not forget it, it has St Michaels mount towering over it complete with medieval castle. "The Cornish Mont St Michel." Although we reckon that to be the other way round. Thanks for the tip about the ballast tank, hadn't really thought about that. The idea of getting airborne isn't at all displeasing.
As for Penzance harbour Moller, I thought it was £12 a go, I think the one at Abbey slip is free but very tidal. It's heartening to hear that you're doing the Scillies in your rib, I wandered if I was thinking too big. I Actually live quite a bit further West than PZ, about as far West as one can go, you can see the Scillies quite clearly from my house most days. Look forward to having a crack at it. (When I get my boat of course)
I do know a Chap from Hayle called Shaggy from many moons ago, wonder if it's the same guy? Never knew his real name.
Cheers for now me 'ansums.
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Old 12 April 2010, 19:03   #7
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Yep, it will be the same Shaggy.

I ought to add that we do the Scillies in this, not the SR4.
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Old 12 April 2010, 19:12   #8
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As for Penzance harbour Mollers, I thought it was £12 a go
We've used the main slip next to the sailing club a few times and have not been charged. The parking is robbery enough.

We tend to depart from Falmouth now, parking etc at Mylor is cheap and hassle free, the extra fuel vs 3 days parking at PZ pretty much cancel each other out.
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Old 12 April 2010, 19:42   #9
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Wow, that's a serious piece of kit. Thanks for the info on PZ slip. You're right about that car park though.
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Old 12 April 2010, 21:30   #10
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Yep, it will be the same Shaggy.

I ought to add that we do the Scillies in this, not the SR4.
And there was me thinking you'd sold it to buy a real boat
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Old 13 April 2010, 06:55   #11
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And there was me thinking you'd sold it to buy a real boat
We have, it's like a real one, but smaller. I'd do a Scillies trip with the SR4, it there would need to be a period of settled weather. This week would be perfect.

Ian Parkes came over with a 4.9 Valiant with no probs what-so-ever.
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Old 13 April 2010, 11:46   #12
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I ought to add that we do the Scillies in this...
I knew I should have charged royalties for that pic....
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