Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

[Nos4r2]

Re: Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

Well, after a mad day yesterday out in Poole bay I'm beginning to find things I can tweak... Trimmed out one hole and she handles rough water a load better-and came up with a good idea for the flooding hull that seems to work quite well. I made a hypalon self-draining flap and stuck it over the hole. It slows the water ingress but doesn't stop it. The result is the same holeshot on initial startup, but a much better holeshot when you've been stationary for a few seconds and still as stable when at rest-though it takes a little longer to fill. The hull doesn't re-fill when off the plane either so I can now hold 8-10 knots on the plane happily without the constant on/off planing.

 

[danie]

Re: Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

Fold the self-draining flap(s) up and tie it to the top of the transom (velcro works ok) and only let it down when running if needed to drain water.<br />Works well and looks neat.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

Nos, what is this flooding chamber all about??

 

[jollymon]

Re: Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

Boomyal,<br /><br />The flooding chamber is between the deck of the RIB and the hull. In the front of the hull there are two holes (In his picture, about where the bow meets the bow stop on the trailer) they are about 1/8" holes. In the back on the transom there is a 3" diameter hole, at the bottom. <br /><br />When the boat is at rest this fills with water,via the 3" hole. The 1/8" holes are air vents. When you start to move, the water drains out. The water is ballast so you have a more stable boat at rest.<br /><br />I have a 13' Achilles Rib that I love. I boat it 2 years ago, had the transom rebuilt, and spent about 3 months tracking down a water leak.<br /><br />The prop on it was half gone from corrosion, and I still clocked 28mph by gps. I replaced the prop, but have not had the GPS back on it. I am almost afraid to open it up!!! What a blast.<br /><br />NO4R2,<br /><br />Where did you get the new helm, mine could use one?

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

New helm? I used the old helm-it was in pretty good condition. The console its all mounted on is new-from www.leewaycomposites.co.uk<br /><br />Anyway, got the photos back today of her underway at last It was a bit rougher than it looks in the pics...<br /><br />

<br /><br />

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

Nice boat. I have the same one, but 4 loops in the lifeline so prob a little larger. Mine is a 1975 Avon SeaRider, 18ft’re. It is one of the most stable mono-haul’s I have used for diving. Had 4 adults in full cold-water scuba sitting on one side, not even a hint of wanting to roll or tip over.<br /><br />My layout is a little different. I have 4 seats, 2 facing fore, 2 facing aft. They are attached to the top of fiberglass boxes that stretch across the floor. Tilt seats to get to storage below. Also, I have a dash and windscreen that rests on the main tubes, either side. The hypalon bow cover has a slit with a piece of hypalon glued on one side to cover the slit while underway. The slit allows access to the bow lifting ring and fuel fill spot. There is an after-market tank mounted up there, aluminum 25-gals. Otherwise, the space under the bow cover is wasted.<br /><br />I see a wetsuit in one of those pix, presume diving? A couple things you need, after-market D-rings. Similar to that black after-market handled you have glued to either side. Make a 1-meter line with brass spring clips at either end. Clip to D-ring and let the other clip hang in the water. When you are done diving, attach your weight belt to the spring clip in the water, pull the buckle and let it drop. You can do the same with your bc and tank. Makes getting back into the boat easier.<br /><br />The other thing you MUST have if you don’t already is a pressure gauge, preferably in the 0-5 psi range. Those Avon SeaRiders are made of heavy-duty hypalon, have a working pressure between 3 to 3-1/2 psi, higher than most inflatables. The tubes will be hard around 2 to 2-1/2 psi, you won’t be able to press on it and have it deform, so no way to know how much pressure is in the tubes beyond that point. If you are topping off with a foot pump, they typically max out around 2 psi +/-. You’re foot pump will stop inflating before you reach ideal working pressure for those tubes. Good news is you can't pop the tubes with a foot pump. Bad news is you also can't get the tubes up to their ideal working pressure, either. This presumes your tubes are similar to mine. You should check with your local Avon retailer or rep to be sure.

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: Finished my RIB!!!..Picture Diary

Cheers-its a 4m (13 feet)-at 18 I guess yours is an sr5.4. Your layout is how mine was when I bought her-I just did the conversion. It's a whole load more fun like this!We aren't diving (yet) from her-the wetsuit is a way of staying warm while soaked...I think that handle is original Avon-it's a later boat to yours, 1984ish.<br /><br />I've got the original Avon pump as well-so I should be able to get the tubes to the right pressure.