Looking a pictures on the web, I've noticed that European RIBs (particularly larger ones) tend to have the console mounted more towards the front of the boat than you usually see in the US.
I have a Zodiac Pro II 470 console RIB. The console is mounted a little after of midship. There is an enclosed bench seat behind the console. The fuel tank and battery sit on the floor behind the bench seat.
Normally it is just two of us in the boat. I sit on the seat and drive. My wife either sits on the tube at the front of the boat, sits on the life jacket bag in front of the console, or sits next to me on the bench seat. If she sits on the tube or even in front of the console some part of my view is blocked. If she sits next to me on the bench the bow rise at speeds in the mid range make it hard to see ahead (even with motor trimmed all the way in).
Since I have another bench seat I can install, I was thinking of rearranging the components on the boat. I would move the console towards the front of the boat. Move the existing seat forward to behind the console. I would add the other bench seat near the back of the boat. The battery would move to inside the front bench seat. The fuel tank would go under the aft bench seat. The steering cable would need to be replaced, but the other wiring would not need to change.
As I see it the pros to doing this are:
- Better view for the driver.
- Better weight distribution (especially with one person on board).
- More seats.
- Better ride for passengers.
The cons:
- Worse ride for the driver (although the new weight distribution might help this).
- Harder to move around the boat (the front seat will span the inside of the boat).
- Having to actually do the work to make the change.
What do people think about doing this? Have I missed anything? This is something I might do over the idle season.
The attached image shows the current and proposed layouts.
Thanks.
I have a Zodiac Pro II 470 console RIB. The console is mounted a little after of midship. There is an enclosed bench seat behind the console. The fuel tank and battery sit on the floor behind the bench seat.
Normally it is just two of us in the boat. I sit on the seat and drive. My wife either sits on the tube at the front of the boat, sits on the life jacket bag in front of the console, or sits next to me on the bench seat. If she sits on the tube or even in front of the console some part of my view is blocked. If she sits next to me on the bench the bow rise at speeds in the mid range make it hard to see ahead (even with motor trimmed all the way in).
Since I have another bench seat I can install, I was thinking of rearranging the components on the boat. I would move the console towards the front of the boat. Move the existing seat forward to behind the console. I would add the other bench seat near the back of the boat. The battery would move to inside the front bench seat. The fuel tank would go under the aft bench seat. The steering cable would need to be replaced, but the other wiring would not need to change.
As I see it the pros to doing this are:
- Better view for the driver.
- Better weight distribution (especially with one person on board).
- More seats.
- Better ride for passengers.
The cons:
- Worse ride for the driver (although the new weight distribution might help this).
- Harder to move around the boat (the front seat will span the inside of the boat).
- Having to actually do the work to make the change.
What do people think about doing this? Have I missed anything? This is something I might do over the idle season.
The attached image shows the current and proposed layouts.
Thanks.
But frankly, preffer my light 420 rib version without center console & seats with 18 HP horse, the 2 strokes Yam 60 is a real gas guzzler...