I swear...

[Sea Rider]

Meanwhile not b to be stranded with a severe butt and spine ache, tried at Zodiac inflatable thwart placed on right side deck while sitting on it, although the tillering & sitting was superb comfy you could not see a thing up front, gee this 450 has a huge tall bow compared to any size sib. You could do bow's open your arms wide spread as seen in Titanic too. Opted placing at opposite side of driving position to lessen the previous 35 cm wide gap between my sitting position and opposite tube. Works quiet well, only down issue is that tiller is still at a very low driving position.



Next week end should have a comfy lateral seat that will sit driver in middle deck. Proper height will only be dialed under experimentation, which besides fun love doing. The engine runs smooth as silk and peeing as a teenager due to having the water pump interior liner smooth polished. Nothing to envy a newly packed OB performance.

Happy Boating

 

[ronaldj]

The visability is what bothers me about trying to tiller steer a boat that size.
It seems like you would have to have a very long tiller exstention handle or a center console to properly stear the boat and keep the bow down

 

[Sea Rider]

The plan is to have the seat placed at same extender tiller height and go from there moving seat aft or forward and or varying its height untill good forward visibility and comfy seating & driving position is dialed in.

Engine must be driven with tiller fully down in order to achieve a comfortable hand grip with full control on tiller. My steering load is adjusted to keep Rib going on a straight water course when hand is released from tiller. The 450 burries the nose at only 3/4 throtttle in under 6 seconds provided that a boating pal sits as a king on comfy bow seat. It's only a matter of playing with throttle and correct deck weight distribution for a fast plane. On Ribs spot on tube inflation is not an issue as tubes slightly skims water when at a stop or when under way.

A tiller extension only steers right, that's with total hand control if having a loose steering load, the more load you put on swivel bracket the more the extension will bend or lever where it connects to tiller grip, many that have seen did that. Anyway no need for a tiller extension nor a center console as love having my Sibs/Ribs completely open.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Yesterday finished assembling the transversal driving seat, lower wooden base is maintained immovable by side tubes pressure, high side wooden supports locks upper alum seat in place. No need to add any extra cushion, the alum seat is quite comfy if sitting down on a towel. Total deck/seat height is 40 cm, you can rest your feet on deck at 45 deg perfect angle. Front vision is superb once Rib is on plane, raising the seat more will be counter productive, tiller grip will be too low giving a uncomfy driving position if driving extensively. Fuel tank has its own concave resting place between seat and transom, lots of side space to keep water bottles.





Having the driver weigh in middle of V deep hull is a plus, to plane need 1/2 throttle to break the hull drag, once it's on its way 3/4 throttle will suffice if boating solo, with 2 up need to throttle bit more, but never reaching wot. This week will check running solo its wot max rpm and GPS speed, probably will need to go 1 pitch less to be spot on revving at 5800 max rpm as before with previous 430 rescue Rib.






I'm in a dilema whether to install a Susy long shaft 2 strokes engine or keep my beloved 18 HP, will depend if in need to carry more passengers or keep boating with 2 or 3 max and stay with the18. After 300 hour service, this horse is so smooth and even that will give me grief getting rid of it. OTOH + 23 kilos weight difference will surely send me next day to the chiropractic if placing and retrieving engine from transom frequently.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Installing transversal seat has left Rib with convenient aft space for 6 gal fuel tank, 6 water jerry cans, aft sling & port belt climbing ladder.



Have added a new bow anchor, V towing bridle, 30 Mt 6 mm anchor line & organizer, 10 Mt double towing line, front sling. All other items are kept inside huge bow locker which is a bless to count with. Sitting on cushioned bow locker gives a comfy water ride and balances Rib much better than riding solo.



Tempo standard ear muffs were modified to retain more water, factory delivered looses to much water pressure sideways. Works impeccable, engine pees like a teenager.




At the moment very pleased with its water performance on flat calm & choppy seas as well, high keel cuts water as cheese including wakes produced by bigger boats. Planes very well with just an 18 HP long shaft.





Performance Test :



Total combo weight : Rib, engine, fuel + driver > 400 Kg.
Max speed on ideal water conditions ; 41.5 Km/H (GPS)
Wot RPM : 5600, 200 less that max 5800 factory stated. (Tiny Tach / Hardline Tach)
Tohatsu Prop pitch : 9, will maximize for an 8 pitch to gain 200 lost rpm at wot with 1 up.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

My personal rigging and mods are coming to an end, 2 add-on were missing.

Have finally installed an long tank to bow locker air deck. Works best inflated to 6.0 PSI so to stand, rest, take a nap till next day on it comfy. The only down issue as there's always a down issue, is that it's plain black which on plain summer heats badly, can turn that air deck into an inferno air deck, could literally fried a tortilla on top along burning your feet if happened to walk barefootet.on it. A large towel is mandatory to get.






My previous 430 bimini needs a 35 cm width enlargement to secure both alum poles to 450 lateral rope ties. Need to cut bimini horizontal poles in half and add 2 -35 cm alum, wooden inserts for that mod to be spot on. Have changed the gay sling color denomination for Cardinal Purple...

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Anchor Flaw.-

Bought a brand new galvanized Seachoice anchor, this type of anchor presents a huge tech flaw that develops when boat is correctly anchored on sandy beaches and a sudden strong wind appears changing boat to opposite direction. The metal ring that was resting nicely at A begins to travel to B ending at C with anchor consequences that traduces in being dragged backwards, not holding boat in place and turning anchor into a kelp, garbage, debris fan collector.



The issue isn't about anchor not holding well on sea bed, it's about metal ring being reversed to opposite side due to strong winds. I know, where is the chain, doesn't matter if having one or not, chain will travel same from A to C on U shaped bar and once completely opposite where used to be buried will perform same. If you throw anchor and rope into the blue as was currently manufactured, will have lots of rope, chain entanglements at C and quite often and will need to anchor again and again until boat is securely anchored.



The solution is to add 2 epoxic retainers with double strapped string tied to both sides of retainers, works perfectly, once anchor is removed from previous anchored position will be buried again in sea bed once anchor and line are pulling in straight line against boat. You could weld a metal stop pin, but will ruin the galvanized finish. Find incredible that manufactures don't test well their products prior market release. Shame on them..




Boaters will wonder why a long chain is not used. We anchor mostly at tranquil sandy beaches of + 5 meter depths, no need a chain due to deploying 3-5 times the depth factor, this gives a small rope angle with respect to sea bed and boat, perfect for secure beach anchoring. Having my anchor living at bow's tube, chain will need to invade my precious comfy bow cushioned locker which dislike along chain jumping and rattling when encountering choppy seas conditions. No way.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Removed a factory plate attached to 450 transom, has lowered leg a bit. Now performs much nicer at tight close turns than before. The modified anchor works so well that the guy that sells them plans to contact Seachoice to have them factory modified for their next purchase. We are doing lots of off shore cruising, it's a pleasure to drive that nice Rib to far away distances, its water response is quite remarkable compared to the previous low board 430 Rib which splashed to much water inside deck, specially on driver while riding on choppy and windy seas cond.

One down issue about having a tall bow is that on windy days, a front wind will push the bow to whatever side is blowing hard, need to constantly correct direction by means of the tiller, at summer end my left arm will double its size compared to the other while exerting force on tiller to compensate going off course and or rerouting the scheduled water course.

Jaky, my boating girlfriend and second in command, sometimes first, is delighted to drive the 450 while comfy seated on transversal cushioned alum seat. It's good for her to have the con so to sit at font cushioned bow locker while enjoying far away distance rides while sipping some cold ones. Besides driving very well, she's an extreme water woman, avid of full adrenaline and adventure. She loves sea lions, are her passion, pics speaks for themselves...









Happy Boating

 

[ronaldj]

Very impressive.
How are you going to address the bow visibility issue

 

[Sea Rider]

Ronaldj,

It's already solved, the transversal alum seat is high enough for a comfy central tiller driving along good front and side visibility. Jaky is the oficial bow vigilante, when something gets very close, she simply screams out loud, ain't that sweet.

Happy Boating

 

[Chopperbill]

Yeah, taught my wife to drive too, but she is a bow lizard at heart.

 

[Sea Rider]

Women are more cautious and prudent than men while at command, still a pleasure to count with them no matter if sib/rib is barely planing or going at boring fast displacement speeds. Just enjoy the ride.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Cheap ideas that works.-

My modified 20 year old muffs finally broke apart due to high internal corrosion. Bought a standard West Marine round muffs and modified same as my previous OMC muffs. Have added a medium tie & wrap in middle U portion, next to side epoxy retainers, keeps both muffs closed touching each other when at rest.



Had many frustrating issues when using same and only size muff's fitting, some hoses needed to be taped to match wider hose diam on fitting. Finally found a state of the art multiple hose fitting Screws tight onto side water muff's intake, can use any of 3 common diameter hoses market available.



Using water pipe opened just to middle, the engine pees throughout holes that never before had peed before using factory delivered muffs, that means that all my engine's water passages and thermo will be spot on flushed, alleluia.



Happy Boating

 

[Chopperbill]

Notice your transom splash guards extend out and back a lot further then my Saturns. Wish mine did. No matter how good you tune your motor to the transom there are always time when you get a back splash.

 

[Sea Rider]

The size of the splash guards are in direct proportion to the sib/rib size. That 450 rib has a tall transom, tubes are huge 52 diam ones. The hull rides so high on water that tubes barely touches water at transom's side. Probably will do their homework when coming to a sudden stop while at speed or when backing rib at speeds faster than fast idle. Aside both mentioned cases, are useless under normal or choppy outings while going forward.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Updates,

My new Tohatsu 8 pitch prop has arrived, needs to be cleared out of customs, should put me back at 5800 max wot revs from my actual 5600 revs, that's with lightly loaded Rib and solo driver. Next weekend should be testing it properly on flat calm no wind water cond.

Moved my transversal seat 10 cm up front, still gives excellent comfy seating and driving position. Have secured fuel tank to middle front lifting rings. 40 Kilo between fuel tank and what 's kept inside bow locker provides a faster plane due to Rib being better ballanced up front. Fuel hose is long enough to run straight from tank to engine. This tank set up is only used when driving solo.



Meanwhile was checking everything related to bimini installation and best place to secure it onto side tubes. Some tech issues were found. If bimini folds down between back of transversal seat and engine, my hand will have a huge tiller conflict. Must necessarily be folded at engine's back same as in previous 430 Rib.



If side alum tubes are broadened 20 cm per side to fill the gap of both red lines seen on pic and lock them against life lines bases, the provided shade will be small, probably just shade the engine and driver. On previous 430 sheltered 3/4 sib's lenght and there wasn't a transversal seat to deal with, you could walk throughout the available front engine to bow locker deck space. Before drilling holes onto life line bases will deploy bimini wide open and check how much shade it provides.



If not counting with a transversal seat but rather having a central console installed, bimini could be placed folded at rear back of driving seat and shelter the complete central console & front seat included. But no way will I ever go with a central console and sacrifice huge available deck space to ensure a good shade. In that case a Dessert Storm UV 100 solar protector and a huge mexican hat will surely do the trick.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Was about to bite the bullet an order a new Sea Rider 430 Alum Rib offered some months ago before the new SR 450 came into full operation. This drill is a tech comparison between a Sea Rider 430 Alum Rib and a 450 Fiberglass Rib.

General Overview :

Pros : (1) Naval alum made, endures more boater's abuse than traditional fiberglass hulls. (2) Easier to repair, just weld. (3) Good looking eye catching design, can be factory personalized as in previous 430-450 Ribs.


Cons : (1) 6 Gal fuel tank will not fit if laid front or sideways between both transom protruding side reinforcements, extra available deck space will be lost, unless a 3 Gal fuel tank is used. (2) Tubes are only 45 diam ones, that means that on choppy windy seas water will splash in, worst if having side wind chops, near same as the old 430 rescue Rib did which had only 43 diam tubes. Very bad music for driver unless driving with a wet suit.on (3) Being shorter and much less sea performer is way more expensive than my 450 fiberglass model, No Like...

Bow Locker :

Pros : Nice eye catching clever 2 lockers in one design, upper locker to store small objects and huge lower standard one to keep what your imagination wants stored there.



Cons : No one piece large locker to better comfy sit on as the 450 Rib. Lacks built in cushion seat which hooks to horizontal seating frame.

Deck :

Pros : Nice anti slip floor installed throughout the whole deck space.



Cons : Although being a 2 piece alum deck & hull, deck is flat at center but non flat to sides as the old 430 did, due to this fabrication looses nice walk around side space, will not be possible to add a wide air deck as in previous 430-450 Ribs which is a must have, perfect for taking a nice afternoon nap, could use it as a floating rowing device, inflatable shuttle to go ashore when Rib is anchored, including surfing small waves if wanting to.

There's too much cons addressed to this model. Would be a serious setback going from a larger oceanic Rib to a shorter 430 again, would have been ideal if switching straight from the 430 previous model to this new one. Boating with such a nice 450 Rib will be counterproductive if going for one. Prop is undergoing a catchy colonial red re painting from horrible white, tomorrow is D day prop maximization time, will post results.

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

D day prop maximization was done early in the morning, while swapping props took advantage to install a new larger 30 HP trim tab to compensate better the extra torque the new eye catching prop color has achieved.



2 prop tests were done at open sea with near flat water cond. while lightly loaded, solo driving, well trimmed and deck balanced anf of course engine sitting at the sweet transom height.

With 9 pitch prop 40 Km/h at 5600 rpm at full throttle.



With 8 pitch prop 38 Km/h at 5800 rpm at 3/4 throttle.

At full throttle engine revs to 6200 rpm but stays at same 38 Km/h speed. A + 600 rpm increase with 2 Km/h speed decrease. At 3/4 throttle and 5800 rpm has gained excellent hole shot, combo will plane with 1-2-3 up faster than before.

If adding + 130 kilos to original 400 Kg combo weight, at wot engine rpm will drop to 5800 revs which is the max wot rpm factory stated for a 2 strokes Tohatsu 18 HP.

The near rule of thumb that says you will achieve + 150-200 rpm per one pitch reduction while maintaining same prop diam does not apply on light boats as this test indicates. If I would have known that + 600 rpm will be gained with an 8 pitch would have opted for a 8.5 pitch to just increase + 300 revs more.

When riding solo will need to throttle to max 3/4 grip or engine will be over revving high at wot. Would only recommend going for a prop maximization if boating heavy loaded or at high elevation boating. As said before on light to medium applications factory delivered prop works quite well, no need to play with pitch or risk over revving badly if not counting with an installed induction tach.

Bottom line : Although huge over revving was not expected , I'm pleased with the overall water performance, nice hole shot, being able to carry more weight and engine revving happily inside safe factory wot parameters. To my regret have learned late that with less pitch can't better top speed and have best hole shot at same time as one condition opposes the other.


Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

Before ordering a new 8.5 prop pitch that theoretically should put my engine revving at or around sweet 5900 wot rpm for my 18 and preventing my boating Club's savage staff over revving my beloved combo, have added a cheap plastic add on modification (X) that limits timing advance & carb sync travel to much less wot than before.



Cam stops before roller starts going up cam's high angle, throttle grip turns much less, around 3/4 grip. This setting dials safe 5900 max rpm at full grip which delivers superb fast hole shot than before at slight less top rpm while engine is being powered with an 8 prop pitch.




This simple mod is outstanding to mechanically lessen throttle travel to suit any boat that requires a less powerful engine but can hold 41 Kg on transom with no issues.



The sequence is as follows . While throttling, rod A is pushed upward against advancer arm B reducing its advance gap against C, in consequence timing plate and cam will travel 1/4 less distance than before. Carb roller (D) will never open fully butterfly thus reducing dramatically 6200 wot achieved with 8 prop pitch. Timing advance and carb sync remains at same factory settings adjusted to.

Prop maximization is over. What's next ? Oh yeah, the bimini installation...

Happy Boating

 

[Sea Rider]

If carbon free additives are not poured into fuel tank regularly, giving an overdose of CRC decarbonizer each 100 metered hours is a must go for. Engine will maintain its agility and smoothness throughout the whole throttle range. Have drilled a 3 mm hole in middle air silencer, just insert CRC cannula deeply and spray product without the need to remove silencer every time the decarbonizer will need to be applied. Works fantastic, no spills.




Have ordered a Hardline hour/tach to be installed outside lower pan right in middle stop switch and choke knob or at throttle arm. The position that achieves the best readings. When arrived will release throttle internal stop to achieve full wot and run engine safely by monitoring with outside tach. Excellent when going full wot with current 8.0 pitch while boating lightly loaded as not to over rev the engine.

Went with 2 up for a 70 Km open water cruise, encountered 4 in 1 conditions, that’s calm, slight choppy, windy, wavy sea cond. To my luck local waters will remain same in the afternoon as when outing in the morning, Worst that can get is choppy with white caps and uncomfy wind in which you need to throttle down to min plane if at speed to avoid excessive hull slams against sea which are felt throughout your whole back spine while seated or risk going to the chiropractic immediately after you reach Terra Firme.




The 8.0 pitch along the oustanding deep V hull cuts any water cond straight through. Hole shot respond solo or with added weight is superb, prop torque can be felt at grip while throttling through harsh up wind with no sweat. My ears are getting used to hear higher engine revs at same throttle setting than before.




New exclusive sections has turned into Jackie's favorite, meantime have been relegated to just sitting aft.

The ample and comfy Bow Seat & Lounge Bar.



And last but not least important an Air Deck nap facility accommodates 1-2 easily.



Have no choice but to content myself with such a nice view up front. Who would dare in their right mind to complain.…

Happy Boating