Okay; Let's start some action here...

jyasaki · 30 October 2006, 17:34

Introductions, anyone?

Let's see who's here, where we are, and what we do:

John Yasaki
Oakland, California

Boating primarily in Monterey Bay area for scuba diving (photography, mostly; with some sightseeing and a bit of hunting thrown in.)

Running a trailered 17.5' Polaris Inflatable aluminum hulled RIB with a Yamaha F115.

Nicetomeetcha!

jky

Biggles · 30 October 2006, 17:51

What about adding a picture. Lets say a US version of the RIBNET thread http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15088

I know some US boats are on that thread.

Tomas · 30 October 2006, 18:37

for a North American Fourm....I'm closer to Venezuela than Miami but I'm in!!!

Tomas in Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. We're the wackiest 84 square miles of real estate on the planet. The saying here is, "If you liked the sixth grade you're gonna love this place". A loaf of bread costs more than a fifth of rum!

My rig is a nine year old 4.7 m Avon SeaRider with a 50 Johnson. We are all big water here, the reach is to Africa. I dive, explore and fish off my boat, the largest catch is a 47# Wahoo so far. I try to work up East when offshore to have the wind bring me back home. With a single engine, if you crap out you're looking at an ugly 30 day float to Costa Rica! I'm big on cell phone/handheld VHF/Flares/and Prayers and a good stash of water at all times!

It's a good damn thing I don't have twin engines or I would wander further than good sense dictates...

Tomas

Tasarsailor · 30 October 2006, 21:43

18 foot Alliance (defunct RIB company from Florida)

We use it for scuba diving, fishing, crabbing, touring, and a sailboat regatta chase boat all around the Oregon, Washington and BC.

Tasarsailor
Portland, Oregon

jyasaki · 30 October 2006, 21:53

Don't have any later pics of my boat (sheer laziness for the most part.)

Here's a couple from when I took delivery, a year and a half ago:

jky

Tasarsailor · 30 October 2006, 22:04

nice Polaris! I really like their work. If we ever replace our boat (not likely) they are definately the prime candidate. Do you know what your hull weight is. Mine is about 1000 lbs fully rigged and the y115 can push me to about 35-37 knots on flat water with a 17" prop. I was always curious if a similar boat in Aluminum needed the y150.

limeydal · 31 October 2006, 02:51

Ex-Brit who started playing with SIB's ,while teaching school in Plymouth.
Moved to San Diego 18yrs ago and wanted to combine hobbies of photography and playing around in the water.
Run a 5.5m XS -Rib called "Bayshots" with 90 Suzuki .Do a lot of "Volunteer " photography for Maritime Museum and Coast Guard Aux.and recently started to try and make it pay and formed the website,
www.Bayshots.com
Work full time job for Macy's/ Bloomingdales Tech. support .
Have two great kids, who are into anything that gets them wet (and luckily a wife that tolerates it )

cheers Dal

Jklingel · 31 October 2006, 08:25

John Klingel
Fairbanks, AK

I use my boat to fish and hunt. Here is a shot (no pun intended) from a brown bear hunt in SE AK. Ribcraft 6.5 meter w/ a 150 Honda. Max 42 mph at WOT. Just got it last spring, and no dents... yet. Hope the pic makes it; never done one before. j

Jklingel · 31 October 2006, 08:35

Because sometimes the tide goes out and we had no way to anchor out. So, we just let it sit.

sunrider · 31 October 2006, 13:45

Bryan Peterson
Fairfield, Iowa and as much time in Hawaii as possible!

I have a Zodiac Hurricane 733 that I used for a circumnavigation from 1992-1994 (pictures attached). I occasionally exhibit the boat and make related presentations, but satisfy my RIB habit mostly by reconditioning ex-military RIBs for resale. I currently have another Hurricane 733, an Avon 5.4, and am just about to finish work on a 30' Novamarine that will be used as a commercial dive boat in Hawaii.

prairie tuber · 01 November 2006, 05:45

Mark from Winnipeg, Manitoba

My Zodiac Mark I is now retired. In its place will be a Zodiac mark II Grand Raid (which should arrive within the week) and a Gemini Dive 470 (which is still a couple months away from completion). I'm hoping to get a chance to use the Grand Raid this fall still before the shores freeze up, but who knows, it snowed pretty heavily yesterday.

Here are a couple of pics of the retired zodiac Mark I while in the Albert Beach area and some scenics of that area.

jyasaki · 01 November 2006, 09:03

On the later posts: You guys up north sure have some pretty scenery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tasarsailor

nice Polaris! I really like their work. If we ever replace our boat (not likely) they are definately the prime candidate. Do you know what your hull weight is. Mine is about 1000 lbs fully rigged and the y115 can push me to about 35-37 knots on flat water with a 17" prop. I was always curious if a similar boat in Aluminum needed the y150.

Thanks for the compliment (and I'm sure Guy would like to hear that as well.)

To be honest, I don't know what the hull weight is. I'd guess it's a bit more than yours, especially with a full tank (50 gal.)

I sort of wish I could have gotten a 130 or 150; Guy thought the 115 was a more prudent choice. I get about 39 mph solo with near-full fuel and a set of dive gear.

jky

prairie tuber · 01 November 2006, 11:25

jysaki,

I've been to the Polaris plant in Langley, BC a couple of times now (my mother lives about a 1/4 mile from there) and it is an absolutely top notch operation. Both their RIBs and their SIBs are extremely well made. The welds on their aluminum hulls are absolutely meticulous. With their SIBS they use very thick marine mahogany floorboards and the stringers from a solid piece of purpleheart.

Those wood components are then coated with a a black truck bed spray in liner type coating.

If I ever get a new RIB, it will be from an aluminum hulled one from them.

Stoo · 01 November 2006, 13:43

Just checking in from Tobermory, Ontario. I just joined Rib.net a couple of weeks ago and I'm finding it pretty interesting....

I use my boat for diving in the Great Lakes, dragging it all over the place. Lake Michigan is the only lake I've missed to date, although I did dive in the Straits at Mackinaw a couple of years ago, so I was close....

My boat is a Zodiac Hurricane 590 with a Yamaha 150. It's pretty much bomb-proof as far as I can tell!

There's a picture of it here: http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16510

Rogan · 01 November 2006, 16:44

Hailing from Chicago my brother and I got interested in inflatables while growing up in South Africa. When old enough to afford one we got our first Zodiac a Futura Mark II with a Nissan 40hp on the back. With the boat only weghing 180 pounds a 40hp felt ballistic. After we cruised from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico by river on it we decided we needed something bigger than 12ft and got a Zodiac Hurricane 440 with a Yamaha 50hp on the back. The Hurricane just touches 40mph on a good day and the Futura hits 38mph. Of course we still want something bigger and faster but maybe just faster!

prairie tuber · 01 November 2006, 17:03

Great pics Rogan! (a helluva garage you have there too!)

In a previous post where I mentioned that I'm hoping to get the incoming grand raid on the water this fall - isn't looking too good. We're supposed to get an overnight low of -21 C (-6 F) tomorrow night. That'll ice up the lakeshores pretty quickly.

Stoo · 01 November 2006, 21:05

Hey Rogan. I had a Futura with a 40 as well a couple of boats ago. You're right... it took off like a missle. I remember stuffing the bow going flat out which shifted me forward, disconnecting the kill chord. Between the buried bow and the stopped prop, the boat stopped on the spot, while I skidded up the rubber matt on the deck. I lost about 2 square feet of meat on my knees!

My next-up boat was a Mark III Hurricane (17 1/2') then the 590. I'd love to go up to a 630, but it becomes too much to pull easily... Especially since the new boat would cause a divorce, which would end up with me driving a Lada... which would struggle with a 630 I suppose!

PT, sorry to hear about your impending ice-up. I was out earlier today... kinda choppy but sunny and brisk. I wasn't diving today, but let the dogs terrorize a little wildlife on one of our islands...

Rogan · 01 November 2006, 22:07

Hey prairie tuber,

I wish that was our garage. Wouldn't that be awsome. It's actually the train tracks running across 57th street south of Chicago. It's all pretty urban around us for miles. Makes it even more interesting pulling two inflatables around. As for the weather, it sure has droped today. Wanted to take the Futura out but I cracked the water pump on sat. Something about a special pulling tool. Apparently the hammer wasn't it. No ice on the Lake yet but it's coming.

Stoo,

too bad about your knees. ouch! I over did it in front of a crowd of people downtown 2 years back. Ejected myself out over the engine. It was really smooth. Earlier this year the Hurricane tried to throw me out after a mild stuff but the GPS mount digging into my thigh kept me in. Still got that scar. Your 590 is nice. A good size I think. Have been looking at those aluminum Polaris boats though. Pricy but metal just seems more appropriate for what we want to do.

prairie tuber · 02 November 2006, 00:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoo

PT, sorry to hear about your impending ice-up. I was out earlier today... kinda choppy but sunny and brisk. I wasn't diving today, but let the dogs terrorize a little wildlife on one of our islands...

That's life in Manitoba, I guess. I imagine about 99% of the boaters in your neck of the woods have packed it in for the season. Probably just you and the coasties roaming about North Huron these days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogan

Wanted to take the Futura out but I cracked the water pump on sat. Something about a special pulling tool. Apparently the hammer wasn't it.

Sounds like you didn't have the right sized hammer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogan

Earlier this year the Hurricane tried to throw me out after a mild stuff but the GPS mount digging into my thigh kept me in. Still got that scar.

Scars are better than tattoos. Scars are earned, tattoos are bought. Scars are direct real-time imprints of actual personal experiences. Tattoos are expressions with full artistic license, of what someone remembers.

pathalla · 02 November 2006, 14:46

Pat Hallaran, from the Cleveland Ohio area, pic of my boat War Machine, most of our boating occurs in the island area of Lake Erie, about 70 west of where I live. We use her for cruising, swimming, socializing, diving and just generally lazing about. I have owned about 10 ribs large and small and have enjoyed every one! They are just great boats for getting out on the water and enjoying it...