Noob with a few Questions

[SDDiver5]

Goodmorning everyone,

I recently joined the forum and everyone on here seems to know what they are talking about! Thank you to everyone who will assist me now and in the future, I appreciate it!

I recently had a birthday and I want to buy a RIB or SIB as a present to myself. I have been looking at SIB/Inflatables because they are cheaper (I'm a semi-broke college student) but I LOVE the look of RIB's. I want a boat that can take me to the kelp beds for diving/spear fishing, some reefs, and some surf spots you cant get to by land. I have been mainly looking at Zodiac FC470's and other similar inflatables since its perfect for diving/fishing. But one of my passionate hobbies is wakeboarding. My family owns a Mastercraft X-30 wakeboard edition and we alsways use it, unfortunately its a fresh water boat and I won't dare take it in the ocean. SO, after that long intro, my question is, is it possible to tow a wakeboarder behind a SIB? What HP outboard would I need if it is possible? I knows its possible behind a RIB and later on in life I will most likely get one but for now I will most likely have to get a SIB. If it is possible is there a certain SIB I should be looking for? Any pics you want to post feel free!

Anyways thanks for all the input! I appreciate it!

D

[akirk]

Welcome!
Budget?
Preference for second hand / new?

Alasdair

[SDDiver5]

My budget is as cheap as possible but maybe around $4,000-$5,000. I have some old cars I am going to sell and will use that money. Hopefully will get around that amount if I am as good of a sales man as I think. And I will most likely go used since they are cheaper. Thanks!

D

[jyasaki]

Encinitas: nice warm water (well, compared to up here.)

Definitely want to go used, as it lets someone else take the depreciation hit (as with cars, value drops dramatically after first sale, then tapers off.) If you're new to boating you're probably going to want to upgrade in the future anyway, so having a not-quite ideal boat isn't that big a deal.

If you're going to be doing a lot of towing, you'll want a larger boat: 16' or so for a SIB, maybe a couple of feet shorter for a RIB, with a fairly hefty motor (I'd say 40hp minimum, but someone who does more watersports stuff may have other opinions.) A larger boat will be less affected by differing forces by the skier, and a larger motor will give you the grunt to pull. A smaller boat will still work (assuming you have the hp to pull a skier up), but you'll do a who;e lot more steering compensation with the tow rope out to the side.

Don't discount RIB's yet: you should be able to get a fairly decent used setup (albeit smaller) for the money you proposed. Keep an eye on Craigslist, your local marina bulletin board, the North America For Sale forum on here, and maybe something like Latitude 38 (a sailing mag that often has dinghies listed); you might be pleasantly surprised at what shows up.

Luck;

jky

[SDDiver5]

Hey thanks for the reply! I am not new to boats at all. I have been on boats my whole life. Like I said I have a mastercraft and I am the one who captains it and trailers it around. before the mastercraft we had a sea ray. I also do commercial fishing in AK in the summertime so I am always around boats.

I wont be towing that much. Occasionally towing a wakeboarder near/into the surf to switch it up a little (instead of glassy water that were used to at the lake).

I have been on CL and the classified here on the forum every day and I am waiting for the right deal. When buying something I've always said "If you wait long enough the perfect deal will come". Plus summer is ending soon so I'm sure more will be available for cheaper in the winter.

And yes; Encinitas=warm water. Especially now! Its like 70ish! SO much better than last summer!

D

[kelson]

First off, the point is a fickle and often unreasonably crowded surf spot. But what the hey! If you get a boat be sure to join us fools out there.

Yes, It is a lot of fun wakeboarding behind a SIB. But there are a couple of points I would like to make. There is virtually no wake, so it is hard to get any air on a wakeboard. I run an old Zodiac Futura MK2 (14.5 ft). The transom already has some issues where it attaches to the tubes. I'm sure that towing riders doesn't help. But I reglued the other side and bottom when I bought it so I'll just fix the second side when it gets to that point. A Rib will have an integral transom and is definitely more reliable in the long run. A Rib, with it's solid floor, is easier to attach a short pole to. Running off a bridal works, but it is an uneven pull. I run a three cylinder 40 hp Nissan and while you might get up with less that is about the minumum for a decent ride. I foil behind the sib because I can jump higher than I want to go without a wake. My wakeboard sits in the garage. I've towed good wakeboarders and I have had foilers toss inverted tricks and my SIB does not get towed around much, if at all, by the riders. A rib may have more displacement, but many ribs will chine walk with a side load where the sib won't. Odd, but true. A small sib or rib will not compete with a real boat and a tower, but it is a lot of fun. We were out for a couple of hours on Mission Bay with two riders and I burned 3.2 gallons of gas. That is really nice. All said I wish I had a rib, but I drag my boat down to Mex and fish estuaries. The almost no draft on my sib is worthwhile for my use. While I don't pack the boat down, the lightweight makes four wheeling with the trailer a reasonable proposition. A larger RIB would not be good for me. Part of your decision should clearly be based on what kind of deal you find out there. Have fun!

[SDDiver5]

Originally Posted by kelson

First off, the point is a fickle and often unreasonably crowded surf spot. But what the hey! If you get a boat be sure to join us fools out there.

Yes, It is a lot of fun wakeboarding behind a SIB. But there are a couple of points I would like to make. There is virtually no wake, so it is hard to get any air on a wakeboard. I run an old Zodiac Futura MK2 (14.5 ft). The transom already has some issues where it attaches to the tubes. I'm sure that towing riders doesn't help. But I reglued the other side and bottom when I bought it so I'll just fix the second side when it gets to that point. A Rib will have an integral transom and is definitely more reliable in the long run. A Rib, with it's solid floor, is easier to attach a short pole to. Running off a bridal works, but it is an uneven pull. I run a three cylinder 40 hp Nissan and while you might get up with less that is about the minumum for a decent ride. I foil behind the sib because I can jump higher than I want to go without a wake. My wakeboard sits in the garage. I've towed good wakeboarders and I have had foilers toss inverted tricks and my SIB does not get towed around much, if at all, by the riders. A rib may have more displacement, but many ribs will chine walk with a side load where the sib won't. Odd, but true. A small sib or rib will not compete with a real boat and a tower, but it is a lot of fun. We were out for a couple of hours on Mission Bay with two riders and I burned 3.2 gallons of gas. That is really nice. All said I wish I had a rib, but I drag my boat down to Mex and fish estuaries. The almost no draft on my sib is worthwhile for my use. While I don't pack the boat down, the lightweight makes four wheeling with the trailer a reasonable proposition. A larger RIB would not be good for me. Part of your decision should clearly be based on what kind of deal you find out there. Have fun!

You know, I've heard that the point is usually crowded when a swell comes in but what the heck. If I have a SIB I'll be out there. I have also heard of Ralphs. Not sure if it is the same, have you been to ralphs before?

I am aware that there is no wake. I don't want to actually try to wakeboard behind the boat, I have my mastercraft for that! I just want to use the boat to pull a wakeboarder into the waves so we can ride in the waves. I saw it on a wakeboard video I have and it looks like a blast! Dangerous I know but whats the point of being afraid if were all going to die sooner or later? haha! I talked to some life guards and they say its illegal to be within 200 yards of the beach but they said I could most likely get away with it closer to Pendleton and more south where there arent as many people/beaches.

So when you pull riders you just attach a rope to the transom?

And also another reason I am going more towards a SIB is because they don't always need a trailer which is nice because storage might be a bit of a problem. I would have to keep it at my parents house down the street from my apt and my mom would have a cow if I brought home yet another project!

D

[Peter_C]

Wakeboarding behind anything other than a comp boat is not going to be about the wake. A good rider should be able to get up behind a 25hp boat, although it will have to be run full throttle. I did land a roll behind a 13ft Whaler with a 25hp, then again air rolls with no wake are possible. Either way anything with less weight like a SIB will get pulled all over the place. Heck I can pull a comp boat off track and over pretty far with a hard cut.

If you want to do tow in surfing using a board the only thing to use is a PWC, and the more power the better. I would recommend kiteboarding!! If you insist on playing in the surf a Zap Cat would fit the bill better, and again with lots of power. Okay maybe I have lots of respect for the ocean, and I like POWER!

For diving a SIB works just fine, but of course has it's limits. I use a 14' Zodiac MKIIHD for diving with four people. We can get doubles on board for all, but space is tight. Three people is best for the smaller sized boats. The 40hp pops it on plane in a reasonable amount of time. Not sure I will ever try riding behind mine...

[kelson]

Well, everyone will do what they are comfortable with. I ride behind comp boats alot. I recognize the difference between riding with a tower and a low pole. I enjoy taking a spin behind the inflatable. While I agree that I would prefer to tow in behind a pwc (cause the kelp is thick this year in San Diego), my futura doesn't get towed around by riders. Certainly not the design focus of the boats, but we have a great time.

behind the nautique

[SDDiver5]

Peter- I have never heard of a Zap Cat but they look SO RAD! Those would be so much fun!! Im sure they are a bit pricey tho ...some day. I thought about getting a PWC to pull a rider into the swell but A) the more HP the more $ B) storage would be a bit of a problem C) I want to be able to have something that I can dive and go to surf spots with also.

Kelson- I also realize that going from my MC X-30 to a SIB would be a vast difference but I don't care. I will be in the water, therefore I will be happy! What type of Nautique do you have? Have you seen the new Byerly Nautique? I think its the 230. Its so sick!

Has anyone ever made a cutom fiberglass hull? Im thinking what if I designed a fiberglass hull where I could incorporate wakeboarding but still have the function of a RIB? Thoughts?

Thanks guys! Love the site already!

D

[kelson]

If you have realistic expectations you won't be disappointed. I didn't buy my futura to ski behind it, but how could I resist? Once you get up in the 14 ft + range with something like a 40 hp outboard it does get hard to break down and pack up. But it isn't impossible. I need a hoist and a stand to handle my outboard, but I do break down the boat by myself. That said, my inflatable and outboard travel on a trailer and I don't pack them up very often. Your requirements for no trailer and portability don't really mesh well with towing and diving with friends offshore. Rather than working your friends to set up and breakdown everytime you might see if anyone will offer up a place to park the boat.

I keep looking at older ski boats (lots for sale recently), but I am in demand as a third, so I haven't bought a real comp boat of my own. Here in SD I ride behind an older and smaller ski nautique. I drive up to Canyon Lake near Elsinore to ride behind a Super Air Nautique and we ride at Marine Stadium in Long Beach behind a couple of different boats. I invested in the accessories (like my $600 adjustable release) so the more experienced foilers put up with me. $20 bucks for gas and a little boat maintenance work are a lot cheaper than shelling out for a comp boat of my own. If you ever want to try foiling PM me your phone number and I will try to get you out there. We occasionally suffer wakeboarders for a third...

I have seen a number of people wakeboard behind Rib's. You will get more wake out of the bigger RIB's for sure. The rear positioned outboard weighs the boat down pretty good. A rib with a good v hull shape will definitely handle the chop on the way out to dive spots better too. I would personally prefer a rib to dive and tow if storage isn't the primary consideration.

[SDDiver5]

Thats rad man. I have always wanted to hit up Canyon Lake but its private so its not open to the public, to my understanding. I have never been foiling or kite boarding. I used to have a subscription to kite boarding magazine but never got into it. Foiling is just like kite surfing right?

I have wanted to take my boat in sal water but it is a freshwater boat and I don't know how I feel about it, especially since I am 10 mins away from the carlsbad lagoon. Technically its my dads boat since he bought it but I do everything on it like maintenance, storing, driving, washing etc but you know what I mean. We usually go to Lake Perris or El Capitan when we go ride. Were actually heading up to Big Bear on Friday for a little over a week for the fam vacation.

What do you mainly use your boat for? Diving, cruising, surfing?

And I would also prefer a RIB but I live in an apt complex right now and have one parking spot and my landlord wont allow a boat in the garage. I already pleaded with her. Even offered to pay more rent!

[jyasaki]

Sorry to hijack this thread; apologies in advance.

Peter;

Great seeing you on the water Sunday. Jeff fell in love with your friends boat (for the record, a 26' [I think] C-Dory cabin boat.)

Did you end up finding whales, or did you give up and decide to sit in the MotoGP traffic (like I did)?

jky

[SDDiver5]

No problem, jky.

D

[Peter_C]

Begin major hijack!

John, thanks to you guys we found the whale watchers in the higher range on the VHF as you suggested. They called out the GPS coordinates, but not for whales, instead for Basking Sharks!! I had never seen one before, so we headed over to Point Pinos asap. There we stumbled upon a 20 footer spinning circles around feeding. Before long the whale boats departed and it was just us and a small sailboat wandering around. We stayed there for about an hour and a half, causing us to get stuck in the horrible traffic. A few short cuts with the GPS saved us probably 1.5 hours (Starting with staying on Del Monte Ave). I think the trick is to leave at about 3:40pm before the last race ends at 4:30pm. I would do it all over again for another experience like Sundays though, since we had a really nice dive too even though there was only 15' of vis our dive was full of fish life with some hydro coral.

We are heading out of Bodega Bay to go and do some whale watching hopefully this Saturday. The fisherman are reporting sightings continuously. Plus the conditions should be fairly calm @ 3-5NW with a 3S and 5-10kt winds. Gonna be relegated to our little Zodiac though

The boat is a 25' C-Dory and is a very very nice boat with full electronics. They sleep on it when staying in Monterey or Albion etc. Easily handles four divers, although hauling my HP130's, back onboard, with all the added weight is very hard, since I can't risk scratching the gel coat. My polarizer seems to have killed the beautiful green coloring.



Out over the trench we found a sea lion eating a mola mola. Pretty cool to watch life happening. I like this shot for the water spray, but I have others with the sea gulls participating.



I left Jim's head in to give a reference to size. Remember he is much closer to the camera lens than the shark. It was an awesome experience to be that close to the shark. At the time I took these photos I was driving the boat and the shark turned straight towards us from far away so I threw neutral and headed for the bow right as it passed within a couple of feet, before turning away.



These Egg Yolk Jellies are beautiful.


Of course for Monterey there is the obligatory Otter picture.

[azzurro]

Oh shit such wonderful pics! I warn my revenge will be frightening...octopus and cuttlefish and squids and things like that.
I thought moon fish was completely uneatable.

[kelson]

Wow! great photos. I am jealous. I haven't even seen a basking shark, much less have one swim right under the boat like that. Thank you for sharing.

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

John, thanks to you guys we found the whale watchers in the higher range on the VHF as you suggested. They called out the GPS coordinates, but not for whales, instead for Basking Sharks!!

You're killing me, Pete. I've never seen a basking shark either. Old-timers say they used to be all over around Central California, but I suspect they were hunted to near-extinction. I have heard reports every now and then, but always when I wasn't on the water. This one just sucks. You guys *could* have hopped on the VHF and let us know (of course, we may have been packed up by then...)

Out over the trench we found a sea lion eating a mola mola. Pretty cool to watch life happening.

That one is pretty common; you'll see multiple bird groups waiting for scraps all over the Monterey Bay as the summer goes on. Sometimes as many as a dozen from a single point on the bay. Dive on the deeper pinnacles, and you stand a good chance of seeing molas in the water.

Of course for Monterey there is the obligatory Otter picture.

... and me without my shotgun... I hate otters. Nasty little cute-and-fuzzy bastards.

jky

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by azzurro

Oh shit such wonderful pics! I warn my revenge will be frightening...octopus and cuttlefish and squids and things like that.

Oooh. A threat. Do your worst.

I thought moon fish was completely uneatable.

I've heard different opinions on Mola: some say the flesh is toxic (no further explanation though.) Some say the meat is textureless and is like eating mush. One idiot guy I met said he speared a large one, and gave it to a Filipino family he knew, who ate it.

Bottom line: Dunno.

The sea lions here seem to love them though, both as food and toys (they often rip the fins from the fish, toss them like frisbees for a bit, then let them sink to the bottom to be eaten alive by seastars. Dive a bit offshore of Monterey in late summer, and you're nearly guaranteed to see several finless Molas on the bottom.)

jky