Testing the FC470 this summer

Brage · 14 August 2018, 20:55

Thanks to many rib.net members my Zodiac FC 470 was ready for some adventures this summer. The 18 gallon fuel bladder worked perfect (thanks Tim).

The main adventure was in north of Norway. 1 week in the wild, exploring a huge fjord system with no infrasrukture. Main purpose was flyfishing (and getting away form the wife).

Ready to go!

Camp and everyone, including the dog, are ready for dinner:

My 8 year old son and the zodiac

Seatrout. Aprox 3 kg.

More seatrout

Seatrout. 6-7 kg

The dog probably missed the wife at this stage

Cheers, and thanks to everyone who have given me advice and sold me parts.

cgoing · 14 August 2018, 23:38

Looks like a great adventure!

Squid Boat · 15 August 2018, 04:55

What a awesome family adventure,great pix and nice fish mate.

Cheers

SixtyNorth · 15 August 2018, 08:41

Don't let your wife read that!

Sounds like a great adventure for the kids and, of course, yourself.

How did the boat perform? Did it live up to your expectations? After making the trip, do you plan to make any changes from lessons learned?

Very nice photos, Norway is a beautiful country. I have not been to the West Coast for many years but loved my time there fishing and exploring.

Brage · 15 August 2018, 14:34

Thanks! (The wife is actually a nice one. I guess i keep here

)

Regarding lessons learned, the most important change until next year will be the steering console. I'm sitting to low and need to sit higer to get a better view. There was a lot of sallow tidal currents, and they are harder to navigate sitting down.

Another lesson learned is to never stop the engine in a tidal current. In some situation we had to tilt the engine all the way up to avoid rocks (the propeller was out off the water.) Its better to leave the engine running, because you will lose your steering for a longer periode of time, if you turn it off. We hit a riverside rock wall because of this mistake, but it all went well.

Other than the steering console issue the boat performed very good. There was no trouble with the boat or the engine. We could bring lots of gear, food and drinks due to the loading capacity

The weather was very nice, so we were lucky. The kids loved it, so we have to return next year. If the wife approves

Fly360 · 23 August 2018, 21:14

I noticed you have a Yamaha outboard, is it the 4 stroke 25hp? If so I’d like to know how it handled with such a heavy load. How fast did it go? I’m considering a similar combo for trips here in Alaska and I need an outboard that’s portable but can handle a heavy load.

Brage · 24 August 2018, 12:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly360

I noticed you have a Yamaha outboard, is it the 4 stroke 25hp? If so I’d like to know how it handled with such a heavy load. How fast did it go? I’m considering a similar combo for trips here in Alaska and I need an outboard that’s portable but can handle a heavy load.

My engine is a 30 HP 4 stroke, but a Yamaha dealer helped me get 40 HP out of it. (30 HP and 40 HP are the same enigines).

Both 30 HP and 40 HP are excelent for the FC470. However the FC 470 is not a speedboat. Its more like a cargoboat

So SIBing long distance in 30 knots and big waves will make you beaten. My crusing speed is about 20-25 knots. That`s 40-50 RPM, depending on the cargo weight.

I don't know if a 25 HP is enough for our trip. However a 25HP is only 57 kg, and a 30 HP is 107 kg, so I think you would be fine with a 25HP.

Maybe you could ask the seller to test it on your 470?

Best of luck sibing and fishing in Canada!

Cheers

jeffstevens763@g · 24 August 2018, 13:44

fantastic trip the boat looks great

Hurricane RIBs · 24 August 2018, 15:33

Looks like a great trip and excellent use of the boat!

Fly360 · 27 August 2018, 19:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brage

My engine is a 30 HP 4 stroke, but a Yamaha dealer helped me get 40 HP out of it. (30 HP and 40 HP are the same enigines).

Both 30 HP and 40 HP are excelent for the FC470. However the FC 470 is not a speedboat. Its more like a cargoboat

So SIBing long distance in 30 knots and big waves will make you beaten. My crusing speed is about 20-25 knots. That`s 40-50 RPM, depending on the cargo weight.

I don't know if a 25 HP is enough for our trip. However a 25HP is only 57 kg, and a 30 HP is 107 kg, so I think you would be fine with a 25HP.

Maybe you could ask the seller to test it on your 470?

Best of luck sibing and fishing in Canada!

Cheers

Thanks for the reply! I don’t think I can lug a 30/40 hp up and down the beach, as I won’t be using a trailer. I haven’t actually decided on what my next boat will be. I’ve been leaning towards a F-RIB 430, but there are so many nice durable sibs that are half the price. My main hesitation is that they will be too heavy to launch solo from the beach and that they will need more hp to get them moving because of the draggy soft hull.

plymjack · 01 September 2018, 12:17

Have to say we are impressed with you boat packing skills..