Which roofrack for 3.5M RIB (Ford Ka)

[kaman]

Well done Firstrib!
Nice to see you reaping the rewards of your labour.
That's impressive fitting all that into a ford Ka.
My similar sized Honwave 3.5ae and Tohatsu 20hp 4 stroke used to go in the boot of my Mondeo.
Bought a little box trailer the built a full sized boat trailer.
Still love the portability of a go anywhere boat I a bag so bought a little Seago Eco 260 with Suzuki 2.2hp 2 stroke and Suzuki 2.5hp four stoke for propulsion.
Very addictive and rewarding hobby you have embarked on.

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by Firstrib

Hayling Island maiden voyage. Itchenor, Emsworth

Fair play you must be some Tetris grand master! Looks like a tidy little setup and that motor looks really clean. Should have plenty of oomph even when you do figure out how to a fit a 3rd passenger in. If looking for a an iOS chat plotter look at a an iPad mini with 4g sim and a lifewotsit case battery is much better and screen easier to read Han phone I think. Also have you got the rya safetrex app? Could be useful on your trips.

[kaman]

How's about carrying a 2nd passenger like this........


I see a handy mop for cleaning out your sib on return to shore as well

[Firstrib]

Hi Fenlander, your advice and encouragement has made this all possible. Thames today! More photo later.

Get those teenagers out of bed!

[Firstrib]

Thanks Kaman, very funny. I would need a mop today, I wish I could get a trailer, however, no driveway in London.

[Firstrib]

HELP - Thames did not happen! Bravo BST 12 HP inflated boat only to first low pressure, next high power setting did not kick in. Tried several times, all valves, just on the lilo setting! Boat on quay side by car, lifejackets on but couldn't get going, footpump had missing attachment so couldn't default to that.


Pump is brand new, worked well yesterday. Perhaps it got a bit wet but I doubt it. Any ideas for fixing or should I return via Ebay?

[Fenlander]

Very frustrating!

Is yours the digital one? If so did it show the elevated pressure when you pressed the button but just not pump to it?

Nip along to Chas Newens for the pump adaptor so you have backup.

[Firstrib]

Hi, it's the manual one with the dial setting, all worked fine yesterday. What could be wrong? No cutting in a pneumatic drill sound at all.

[Fenlander]

Well if you know for sure it was set correctly and you waited long enough to give the second stage a chance to cut in then it seems it must be faulty.

[Stigomery]

I happened upon a rather worrying sentence in the manual, it said "never lower the pressure setting (on the manometer) while the pump is in operation or this will irreparably damage the pump"...

I assume all your seals pump/pipe/boat are not leaking? I noticed with the adaptor I got to connect Bravo to Honwave isn't a tight fit and can leak air.

Shame you had to bail out...

[Stevem]

I had the digital display version which was new (from eBay) and it developed a similar fault after about a week of ownership.
Though the one I had made a mechanical grinding noise so I could hear it was faulty when trying to switch over to second stage. I returned mine immediately and the replacement has been fine after much use last year.

Good on you getting out by the way. Apologies if this has been suggested, I've only skim read your post but is the plan to get a roof rack and put the packed boat on the roof rack when you have 1+ join you? Two people can manage it onto the roof rack and when by yourself it can go in the boot as you wouldn't need the extra space.

[Fenlander]

Just thought of a long shot. Are you sure you have a good voltage at the battery you're using? I've found when using the car battery there can be a big difference in the way the pump runs depending of whether you use an extension lead and whether the car is left running or not.

[Firstrib]

Reporting in from Fulham. Thames voyage successful! Fulham to Richmond, moored for lunch and back. The tide was so high the boat floated out of the Thames onto the pavement.

Launching from Broomhouse Drawdock is interesting, there is 4m of ankle deep litter to wade through to the river. Disaster this week was screwing, or not screwing on as it turned out, the wheels so the boat collapsed and bent one of the wheel posts, until a hefty wrench did it's job to free it. Switching the wheels around in the water from down position to up position is tricky - anyone got any gadget ideas to flip them down/up?

Fixed the Bravo BST pump by following the instructions on the leaflet, the pump was a few years old in the storeroom, combined with a very damp day, the small white plastic microswitch with a spring needed some WD40 and then the high pressure kicked in.

Best thing ever is a 5m extra bright string of lights like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/RPGT%C2%AE-W...WKK5F28EBTTBX4 attached to the battery.

The battery has been an adventure, I blew one up on the anchor chain but found that a 12AH 12V mobility scooter battery (200 cold crank amps not the 350 recommended for the 25HP Mercury motor) works really well to start the outboard and is sealed and much smaller. It also powers the white waterproof LED lights (See photo) at dusk which brightens things up.

Must link the battery to the battery hungry tablet which is running Navionics Boating HD UK and Netherlands great for depth and buoys which sits on the seat.

My main problem is the set up and take down time. Took 2 hours from door to water and 2 hours to pack away at the end. The more powerful 25HP motor is definitely the right choice for the Thames, however, it is as everyone has said very heavy. I have nearly had terrible accidents with it and my back, and must get a proper trolley. Taking it through the house also difficult. I think it will just be this way as no drive space. Perhaps there is an electric transom trolley that helps down 3 stairs and loads easily into a boot? The boat takes a while to dry and taking out the floor is necessary. I may yet get a roofrack as has been suggested for the boat itself.

Any thoughts, suggestions welcome as always. My patient friend Paul is in the photos. Thanks all.

[Firstrib]

Broomhouse Drawdockm Fulham with 4m of litter ankle deep, but I works as the wheels ride over it.

[Firstrib]

My patient friend Paul.
LED waterproof strip lights 12V
Broomhouse Drawdock
Litter 4m deep to wade through ankle deep!
Thames itself is lovely and clear below Fulham
Love the 25HP kick.
Boat with the swan at Richmond, the tide was so high the boat floated up on the pathway when moored.


Thinking of an extra fuel tank has anyone got experience of two tanks or a larger one?

[Stevem]

I bought an avon fuel bag recently and push about a third of it at the side of the bow bag and tube with the fuel connection end clipped under the seat. It takes up minimal space for its capacity.
They are not cheap but pop up on ebay every now and again and well worth it for me where space is a premium.

[Fenlander]

Well done again for getting on the water and getting round the inevitable obstacles that try and trip you up in the early boating days.

Obviously don't know how long your car journey adds to time in getting on the water but that outfit should be a comfortable 20-25min assemble once you arrive.

Excellent too that you're managing (just?) the 25hp... which is probably the ideal Aerotec power if weight isn't a consideration. It's almost tempting me to see if we could pick up one as an early season bargain and see if we could handle it OK!

I've commented in another thread today about the wheel type you have. Fit well... strong and give a nice ground clearance for the outboard. But so fiddly to get on and off in the water... due in part to the buoyancy of the large wheels which try and pop to the surface and you have to fight them down to fit/remove. For that reason I've moved onto the swing up Trem brand type.

Just a comment on the last image if you don't mind. Not totally clear what pressure is in the filled tube but each tube valve should be filled equally in turn to a lower pressure first so they are all equal then bring each up to full pressure. This is to stop strain on the baffles between the three sections.

[Firstrib]

Hi Fenlander, thank you for the tips, I inflate them to full pressure each time. I will review this now. By the way, I get a very slight hissing until I put the caps on, is this very minor leakage normal?


The wheels are a challenge, but good once on. I bent the push in U shaped female piece and haven't got it straight, needs whacking in the water with a wrench, not good. I need to figure this out and perhaps file it and bend it again. I will consider the flip up wheels you recommend. Do they store away in situ and fold up in the boat package in the bag or do you take them off?


A couple more questions if I may


The boat setup it taking far too long at 2 hours. The drive is 4 minutes. I think I also am not yet sure what to take and what to leave and forget things. I am now at the point where I can make a list. The small car means I have to wiggle the boat in and then lay the motor in. The biggest challenge is getting the motor from the alley in the back garden, through the kitchen, up the 3 stairs, through the hall, over the threshold to the front door, and then lifted into the car on top of a duvet, on top of the boat, on a borrowed trolley which isn't secured to the boat. Can you recommend a transom trolley that is not too large and can help in lifting the motor into a boot and stay attached and also go away with the motor in the rabbit hutch (upright) or shed if I need to buy one?


How do you get on with drying the boat afterwards?

[Firstrib]

One more thing. Maximum speed seems to be 20-22 knots, is this a good speed for 25HP? It feels fast but could be faster?

[Firstrib]

Hi Steve, thanks, I will take a look at that Avon fuel bag