newbie - just aquired Rib

[kerlstone]

Hi there, Ive been prowling this site for a while now, vast knowledge base, Ive just bought my first inflatable and would like some opinions on it please, and advice on any other kit I might need.
Its a Yam 380s with a yamaha 15hp 2str, all 2001 and 1 owner, it seems in really good condition well looked after etc, and came with big launch wheels, anchor and rope, flares, petrol tank and spare, pump paddles and engine spares and tools etc, anyway Ive not been out in it yet, going to loch lomand this week to try it out, but I hope to use it mainly on the west coast, bays and islands etc, what Im asking is what kind of distance do you think would be safe to go offshore,( on a decent day), what kind of speed do you think its capable of, what fuel consumption etc, I know theres a lot of variables in here but any advice would be appreciated.
Ive had quite a bit of experience in the past on the west coast in ribs, cruisers and canoes, but this is my first inflatable, it will mainly be carrying 2 adults and 2 kids, 10 and 8 yrs old,
also Ive just bought 4 new life jackets and intend to buy a handhld vhf before going on the sea, any input would be great, thanks.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by kerlstone

Its a Yam 380s with a yamaha 15hp 2str, all 2001 and 1 owner, it seems in really good condition well looked after etc, and came with big launch wheels, anchor and rope, flares, petrol tank and spare, pump paddles and engine spares and tools etc, anyway Ive not been out in it yet, going to loch lomand this week to try it out, but I hope to use it mainly on the west coast, bays and islands etc, .... ....it will mainly be carrying 2 adults and 2 kids, 10 and 8 yrs old,

ok thats a pretty similar set up to mine and similar sort of usage.

what Im asking is what kind of distance do you think would be safe to go offshore,( on a decent day),

there is no easy answer to that question. It depends on the current weather, the forecast and the weather in the last few days (which affects the swells) as well as the wind direction and fetch (distance of open sea it has travelled over - which affects the waves). As well as what options there are for turning back etc. Bear in mind that when you turn round an OK sea can suddenly become a horrendous sea heading in the opposite direction. That will also be affected by tide, and in some places actually quite close to shore, by strong currents. So it might be perfectly OK to take 4 or 5 miles or more off shore in one spot in good conditions and completely horrendous only 1/2 a mile offshore in seemingly similar weather but where it is much more exposed.

Also what I would do on my own (or with other adults) and what I would subject my kids to is quite different. If it starts to kick up a nasty chop an hour from shelter, you can rest assured that the kids (and probably their mum) will not be too keen to go back on the boat next weekend if they get cold / wet / scared.

You might also go further offshore if you've got company with you who can help if something mechanical or a big air leak etc causes you a problem.

what kind of speed do you think its capable of,

with all of you and the gear on board probably just shy of 20 knots, in good weather.

what fuel consumption etc,

there are some rough rules of thumb: a 2 stroke at full throttle will burn 1 US gallon (3.8L) per hour for each 10 HP of engine size. So you will use 5.4L per hr at Wide open throttle (WOT). You'll probably not sit at WOT all the time so will actually use less. The other empirical rule on here seems to be that most RIBs use about 1 L per nm at cruising speed give or take about 20% (but in reality a SIB with a small engine will probably use significantly less). I did about 20 miles at varying speeds on Saturday and used less than 10L. How much you use depends on the load, the waves/weather and your driving style.

Whilst not absolutely essential a handheld GPS would be a useful addition to your kit if you are going any distance from your starting point (if nothing else it increases confidence from your "crew" if you know where you are going - and which bay you left the car at!

To get some inspiration on how far you could go - have a search for some of Zodiacman's threads (he's just posted another) and his Youtube videos. Bear in mind that they seem to take multiple boats and no children!

[kerlstone]

Hi, Polwart thanks for the input, I eventually got out on loch lomond with the boat, it went really good, Im well pleased with it, I dont know what speed i was doing but it seemed pretty fast to me, i recon maybie 20 mph or there abouts, 2 adults 2 kids, it got up on the plane in no time and we had quite a bit of gear on as well just to try it out, also a fair breeze on some parts. ive posted apic, thanks again.

[Phil'sFrontier]

looks like you got a nice rig!

[MustRib]

Hi Kerlstone... this forum is a huge resource of information.
Sounds like you have the right kit, the boat has an anchor?

Just to agree with what Polwart said about how far offshore is too far,
I recently took the kids (just a year older than yours) out from Skye to Rum, it was very calm - warm temperature....11 miles there and 11 miles back, in my 3.8 m inflatable with a Yam 20 2 stroke. Would say we used 20 litres fuel all in so as I only had a 22 litre tank in the boat I was a little anxious coming back. It did strike me, that if the weather had turned when we were on Rum - not unknown - the trip back would probably have put them off boats for ever.
I took a handheld vhf, a PLB, flares, anchor, and my "get me home" bits for the motor. If it had failed, it would have been a very very long row/paddle back. You have to weigh up all these things, especially with your kids, make it fun for them so they want to get in the boat the next time. Plan ahead, and have a plan if things go wrong.
The next day - we had to turn back from a 2 mile hop across the loch, because the chop - although fine for me - was making them unhappy.
Enjoy the boat, it looks fine I expect the motor will run out of puff before you find the boats limits.

[kerlstone]

Hi Mustrib, thanks for that, yep ive got an anchor, been to rum a few times (on ferry), thats the kind of trips id like to be doing, tell me, what do you consider must have engine spares and tools, and can you recomend a handheld vhf, and do you need a license for it just to listen in, and hopefully not, use it in an emergency. Where on Skye did you launch for rum, thanks again.

[MustRib]

Originally Posted by kerlstone

Hi Mustrib, thanks for that, yep ive got an anchor, been to rum a few times (on ferry), thats the kind of trips id like to be doing, tell me, what do you consider must have engine spares and tools, and can you recomend a handheld vhf, and do you need a license for it just to listen in, and hopefully not, use it in an emergency. Where on Skye did you launch for rum, thanks again.

Yes - I recommend two things....
Get RYA Powerboat level 2 certificate - its a 2 day course - look on here you will find some good instructors.
Get your VHF certificate ...its a 1 day course...again start here, otherwise the RYA website for your closest instructors. Legally you do need a licence.

The handheld VHF I have is the Entel 640, very light and submersible, but ICom and Standard Horizon products are all top quality. Get something light and immersion proof would be my advice.

Launched from Ord on the Sound of Sleat.
Not the closest place you could launch from, but convenient for me.

My "bucket" of bits - has spare spark plugs, starter rope, long cable ties, kill cord, a few tools, plug spanner, some tape and a few bits of wire.
torch, 2 stroke oil, some rope. It all fits in a polybottle type waterproof container. I have second container, with Flares, a torch, another kill cord, more rope (mooring rope thickness) a handheld GPS.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by kerlstone

Hi Mustrib, can you recomend a handheld vhf,

if you search the forum I think you'll find that the Standard Horizon H/Held (HX280?) that costs about £80, usually comes out in the final shortlist. Its what I have and I would happily replace it with an identical one. Personally I would stick to S/H, Icom, Entel etc and steer away from the cheaper less recognised brands (e.g. Cobra) having previously discovered that they are nowhere near as robust. If there is one bit of kit you want to work reliably everytime its your h/held vhf.

and do you need a license for it just to listen in, and hopefully not, use it in an emergency.

There are two "licenses" - one for the radio (which is FOC from Ofcom) and one that is issued through the RYA for you as the operator. You need the free radio licence no matter what. I think technically you are possibly right and so long as you don't transmit except in an emergency then you won't be breaking any laws by not having the operators license.

However you won't actually know your radio works (in transmit mode). You will be missing the opportunity to use your radio for non-emergency purposes e.g. to tell the CG your plans etc; but perhaps most importantly the purpose of the course (in my opinion) is that you can transmit a clear and effective distress message. By practicing that in the classroom you might just be that bit more confident, or convey slightly more useful information than if the first time you ever use the radio to transmit is to scream for help.

[kerlstone]

Thanks again Polwart and Mustrib, agree with you completely on the safety factor, ive today booked a level 2 course and ill be doing a vhf as well, thanks for the advice, your right about what we would do on our own, or with mates, its not quite the same when youve got kids to think about, ive a few quid to spend yet, as im getting a towbar and wee trailer as well, just a couple more questions, could you recomend a gps, im not really up with all this tech stuff, and does my yamaha 15hp 2st have a shear pin, id carry a spare if it does, and lastly for you Mustrib, ive posted a pic you should recognise, took it last summer and now use it as a screensaver to remind me what im missing.

thanks again.

[willk]

That's a stunning pic. One of those special moments in time...

[Poly]

Originally Posted by kerlstone

could you recomend a gps, im not really up with all this tech stuff,

I assume we are are talking handheld here. If so then here are some questions to think about:

1. Do you just want to know your position or do you want it on a map. If you are happy using charts on the boat you may be fine with a very basic unit. People will tell you you should carry charts anyway. I do and have basic charts on my hand held GPS. I could be persuaded that a very large scale chart (or do I mean small scale? - one covering a large geographic area on a small bit of paper) would be fine for most stuff I would do as usually I can see the shore anyway.
2. If you want it on a map, then you are going to be relatively close to the shore so probably the "base map" won't be enough to be useful. So then you need "charts". Charts come in different formats, details, costs. Beware some of the cheapest will assume you aren't going to go far inshore (e.g. much north of Port Appin on Loch Linnhe has very little detail (buoys/depths etc on my Lowrance cheap one). If you are planning to use much inland you might also want to check out the loch details - e.g. Loch Lomond is shown on some but not on others.
3. If you want charts do you need colour? My previous hand held had colour charts. This was nice, but not essential. On such a small screen colour helps a tiny bit (to convey extra info) but its not really possible to do any passage planning on a 2" screen anyway, it will tell you where you are and which way you should be pointing.
4. Do you want to plan routes on the PC and upload them. Make sure you can with the cables / cards provided and your PC. Beware some upload cables can cost almost 50% of the equipment price on budget models.
5. Do you want to use it for anything else (e.g. hill walking, mountainbiking, the bizare practice of geocaching etc). That might add size constraints that you won't have with a standard boat model.
6. Power - how long will it last? what size batteries does it take (might be helpful if they are the same as your VHF if it has an "alkaline battery tray")? I'm guessing you have no electrics on board, if you do - can you charge/run from them?

Whatever you decide make sure it is properly waterproof. Floating would be good, but a suitable lanyard should avoid 99% of disasters.

Like the VHF probably best to stick to common makes, like Garmin, Lowrance, etc. If you do go down the Lowrance route beware the manuals are terrible and the user interface is not particularly intuitive. If you can play with it before you buy as user interface will make the difference between you getting a lot out of it, and it sitting in a pocket until you are lost, then trying to remember how to turn it on!

There was a rumour that S/Horizon would be launching their VHF/GPS combined hand held in the UK in the next month - that might be worth checking out if (1) you just want positions (2) it has properly integrated the DSC functions (3) you don't mind all your eggs in one basket [imagine it stops working / falls overboard - if it were just the GPS, even if you are lost the VHF will gie the CG a reasonable idea of your location, and help to find you; if its just the VHF at least you still know where you are and can head for safety]. I think there are a couple of others Uniden? who are offering combined units with the DSC integration disabled in the UK (because of a licensing / approval issue) if storage/space etc is an issue might be worth considering.

Another possibility is an iPhone with the charting software on it. If there is a good waterproof container, and you don't mind risking a very expensive phone this is very impressive. I'm not sure I would use this as my only option; but if I had an iPhone anyway I might go for a very cheap, very basic unit and use the iPhone as my "plotter".

and does my yamaha 15hp 2st have a shear pin, id carry a spare if it does,

no, I think you'll have a rubber hub that "slips" if you hit something rather than a pin that breaks. If you are going as far as Rum then you might want to consider a spare prop, and prop spanner in your kit (the RNLI cleverly bolt their spare prop to the outside of the transom if storage is an issue) - because if you smash the prop landing on the beach on Rum - you might have an issue if it knocks it completely out of balance.

[jake 4589]

Originally Posted by Polwart

There was a rumour that S/Horizon would be launching their VHF/GPS combined hand held in the UK in the next month - that might be worth checking out if

I rang Mailspeed marine today after a discussion on this very thing over on the 'electronics' forum. At first they said that they had not heard of this but doubted it due to the type approval of a handheld with DSC. They said they would make enquiries and call me back.

When they called back they said that yes, Standard Horizon were awaiting for the final approval paperwork to be done, but they were quietly confident that this would be granted. They also stated that there was no guide price etc to be released until after approval. When asked about timescale end of July/early August was mentioned, but again nothing definite.

Jake

[MustRib]

Originally Posted by kerlstone

Thanks again Polwart and Mustrib, agree with you completely on the safety factor, ive today booked a level 2 course and ill be doing a vhf as well, thanks for the advice, your right about what we would do on our own, or with mates, its not quite the same when youve got kids to think about, ive a few quid to spend yet, as im getting a towbar and wee trailer as well, just a couple more questions, could you recomend a gps, im not really up with all this tech stuff, and does my yamaha 15hp 2st have a shear pin, id carry a spare if it does, and lastly for you Mustrib, ive posted a pic you should recognise, took it last summer and now use it as a screensaver to remind me what im missing.

thanks again.

Your welcome...
Here a few of my shots from the trip...

[willk]

Originally Posted by MustRib

Your welcome...
Here a few of my shots from the trip...

Damn you, you Wretch!

Now I've got the theme to Local Hero stuck in my head all night

[MustRib]

Originally Posted by willk

Damn you, you Wretch!

Now I've got the theme to Local Hero stuck in my head all night

Yep - its the phone box on Rum, but it may as well be from the movie poster.
Loved it there....
Probably the best time to go as well, am sure the midgees are the size of seagulls by now!