Dog at the Helm??

[ian parkes]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

Your built in fenders. it's your ONLY attribute. We dont want any damage to our beautiful craft. Also, there's always loads that say 'yes' coz it's kinda like giving a prefect badge to a little nerd. excellent volunteer fodder!

just what wen't through my mind , i asked what they were paying , and declined when they said it was voluntry and not even fuel was covered . I am used to dealing with that sort of arrogant rich git down here in my business .

[Jonny Fuller]

Oh well, never mind, plenty more where you came from.

[ian parkes]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

Oh well, never mind, plenty more where you came from.

yes there is i have met a few all exited and full of thier own imprtance cos they helped as rescue boats for the day most only go to see the crashes , and they rarely seem to be disapointed with the huge swells inside the breakwater in Plymouth sound .
me I just went round the headland away from the noise and stink caut a few fish and cooked them on the beach , i felt well ard as i gutted them with my bowie knife

[Jonny Fuller]

Originally Posted by ian parkes

i felt well ard as i gutted them with my bowie knife

That's the spirit, you're getting the hang of it now Rambo.

Being serious for a moment, it is a shame that class one, is now no more than circuit racing in sheltered waters......Now when I was a lad..............

[ian parkes]

When i was a lad I would have loved to have watched . It seems the sport doen't really cater for fans or spectators . I looked on the net etc with ideas if watching but there was no info of the course or route to plan a day as a spectator . We wen't for a cruise the day before round plymouth barbican on our way in to look at all the race boats etc, there is clearly tons of money thrown at it by sponsors etc , so surprising that there was such a lack of public info or ecouragement .

[Jonny Fuller]

Even if you do turn out to watch, the 'safe distance' they control for Class 1 and P1 these days and the fact that you're not allowed to be in the centre of the course, has made it less of a pleasure.
You need a ferkin long, fast lens if you wanna get decent pics too from the controlled safe distance.

BTW, I find that whilst a little messy, using a stihl chainsaw to gut the old 10oz fishes far more suitable, you don't wanna feck about with a poxy little 'Bowie', they're for poofs.

[ribit]

Last year some of my friends watched P1 Cowes from the water I chose to watch from the land and had a great view did the same this year, it's a pity but as you say due to safety measures these days watching in a boat can be a bit to distant do agree some years back watching by boat was the bol*$"s and had the added bonus of being taken back to Southampton by Gordon McMath on a Revenger 29 with a I think a 315 yanmar in it

[Limey Linda]

Just to show how old I am. I watched the very first Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race from my 14ft fletcher off Cowes. It was scary. Crews came back with injured backs, broken legs etc. The following race was when a P1 flipped , threw the crew out and continued onto Gurnard beach and killed a couple of spectators. However, the first race was the birth of international offshore racing.

[ian parkes]

BTW, I find that whilst a little messy, using a stihl chainsaw to gut the old 10oz fishes far more suitable, you don't wanna feck about with a poxy little 'Bowie', they're for poofs. [/QUOTE]

good idea that chainsaw , could also use it to rescue hard boaters from thier cocpit when capsized

Now Johny on a seriouse note , given the fact you dislike ribs , what you buy as fast safe family boat under 6 m in lenght . It got to be easy to swim from and stable and comfy if the sea is a bit rough .
There are plenty bigger hard boats that may equal or be better then a ribs but smaller ones seem to be all built for the shiny pose factor and don't appear to be as seaworthy as a rib .

[Jonny Fuller]

Most of the shiney stuff, sub 21' is either intended for super high performance, or real cheap, nasty, flimsey dross. not an easy gap to fill. I'd say one of the small whalers, or maybe even a older style Fletcher Fish n Ski, both being foam filled sandwich and 'reasonably' beamy (especially the whaler).

However, I'm no expert on those sort of boats, so not really the right bloke to be gobbing off. When gobbing off, I'll stick to high quality performance boats vs the blow ups.

I said to old man Manning a few days ago, If I didn't know anything about the pucker quality performance hard boat stuff out there (now rather rare), and bowled up at a uk boat show, I wouldn't look twice at the hard boats they have on offer, as they're either yank lake boat dross, or one of the poor excuses we have for their uk equivelent these days. So I do 'kind' of understand many ribnobbas feelings that they're inferior in quality, or if it roughs up.... however, the pucker stuff really aint like that shite you see at the shows these days. As an old hard boater, it's all rather embarasing turning up to excel to find a pink Fletcher on display! I suppose they may have been attempting to appeal to the rib punters. you're still a bunch of nobs though.

[simmons0]

I think Phantoms are fantasic boats and a P18 or something would be great for hooning around the solent in but would you take it up the coast to Weymouth or across the channel to Cherbourg?

We bought a 6m rib because we thought it was far more suitable for cruising than any 6m hard bote on the market.
H

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by simmons0

a P18 or something would be great for hooning around the solent in but would you take it up the coast to Weymouth or across the channel to Cherbourg?

Given that he has a 70MPH 600hp Phantom 28 and only takes that as far as Cowes, I think it's fair to assume that the answer would be no!

He'll probably trot out a load of excuses about how he "could if he wanted to, but can't be bothered" and that sort of blather. Ignore it all though. The fact is that on the four or five days that have been calm and sunny enough this year for him to risk it, the total of his boating horizon is Driver's Wharf to the Folly Inn. And of that the bit from Cowes to the Folly takes the longest time.

Don't let that fool you though. Behind that smug supercillious and frankly irritating facade lies a cuddly little ginger man who actually knows a thing or two about boats. And he's kind to animals.

John

PS Looking forward to the race with Mr Manning. Just need to find someone to lend Mr Fuller a P18.

[simmons0]

Having briefly met Jon once I can confirm it has been as far as Yarmouth!

[Jonny Fuller]

Originally Posted by simmons0

Having briefly met Jon once I can confirm it has been as far as Yarmouth!

Yes, but not for a long time. ..I could if I wanted to, but I can't be bothered.

Oi Kennett, you lanky streak of P*ss, the TinTin haired geezer sat in the passenger seat of this chunk of tupperware dunarf look like you! You haven't been enjoying the dark side on the sly have you??? feckin double agent!!!

Rumour has it, you've been spotted in that boat a few times!..

http://media.boatmad.com/gallery/v/m...rtigo.wmv.html

[Jonny Fuller]

Getting back to the 'are hard boats suitable' thing. back in the 60's when the tough London lads founded the London-Calais-London race, the first event was won by Clive Curtis. to get things in perspective, he won that 235 mile race in a Bry-Owens 14' speedboat with 40hp on it's arse. So in answer to an ealier post, would a modern 6m Phantom manage a trip up the coast, as a boat imeasurably superior to a B-O 14, the answer is yes, easily. Of course, if you're the type thats too scared to go out boating without ya water wings pre inflated and welden on, you're probably not the right type of guy to be going boating in open water anyway, so stick to the canals or summat.

[simmons0]

But being capable of doing something and being suitable for it are completly different things.
Your average P18 with the cog well back and bucket seats isn't as suitable for crusing up the coast for a couple hours. When it gets lumpy they'll be really uncomfortable at speed and horrible to drive at less than planing speed.

[Jonny Fuller]

Originally Posted by simmons0

horrible to drive at less than planing speed.

Yes, planing hulls are feckin dreadfull when off the plane, why would you use one for that? the same goes for planing hulls with silly rubber bits on em.(remember it's the boat that does the work, not the fender) that's like using an aeroplane to drive on the motorway.

You're drifting back into the dreamy macho realms of hoping for a hurricane again, coz for some reason, you think you'll actually go boating in it.
'Real' life is quite different.

The first step to a cure for your problem, is recognising you have a problem in the first place. get help!

[Jonny Fuller]

Your average P18 aint 6 metre either, your average P21 is though. and with virtually all of em having bow tanks, you put the cog where ya want it.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

The first step to a cure for your problem, is recognising you have a problem in the first place.

You bin admiring yourself at that mirror again....

[Jonny Fuller]

Originally Posted by jwalker

You bin admiring yourself at that mirror again....

OI, don't you start!!!