Foam

JSP · 30 December 2008, 01:25

Was looking at a Humber RIB(?) tonight with in board diesel that seem to look like a normal RIB until you touched the tubes to find they are solid foam type material. Do these have any advantage over good old balloons?

BogMonster · 30 December 2008, 10:06

Maybe somebody has filled them with expanding foam due to leaks? I certainly considered that route on more than one occasion

JSP · 30 December 2008, 10:15

Sorry the RIB was a Delta, forgot to say.

biffer · 30 December 2008, 10:16

never seen it on a humber but henshaws make foam filled collars, see if you can let air out of the valves, if you can the tubes are probaly worth more than a normal boat complete, the way they do it is one set of tubes inside a foam sleeve with the normal tube size over the foam, so the middle will inflate, really dear job

chewy · 30 December 2008, 10:23

Delta do alot of the offshore FRC's look like good little boats!

PeterM · 30 December 2008, 10:34

I always understood that the real 'hardcore' boats were foam filled so that when you rip a large gash in the tube against say an oil rig you dont sink into the north sea.

But I know of one case where a Rib kept in the solent (that was foam filled/ ex Rig boat) got damaged and was a bugger to repair as the foam effectively got water logged ( as the owner was not aware of the damage as some muppet did it while moving berths in the maria) & had to be taken out at great cost.

JSP · 30 December 2008, 12:17

This wasn't foam filled but made out of a dense foam but tube shaped. Had a hollow sound to it when I knocked on it.

biffer · 30 December 2008, 12:35

i do believe this new foam wont except water but the older stuff was like a sponge, an old company called watercraft had a go at foam collar about 15 years ago, it was like rolls of foam spray with rubber based liquid and then another lot had a go with like strap on dustbins made of foam, everytime i go past the guys laying gas pipes i look at that stuff and wonder if it could be done, what you reckon!!!

JSP · 30 December 2008, 12:42

Did you ever see the episode of scrap heap challenge where they had to build a boat and race it? The winning team built a RIB like design out of Oil drums. The bottom was a flat sheet of metal, around the edges barrels where welded on leaving about half a foot gap from the sheet. This let it flood. They strapped an old diesel engine in the middle and the thing went like stink! Cornered great.

The "tubes" on this delta where made up in sections. I'm sure Wavelength will know more about it as I'm sure it's the one from fleetwood nautical college.

Nos4r2 · 30 December 2008, 13:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP

Did you ever see the episode of scrap heap challenge where they had to build a boat and race it? The winning team built a RIB like design out of Oil drums. The bottom was a flat sheet of metal, around the edges barrels where welded on leaving about half a foot gap from the sheet. This let it flood. They strapped an old diesel engine in the middle and the thing went like stink! Cornered great.

The "tubes" on this delta where made up in sections. I'm sure Wavelength will know more about it as I'm sure it's the one from fleetwood nautical college.

Erm...Yes. Jonny Fuller is currently banned from here for being a troll

J S · 30 December 2008, 13:56

Probably Similar to this maybe?

Link To Henshaws Website

James

JSP · 30 December 2008, 14:10

No these where solid.

JSP · 30 December 2008, 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Erm...Yes. Jonny Fuller is currently banned from here for being a troll

ooppps

chewy · 30 December 2008, 21:09

What happened to the delightful Mr Fuller? What did he have to do with Scrap Heap?

m chappelow · 30 December 2008, 22:32

thing is if its foam filled or has solid tubes er does that not make it a non inflatable ridgid boat ,the tees pilot cutter has a similar set up they look like foam rollers though from a distance they give the impression that its a very large rib

JSP · 30 December 2008, 22:52

The closest I can find on the delta website is the Windermere Police boat. Although the sides on the delta last night seemed to be more rounded and tube shaped.
http://www.deltapower.co.uk/support/...ancecraft.html

Poly · 31 December 2008, 09:22

JSP - what you are describing is more accurately described as a rigid bouyant boat (or sometimes RBB) than a RIB. Handling characteristics etc are usually similar, and have many of the positive benefits of a RIB. The main advantages are maintainence and durability of the tubes/collar. The common options are: Aluminium tubes, A foam collar, or a polyethylene tube/sponson. The latter is more often integrated into a rotomolded hull shape too but I have seen one boat which effectively had welded plastic pipe all round it.

The main disadvantage it they are a bit rougher on anything you bump into.

JSP · 31 December 2008, 11:22

They sound great, no more leaks or re tubing needed. But lets face it, RIB's do look a hell of allot better

Jono · 31 December 2008, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by chewy

What happened to the delightful Mr Fuller? What did he have to do with Scrap Heap?

...err ..He won that one beating your very own "Kitten" from Devonionshire...

...and Jonny is alive and well and sticking with performance boating rather than arguing with some of the muppets on this site.

chewy · 31 December 2008, 16:46

Going slightly off thread has any one got a link to that Scrap heap challenge?