I've just bought an SR4 !!! + storage question

[Shaz]

Hi, after lots of time being entertained by you guys, I finally feel I can join the forum. I've bought a little 4 metre Searider from a nice man on Ebay, picking it up on Friday so very excited ! (I don't think it's quite as nice as the one I nearly bought from here, but hopefully will still be lots of fun.)

I will be back very soon for lots more advice I'm sure, but first question: does anyone use the dry stack at Cardiff Marina ? If its as good as it looks I'm considering it as I've only got a normal car so launch & recovery's may be a bit stressful, as a beginner* it might be good to get someone else to do the hard bits, and get to know one area of water quite well. Or have I been taken in by their flashy website and its really not worth it ?


Shaz.


*beginner to ownership, I've got some bits of paper that pretend I know what I'm doing.

[Poly]

welcome.

dry stack is a relatively expensive option for most people with SR4's who usually like them because they are cheap to own and run (and good fun!).

SR4 should be small enough to launch on most reasonable slipways with a fairly ordinary car.

But that said - my wife claims that Launch and Recovery is the "most stressful" bit of using our boat. Have to say its a lot less stressful when she's not there!

[SPR]

I launch/recover my 5.5 metre RIB, with my A3. 2 people and long bit of rope wrapped around the tow bar as pully.....

Go on a RYA Powerboat II course, the best thing that new person should do....Will teach Launch/recoverly and will get you discount on insurance.

S.(cott)

[Avocet]

Originally Posted by Shaz

I've bought a little 4 metre Searider....

Congratulations and welcome to Ribnet!

As Polwart says, dry-stacking for a small boat does away with its advantages of transportability and relatively easy launching. How far do you reckon on going in a boat that size and is there enough within such a radius of Cardiff to keep you (and the family?) interested? If not, you're likely to start trailering anyway. Can you sign up in Cardiff for a short term to develop your confidence in the boat without having to worry about launching? It may also depend on whether you can store the boat at home or have to pay for elsewhere. There are a good number of interesting places (including the Solent, if you don't mind a couple of hours driving!) that you can access from Thornbury without having to cross the bridge. Why not make it to the Searider gathering on 10 October?

If so, I'll see you there (I'm planning on going even though I don't have a Searider: someone's got to make the sandwiches and keep Blackroady company!).

[JSP]

What car is it Shaz? And have you towed much before?
Great book for all things Powerboats, RIBs' and launch and recovery...
http://www.littlehampton-marine-elec...5d87641e61e930

[Shaz]

Wow loads of replies already - thanks !

I did the Level 2 course a couple of years ago, and have towed & launched a Jeannau Rigiflex which is a similar size.

The car is a Peugeot 306 (don't laugh!), it's the 2 litre diesel version so should be fine, I'm
just always a bit worried that it was never really designed as a 'working' car, its not quite a 'girly town car' but nearly. The Rigi has a 4 stroke 25hp though, and the new boat has a 2 stroke 50 so shouldn't really weigh that much more (I will go and research that now).

I may have to pay for use of the garage anyway so might try the short term option while I
have a look around. It wasn't quite an impulse buy but there are a few things I should have
maybe arranged first rather than now....

Oct 10th gathering sounds cool, where is it, Southampton ?

[9D280]

Welcome!

2L diesel 306 should be more than capable of towing an SR4. A quick google is showing tow weights around the 1 ton mark - an SR4 will be nowhere near that. (but check your handbook for the official numbers!)

Launch & recovery is easy singlehanded with a swing beam roller trailer. Bunks are more of a pain if you're alone, but like anything not impossible. If you go to the SR bash there will be more than enough assistance & advice whatever your boat is sat on!

[Nos4r2]

Actually I found the bunked trailer under my SR4 an absolute doddle to recover with solo. Once the boat was driven partially on (only about 1/3, at tickover), I could get off and winch it on without the boat moving at all.

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by Shaz

The car is a Peugeot 306 (don't laugh!), it's the 2 litre diesel version so should be fine, I'm
just always a bit worried that it was never really designed as a 'working' car, ?

I used to tow a 1000kg RIB rig with a Pug 306 1.9 TD with no problems at all. Coped easily with all slipways.
A SR4 will be a doddle - probably only half a ton all up.

[Bam Bam]

Dont panic sunshine. I was just like you only a few moths ago. I even looked at buying a land Rover Defender than I discovered that most of the slips I have used are really tame and my 6 year old Mazda 6 copes very well indeed. Thats even when you look at boatlaunch and the pictures look as though you need a 4x4. Save your money and enjoy you boat from practical slips before you charge into wasting any money on a motor to simply launch your boat.

[Tim M]

As has already been said a 306 will be fine with a Searider. Laser who sometimes posts on here tows all sorts with his and its fine on the slipway. As I've said several times before I used to recover a Ribtec 585 with a 1.1 Punto so you really will be fine! We've launched and recovered 4m Seariders by hand before with two people on the Camber slip in Portsmouth.

[Shaz]

All good news then, thanks guys ! I'll get back to worrying about all the other things I'm worrying about.

Should be back with pics on Saturday or Sunday as I don't have one of those fancy internet-anywhere phones.

Yay boat !! :-)

[chewy]

I pulled my SR4 out the other day and got the bow onto the first roller then it winched on fine the rest of the way, lined itself up nicely. I did give it 20 secs for the water to drain but I couldn't believe how easy it was to recover. Had more trouble launching!

[stan_deezy]

Originally Posted by chewy

Had more trouble launching!

That's because you had the trailer in the water nose first!


Tip for future launching: the big fat end goes into the water first

[Shaz]

Well, I've just about survived the first 2 days of Searider ownership !

Had a brief trip out from Lyme Regis on Friday with the seller, only brief as it was quite windy and in his words we'd have been 'lifeboat bait' if we'd stayed out (liked that expression!).

Today we launched from West Bay and had a bit of a play around - I completely screwed up launching - I didn't get the trailer far enough in the water, got everyone to push the boat, so of course the bow shot up in the air and smacked the prop on the end of the slipway. Miraculously everything seemed to have survived, even my friend who got absolutely soaked grabbing hold of the boat and swam it across to the pontoon. Hi to anyone who was there and laughing at us... I think more courses need to cover lauching with an ordinary car rather than assuming people have fancy 4x 4s ! Actually that's not fair at all as in hindsight I know exactly how I should have done it, with a technique I've used before of attaching a rope between car and trailer, so you can get the trailer submerged without the car getting wet. Why I didn't think it was necessary to get the rope out on this occasion I have no idea. A bit carried away with the excitement of it all I think.

We had a bit of a play around dodging lobster pots - I was driving like a complete wuss compared to how I normally do, weird how everything is so much more stressful when it's you own money. There were waves but they weren't massive or anything, they were just a bit more present than what I've dealt with recently! My crew were 2 other girls with not really a lot of boating experience so that was also a consideration.

We didn't stay out long as I was getting a bit nervous about fuel, think we came in when everyone else was going out just before low water. I can't get over how much of the day I've spent arguing with ratchet straps getting the thing secured to the trailer and so on.

In general though, its very cool, everything seems to work which is fantastic, and I need to tidy a few bits up and plan a next time. Pictures are on my friend's camera so will follow when she sends me them.

[chewy]

I'm alot more nervous when its someone elses boat.

When I tie my SR4 down I have a winch line on the bow eye, my painter wrapped round the trailer and clipped back to the bow eye and a ratchet just to make sure its tight, on the stern I have one ratchet strap around the trailer and clipped to the two towing eyes.
It doesn't seem to budge much like that.

[Shaz]

I think it was more that it's the first time I've done anything like that without having someone a lot more experienced on hand to provide any help.... but one of the reasons for getting the thing is to build up experience gradually, so I took it fairly easy and didn't go too far.

Towing it back the strap I had across the middle kept coming off, although that may have been because the tubes were a bit soft - there was a brief patch of sunshine just after we came off the water so I let some air out to stop them over-inflating, and may have let out a bit too much.

[chewy]

Looks tidy, are th tubes really clean or painted?
Like how the SR4 is afloat and by the looks of things the other boats fried out a while ago.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Shaz

Towing it back the strap I had across the middle kept coming off, although that may have been because the tubes were a bit soft - there was a brief patch of sunshine just after we came off the water so I let some air out to stop them over-inflating, and may have let out a bit too much.

Have a search here for Nos4r2's beginners guide. "Best practice" would be not to use a tie down across inflatable tubes - instead tie down from the bow eye and transom.

[Nos4r2]

Will we see you at the Searider gathering in October Shaz?