New boat (finally)

jyasaki · 21 June 2005, 23:31

Picked up the new boat last weekend. Hopefully I can get the images up here (remains to be seen, though.)

17'6" aluminum hull RIB, built by Polaris Inflatable Boats in Langley, BC Canada.

Powered by a Yamaha 115 4-stroke. Eventual plans for combo GPS/fishfinder, VHF, stereo (maybe), fresh water shower (for divers and cameras), anchor capstan (for when I go diving with lazy friends.)

Seems to handle pretty well (aside from being massively overpropped at the moment); had it out in 6 to 8 foot swells over the weekend. Handled it with no problems I could detect.

Broke it in properly, with one guy already getting sick from it.

Next weekend I'll see how it goes in somewhat calmer water and a more appropriate prop. Between now and then, well, I guess there's about a million things I'd like to get done on it... but I'll probably not get to any of them.

jky

The Jackeens · 21 June 2005, 23:49

Congrats to you

interesting looking boat - plenty of welding on it
what speed you get ???

is the spray rail welded on ?

paul

jyasaki · 21 June 2005, 23:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Jackeens

Congrats to you
interesting looking boat - plenty of welding on it
what speed you get ???

Thanks. Been looking forward to joining the RIB community for a while (order went in in January, I think.)

Hit 42mph in flat fresh water. In the ocean, could only get about 30mph, but that was with a decent load and the motor bogging down from the incorrect prop pitch.

Quote:

is the spray rail welded on ?

Yes, it is. Kind of an impressive bit of metalwork; it appears to have been folded and formed, then welded to the hull along it's length.

jky

Big surf · 22 June 2005, 00:15

Nice boat. Course I'm biased since I have the 14.5" version of yours and am suffering from 3 footitis. I can vouch for the toughness of this boat, these aluminum hulls can take a pounding for sure, I have about 200 hrs on mine and no problems, it looks like new. Very good quality build, nice welds, nylock everything, high quality fit and finish. I would suggest putting down some rubber floor matting to protect the grippy stuff on the bottom or the edges will peel quite quickly. I bought some of the 3'x'3 heavy interlocking rubber mats from Home depot ($25 each) and cut to shape the flat surfaces, these work well, great dive mats and keeps your feet warmer, the aluminum stays quite cold from the water.

The engine mounting pod is awesome from performance and space. I wish I had that on mine.

I would guess a touch over 40 mph at top speed.

jyasaki · 22 June 2005, 00:18

Thanks, Big Surf; Mats are on the short list (which is, in truth, pretty long.)

jky

boatster · 22 June 2005, 08:10

nice looking boat. Can you tell me roughly how much the boat hull itself costs?
I am definitely looking to get an aluminum hull rib in the not too distant future.

pettal · 22 June 2005, 12:12

Congrats on the new boat!

codprawn · 22 June 2005, 14:06

Really like that boat - only thing that looks a bit didgy is the bow roller - great for anchoring but does tend to make the front a bit unforgiving for a RIB - whatever next - rib bullbars???

jyasaki · 22 June 2005, 18:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Really like that boat - only thing that looks a bit didgy is the bow roller - great for anchoring but does tend to make the front a bit unforgiving for a RIB - whatever next - rib bullbars???

Yeah, well, I try not to run into things as a matter of course, and actually do anchor out in some relatively nasty weather. Our local boat diving is either on or not far removed from the open Pacific, so there's a fair bit of fetch for the waves to build. Anchoring in 4 to 6 foot swell is not all that uncommon (though ideally, a little more protection would be a good thing.) So, a good solid anchor system is pretty high on the list. As is the boarding ladder which will come off the port quarter; got a friend who will be working on that shortly.

Rollbars, eh?

jky

jyasaki · 22 June 2005, 18:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatster

nice looking boat. Can you tell me roughly how much the boat hull itself costs?
I am definitely looking to get an aluminum hull rib in the not too distant future.

Boatster, the hull alone (hull, tubes, handlines, deck, and bow eye) is about $20K Canadian (or roughly $17K US.) This assumes a transom mount motor; the bracket/pod is extra.

Everything else is added on, and highly customizable.

You can see their site at Polaris Boats .

Or alternatively, give them a call; Guy and Jan and great people; they had no problem working up a plan for the boat, despite the fact that I said I was a year away from committing.

Let me know how your search goes;

jky

boatster · 23 June 2005, 05:05

Thanks for the info JY. That looks like a really solid boat. I might be interested in a 15'er.