Project "Blue Venom" (aka "Solent Viper")

[Hightower]

What I was thinking of next week are Wednesday though to Friday, Thursday being the best day.

[Hightower]

Thought I'd update my thread a little.

Not much has been going on with Solent Viper in recent weeks, She's been on 5 little Voyages in the last 6 weeks, some of them blasts and a couple of little cruises.

Seats all fitted as some of you may have seen a couple of weeks ago and with a battery problem that is being investigated by the manufacturer (thanks Pete for lending me a replacement). Oil problems seem to be behind me now and am turning my attention to other aspects of the RIB like Prop testing, Console screen and grab rail, also what sort of framework I'll be hanging off the back end for the lights etc.

Hope to go out over Christmas with the Kids, the weather looks terrific right now, but have plans this afternoon

A couple of pics of what she looks like now.

Last Photo is the Trophy I was presented with on Friday evening for best RIB build thread 07. Thanks RIBnet for a great year!

Happy Christmas.

The Hightower Family

[Biggles]

Andy,

Nice one. The seats look nice and very novel.

Nick.

PS. Don't where your Geckos near Roguewave

[SOLENTER]

I like those seat backs of yours Andy plenty of support did you fabricate the frames yourself

[Hightower]

The Geckos have been stripped of Rescue stickers and all Nick. One sporting a Vipers head on front and Osprey logo on the back (how sad ).

I would have loved to had fabricated the seat frames myself, however I changed jobs earlier this year and lost the facilities to bend tubing and do significant welding.

The wrap around seat backs however where three ply pieces fibreglassed together and then upholstered. They are supreamly comfortable whilst sitting, the navigators seat is great also as a leaning post as it still gives you terrific support whilst standing, the helms seat back is a little too far back to be completely comfortable whilst standing for long periods but had no choice otherwise the seating postion would have been too cramped. Look forward to a cam mechanism next year that will enable the seat back to move backwards and forwards at a flick of a handle.

[SOLENTER]

May i be so bold as to ask who done them for you then

[Hightower]

Thanks to Andt B007 for this shot......It brings the thread up to date.

[Hightower]

I love the way my Osprey flys

[codprawn]

Awesome pic - and it's a good job you have the console so far forward - see why I don't want twins!!!

[osprey__viper]

Nice one Andy Looking good mate. Keran now wants another Viper

Anybody want to buy 10 Range Rovers, might have one then

[Hightower]

That wasn't the greatest Air we got last Monday, but every time she stayed flat and gave great confidence, I'm really very chuffed

[Hightower]

For the lastest update on the RIB was to fit a Screen, Screen Grab Rail and a Grab handle. I also fitted a compass today too.

The plan is to fit a polished stainless strip where the penny washers are around the bottom of the screen, just to finish it all off.

Tomorrow I'll probably fit the twin masts to the transom, I've already pre drilled holes for the lights etc, these need to be tapped out and some form of grommets used for the area's that the wires go though the holes.

[Nasher]

Andy

looking very good, well done

however - Don't want to worry you, but you may now need to move your GPS Antenna.

It might not like all that Stainless above it.

Nasher.

[Neil Harvey]

Andy,

Nasher may well be right... but to give some reassurance, mine is fine on top of my console with a stainless rail round the screen so you may well be OK

Neil

[BruceB]

Have you got pics of the masts? I have some stainless 2" tube and am still thinking on a mast or A frame, be interested to see what yours looks like as A frames are the "norm" usually.

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Andy

looking very good, well done

however - Don't want to worry you, but you may now need to move your GPS Antenna.

It might not like all that Stainless above it.

Nasher.

I thought of that even before I decided on the easy route of installing the GPS Antenna in the console, I'd have been happy to move it to the mast if nessesary and mount the compass in the central position the GPS came out from to cover the hole it left.

Luckily I didn't need to do any of the GPS moving stuff, it works fine with the stainless in position, however there is a diminished signal from that of clear line of sight, I'll have to see what it's like when under way, but things are looking pretty promissing at the moment

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by BruceB

Have you got pics of the masts? I have some stainless 2" tube and am still thinking on a mast or A frame, be interested to see what yours looks like as A frames are the "norm" usually.

Yes I have Bruce, I was going to wait till they where fixed permanently, since these photo's I've made a slight modification to the nav light bracket as I didn't like the profile I got and is more rounded and a little smaller in keeping with the LED lights I'm using, but this is a sneek preview just for you

[iandl]

Originally Posted by Hightower

I thought of that even before I decided on the easy route of installing the GPS Antenna in the console, I'd have been happy to move it to the mast if nessesary and mount the compass in the central position the GPS came out from to cover the hole it left.

Luckily I didn't need to do any of the GPS moving stuff, it works fine with the stainless in position, however there is a diminished signal from that of clear line of sight, I'll have to see what it's like when under way, but things are looking pretty promissing at the moment

glad it works ok as this is where i am going to mount mine ..... i've now changed my plans from a C80 to a standard horizon CP 300 and FF250 ...slightly neater for my dash layout

I wasnt sure about mounting the gps on the console as most you see are on the A frame

I

[BruceB]

I am thinking of a single pole with light and VHF on a top plate. What you have seems very similiar apart from a bigger top plate and I will be curious what they look like overall on the boat.
Just out of curiousity why did you not join the tops and make it an A frame?

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by BruceB

Just out of curiousity why did you not join the tops and make it an A frame?

Well I just might do that, but it would possibly make removal of the engine cover a bit difficult.