Remembering rib racing - the early years

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by Pete7

The XR24s would later become the rib of choice for smuggling funny cigarettes across the straights of Gibraltar.

The Vector operation HQ was just down the hill from me. During the Bloor/Kidd era, they were heavily into rib racing. I seem to remember single and twin rig Rude Ocean Pros being the power choice at the time. The Vagabond, Mirage and XR24 were their rib offerings, the Vulcan the hardboat.
Gary ('Cosworth Mirage' Ebay member) has a Mirage from that era with the a mad 500+ hp Cozzy lump in it.

The Vulcan was used by the tobacco smugglers in Gib as it had good deck space. A couple of chancers whom I knew well, set up the business in Gib selling Vulcans and Merc XR2s to the smugglers. Business was brisk for a while, as the smugglers often had to abandon their boats sharpish and require replacements for cash.

[nikster]

Oh yes I remember Dave Charrington and the then huge 8.2m Osprey Falcon with 2 x Yam 200s, quite simply a superb rib.

Now we know why the boat had 4 huge fuel tanks on board. I sat waiting for him to fill it up in the Shell garage in Kyle. Two nozzles half an hour and £500 later (in 1992) he was finished. The fuel attendant them bubbled him to the police for carrying more than was allowed in a trailer, he was only going 500 yards to the slipway.

OMG what a blast from the past!!! I used to race this boat back in the day when i worked for Mike Armitage --- I filled it up at the Shell garage outside Portsmouth at the bottom of the motorway near the ferry port..... 4 nozzles in and uber cash later i walked in to pay - and it was the time of the Corgi Model Ferraris and different cars - the woman behind the till thought i was having a laugh when i asked for the token - she gave up gave me the biggest ferrari model above the cigarettes....

Alan Priddy took an awesome picture of me in the vertical out by Nab Tower doing the round solent Rib race - which i won!! hehehehe - sorry Graeme, I was gonna stop when you were popped out - but you waved to say you were fine, so i carried on.... hahaha - That same boat i sold to a couple of lads that came up from Spain in a bullet proof car..... and had to take them out in the lake district to teach them how to drive it...... they asked me to go and drive it for them.... I declined as the last boat was shot up by the police form the air...

Those really were the days, such fun.........

Whose up for round solent rib blasting again - retracing what we used to do??
Safely of course - competitive fun without it being a race???

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by Mollers

The Vector operation HQ was just down the hill from me. During the Bloor/Kidd era, they were heavily into rib racing.

It was Pete Kidd whilst he was living in Salcombe that got me into boat building, he was building the first race RIB for me and was spending a lot of time going backwards and forwards to Malaysia where he now lives and wasn't getting the job done so I enlisted the help of Kevin to finish the job - been inhaling styrene fumes ever since!

(When I say enlisted the help of Kevin - what I mean is Kevin finished it and I helped/hindered/paid the bills!)

[dougcrock]

In our Scotrib race event of 1993 we met the Gibraltan team of Dave Soulsby and Tim Spinks who arrived with an all black Northcraft? Self Determination and black dry suit (possible clues to occupation) Miles Jennings was also racing a vector
there were two stages inshore based at rhu and offshre based at Croabh
The courses were simple start, go round the selected island, finish.
it was fairly neck and neck and then the Gib rib tubes were mysterious stabbed at the marina. The inshore winners were Miles Jennings
The offshore event was same basis get to Croabh 120nm next day round Islay then round Jura then final day get back to Rhu
the overall winner of the (real gold) Gold Cup Trophy (which was suppied by Dave Charrington)
was Tim and Dave out of a total of about 47 rib
Paul Lemmer was there in a BWM but lost the tubes right back to the console when he stuffed it off Islay
Back to original post
there was a large Carson possibly stepped hull Challenger very fast but it had engine /fuel probs

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by dougcrock

In our Scotrib race event of 1993 .....

There was an article in Sportsboat & Rib magazine about this event - a lady journalist entered the race in a yellow Delta 5.5 with a Mariner 90, which she managed to scrounge/borrow from various suppliers. The actual RIB was on display at Southampton Boat Show that year and I remember one of the Delta salesmen trying to sell it to me! Twas an interesting read - think I've still got the mag somewhere......

Great days.

[dougcrock]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

There was an article in Sportsboat & Rib magazine about this event - a lady journalist entered the race in a yellow Delta 5.5 with a Mariner 90,
Great days.

Caroline Carter was one of the Girls!! no end of helpers and advisers
Needless to say they won the Ladies Trophy
Will need to look up my achives
We had sky sport filming us cant find 1993 filming but found this link to 1995
Video

[Downhilldai]

Was the driver/journalist Verity Woodward?

[dougcrock]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Was the driver/journalist Verity Woodward?

your memory must be better

[Downhilldai]

Just found the magazine in the DHD 'library'. It's the July 1993 edition of 'Sportsboat & Waterski' (as it was then). A 4-page article with a few pics and results. I'll scan it tonight and lob it on this thread.

[Barry Carson]

Originally Posted by dougcrock

In our Scotrib race event of 1993 we met the Gibraltan team of Dave Soulsby and Tim Spinks who arrived with an all black Northcraft? Self Determination and black dry suit (possible clues to occupation) Miles Jennings was also racing a vector
there were two stages inshore based at rhu and offshre based at Croabh
The courses were simple start, go round the selected island, finish.
it was fairly neck and neck and then the Gib rib tubes were mysterious stabbed at the marina. The inshore winners were Miles Jennings
The offshore event was same basis get to Croabh 120nm next day round Islay then round Jura then final day get back to Rhu
the overall winner of the (real gold) Gold Cup Trophy (which was suppied by Dave Charrington)
was Tim and Dave out of a total of about 47 rib
Paul Lemmer was there in a BWM but lost the tubes right back to the console when he stuffed it off Islay
Back to original post
there was a large Carson possibly stepped hull Challenger very fast but it had engine /fuel probs

Very interesting posts here down memory lane. It's all coming back to me now......
1993 was a disappointing year for us in Scotland when as Dougcrock recalls my Carson Challenger encountered some problems. I think we got one inshore race in before finally calling it a day There was indeed a fuel issue (contamination) but what finally put us out were more serious issues with the twin surface drives coupled through ZF gearboxes to the twin Cummins 300hp 6BTA diesels. The whole drive system began to disintergrate requiring a complete rebuild and modifications back in our workshops. This seems a good place to give you some of Challenger's statistics: The boat itself was 9m overall but the surface drives added another metre. Without fuel she weighed just under 4 tons. Full load of diesel added 2 tons that gave a range in excess of 1,000 miles. She was propped for all round performance and not just max speed. Thus with full 2 tons of diesel, 6 crew, liferaft, self-righting system, extensive tools and spares kit and other supplies totalling nearly 7 tons on the water, her speed was 42 knots. This rose to a tad over 52 knots as the fuel burned off With a lighter payload she would do more but we live in the real world and top speed isn't everything. The ability to plough on safely and in relative comfort in pretty much most conditions is where you gain on long distance hauls as we tended to do. The hull wasn't a stepped design and in fact is still being produced by Pressman on here (Steve and Caroline Harvey in Cornwall), some mention of which I've read on here previously. I designed this boat about 1989 originally for the US Special Forces and others (even faster with the twin diesel racing engines they were fitted with). Some commercial operators also use them. My old Challenger (photo on Dougcrock's posting) is now in Norway, or was recently, having passed into private ownership after my time and served as a Special Forces standby boat. There's a link somewhere on here to some video on Youtube of her today. No longer orange and without the big wing A frame at the transom that used to hold the self-righting gear. I think it's entitled Challenger Project or something similar. One final snippet referring to Pete7 on the Carson RIBS thread, is that Pete is quite correct about me towing this rig with my trusty 3.9 Classic Range Rover. Land Rover didn't do an extra long wheelbase Rangey at the time. But after towing that monster many thousands of miles, I had one!!

[dougcrock]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Just found the magazine in the DHD 'library'. It's the July 1993 edition of 'Sportsboat & Waterski' (as it was then). A 4-page article with a few pics and results. I'll scan it tonight and lob it on this thread.

What was the name of the Delta
were they both blondes
make an old ribber happy

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by dougcrock

We had sky sport filming us cant find 1993 filming but found this link to 1995
Video

I recognise and have raced against many of the names on that video - Mike Deacon, Miles Jennings, John Lindsay, Chris Bryan and lots more!

[dougcrock]

the osprey we towed at cape wrath had previously broken down at bottom of Mull of Kintyre
the fuel tank had split dumping over 150l of fuel in bilges
they sat on bow and switched bilge pump on with a long string
Charles Dyas towed them ashore

no sealife was harmed in the making of this story

[Andre]

I took part in the BIBOA Round Scotland in 1998. I was one of the five man crew on an Ocean rib called Braveheart. The rib was skippered by "DOG" Phillips. This was my first introduction to extreme ribbing and must admit today that it was one hell of a shock to me. I was wearing a motocycle helmet, dry suit and sitting at the back holding on to my dear life. I was having visions that if I was to fall overboard they would not even notice One way of putting one off ribbing for life. Anyway after the first day of racing I decided that enough was enough and as the cruise ribs were following the race I hitched a ride on an 8 mtr Delta and then with Callum and his brother on their Redbay. Callum even let me drive and it was great to stop for a pint on route. The race started in Oban and due to the very bad weather we only made it to Lochinver were we waited a few days for the conditions to improve. Sadly they did not so we made our way back along the same route. The race was stopped on route just off the isle of Eigg as a submarine was about to emerge from the depth and it did and what a sight it was. I very much enjoyed the rest of the cruise and was not put off by the bad weather. The following year I joined DOG, BIFF, Lee, Richard and another chap whose name I cannot remember on the Round Britain 1999 in a 9 mtr Zodiac Hurricane rib and I can say I am hooked on ribbing to this very day. I must find some photos and scan and post them.

[Squid Boat]

Outstanding thread dougcrock and Peter.
Really enjoying the read on this side of the pond. Barry Carson's talk of the Rangy has inspired me to procure a P-38 as a '' Highly Mobil Unit'' to tow the CRRC.

Cheers, Don

[dougcrock]

Originally Posted by Squid Boat

Outstanding thread dougcrock and Peter.
Really enjoying the read on this side of the pond. Barry Carson's talk of the Rangy has inspired me to procure a P-38 as a '' Highly Mobil Unit'' to tow the CRRC.

Cheers, Don

tow over to scotland for some REAL ribbing
cheers
doug

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Just found the magazine in the DHD 'library'. It's the July 1993 edition of 'Sportsboat & Waterski' (as it was then). A 4-page article with a few pics and results. I'll scan it tonight and lob it on this thread.

Here:

[dougcrock]

Well done you're filling system is pretty good still think you should get out more

[willk]

Originally Posted by dougcrock

Well done you're filling system is pretty good still think you should get out more

Noooo - we need the Rainman where he is. Nice to the the McLaughlins in that list - driving the very first Stormforce, if I have the story right.

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Here:

Love these stories ...am sure it wouldn't be possible now with H&S and risk assesment being what it is...
(picture stolen from boating friend...)

Love the Flatacraft Merlin...Want one !