Third week of hols with my RIB on swinging mooring in Galway.
Question is, to what extent does daily use at speed (up to 50 knots....) minimise fouling of the tubes and hul? In my newbie mind, it’s like daily pressure washing.... [emoji38]
She’s not anti-fouled. Curious, coz I know at some point I’ll need to haul her out to clean...and hoping to delay the inevitable. At same time, I’d hate to spoil the shiny gel coat.
Regular use should help but it would also be easy to check it and give it a scrub if required when up on the beach or in very shallow water, as in your photo.
When you are on the plane very little of your hull is actually in the water - so if you are sitting at 50kts you might be scrubbing the very bottom but not the rest. Realistically the rest is getting a short spell at <10 knots. Better than nothing but I doubt it will stop a barnacle.
When you are on the plane very little of your hull is actually in the water - so if you are sitting at 50kts you might be scrubbing the very bottom but not the rest. Realistically the rest is getting a short spell at <10 knots. Better than nothing but I doubt it will stop a barnacle.
If you go out when there's at least a light chop the action of cutting through the water will keep it fairly clean, although a soft sweeping brush for the transom will be necessary. Speeds above 30 kts seem to clean the hull ok.
If (when) you get growth on underside of tubes be careful cleaning them. Direct pressure washing could cause damage so really soft brush and lots of water.
I used to keep last rib in water all summer, no anti-foul, lift and wash every 3/4 weeks. A high speed run for at least 20 mins reduced the cleaning effort.
Hope this is helpful.
If the Rib lives moored on a regular basis will collect more marine growth than a Rib that is taken out of salt water and its hull is rinsed with fresh water soon after returning to Terra Firme.
Mine begun to collect a green stuff on the hull and lower tubes when not rinsed and let sit for some time on its trailer no matter if it was constantly used at speed. A Karcher washing machine will take care of that job fast and nicely.
