Suggestions on spending £500 to ice my Searider 5.4m cake :)

[Knot Yet]

Hi All

Having asked a question regarding "which is best AIS vs Radar Reflector" - Polwart suggested the debate could be enhanced by tweaking the question (see here http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32873) - so .....

We have a cracking Searider 5.4m RIB, she sits on a good quality trailer with a 75 Yamaha Outboard, in addition to these main toys we have the following:

4hp Tohatsu outboard - yet to be attached
A frame with navigation lights and VHF aerial
3 seater jockey style seating
2 x 40 litre fuel containers
Box of current inshore flares
1st aid kit
3 x 150n automatic lifejackets
1 x Handheld VHF
1 x Fixed DSC VHF
1 x Garmin GPSMAP 550s with Bluechart
1 x compass
2 x fire extingishers
1 x anchor and chain
6 x fenders
2 x drysuits (on order)
Completed Powerboat level 2 - all three of us
Completed CHF Radio - all three of us

We play mostly in the Solent as this is our closest water, we plan to do some night fishing but mainly just pottering and perhaps some day fishing.

We are all new to RIB's but I have canoed most my life with a small amount of sailing - but none of us are in anyway experienced

I have £500 pounds to spend on my new toy to make her safer or perhaps just more enjoyable

What are your suggestions

TQ

J

[C2 RIBS]

Originally Posted by Knot Yet

Hi All

We are all new to RIB's but I have canoed most my life with a small amount of sailing - but none of us are in anyway experienced

I have £500 pounds to spend on my new toy to make her safer or perhaps just more enjoyable

What are your suggestions

TQ

J

Ok I dont have to be serious all the time I will let others give you their best, so spend it on me helming!

[Knot Yet]

Oooh now there's a thought .... chauffeur driven RIB - not bad

[BruceB]

Couple of personal Epirbs and some plastic freezer bags..........

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by Knot Yet

I have £500 pounds to spend on my new toy to make her safer or perhaps just more enjoyable

I really do not see anything missing other than an Echomax passive reflector.

[chewy]

Hand held GPS and a laminated bit of paper with waypoints on along the coast. Should your plotter fail you should be able to navigate home on these waypoints.
Echomax RIB radar reflector.
I've got black cushion matting on my SR4, takes alot of shock out of the waves and is non slip.

[Knot Yet]

Thanks Chewy - forgot to add we have a handheld GPS as well, but never thought of taking the laminated co-ordinates "doh"

Black matting sounds a good idea - what's it's commercial name?

J

[chewy]

Its this stuff I got, its not pretty but does the job.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Grass-Matting-...item1e58bcc741

[cuttlefish]

How about this:
http://www.raymarine.com/ProductDeta...4&PRODUCT=3771

Don't know how much it is, tho. Indeed, if anyone knows, perhaps they'd let me know.

[willk]

You possibly have this and didn't mention it, but I'd include a good waterproof searchlight and power socket, going to set you back £100. A couple of wee cheap red deck/console LED lights are great at night too...

I think the guys are right about the Echomax, those feckers in the big boats won't see you anyway 'cos they're kippin' on autopilot - so it's cheaper for them to mow you down with the Echomax than with the AIS, Sea-Me etc... Keep yer eyes peeled at night and by day

As for the rest of the £1000, don't worry, the first day out in the Spring will tell you where you're spending that

[Poly]

Originally Posted by rupert

How about this:
http://www.raymarine.com/ProductDeta...4&PRODUCT=3771

Don't know how much it is, tho. Indeed, if anyone knows, perhaps they'd let me know.

Rupert as I recall the price is around the £400 mark for a "two person" system, and a little over £50 per person for each extra crew. BUT it doesn't call for help - only alerts the alarm system on the mothership. Its quite likely on 5.5m rib that everyone on the mothership already knows she is swimming, but its also quite likely everyone is swimming! Very useful for larger boats where everyone is not in sight, and especially when people are asleep below decks unaware the skipper slipped off the back an hour ago.

[Zubenelgenubi]

Get a hand held search light that connects to your main power supply.
If you are going to be night fishing it may be useful to have a high powered light to direct at the bridge of large vessels to alert them to your presence if a close quarters situation / risk of collision exists.
Small vessels fitted with AIS & / or a radar reflector are not always detected (due to their height above sea level) until at close range from large vessels. Navigation lights on small vessels can be difficult to distinguish especially if there is a backscatter of shoreside lighting.

[Poly]

KY,

I don't see a fishfinder on that list... not essential in a boat your size, but cetainly nice for gadget girl!

How about Intermediate course or dayskipper theory for those longer distance trips?

How about comfort for the crew with either some of John's scary masks or Geckos? Geckos could be accompanied by comms so you can all hear each other during the voyage if thats a bonus!

Not sure what you've got in terms of waterproofs / l-jackets etc but you could easily spend £500 upgrading them! Do you have cheap spares for "guests" - if you plan to take friends ever. [edit oops see you have drysuits]

And if you are really keen you could get some sort of professional version of Alystra's tent made!

If you want to focus on safety then a personal flare for everyone, and/or a handheld for everyone? I'd be happy with one EPIRB/PLB shared between all (well actually I'm happy without any!).

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Zubenelgenubi

If you are going to be night fishing it may be useful to have a high powered light to direct at the bridge of large vessels to alert them to your presence if a close quarters situation / risk of collision exists.

Aiming it at the bridge will destroy the night vision of anyone on the bridge (who is awake). And if you hit them directly will dazzle them so much they can't identify the source either. Better to shine it on your own boat... IMHO

[The Beard]

So a sheet of A4 made into a cone to be used as a loud hailer and a maglight won't cut it eh? Bugger!

I have a question, bearing in mind I don't have a boat yet. I've seen RIBs with nav lights mounted on an A-frame, seems to be quite a common thing, yet if you want a radar system then the dome looks like it has to go on top of that; so where does the steaming light(?) go? If you have a radar AND an Echomax, where the hell does it all go?

Or is that what the navigator's for?

"Here, stand still, read the chart and hold this dome in one hand and the reflector in the other. For God's sake love, stop moaning, it's only another 4 hours until we get to Jersey."

I'd be surprised if drilling holes in the top of the radar to put the light on is a very good idea bearing in mind the likelihood of sea water/spray ingress. Could you mount the reflector next to the dome or would one interfere or obstruct the other?

This also all sounds very expensive. At the moment Mrs. Beard thinks I can buy a new 6 mtr. RIB with a 150 outboard for about £5,000. I can't think where she's got that idea from.....walks away whistling innocently.

[cuttlefish]

I draw your attention to Nugest's splendid little nugget on his signature where he talks of toys and wives.

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by Polwart

I don't see a fishfinder on that list

Originally Posted by Knot Yet

1 x Garmin GPSMAP 550s with Bluechart

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Ah - I'm obviously not up enough on my Garmin model numbers.

[Zubenelgenubi]

Originally Posted by Polwart

Aiming it at the bridge will destroy the night vision of anyone on the bridge (who is awake). And if you hit them directly will dazzle them so much they can't identify the source either. Better to shine it on your own boat... IMHO

I am not suggesting that Knot Yet mounts an air raid searchlight on her SR!
A simple hand held Aqua Signal searchlight or the like would suffice.
There are many high intensity lighthouses around the coast which cause light to be directed at ships bridges, loss of night vision is not a problem.
As small vessels are often not conspicuous visually or by radar,on a ship travelling at 20kn for example, detecting a small vessel on a steady bearing at a range of 1 mile gives 3 minutes for one or both vessels to take evasive action. If on the small vessel I think that the prospect of impairing a watchkeepers night vision would be far from my first thought, if on the bridge of the other vessel I think I would prefer to have someone point a searchlight at me to alert me of the presence of an inconspicious vessel than not at all.
Finally, as the crew on merchant vessels have cabins & therefore do not need to sleep on the bridge during their rest hours the only inference that can be drawn from the "(who is awake)" comment is that watchkeepers on the bridge of a merchant or other vessel may not even be awake, this is a wholly unfair inference.
I have no idea what IMHO means.

[Rogue Wave]

Interesting Comments In My Humble Opinion! I'm agreeing with the Z man

I'm in Total agreement with the searchlight and Depth Sounder. I'm presuming that you have the right clothing for night winter work

As you are probably learning it's one of the busiest Shipping areas around and may well be the busiest leisure sailing area in Europe.

I drove a Tug around the Solent on and off for a couple of years and that experience would definitely make me go for an AIS a cheap one is listed here.

The Standard of Shipdriving in the Solent is very high and all ships either have a Pilot on board or the Masters have a Pilots exception Certificate. Whilst they may not see you the bridge will be manned and they'll most likely hear your Radio Call as they will be in contact with VTS on a regular basis. The AIS will tell you what ship you want to be talking to!

I've had the distinctly unpleasant experience of driving a tug up the North Channel at 5 knots To Soton just as Cowes Fireworks ended. So I had to put up with about 300 boats making way back to Portsmouth, Chichester and other places. Quite a few of rhem threw there spots at me and whilst it does affect your night vision it doesn't destroy it especially if you don't stare in to it, but it does get the attention of the people on the Bridge. Shining on a point in front of the bridge is a good point. It's better to have a shipdriver pissed off with you than to be ignorant of your existence. Only do this if Radio communication is not happening

Radar Reflectors are OK but there is a lot of chatter in the Solent and I wouldn't rely on a passive device.

Also when fishing/Night Moving (what a great song that was BTW) in the Solent stay tooned to The VTS ch 12 as that will give you a heads up at what shipping is around. You can also call em, tell em where you are fishing and ask em whats shaking traffic wise. Do it when there not too busy

If you are around on the water and you see an APB boat (Southampton Harbour Patrol Boats) go over to them and ask them for a copy of there leaflet and By laws for the Solent. It's a very informatibve pamphlet and written to get the leisure boater on side with the commercial element.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...Name=WDVW&rd=1

PLB is good but an EPIRB/SART is only good after the sh** has hit the fan it's not that good at preventing it happening

I truly hope you get as much use out of your Searider as I did my first one