Quote:
Originally Posted by beamishken
I'd agree with that! only one way to do a proper job, rip it out from inside take up a section of deck and glass it all back up
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That isn't so easy on an XR series rib.
They first appeared at the Scottish Glasgow Boatshow in Feb 1992 I think. The moulds for the XR18 and 24 were sold off in 1998, but the XR20 were not included and I never did find out were they went. Reiver Boats in Stanley have the XR24 hull moulds.
The hull is one moulding and then the deck, transom, nose cone and seat base are another moulding, like a yacht with a hull and deck mouldings. So you need to lay up the hull and deck very accurately so the two moulds join together without a gap in the transom or were the hull deck join is on the tube flange. Early hulls were hand laid GRP but they then bought in a chopper gun to speed up production.
The early hulls were a complete Delta Conic Shape which was okay on the 24ft XR but dreadful on the 18 and 20 so these hulls had a big planning wedge added to try and make them handle properly. They also tried a flooding hull like Avon on the early hulls and that didn't work either.
They were ahead of there time so wasn't the sports boat market for ribs that followed in the 2000s. In the 1990s it was divers and orange ribs that drove demand. Shame with a bit more development like the larger XR26 lynx range they could have come good.
Would I buy this one? not a cat in hells chance, especially with that ridiculously large engine on it
. A light weight 100 - 115 engine would give a much nice handling boat.
Pete
Sula
