3-3.5m rib with console on a 4m transom with centrally placed passarelle, doable?

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vas

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I think the answer is no, but I'm wondering what I can get at these dimensions...

OK, transom is 4m, passarelle can lift 250kg, bathing platform is 3.8m wide tappering at the back and 1.2m or so long.

Currently have a 2.7valiant rib borrowed from a friend. Sits nicely, haven't even bothered with chokes with a 9.9 mercury longshaft.
pulling it one side, I have plenty of space to climb from the side steps to the aft deck and from the water to the platform.

I'm pretty sure that a 3.1-3.2 with a shortshaft engine lifted should still give me decent access.
However, the height from bathing platform to passerelle is not massive and I do feel that any console with foul with it, or i'll have to shift the tender towards the steps and then I wont have access and will have to drop it in the water wherever I go (which I don't really want to do tbh)
Use will be varying, from taxiing ppl onboard from villages and spots with no mooring access, exploring areas around and possibly playing with skiing the kids (not that young anymore and around 60kg a piece...) Whatever I get I'll probably stick a s/h two stroke 30hp or thereabouts (yes I know it's more than it should but I've seen you lot fitting monsters on small ribs)

a few pics of the setup. First was without the engine and imho the wrong way round.

stern_view.jpg


ht_mock_3.jpg



ignore the snowstorm, it's the best I found of the current setup with pics from different angles, plus the tubes with the snow on top look larger and closer to what the new rib will be like sitting there :D

sstern_view_1.jpg


sstern_view_2.jpg


sstern_view_3.jpg



I've read various threads in here, seen a truckload of videos of various tenders, been to a few boat shows in Athens were everyone is turning to ally construction, not happy...
I'd really like a walker bay 310 with console, but leaving aside the fact I probably cannot afford it new, I doubt if I come across one s/h it would fit.
In general all these consoles seem way too high, and on the wrong place!
FWIW, there is a 270 (without console) s/h in Athens and I'm going to have a look at it after Easter, make sure I like the quality and layout (I think I should after all the reviews in here!)
I can built chokes or longish support beams for the keel that extend under the bathing platform and place the keel just aft of the platform. Yes, this way boat "gains" 70cm but I'm not charged on what length I actually occupy, but what's registered on the docs :D Further this way I can lower the rib a bit reducing the height of the thing but cannot be more than 50-60mm or else I'll have water hitting it on following seas which is not nice.

So, what does the panel think?
Is there any low, or maybe foldable consoles that would make sense, or I stick to a tiller managed rib? I vaguely remember a caligari (sp?) with a v.low console that imho made it unusable, or maybe was the fact it was around 2m long :rolleyes:

cheers

V.
 
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I would think that a 310 might fit, still leaving some (tight) accessibility to the platform on port side.
Hard to tell about the console, though - surely you can't clear it, if it would be right under the passerelle, but maybe you can store the tender in such way that the console is either side of the passerelle?
Btw, I can se why you don't want the o/b leg on port side, where you have the access, but I suspect that you could actually use the space better that way, and also lift/handle the tender more easily, because obviously the tender CoG is quite shifted towards the stern - hence also the optimal lifting point is.
You might consider a cover/protection, to reduce the risk of getting hurt by hitting the prop...
In terms of weight, I was recently recommended the Highfield tenders, whose alu hull is very light but allegedly strong and seaworthy.
No first hand experience, though - and I don't think it would be easy to find any second hand ones around, btw.
 
I can see the point of turning the tender round, still I'm afraid that no mater how I fit it the console would foul the passerelle...
In order to avoid fouling, you'll either have the o/b protruding to stbrd, or the bow most likely again to stbrd.

Maybe a tender with foldable console and steering wheel?

Alternatively, any suggestions on a nice design of a plywood tender that I could built that would be light and strong enough for my usage? I've spend a couple of evenings searching the web to no avail!

Seen the Highfield ali tenders, really well put together they are, but expensive as well...

cheers

V.
 
yep, I have to lower the passerelle to enter/exit. Don't forget we have no finger pontoons here and resort to bow ropes/chain combo and therefore you DON'T tie that close to the pontoon or you may have serious trouble (yours look like 30cm I'm closer to 1m!)

pretty sure I read a thread with this setup a while ago, was it yours?

and a few more Qs :)

what's the width of the bathing platform and what's the length of the walker bay?
Is that the fixed transom one?

chocks are quite large (as in high!), any reason for that? Could possibly keep the tender a bit closer to the bathing platform and be able to lower the passerelle more...
When lifting the tender does it balance prt-stbrd there, or you have to push it to stbrd before letting it rest on the chocks?
Interesting that the placement of the console is not under the passerelle.

cheers

V.
 
Vas, i think you have hit the nail on the head, instead of high chocks use inverse chocks i.e. put grooves in the swim platform that will lower the tender a lot
 
Vas, on my boat, which has a similar passarelle position to yours, I do as mapism suggests, I have the outboard on the side with the transom gate/swim ladder, which does risk some ankle bashing, but it's not too much of a problem and worth it to have the bigger tender. It wouldn't fit the other way round, as you are finding. My tender has a moulded seat backrest, so I have to position the tender so that the pass lowers between this and the steering console of the RIB. It can then lower right onto the tube, which is enough for us to get on and off the boat comfortably. I only have about an inch of clearance either side with the pass lowered, so the tender has to be positioned with some accuracy.

You can sort of see on this pic

IMG_2107_zpsq0cpkicp.jpg
 
Yes it was recommendations from JFM and others that steered me towards the Walker bay.
Its a Supertender 325 STX Console the bathing platform is about 4m x 1.4m but has a gentle curve

Well observed V. yes a gentle shove (but not much) to stb as the paserelle lowers gives more legroom at the port steps.

Chocks: the WB does have quite a deep hull in the bow. They were cut for me in teak from CNC drawing supplied by WB (on web site), never thought about the thickness of the chock under the keel but about 4cm from memory guess you don't want wood to thin. Previous tender [Valiant 2.7] had SS Chocks with a rubber liner.
 
Aha, understood.
At the moment I am considering a tender for the new to me DP56, whose swim platform is a tad larger than yours, but not much.
And I am in doubt between a Highfield 310 and a 340, actually with a slight preference for the former, because I don't want to sacrifice too much of the platform accessibility.
What's your experience ref. size vs. accessibility, on your boat?
And on the Brig in general? Seems rather heavy, by the look of it...
 
It was a conscious decision to sacrifice some ease of access to the swim ladder in order to have a bigger RIB for skiing and travelling longer distances from anchorage to port. We can still use the swim ladder with the RIB on the platform, albeit you have to manoeuvre around the outboard skeg a bit. It looks trickier than it is, and anyway most of the time at anchor the RIB is in the water.

IMG_38781_zpsm2qatuin.jpg


The Brig 340 and outboard is 280 kgs. I was tempted to fit an ETEC 30 instead to save 20 kgs, but couldn't be sure about pulling adult skiers so went for the bigger Suzuki, which is a lovely smooth engine.

edit: you asked about the Brig, I love it. It has a deep V hull which extends to the front of the bow tube, and wraps around the outboard at the back, so the hull length is a fair bit bigger than most 3.4m RIBS and you can really notice it underway. We raced a friends Williams 325 jetrib in choppy 2-3 foot seas and left them way behind (and of course had to rescue them on the way home when the jetrib inevitably broke down ... :))
 
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All understood, thanks for your explanations.
It does seem bulky anyway, vs. the mothership size. Is it sitting on its chocks, in the second pic you posted?
And if yes, is the overhang required by some restrictions in placing it nearer to the transom?
 
being studying ribs the last few days...

P., I've read some horror stories on alloy hulled ribs and epoxy coating failures and rust and delaminations et al, so should be careful and see how a s/h one performs. Also worth checking if it's actually being built where they claim or it's a chinese licenced copy.
I was comparing walker bay with Brig and the latter is too heavy and seems to be in a different league (which I'm not interested on) from all my reading it seems that the 310 or 340 walkerbay with console is ideal.
Problem is I've only found a 270 (without console) s/h down here, brand new are not at a price I'm happy to pay, tried my manmaths, didn't work!

Wonder if I should get a decent orca rib and custom built a console and seat... After all I'm soon going to run out of projects and that's almost unacceptable...

cheers

V.
 
A thought

Could you use a rid with an inflatable keel and Aluminium floor. You could deflate the keel when on the platform which would help with hitting the pass problem and no chocks needed. I have one and the keel only needs a few pumps to inflate. You could have a console on the floor. These ribs are quite cheap to buy new then a second hand outboard and away you go

Dennis
 
Yes that's the one, really good fun and can tow upto 70kg so enough for the kids etc

I ordered one at SIBS 2016.
It was delivered to EBY early March but I have not seen it yet.
Hopefully will get time to pop down shortly.
Interested to hear your thoughts on it.
Did you order the chocks off Williams or are they ones you already had, possibly adapted?
Apologies for thread drift.
 
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