May take the plunge.......again!

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James England
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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by James » 16 Aug 2017, 22:56

The F-Rib guys don't have a colour match, at least they didn't a year ago when I asked.

If the chips are down to the matting, get them filled otherwise the matting soaks up the water. Dead easy to do mate.

Don't worry about scratches. Sometimes you can polish them out if they are not deep.
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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by mattswan2512 » 17 Aug 2017, 08:38

Thanks all for your advice,

Yes neil thats me mate a bit ocd and a bit or a worry-er!!!!!

I have some gel coat repair.... in a tube from a company called plastic padding does not say anything about hardner tho? so will rub down and stick some of that over the deeper stuff. I will get a keel tape at a later date once the wife has come off the boil over me buying another boat.....

Fingers crossed the outboard is all good!
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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by Martin » 17 Aug 2017, 09:51

Matt, I don't think your anal for wanting to get or keep the boat and equipment decent. It's called looking after your gear.
All the guys that drag their boats over rocks and stones do things differently, I'm not saying they're wrong, I'm saying I couldn't possibly do that to mine.
Paul will tell you, I used to inflate my honwave on a thick rubber mat, let alone the FRIB with its hard hull.
I'd rather get soaked and jump in deep water than risk scratching my hull on rocks, everyone is different.
Look after your gear and your gear will look after you.
Looking at the pictures again, I think the matting is showing so therefor it's a little more than gel coat scratches. That needs repairing properly before serious damage is done.
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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by DouglasW » 17 Aug 2017, 11:56

Hi Matt, it is usually plastic padding gel coat repair I use myself. The stuff I use is two part with a small tube of hardener.

With RIBS it is not really the hull that will wear out as it is very easily repaired. It is the tubes that degrade with age and UV and the motor with salt water. I am completely OCD when it comes to covering the tubes and running the outboard in fresh water after nearly every use. I could not agree more with Martin when he says look after your equipment and it will look after you.

However, the gel coat is a sacrificial easily repairable coat to protect the GRP mat below. The reason many people like Gurnard and I go boating is to explore interesting but inaccessible land places as well as look at them from the sea. In Scotland, if you limit yourself to launch on slipways or sandy beaches only, to protect your gel coat from scratches, you will cut yourself off from many wonderful places. One of the reasons for me having a small boat rather than a large one is that small boats allow you to land on places bigger boats can't. If I want to land on a rocky beach I will, though I do not intentionally drag the boat over the rocks. One of the reasons I have kept my 6HP motor after buying the 15HP is to allow me to separate the motor from the boat so that I can more easily handle the boat on land. Mostly and especially with the 15HP, I will anchor for a short land visit, but that is not always possible.

This morning I launched for the 123rd time this season, so given my F-Rib is two seasons old, mine has probably seen more use than most on this forum. Yes it has scratches but they are only superficial and I have no gouges or dings down to the gel coat.

The other day I did gather quite a lot of scratches. I had been windsurfing in a F6 gusting F7 but the wind swung round from cross shore to cross off so I returned to land pronto. A kite surfer did not notice the wind shift and could not get back to land. He ended up in the water for over 1 hour completely exhausted and the ebb spring tide and wind were both carrying him out the bay. I launched the F-Rib and managed to recover both him and his kite (once I had got him to pull in the lines). I had to land him and then relaunch off a shingle beach in dumping surf (he was too exhausted to swim ashore). I guess most of the scratches this season came from that one session. Did I think of the gel coat before launching? Of course not. Boats are for using.

Douglas

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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by Stray » 17 Aug 2017, 12:24

This morning I launched for the 123rd time this season
I'm moving over to the west coast, I'm barely into double figures for launches this year, and I go whenever the weather allows. It's been abysmal for boating on the east coast this summer. :(
As for scratches, I've hardly got any on my bottom :o , but then I've got a sandy beach to launch from. :D

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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by Martin » 17 Aug 2017, 17:15

I rang Steve today at f-rib HQ regarding seat cushions for my FRIB and happened to mention the FRIB hull. As per usual, Steves response was exceptional. They've no new 330 boats in stock due to a surge in buyers, but they've some on the way shortly. Unfortunately not in time for the WWA, so they said take that ex demo 330 to Oban and get your new one on your return.
I think that's pretty awesome service :clappy
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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by mattswan2512 » 17 Aug 2017, 17:36

Yep top job from steve and ricky at FRib HQ what more can u ask. Thanks guys for all your advice and help. Thanks F-Rib HQ
Life is like a chocolate bar........
If you hold onto it for too long u get covered in sh☆t so......
live a life you will remember, not a life full of untested dreams.

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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by neil h » 17 Aug 2017, 18:45

Good for them, and lucky Matt!

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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by DouglasW » 17 Aug 2017, 19:38

Stray>
I'm moving over to the west coast, I'm barely into double figures for launches this year,
Screen Shot 2017-08-17 at 20.44.20.png
Hi Stray, I am in the very fortunate position of being retired and I spend April till October living in a cabin about 50m from the beach. My sea kayak, F-Rib and Topaz dinghy are all on trolleys at the top of the beach. My windsurfers are in a covered rack under some oak trees, about 25m from the beach and the trees provide sufficient shelter from the wind to leave three windsurf sails rigged hanging from the branches. It is very convenient. In truth the weather has not been good on the west coast either but yesterday was the first day I didn't go out for ages, it was blowing 7-8 gusting 9 most of the day, which was a tad out of my operating range, but I probably do take the F-RIB out in conditions that most people would not bother making the effort to drive to the coast for.

I even have my own anemometer on a rock 200m offshore that feeds into Windfinder.com.

Matt I am really delighted to hear of the outcome. :) We certainly have excellent dealer support.

Douglas

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Re: May take the plunge.......again!

Post by Stray » 17 Aug 2017, 21:21

Douglas, I haven't worked for 10 years (some say longer than that :D ) the North sea is literally over the road from me and I'm here 365 days of the year. If I'd just wanted to get out on the boat I would have had more trips, but it's all about the fishing for me, plus there's no sheltered bays, estuaries etc to pootle around in here. :cry:

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