F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

Hi all what upgrades and diy mods are essential/advised in your eyes...

Is their a transom dolly diy plan or should i go transom wheels (want to keep costs low)
Upgrade fixing points?
Tie down points
Storage option
Spray bow canopy?

Any advice please advise

Hi Matt, I really like the F-Rib Spray canopy, though if you like fishing when its windy, it has a good "sail area" which will cause you to drift. The seats tend to move back if you are planing fast. I just tie a loop of rope round the seat and attach it to the safety line attachments on the top of the tubes. Some have tried sticky rubber patches to increase friction between the seat and the tube, but these dod not work for myself or the Gurnard. I like to have a handle made from a bit of rope with a short piece of hosepipe knotted into the middle. I attach either end to the forward safety line attachments on the top of the tubes. Transom wheels work great on firm surfaces but do not work on steep soft sand beaches so I have a collapsable aluminium trolley with huge balloon tyres. I can pull the boat up the beach on my own with all the gear/fuel and a 15HP motor. My friend with a Zodiac air floor SIB with transom wheels and 9.9 Suzuki 4 stroke needs 4 people to pull his up the same beach.

I leave mine on the beach spring to autumn. Last year I just used a cheap polyethylene tarp to cover it. This year I have bought a custom cover which goes over the spray canopy and the outboard and has elastic running right round the bottom of the skirt. Very easy to put on and off and it is heavy enough not to flap in the wind and is also breathable. I have the F-Rib seat cushions and the under seat zip on storage bag, which is great. I also have one of the recent Aldi duffle dry bags. A couple of pails serve to store other items or caught fish.

Have fun Douglas )

DouglasW wrote:Hi Matt, I really like the F-Rib Spray canopy, though if you like fishing when its windy, it has a good "sail area" which will cause you to drift. The seats tend to move back if you are planing fast. I just tie a loop of rope round the seat and attach it to the safety line attachments on the top of the tubes. Some have tried sticky rubber patches to increase friction between the seat and the tube, but these dod not work for myself or the Gurnard. I like to have a handle made from a bit of rope with a short piece of hosepipe knotted into the middle. I attach either end to the forward safety line attachments on the top of the tubes. Transom wheels work great on firm surfaces but do not work on steep soft sand beaches so I have a collapsable aluminium trolley with huge balloon tyres. I can pull the boat up the beach on my own with all the gear/fuel and a 15HP motor. My friend with a Zodiac air floor SIB with transom wheels and 9.9 Suzuki 4 stroke needs 4 people to pull his up the same beach.

I leave mine on the beach spring to autumn. Last year I just used a cheap polyethylene tarp to cover it. This year I have bought a custom cover which goes over the spray canopy and the outboard and has elastic running right round the bottom of the skirt. Very easy to put on and off and it is heavy enough not to flap in the wind and is also breathable. I have the F-Rib seat cushions and the under seat zip on storage bag, which is great. I also have one of the recent Aldi duffle dry bags. A couple of pails serve to store other items or caught fish.

Have fun Douglas )

Great tips douglas your a star

Do you have any design pics of your collapsible launching trolley system please Douglas?


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Hello Gybemaster,

Unfortunately my F-Rib is on the trolley at the moment and the tide is out. With the 15HP motor on the boat is so heavy I can only float it on and off the trolley but in there meantime here are some general shots:
The wheels are the secret, I can single handedly get my boat up a steep soft sand beach but a friend with a SIB 10HP and transom wheels needs 4 people.
The trolley is assembled from anodised box sections which slide into one another to adjust both the axle and the draw bar. The adjustment holes then allow the sections to be locked by stainless locking pins.
The main weight of the boat /engine is taken on this broad nylon strap.

This trolley was very expensive but I have had major surgery to two knees and one shoulder so, as far as I am concerned, it is worth every penny. It is the tool that allows me to go out boating on my own without risk of injury. I am now at over 100 launches since April first so that tells you that the hassle of launching is so minor it does not put me off.

I did buy the wheels first and made a trolley from wood and anodised aluminium 1" tube but it proved far too heavy so I gave in and bought the rest.

Douglas

PS the big grey inflatable tyres go SOOO well with the F-Rib tubes

Wow that looks brilliant! Thanks very much Douglas.

I never have a nice slipway to launch from, it's always down soft sandy slopes or loose shingle.

Pm on the way.


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Matt

Congratulations on your purchase buddy
I've found that replacing the plastic wing nut used to clamp the hull with an stainless M12 'D' ring gives you a good point to strap things down and replacing the bow 'U' bracket nuts with M8 'D' rings gives you more points to strap on to
Personally the sticky pads on the seats have worked well for me but others have used rubber wedges to give the same effect
The F-Rib bow canopy isn't the prettiest but very effective and as Douglas has pointed out can act as a sail on windy days ..... it does the job perfectly for me so it's a keeper
The F-Rib cushion seats are very comfortable and robust, the underseat bag is very handy for storage but not waterproof and leaks through the zips
If you choose to fit transom wheels I think my aftermarket ones work very well

Welcome to the frib club Matt
Loads of useful info above... Biggest tip i can give you, throw the seats in the bin, buy a big bean bag and a 40hp and kiss your ass goodnight..

Sorry couldn't resist.
Pauls seat mod does work well but requires weight on it to maintain its position. In the choppy stuff when out with the speed retards we all tend to bed down low into the hull, that's when a padded cushion/seat comes in handy as it's a killer on the old bones.... although you'll still be smiling a week later

The frib is an amazingly dry boat, A bow canopy made or bought is a great upgrade though - especially during something like the WWA as you'll have a lot of gear onboard you'll no doubt wish to keep dry.

Enjoy it buddy....
Miles of smiles ahead