F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

Hi

This may not work yet, I am just playing around.

The goal of my task is to try and keep the fuel tank along with all the stuff I take up front in the boat leaving the rear and middle section free.

The nicker elastic will go through the handles on the fuel tank, Jerry cans and waterproof bag.

It's only a mock-up at the moment.

2015-11-03 20.05.42 by James Batt, on Flickr

2015-11-03 20.05.34 by James Batt, on Flickr

2015-11-03 20.05.16 by James Batt, on Flickr

What about a car cargo net strapped around it all the strapped to your current set up you got their? Not the fastest access but nothing will jump and shift.

I have glued D ring patches to the deck in the past ( and will again when it stops raining ) or to the tubes themselves .

I found deck ones allow more 'down' pull than tube ones and you can even use them to hang on to if it gets a bit rough ( the 2 part glue is that strong )

The biggest disadvantage with the F-Rib is the ability to tie everything down. If I flip the boat I don't all my stuff to sink lol

On my old SIB that now belongs to Pete I glued some D-Rings on the tubes. They look messy but worked real well.
I guess I could put some on the deck using fiber glass matting to hold them down, but I don't want to screw the warranty up.

I was planning to put my fuel tank up the front, but have since decided that is probably a bad idea as it weighs a lot. So the front will be used to store 2x 5Lt Jerry cans (When on longer trips), a water proof bag and an anchor. My tools go in to the bag under my seat as does the mobile phone, rope and spare spark plugs.

The fuel tank will remain in the middle of the boat and tied down. I may even put it in the back purely because that area is wasted space and would leave more room for my feet. It's not idea though as all the weight is at the back then.

I thought about the car net idea and I think that would work too.

D ring patches can be glued down using normal Bostick impact adhesive - some light sanding of the area on the deck gives a really strong bond - more then enough to hold a full fuel tank bouncing about ( I've tried in my 3.5 Ribcraft .

Mask the area outside of the exact patch footprint and then there is no glue mark outside the patch . I'd stay well away form the glassing in bits - the finish of the F-rib is too good to risk ! ;)

I'll try and get some pics of what I mean ....

That sounds really good.
My F-Rib is inflated at the moment. Tomorrow morning I will be folding it but so i will check what clearance I have and make sure it does not foul

James

These glue on locators used for fixing down the F-Rib UV protection covers might suit your needs and still allow the folding of your boat Paul