Seating in rib

[Si Crowe]

if you are buying seating then put it where you want. you dont have to fit a bench seat aft, amidships would still give you the balance the rib needs with usefull space behind for fishing gear, beer, fuel, standing room. there are no rules as to how you rig your boat as long as shes got neutral weight distribution. think about how you will use it. are you bashing about in rough seas constantly? is so get a jockey console. Or are you having a bit of a play, bit of fishing and a nice cruise with the Mrs? need to stow a few bit for comfort? bench seat better.

everyone seems to think a rib must have jockey seats but in reality back to backs never stopped me doing anything.

[Tellum]

Thank you all for the advice, I will continue to think on it. Sounds like best to kit it out depending on how I use it the most, makes Sense. I will have a look at a few similar size ribs to get a view of want space is available. It would probably help if I left the kitchen sink at home when I go out fishing.

[Roy54]

@Tellum A couple of pictures here ,my Zodiac 4.7 m , Paul's Ocean runner 4.2 m and a Humber 4 m , I believe. They all ride differently , my Zodiac probably the most level , having said that , with me on the jockey and my wife and son on the bench and my daughter on the bow seat at low speed I did see more sky than ocean . Once on the plane it all levels off though. Paul is happy with his set up , however at low speed its a little stern heavy . Lovely being able to hide behind the screen though. As others have said , best to set it up for how you will use it most.
Roy

[Tellum]

Those pics are helpful, thanks. I am going with a bench and the small 420 console. To save on cost I was planning to fit myself. Is there a specific reinforced place to screw the outfit down ? Or do I find a good balance piont and then attach with silkaflex and stainless steal screws . Will check the cost of it getting done for me at another place but probably not cheap,how long a job is it half a day to screw down and connect engine. Or is there more to it. Was told by one place that the other bits and piece that are needed to finish the job off plus labour will be around 800 quid. Seems a lot.

[sonny1]

can i just ask why you are going from an open boat/tiller steer to a console set up or have got it all wrong?

[harrison]

The 420 in the piccies posted by Roy is a great example of just what a stern heavy set up is. If going similar try and mount everything as far forward as possible.

£800 is about the typical dealer cost for fitting an outboard including the supply of all extras such as battery, battery box, leads, terminals, control cables, fuel lines etc. This would not normally include the cost of fitting the console/seating but would include cutting/fixing controls, instruments etc. Likewise the cost of the steering system wouldn’t be included but connecting up would.

Not knowing the detail composition of the 420 deck but assuming glass composite construction. If flange type console/seat then fixing with sikaflex would be my choice and provide an extremely strong joint. The screws, whilst not providing any additional structural strength are necessary to initially compress the sikaflex joint until cured.

If you can do all that in half a day then best open a boat shop...you’ll make a fortune.

[Tellum]

can i just ask why you are going from an open boat/tiller steer to a console set up or have got it all wrong?

To be honest I am not 100% convinced yet. I bought it new has a open boat because of the space and I was not sure if the seating was needed. The thing is although I go out to fish I find myself cruising around the coast enjoying the scenery more often. When there's a bit of chop I find my lust for speed and fun comes to life and the fishing gear gets put down and I go to play. I find I want more power to play and more comfort when cruising. I could up grade engine, I have a 20 hp gives 20 knots wot. Could put a 30 or 40 on tiller still but it would be more comfortable sat on a bench seat facing front and not twisted. My teenage daughter as shown interest in coming out with a freind to be towed about, a 40 hp would be better. With a bench setup the Mrs might be more inclined to come out. I might get it done and the daughter and Mrs lose interest quick. They might love it and I end up going bigger and faster. It's going to cost around 4000 grand with the engine up grade after I trade mine in so I will sleep on it for a few more nights yet.

[ChrisParish]

4000 grand, eh? Thats 4 million! I think that was a typo, or are you buying a Sunseeker?

[Roy54]

@Tellum just wondered , have you tried a rib with seats ,if not that maybe the next step before you spend a load of money. If you're looking for comfort you'll probably love the seats whichever layout you go for . Having said that it will be a compromise for fishing as you will lose a bit of space. When I was looking for my boat I was lucky enough to be invited out on a meet and was able to sample 4 or 5 different boats in the same day . It really helped me to make a decision.
Others may know of forum members down your way that would be able to take you out.

[sonny1]

tellum, did your ocean runner come with the simple bench seat that hooks on through straps? if not have you thought about one or two of those as a cheap option. i bought one for my boat(same as yours) and its quite useful. i think that on the smaller ribs (sub 5mtr) you lose too much space in fitting bench and or jockey seats and also the weight will have an impact on performance.