Seapro 270 rib (alu hull)

[nala]

<r>Having seen a deal for a new seapro 270 rib with aluminium hull I was intrigued to view and hopefully decide whether to buy or not.<br/>
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Made the phone call and the boat was unpacked and inflated for me , and carefully placed on wooden pallets for when I arrived.<br/>
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On first impression I scanned the tubes (sponsors) and seam joints with anticipation and couldn't believe I was looking at a sib !<br/>
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Ok, it's smaller than the excel 390 which I may reluctantly part with.<br/>
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The build quality was I felt very good with handles fitted thoughtfully around the boat .<br/>
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The sponsons were solid having three chambers a port, starboard and bow supporting the aluminium hull and transom.<br/>
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The paddle "rowlock" fitment mid ships felt sturdy and secure .<br/>
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On the bow of the hull and on the outer of the transom there are eyelets engineered into the structure for when using davits . <br/>
This allows the rib dinghy to be lifted off the water and suspended at the stern of a larger vessel.<br/>
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A paynter is attached no longer than the length of the hull as not to foul the prop if it falls overboard.<br/>
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Very basic but adequate I may add, and probably change in the future to a thicker rope.<br/>
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This is usually used as a bow "mooring or attachment" line, when at anchor or tied up or just to hold on to when under way.<br/>
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The hull keel has a tough sacrificial plastic 100mm wide protector strip along the vee which is a practical touch when grounding, avoiding direct contact with the hull.<br/>
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Due to me not being as fit and as young as I once was I grabbed the bow handle and slowly applied lift .<br/>
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To my surprise it lifted with ease it was so light , i felt then, and knew i was going to buy it!<br/>
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It was on a good deal anyway but I managed to get another £99 off on the handshake <E>:clappy</E> <br/>
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All in all the tasteful look the feel and general build was very good .<br/>
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So, I'm now an owner of a seapro 270 rib.<br/>
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I will be putting the tohatsu 9.8 2st on the back so it should be fun .<br/>
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Not planned a water test yet , so watch this space .</r>

[nala]

I have taken photos but unable to upload as yet

[nala]

I have taken photos but unable to upload as yet

[nala]

This compact rib is a category D which means inland and sheltered coastal waters.

I will be confident to fish no more than 3 miles out in this with the right sea conditions .Preferably flat !

I wouldn't overload the boat as this alters the sea keeping capability of it .

Safety first I wouldn't go out alone or at least I would be in sight and sound of other sibbers , ribbers and boaters.

The tube/sponson pressures are 0.25bar which equates to a tad over 3.6psi .

When the weather gets a little warmer I will look forward to it's sea trial.

[nala]

Port side tube had semi deflated i tested it with soapy water spray and slackened the valve .

Sprayed it a few times and re-tightened it and pressurised once again.

Upto now it's still holding

Fingers crossed, as it's not been near the sea yet !

The boat is still on the trailer from when it was purchased and transported home and is covered with a tarpaulin.

I contacted highams and they informed me to bring it in if it still deflates.

[nala]

Just an update : the pressure(s) are still good and stable after over two weeks of daily checking.

So, from a thought of it being a puncture it was evidently the valve which is basically like a plastic nut and bolt with a sealing gasket inbetween which wasn't sealing properly.

As a process of elimination, check all the valves first.