F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

Sold the Mariah Bowrider back in the spring as i'd kind'a grown out of it.
Decided that i wanted something with a few more creature comforts.... (the wife wants a loo )
With age comes a different set of priorities, it no longer seems so important to go everywhere at 50+ mph
The search was on for some kind of walk around Sports Fisher.

I've been doing plenty of wheeling and dealing in the last couple of years and had managed to get together a reasonable budget.
The plan was to find myself a decent "Karnic 2050" budget around £17k. I didn't want another project and was looking for a boat with plenty of service history and a turn key package.

Karnic 2050

After several months of searching and a few over enthusiastic sellers with unrealistic expectations! I decided to widen my search???

Eventually a 2052 Trophy was forwarded to me to view.
The boat had two owner from new and had spent it's whole life in drystack, the hull was still original gelcoat not anti fouled, a new engine fitted in 2013 (4.3L V6 Mercruiser) also a whole folder of service receipts and owners literature going back to the original bill of sale.
The downside was that it had been left unused for the last couple of years due to the owners failing heath and required attention...

Now originally the idea was that i wasn't looking for a project and this boat did have a few issues, but an agreement was made over the price and before i knew it i was off to the west country to collect my latest impulse buy.....
I will be going over the boat through the winter months making sure all's "ship shape" for next year.
If anyone's interested i will post up my progress, but i understand that this is a Sibbing Forum...

Congratulations on the new purchase. I'd like to see updates as you get her ready for next season.

Does she have any berths for an overnight trip away?

Smashing looking boat Andy, bet your pleased with that, wish I had one of those, I was looking at something like that but it was the mooring fees that put me off.

Mmmm, drool, boat porn. Nice boat!

That looks nice Andy, yes please do document it all as you go through the process, it’ll make a great read.
In years to come I expect that’ll be the sort of thing I go for, life changes eh

Nicely done ( not sure how I missed this purchase) . Been out in a mates Proline - much the same concept and layout and works well for 2 . Trophy seems a little bigger than his Proline - really practical and fun as well . You'll have that singing along in no time!

chris moody wrote: ↑

17 Oct 2018, 07:12

Congratulations on the new purchase. I'd like to see updates as you get her ready for next season.

Does she have any berths for an overnight trip away?

Yes Chris, she'll comfortably sleep 2 in the cuddy.
It's deceptively big bellow decks, if not a little basic, but the real reason for buying this sort of boat is so that i have cover and somewhere to dry off and warm up. And with it being inboard there's the option to plumb in heating. It doesn't have it at the moment, but it's one of the things i want to add...
Will i overnight in it? Probably not!

Martin wrote: ↑

18 Oct 2018, 08:19

That looks nice Andy, yes please do document it all as you go through the process, it’ll make a great read.

Ok,
Well as stated in the OP i bought this boat on the understanding that it did require some work.
And first thing that's going to get my attention is the outdrive.
The engine may have been changed in 2013, but the outdrive is as old as the boat! (1999)
And although i have service receipts for work done, it wasn't done by me...

The outdrive is a Mercruiser Alpha 1 Generation 2
Fortunately or Unfortunately, depending on your point of view (we have history!)
And I know of a couple of common issues with this drive...

I know for a fact that the trim senders that are mounted on the hinge pins are knackered!
This is one of those jobs that sounds simple, but infact is a right pain because the the leg has to be removed to replace the senders.
The wires pass through the transom shield.
The transom Shield is the bit that's actually bolted to the boat and the drive is fitted to it via a gimble ring.
I will explain better as i go through....

Also there is an oil fitting that goes through the transom shield.
This transfers gearbox oil and is connected at one end to the drive and the other end to an expansion tank above the engine.
This fitting, for some ridiculous reason is made of plastic and over time becomes brittle and can break!
Again this isn't the easiest of jobs but will be replaced while i have the drive off.

So, a couple of extra jobs that will be done while i service the outdrive.
Job List
Pressure test seals, Oil, water pump, change the bellows, inspect the gimble bearing and replace the anodes.
And while i'm at it I will treat it to a new coat of paint...

Mitch wrote: ↑

17 Oct 2018, 08:43

Smashing looking boat Andy, bet your pleased with that, wish I had one of those, I was looking at something like that but it was the mooring fees that put me off.

Im not a rich man, but somethings are worth it........I hope

Is the trim/tilt all electric Andy or is it hydraulic ?