By simply wearing a lifejacket, more than 80% of the boating fatalities each year could be avoided. Unfortunately, boating accidents can and will happen – most often times they happen quickly and with little warning. Leaving little to no time to reach for stowed life jackets.

To save money, some boaters buys the most inexpensive life jackets that meet the mandatory standard for life jackets – but these are bulky and uncomfortable – no one likes wearing these. However, effective Coast Guard Approved life jackets are NOW available that are not only COMFORTABLE but come in a variety of styles. Many are thin and flexible. Some are built right into fishing vests while others are inflatable — as compact as a scarf or fanny pack until they hit water and then once submerged they automatically fill with air. These can be found at all boating stores.

There’s no such thing as one size fits all - Life jackets come in all sizes, and it is important, especially when children are boating, for each boater to wear a properly-fitting personal flotation device (PFD). Adult-sized life jackets DO NOT WORK for children. Special children’s life jackets are available at all boating stores. To work correctly, a life jacket must be worn, fit snugly, and not allow the child’s chin or ears to slip through.

You wouldn’t let your child sit in your car without a seat belt or booster seat – so why let them on your boat without a life jacket?! We have car seats and booster seats for children for the exact same reason we have children’s life jackets.

To that end – most of us don’t even think twice about buckling up in a car – the should also hold true about wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) whenever out on the water.

The U.S. Coast Guard reminds all of us that as a recreational boat owner, you’re in command of and responsible for the safety of all your passengers. Make sure everyone onboard is properly wearing a life jacket before you shove off.

There’s no excuse not to wear a life jacket on the water!

Posted by ribcraftusa at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Show your RIBCRAFT Pride with new RIBCRAFT T-Shirts, Polo Shirts, Hats, and Window Decals. Click on "RIBCRAFT Gear" on the RIBCRAFT home page to order your own shirts and hats today. Whether you own a RIBCRAFT or not, everyone looks good sporting RIBCRAFT Gear!

Posted by ribcraftusa at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Introducing children to boating is one of the coolest things a parent can do. Boating is such a great family activity. Just think, you can be alone with your family for hours on the water with no television, phones, or other distractions.

But being safe and smart must come first. Too often children are put in dangerous situations by parents who lack knowledge, are short on common sense, or simply are not thinking. The results are often catastrophic. Dealing with safety professionals such as the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, we regularly hear of awful stories involving children. More often than not, the incidents could have easily been avoided by the parent or adult onboard.

For example, wearing a PFD (a.k.a. lifejacket), is the simplest preventative measure. Wearing one should be obvious, yet this past weekend in Massachusetts, a five year old boy and his father drowned after their 14’ skiff overturned. Sadly, neither was wearing a PFD.

There are also some less obvious things we all could and need to do to keep our children safe onboard. One of my pet peeves is when children are allowed to sit on the bow with their feet dangling over - being held onboard only by a bow pulpit (often times less when on a RIB!). Talk about a recipe for an awful disaster . . . .

Posted by ribcraftusa at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out this great video of a 21' RIBCRAFT 210 underway in what looks like 1-1.5' chop. Nothing runs like a RIB as these two RIB junkies know! In case you're wondering, the footage was shot from a 25' RIBCRAFT 7.8 Mitigator.

RUN A RIB!

By the way, if any of you have footage of your RIB underway - I'd love to see it!

Posted by ribcraftusa at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The new buzz word these days seems to be "ethanol". Everywhere you go these days you see or hear it; on the news, political speaches, stickers on the gas pumps, and now slowly but surely my boating magazines. Until recently we haven’t heard much about it with boats – but it’s probably the single biggest issue about to plague the marine industry.

Today, ethanol is used as a fuel additive that boosts octane and serves as an oxygenator which supposedly helps clean up an engine’s exhaust by making it easier for the catalytic converter on cars to do their thing. Ethanol used to be more localized in the mid-west, but today it’s being seen throughout the country and finding its way to our fuel docks. What’s more, not only is ethanol found in more of our fuel, the amounts continue to rise. (Most engines are designed to tolerate up to 10% ethanol)

The problem: Fuel containing greater than 10% ethanol content poses a safety risk by damaging fuel tanks and engine components. The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) recently published a strong and alarming position paper opposing the use of marine fuels with an ethanol content of over 10%.

The increase use of ethanol will wreak havoc on aluminum and fiberglass fuel tanks. Increased levels of Ethanol can cause significant corrosion of aluminum fuel tanks. The problems with ethanol all stem from its hydroscopic property, which means it absorbs water. Bottom line: More Ethanol in Fuel = More Water in Fuel. Water corrodes the aluminum tanks. As corrosion occurs, particles will begin to clog fuel filters, fuel systems and damage engine components. Over time, corrosion can perforate the aluminum which will cause fuel leaks.

In addition to corrosion caused by water, there’s also increased risk of galvanic corrosion. Gasoline fuel by itself is not conductive, but with ethanol it will conduct electricity. The same galvanic process that occurs to outdrives and other components in the water will occur within the aluminum tank with increased levels of ethanol. The big difference though is that it’s impossible to install sacrificial anodes (zincs) inside the tank like we do on the outside of the boat.

Plastic and fiberglass tanks aren’t really any better off either. For molded plastic tanks, ethanol increases permeation of the tank walls. For fiberglass tanks, ethanol can cause leaks, but more importantly, there are reports that ethanol causes heavy black deposits on intake valves of marine engines which causes bent push rods, pistons, and valves. Testing is currently underway to fully determine the effects of ethanol on fiberglass tanks.

Now more than ever, it’s extremely important to inspect your tanks for leaks and the bilge for fumes. It is strongly recommended that at the end of the boating season you should have your fuel tanks drained and flushed to prevent tank corrosion.

In a future posting I’ll examine what we can do to prevent and minimize the damaging effects of ethanol. From what the data shows, as long as ethanol content remains at or below 10% we should be OK – the concern is what happens if ethanol content continues to rise?

Posted by ribcraftusa at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In response to my posting on Tube Cleaning, David Reich posted the following:

“I have white tubes. It seems that the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers would work well for cleaning but I am not sure about material compatibility of these… Any experience with these on Hypalon?”

First, David, let me apologize for the delay in getting back with an answer on this. Having never used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers on Hypalon tubes before; I’ve been awaiting word from Proctor and Gamble, the parent company who makes Mr. Clean, for some feedback myself. From everything I have determined the Magic Eraser should be relatively safe to use on tubes for difficult stains.

They recommend using the Magic Eraser on “soap scum, marks on walls, or even on car wheels”. From what I can determine it is not a silicone based product – the only thing to be careful of is its abrasive characteristics.

Here’s what their caution/ direction label reads:

“The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is a highly effective cleaning tool. Test first on an inconspicuous spot with light pressure to see if surface may scratch or dull. Not recommended for use on surfaces that are polished/glossy, or on brushed, satin, dark, or faux finishes. Do not use with chlorine bleach.”

As they do, I’d recommend trying it on a small area first. If you have a piece of Hypalon material from your repair kit, try it on that first to make sure it doesn’t harm the Hypalon layer. Let me know how you make out.

Posted by ribcraftusa at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Never trust your fuel gauge. Though RIBs have great fuel economy – they still can’t run on empty.

Too often, boaters rely exclusively on what the fuel gauge reads – unfortunately, unlike a car, the gauge on a boat is not accurate and is really only an estimated assumption at best. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense – when does the boat ever sit level in the water for the gauge to get an accurate reading. Definitely not underway – you can just imagine the fuel sloshing from end to end in the tank causing the sender to jump up and down.

The best way to insure you never run out of fuel is to understand exactly how much fuel your boat consumes under normal operation. The best way to do that is to establish a base line. A Vessel Assist captain gave me this easy tip:

Fill your tank and then take your boat out and cruise for one hour at your normal running speed, timing it so that you end up at the fuel dock at the end of your one hour test run. Top off your tank again. Then, use the amount of fuel you put back in your tank as your estimated hourly burn rate. Using that and your hour meter, you can easily figure out how much fuel is in your tank at any time.

It’s always good to follow this general rule of thumb. A 1/3 of a tank is for heading out; 1/3 of your tank is for getting back; and a 1/3 is for reserve.

Posted by ribcraftusa at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)