July 31, 2006
Buckle Up - Wear a Life Jacket
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... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2006
RIBCRAFT Gear
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!... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2006
Children & Boating
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.... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2006
Run a RIB!
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!... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2006
Ethanol – The Industry’s Big Secret
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... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 10:57 AM | Comments (1)
July 10, 2006
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
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... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 03:29 PM | Comments (4)
July 05, 2006
Fuel Gauges - Guestimators At Best
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... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
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