November 29, 2007
Rough Water Driving – Beam and Following Seas
Picking up where we left off in my last posting, if you take too much of an angle to the waves and/or find yourself perpendicular to them, then you are operating in a "Beam Sea". In a beam sea, you can actually operate at a pretty fast speed. Just be absolutely certain to keep an eye out for breaking waves and either increasing or decreasing your speed accordingly steering for clearer water behind the breaking wave. Breaking waves can be very dangerous and can easily capsize a boat if the operator is not paying attention. If you find yourself unable to escape a breaking wave you have a couple options. You can turn into and ride it much as I described for a "Head Sea" or turn away from it and run in front of it. Doing this seems to make sense, but it could also be much more dangerous unless you can be sure you can out run the... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 07:30 PM | Comments (5)
November 26, 2007
Rough Water Driving
When driving in rough water, the most important thing to do is to match your speed and direction to the water conditions through adjusting your throttle and steering accordingly. Though it may be a blast to keep the throttle on and wave jump, eventually you and the boat will get tired of it. Just as important however, if the prop is continuously leaving and re-entering the water the efficiency of the boat to make quick headway is greatly reduced. There are several conditions that operators need to know how to handle. The first is driving upwind to weather or in a "Head Sea". To do this it's important to first be sure your trim is adjusted all the way down in order to keep the bow down. This will minimize the amount of lift off the wave but also promote the best entry through the water which promotes optimal performance of the V hull to cut through the water. Long... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 10:49 AM | Comments (5)
November 21, 2007
Why do RIBs handle rough water so well?
The combination of the deep V hull and the inflatable tube give a RIB its outstanding sea-keeping abilities. The tube acts like a giant shock absorber absorbing most of the impact forces thus reducing the stress on the boat and crew. Additionally, the tube contributes to a far more stable ride than other types of boats by significantly reducing any lateral movement. This allows a RIB to carry a deeper V hull than hardsided boats which contributes to a smoother ride in rough conditions. Not only does a RIB handle seas way beyond what other types of boats of its length could handle, it's far less likely to take on water. And, if it does, a RIB doesn't trap it and has the ability to get rid of the water quickly if necessary through a low transom and high capacity deck drains. What's more, with the incredible buoyancy provided by the tube a RIB is far more capable of supporting... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)
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