Type of Dingy, Inflatable or NOT?

[BruceK]

Carrying the dinghy on the bow is common here, usually on a s/steel rack. Often a Davco brand or similar crane is fitted. Often seen on Rivieras and similar boats.

 

[JDCAVE]

Good enough reason not to have one.
Apparently a 5 m one was spotted in the shallows about 3 nm from where we are now a month or two ago.
We have these AND saltwater crocs which make alligators look like fluffy cuddly lap dogs.

https://youtu.be/SCUc3U8WVMo

I cared for a small (2 m) "salty" when I worked at the Vancouver Aquarium in circa 1975. Pound-for-pound the nastiest animal I ever worked with. The thing sat in half a meter of water, but could jump 1.5 meters clear out of the water attempting to snap at your face. Very unnerving! We sent it away to another institution.

 

[BruceK]

I cared for a small (2 m) "salty" when I worked at the Vancouver Aquarium in circa 1975. Pound-for-pound the nastiest animal I ever worked with. The thing sat in half a meter of water, but could jump 1.5 meters clear out of the water attempting to snap at your face. Very unnerving! We sent it away to another institution.

Despite warnings at risky areas someone was eaten just a few days ago. I have been to the Northern Territory, there are plenty of warning signs, especially if rangers have had reports or sightings, and even as a visitor you quickly appreciate if an area is "croccy". Being a protected species, mostly the offenders get caught and moved, even to a zoo, perhaps a handbag factory,while the unwary human just gets eaten.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Good point. The space on the bow is the least utilized space on my boat.

Oh not mine. I put a chair, music and enjoy the views with a scotch and a cigar......

 

[Mule]

The dinghy thing, blow up boats, davits and the problems thereof....screw it. I drag a 17' Boston Whaler Montauk.

 

[Legend]

 

[McGillicuddy]

Captains Gig. 15' Nautica with 90hp water jet.

 

[BandB]

View attachment 60811View attachment 60812

Captains Gig. 15' Nautica with 90hp water jet.

Do you like your jet as much as we like ours? What jets and engines did Nautica use?

 

[McGillicuddy]

I don't know. How much do you like yours? [emoji39] I am very happy with mine.
The engine is a three cylinder twin carb Mercury. Not sure of the jet drive.. Bought on eBay two years ago.. Tops 30mph easily. Great for grocery runs or exploring very shallow waters. Drafts about 4".

 

[BandB]

We love ours. Only RIB's we have are jet. Ours are Williams which use Textron (formerly Weber) Engines for the gas models and Yanmar engines for the diesel models. We've had no issues with them and are heavy users putting many miles on them, not just running to shore and back. While the draft may technically be 4" or 8", I'd advise against taking advantage of that. We try to avoid running in less than 2' of water and ideally even deeper as you can pump growth or sand off the bottom and into the jet causing jams and wear.

Nautica was popular before they went out of business. They had some widebody model RIB's that were especially nice. There is a company Ribjet whose owner bought the assets of Nautica out of bankruptcy. They sat a good while in a Fort Lauderdale warehouse.

 

[McGillicuddy]

Hmm. I was looking to repower mine to diesel last year and couldn't figure what engine would fit the drive. I wonder if the Yanmars would fit my hull?

 

[BandB]

Hmm. I was looking to repower mine to diesel last year and couldn't figure what engine would fit the drive. I wonder if the Yanmars would fit my hull?

The issue with diesel is the weight. Ribjet is using Subaru boxer diesel engines. Williams uses Yanmar. However, it weighs 700 lbs more than the gas engine they use in the same boat. The boxer's appear to be lighter in weight and only a couple hundred pounds more than the gas engines. Getting a diesel built to fit your drive could be difficult. You might contact Ribjet and ask them how they're fitting and if they think it would be possible for you to do.

I assume you'd just prefer to be all diesel, but I wouldn't go through the conversion process unless my current engine died. You'll lose speed going to diesel as well.

 

[McGillicuddy]

Yes, you are correct, the issue for me was to go all diesel. However I ended up getting the engine rebuilt so hopefully all is good for now.. Extra weight up top is not desirable when boat is stowed and would likely be near max capacity of the crane. So Ixnay on the conversion for now.

 

[BandB]

Yes, you are correct, the issue for me was to go all diesel. However I ended up getting the engine rebuilt so hopefully all is good for now.. Extra weight up top is not desirable when boat is stowed and would likely be near max capacity of the crane. So Ixnay on the conversion for now.

Yes, a big difference between 900 lbs and 1600 lbs. Now, Ribjet with the Subaru units come in much lighter than Williams diesels or Novurania or anyone else with diesel jets. Just I've never seen and not familiar with Ribjet's and they didn't exist when we purchased.