Building of the new Riptide platey **it finally floats**

[Reefmaster]

Hi Ausfishes,
The process of looking for a new plate boat has been on going for sometime with so many manufactures all offering something different and sometimes unique. It soon came to my attention that it was hard to find a good all round boat that had everything I wished for in a good custom built boat. While some brands had their good points they soon were let down with equally as many bad points whether this be in the ride, stability, build strength/quality or general layout. The boat in mind had to offer a good ride, superior stability, user friendly deck, spacious cabin layout, strong build quality, full length under floor air tanks, self draining deck, lot’s of storage areas, large underfloor kill tank/esky, large underfloor fuel capacity, large transom area to house built in live bait tank, fibre glassed bait and food eskies, Batteries, fuel filter, tackle boxes and finally great after sales service. Sound easy well I think not because out of the many plate boat builders out there most have a good percentage of the above missing from their package. It wasn’t until I looked at Riptide Alloy Boats that I found an honest good all round boat that boasted all the criteria I wished for including a 2.5mtr beam which makes a huge difference in overall boat size and something many other manufactures don’t have. Riptide owner and genuine top guy Dave Claussen has been building boats all his life and worked for many other plate boat builders in Queensland before deciding he could offer his own custom built plate boat business which has now been running for over 10 years. It’s a small operation of 4 people that Dave prefers to have which enables him to build and oversee every boat that goes out the door ensuring that they are built 100% right. Not bad quality assurance if you ask me. The boat of choice is a 6.4m (7.0m length overall not including bow sprite) cuddy cab hardtop 5mm bottom 4mm sides and after some great information and advice given by Suzuki will be powering it by either a Suzuki DF200 or DF225 four stroke. The worlds best four stroke :) (and way better than an etec;D :-* ) The main objective of the build is to have a place for everything used during fishing trips and to keep a clean deck space whilst making the boat practical with a good look. I will attach pics on a continual basis of the build process to give people a better look of how one is put together and hopefully give others some ideas who might be getting or looking at getting their own custom boat built also. Please feel free to ask any questions and enjoy.

Regards,
Greg


Pics 1 & 2 - Basic shell has been welded together using various jigs and tensioners to create the shapes.

Pic3- Some of underfloor structural work tacked in. Bulkheads every 600mm with various stringers running along the floor.

Pic4- A closer look at the under floor structural work before the inner side sheets are welded in to completed two full boat length buoyancy chambers which are pressure tested and have soapy water run over every weld to ensure the tanks are 100% sealed.

[Reefmaster]

Pic 1 showing some of the braces and supports used under the hull to prevent any unwanted distortion in the bottom sheet.

Pic2 supports on the transom.

Pic3 showing brace running along the side sheet to avoid distortion when the floor sheet is being welded in.

[Reefmaster]

Pic 1 Floor sheets welded in and centre hull sections sheeted off into sections. The back section will house a fuel tank of a minimum 350 ltrs. The section in front of that will be for a self drain (bunged also) kill tank which I will fibre glass and turn into an esky. The section forward of that is the step down cabin area and finally the area in front of that is a deep storage area which will be under the bunks.

Pic 2 Another looking back at the transom area.

Pic3 closer look at the front cabin area before the bunk frame work goes in.

[megafish71]

Looks good Greg, I hear you about how hard it is to find a builder to suit all of your requirement, looked long and hard myself before deciding on a builder. Are you having them complete the boat for you, or are you fitting it out yourself? Keep us posted.

Here"s the link to my build if your interested.http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=123414

Sharing in your excitement.;D ;D ;D

Cheers Ron

[Aigutso]

Ill be following this thread, love seeing a build thread, looks like a winner , so whats the estimated BMT weight?

cheers
mike

[Baitball]

Hi Ausfishes,
The process of looking for a new plate boat has been on going for sometime with so many manufactures all offering something different and sometimes unique. It soon came to my attention that it was hard to find a good all round boat that had everything I wished for in a good custom built boat. While some brands had their good points they soon were let down with equally as many bad points whether this be in the ride, stability, build strength/quality or general layout. The boat in mind had to offer a good ride, superior stability, user friendly deck, spacious cabin layout, strong build quality, full length under floor air tanks, self draining deck, lot’s of storage areas, large underfloor kill tank/esky, large underfloor fuel capacity, large transom area to house built in live bait tank, fibre glassed bait and food eskies, Batteries, fuel filter, tackle boxes and finally great after sales service. Sound easy well I think not because out of the many plate boat builders out there most have a good percentage of the above missing from their package. It wasn’t until I looked at Riptide Alloy Boats that I found an honest good all round boat that boasted all the criteria I wished for including a 2.5mtr beam which makes a huge difference in overall boat size and something many other manufactures don’t have. Riptide owner and genuine top guy Dave Claussen has been building boats all his life and worked for many other plate boat builders in Queensland before deciding he could offer his own custom built plate boat business which has now been running for over 10 years. It’s a small operation of 4 people that Dave prefers to have which enables him to build and oversee every boat that goes out the door ensuring that they are built 100% right. Not bad quality assurance if you ask me. The boat of choice is a 6.4m (7.0m length overall not including bow sprite) cuddy cab hardtop 5mm bottom 4mm sides and after some great information and advice given by Suzuki will be powering it by either a Suzuki DF200 or DF225 four stroke. The worlds best four stroke :) (and way better than an etec;D :-* ) The main objective of the build is to have a place for everything used during fishing trips and to keep a clean deck space whilst making the boat practical with a good look. I will attach pics on a continual basis of the build process to give people a better look of how one is put together and hopefully give others some ideas who might be getting or looking at getting their own custom boat built also. Please feel free to ask any questions and enjoy.

Regards,
Greg


Pics 1 & 2 - Basic shell has been welded together using various jigs and tensioners to create the shapes.

Pic3- Some of underfloor structural work tacked in. Bulkheads every 600mm with various stringers running along the floor.

Pic4- A closer look at the under floor structural work before the inner side sheets are welded in to completed two full boat length buoyancy chambers which are pressure tested and have soapy water run over every weld to ensure the tanks are 100% sealed.

I think the criteria you have been looking for in the boat you want could easily be be met by a number of plate manufacturers.
I'm glad you have settled on the boat you want to buy for your purposes, however this sounds to me like a discounted boat advert for Riptide to me.

[megafish71]

I think the criteria you have been looking for in the boat you want could easily be be met by a number of plate manufacturers.
I'm glad you have settled on the boat you want to buy for your purposes, however this sounds to me like a discounted boat advert for Riptide to me.

Believe me, its not as easy as one might think, alot of builders have things their way or no way.

Ron

[Reefmaster]

Hi Ron,
Foxy pointed out your boat post that I somehow missed and I was hoping you would have posted more pics of your beast but I guess it's a little hard seeing your so far away from her. Mate I'm getting the complete hull done then doing paint and fitout myself which I must say I'm not looking forward too.

Mike it's hard to say but I reckon fully loaded ready for a trip it would have to come in around 2800kg. Will weigh on a bridge when finished.

Ahhh Baitball
As Ron has stated it is not all that easy to find what you want from most builders and I wouldn't have said it unless I really meant it. I can assure you that at no stage was putting this thread on Ausfish part of any deals with Riptide. This thread is not all about a name but more so to give members some interest of a boat being built and to help and give others ideas who may be going through the same thing. Gee I wish that others had done more of it over the past because it's hard to find ideas during a build process.

Regards,
Greg

[TCSunCoast]

Reefmaster, thanks for the post.
I want to have an order placed by the end of the year and I am using this forum to get valuable feedback. I am even considering buying a second hand boat of the same make to help me decide on tdifferent things and to use over the next twleve months just to be sure (and get more fishing in). I look forward to more posts.

Baitball, mmmmmmmmmmm there's always one. I believe the purpose of this website is for exactly what reefmaster is doing, letting his experience be known to others.

Expect to see many photo's including the brand of my new boat plus good and bad comments once the time comes.

Tony

[PinHead]

You getting flames on yours, Greg ???????

[mirage]

You sure it's not a 40 footer Greg? That shot with you in the boat, it looks huge!!
Keep the photos up, Cheers.

[Vindicator]

Mirage, no Greg is actually a midget!:lolk::lolk::lolk:
Looks like shes certainly going to be a nice one Greg. Looking forward to seeing the end product. Will be watching your posts closely. I like the idea of fiberglassing the kill tank, has given me an idea of doing my own as I'm sick of always adding ice to it. Any idea of when she'll hit the water?

Cheers
Kezza

[chris_s]

Great to see her coming along Greg. And keep the photo's coming as well.

As for your post and what others have said, i totally agree with you. This is probably the best place to do a little homework, and I myself have said similar in my posts regarding my Riptide.

After all, isn't this the boating forum.

[pilchardjones]

top post greg,
keep up the good work.
i know when i was having my goldstar plate boat built (in perth) i was forever pestering the builder for more photos as i was unable to visit during construction. keep up the good work as i am sure a lot of readers will be interested in the process.
it looks like being a very nice boat.
i have found that you just can't beat the 2.5m beam plate boats for sheer room and fishing cockpit space.
steve

[polky]

Keep the pics coming Greg, I,am abot 12mths away from getting a 6mtr platey built, have already picked up on one of your thoughts. Polky.

[rando]

Hi Greg
Ahhh, if only my lotto ticket would come up.
It looks great, your tank configuration raises a question in my mind.
Namely what is the relative merit of fuel tank aft /kill tank forward.
I ask this because i am thinking about the weight distribution, is it personal preference or does it relate to making the fishing area user friendly or some other aspect.?
I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your project.
Cheers
rando

[revs57]

Yeah! She's comin' along Greg, not long before the Cab is on and its all on from there...That Pinhead is a scream...why did you let the cat outta the bag, you reckon Flamin' Riptide is lairey Pinhead, wait til you see the reefmasters effort!

Keep the pics and build stories coming mate

Rob, the fuel tank aft keeps the main weight of 250litres plus of fuel in the rear and low centre of gravity for stability, correct trim and attitude, it stops the bow from diving away and slamming because of the poor weight distribution. That's one of the reasons why Riptide's ride so well and are exceptionally stable at rest.

Cheers

Rhys

[Blackened]

G'day

Nice choice of boat, I have had Dave do some repairs on my tinny and everything has been excellent

Looking forward to this thread as it progresses

Dave

[Wahoo]

, however this sounds to me like a discounted boat advert for Riptide to me.



PA-leaseeee bait ball ::) so what your saying is no one can post a pic of there boat? or rods n reels or Gulp SPs or anything for that matter


first of all, congrats on a fine boat, 2.5m beam makes a huge difference in fishing room, you will love it, IMHO with a deep V as that i would go the 225, but thats just me


Daz

[Baitball]

PA-leaseeee bait ball ::) so what your saying is no one can post a pic of there boat? or rods n reels or Gulp SPs or anything for that matter


first of all, congrats on a fine boat, 2.5m beam makes a huge difference in fishing room, you will love it, IMHO with a deep V as that i would go the 225, but thats just me


Daz
Wahoo,
Not sure about the comparison to rods and reels, but I certainly welcome this type of thread showing the different styles & fitout of plate boats during construction.
My comments were relating the the broad brush statements made that this boat builder was the only one that would fulfill all the criteria listed. In MY opinion there are are number of manufacturers that would fulfil the same criteria without problem with possible exception to a 2.5m beam from a few. Perhaps a statement that the builder was selected because they offered that beam along with feeling comfortable with the other options would be better rather than a "War & Peace" advertising article promoting the builder.
If I recall, Reefmaster recently posted in another thread that he was doing a "deal" with Suzuki for a motor.
I'm sorry if i came to a conclusion that his post was biased due to a "deal", I will stand corrected if that is not the case.

It was not my intention to hijack this thread and I will not pass any further comment but I get a little sick of posts that smack of self interest, rather than clear unbiased facts.

[Reefmaster]

Pinhead I think I will leave the flames to Rhys;D

Kezza - Glassing your kill tank with 25mm foam will keep ice 10 times longer then without. The alloy is certainly a good conducter. Mate not sure how far off the water it will be because I will be doing the paint and fitout myself. Aim is to have it all happening for the Fraser Island comp in May.

Rando- As Rhys pointed out the position of the fuel tank is where these hulls prefer the weight in order to work at it's best. I guess having the killtank/esky forward up under the hardtop will also add in shading and keeping it cooler.


Regards Greg

[TCSunCoast]

Vindicator, there is a 6.5 centre cab stingray at John Crawford Marine with a big underfloor fibreglassed kill tank in it. Even the lid is glassed up. An excellent idea especially if put in the right position in the boat to add a bit of weight.

[Reefmaster]

My comments were relating the the broad brush statements made that this boat builder was the only one that would fulfill all the criteria listed. In MY opinion there are are number of manufacturers that would fulfil the same criteria without problem with possible exception to a 2.5m beam from a few. Perhaps a statement that the builder was selected because they offered that beam along with feeling comfortable with the other options would be better rather than a "War & Peace" advertising article promoting the builder.
If I recall, Reefmaster recently posted in another thread that he was doing a "deal" with Suzuki for a motor.
I'm sorry if i came to a conclusion that his post was biased due to a "deal", I will stand corrected if that is not the case.

It was not my intention to hijack this thread and I will not pass any further comment but I get a little sick of posts that smack of self interest, rather than clear unbiased facts.

Baitball
I can not see where in my post that I made a broad brush statement that only one brand of boat could fulfill my needs?. I did say most but this does not mean all.

Mate this thread was far from a manufacturing debut and certainly not the garbage you suggested of a "war and peace advertising article to promote the builder" I have not bagged or defaced any builder what so ever with this thread and nor was it my intentions.

I chose Riptide because of the product and I will be more then happy to write about it both here and in BushnBeach if I wish. Like I said earlier at no stage was my thread on here part of any deals (and even if it was what business is it yours) so wouldn't my time and effort to post the build suggest it was to show and help others out on this site?

Yes Suzuki are going to help me out of which still goes through a dealer. Once again it was my decision to go with a Suzuki four stroke (did I mention it was the worlds best four stroke;D :P ) so if I wish to mention it so be it. Geez I would have to run a 100 posts to catch up with the promoting of ETECS;D

Seriously baitball please enjoy the build of the RIPTIDE:) and you may realise why the 2.5 beam and the layout of a riptide was so important with my needs in a boat;)

Regards,
Greg

[seatime]

looking forward to some more of the build pics http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/images/icons/icon6.gif

real nice rig with lots of well thought out ideas and practicalities put into the layouthttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/images/icons/icon14.gif

cheers

[wadeo]

Gday Greg she's looking sweet. Wandering if you are going to store fresh water below the floor also. About the only thing i forgot about when building my cat and wish i had of put a fresh water tank below the floor.Keep up the good work look forward to seeing more info of your new pride and joy in progress.
regards wadeo

[tin can marlin]

Mate the boat you are building is a credit to you and also riptide. Also a great move puttinf a 4 stroke on it that will shut the etec boys up for a while. Regards mark

[Vindicator]

Greg,
Just cut up some old cold room panel this arv to make up the insulation for the kill tank. Will start fiberglassing it tomorrow then glue it all in then fiberglass the joins. I've cut it 30mm thick so I reckon it should do the job.

Cheers
Kezza

[Redspeckle]

Greg,
By the looks going turn out being a great Riptide boat there Don't worry about fitting it out you will have fun in doing it and have the personal touch and know every part of the Riptide

With that 350 litre fuel tank and 200 or 225 hp four stroke outboard going on the back with that no red's will be safe now in the offshore waters off Queenland coastline ;D

Mitch
ps keep the photos and story coming along

[Briz]

Hi Greg,
Looks great now and I'm sure it will be even better when it's finished. You mention you are doing the painting/fitting-out on your own - just interested if you are going to go to the trouble of trying to fair/cove & 2-pack your boat? I've chose the full epoxy option and I've almost finished my new 5.3 m platie but after 2 1/2 months there are times I question my initial enthusiasm.
Briz

[Reefmaster]

Wadeo
At this stage I will be putting a water bladder in the very back section of transom but this will depend on room left after the fuel tank goes in. I will just run a valve so I can run both fresh and salt water through the deck wash. I'm pretty certain a reasonable amount of water will fit in this area.

Kezza
Geez you don't muck around when an idea is in your head:) Well done sounds like it will get well used for it's purpose.

Mitch
The prep and paint is what I'm dreading the most as it will take some time to do the right job. It should have a pretty good range so bring on the reds.;)

Briz
Mate at this stage I have not decided which way to go with paint and will keep researching unitl I'm happy and confident in what we use. If you could PM your experiences with what you have done so far it would be very much appreciated.


Regards,
Greg

[Reefmaster]

pic1- looking at the bunk frame work which was made at the height of 200mm to allow for enough room under the padded bunks for storage. bunks are just over 2mtrs in length.

Pic2 taken from above looking down into bunk area- The large centre area in the bottom of the pic is for large storage items (even a dunny) which will be under the bunks whilst the space in front of that is the step down/walk in bunk area. Both of these areas will have a romoveable floor for easy access into the bottom of the hull if need be.

[Reefmaster]

Pic1- Full sized Transom set up going together. The plates welded on the outer side of the bung area are to house the remarkably good Volvo QL trim tabs. Coming off the back of these plates is alloy tubing running from the plates inside the buoyancy chambers and up through the floor to ensure the chambers are 100% fully sealed to avoid any water entering if the Trim tabs leak or get smashed off. All that runs through the tubes off the QL Tabs is a small wiring loom.

Pic2- another transom pic.


Pic3- Planning strakes, keel and chines welded on.

[Vindicator]

Looking good keep em coming Greg

Cheers
Kezza

[revs57]

Just back from Riptide Greg, the Cabin is on and she's lookin' good!!!

Love the extra length of the hard top for a bit more shade back there, and the seat boxes look very interesting with what looks like a hinged lid?

I do like your idea for the side pockets with a rounded profile to create an inner lip to stop stuff from flopping around or flipping out.

Coming along nicely mate

She'll be done and dusted in a couple of weeks...not long now!!!

Got a name sorted yet mate???? or do we have to wait?

Cheers

Rhys

[Saltboy]

Hi

Your thread is awesome and the boat fantastic. I am loving reading what all you guys are doing out there. I'm after a 5.5-6 metre platey myself and my head is spinning with all the options and the price ranges which start at expensive nd go to "out of this world". Do you have a buget and time frame for your fitout ?

Dave

[pop_eye]

Greg,
I would not be going less then a 225 donk, suzy of course. I have a 175 on my 580 fisher dual series, under floor tank 200 litres, 2 crank batteries, 2 deep cycle agms for the minkota 24v and live/kill tanks. It performs brillantly, I would also recommend to get some QL trim tabs, I don't need them on my ship, I do. But it might help you trim better when cruising and conserve fuel as your talking more tonage loaded.
pop_eye

[TCSunCoast]

Greg,

Looking great, very smick in deed. Hope you make the Fraser deadline and the weather gods are with you. Otherwise we'll have to come by sit in the back and fill that esky/kill box with beer and dream.

Tony

[peterbo3]

Greg,
If you are worried about painting the Riptide, then don't do it. I picked up my 6400 Fisher last week & the aluminium colour looks great. It was acid washed & sanded. No sealers of any sort. No fairing or bog needed.
I too am doing the electrical/electronics fitout but if you want to see what the bare alloy hull ( & there are not many around) comes up like,shoot me a PM.

[zulu]

Great boat Greg, it great to see after all this time of talking to you about the boat and your ideas for set out, are coming to fruition. This will be one of the best set out pure fishing boats on the water;) It might nearly even ride as good a f'glass boat;D

Cheers Troy.

Ps. Keep those photos coming.

[Reefmaster]

Hey Rhys,
I reckon the length in the hardtop should be good for shade but still allowing enough room to get well out of the way from it so it's not an obstruction. The top of the seat boxes are hinged with small compartments under them for a cooker, food, camera etc etc. The rest of the box on both sides will be for a hidden anchor box and tackle boxes etc. The side pockets were also raised a little which gives it a different look to standard aswell. A few weeks to go now:D

Saltboy,
Your very right about the amount of options out there and how pricy it can get. I'm a little picky and just want to get this build right with a very well set up and I'm even waking up in the middle of the night with ideas and not sleeping very well at all.::) Bloody boats.
Budget- Well think of a number and double it;D Timeframe- Really want it ready for the Fraser Island Comp in late may.


Popeye
I'm leaning for the 225 at this stage as the boat will be fairly weighty. Mate I already have the Volvo QL Tabs to go on it which are a fantastic piece of equipment and should complement the boat. (pics above show the plates and tubbing arrangment for the QL tabs)

Tony
It's gotta be ready for Fraser. It just has to be:)


Peter
Good to see you have your boat mate I'm sure you will be happy with it. Thought about leaving it unpainted but It's just not gonna happen.:-/ Will no doubt regret it when the first sinker smacks the side but would much prefer a painted boat. Would be nice to see your boat and layout. Any chance of putting your pride and joy on here for all of us to see?

Troy
Yes mate it's finally coming together and the layout within the boat is working out very well with just a few hurdles to finalise. Dave has done some flash things which just makes the boat all that much sweeter. :D The boat looks like it's gonna be heavy so it might ride like a glassy.:) (Is the Yalta up for a race out wide one day?;D )


Regards,
Greg

[Spaniard_King]

Hi Greg,

Boat is looking mighty fine :)

What is the predicted towing weight of the rig? and who's trailer did you end up going with? have you looked into the breakaway system your going to have??
I am towing 2.7T around using a sensa break system which is a great system (so far) just hope I get some longevity out of it:)

Also do you know how far Greg P's boat is from finnish . I am fitting his engine

[martinies]

Nice boat.

I'm currently in the market for similar style and have been looking at Riptide or Quintrex or Fisher.

How much does something like this cost from Riptide?

[Blackened]

I'm currently in the market for similar style and have been looking at Riptide or Quintrex or Fisher.



G'day

Just to let you know, quintrex is what they call a pressed alloy boat, and put together with debatable quality control.

Riptide, Fisher and AMM for example are all in the same class, Very high quality plate boat produced by qualified highly skilled tradesmen.

Dave

[martinies]

G'day

Just to let you know, quintrex is what they call a pressed alloy boat, and put together with debatable quality control.

Riptide, Fisher and AMM for example are all in the same class, Very high quality plate boat produced by qualified highly skilled tradesmen.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I've been researching the forum lately and begin to have second thoughts on quintrex. Looks like its a toss up between Riptide and Fisher, I want them made here :D

The Fisher boat in this thread looks very well made.

[polky]

Greg rig is realy starting to take shape, guess there is a lot of sleepless nights between now and Frazer,I know painting plateys is not cheap but makes them look a million dollars. which to me is important perform excellent and look good doing it. Keep up the pics. Polky.

[Greg P]

Hi Greg,

Also do you know how far Greg P's boat is from finnish . I am fitting his engine


I just came back from Finland !!!
Dont you touch my Zuke ;D;D;D;D



Greg - lookin good, when do you retire the old faithful JBS

[Reefmaster]

Sorry Rhys I missed your question about a name for the boat. Well almost a 99% sure on a name but will have to wait and see;D It will have something to do with Double Island Point my second home.

Garry
I reckon it will come around the same weight as yours but won't be surprised if it's more when fully loaded. Hopefully know more about the trailer this afternoon but it looks like a custom Alloy trailer will go under it. Dave makes an awesome alloy trailer which I would far more want then a gal steel job which don't last long these days and require alot of attention. thought about going the sensabrake but heard alot of bad reports of them not lasting long although I'm told the newer models are alot better. Was thinking of just going with the Carlisle Hydrastar set up but still unsure. Greg Pearce's boat hasn't started yet and will start soon as mine is gone so it looks like a while yet Garry.


Martinies
A good plate boat can set you back heaps but all depends on what you want and if your willing to do some work yourself. (paint fitout etc). Bigger plate boats mean bigger motors, Hyd breakaway trailer etc etc so it can quickly add up. It's not hard to spend $80,000 on a decent platey and that depends on electronics because that alone can set you back heaps more. You will find most bare platey hulls will cost over $25,000 and the options are endless. Even with a small platey with a fourstroke you would hard up to build one for around $50,000

Regards,
Greg

[Reefmaster]

I just came back from Finland !!!
Dont you touch my Zuke ;D;D;D;D



Greg - lookin good, when do you retire the old faithful JBS


I thought you might jump on Garry's post Greg. ;D ;D
The JBS won't be far off retirement mate. It's done close to 7000km in 4 years:o It's seen a few fish on the decks too:D

Cheers
Greg

[revs57]

Ya not really gonna call it DIPPY (Double Island Points Poser Yacht) are ya???

[revs57]

or even worse Flamin' DIPPY!!!!

[Spaniard_King]

Forgot about the Greg P on here :) :) :)

Thanks for the update on that.. gives me some breathing space :)

[Michael Sharp]

Hi Greg, I have reading about your new plate that riptide is building you and it sounds like a cracker. Two mates and I built a 6.3 cutty plate with 5mm bottom, 4mm all over, from alloy boats aust, 300lts fuel and came in under 2 tones, we powered it with 175 suzi 4 stroke and it hamers, I have a v19c haines with a DF 140 on it and it has not looked back. You are with out a dought going down the right parth with suzi you will not beat the fuel accom. I mostly fish the bunker groups out of Turky beach, but in the last 5-6 years have been "tring to fish double island" I read about the talk you gave at the bout show about sounding for reds off DIP, I was woundering if you could give me any tips or DVD's as a fellow fisherman I would be very apprecheve. Thanks and safe fishing, all the best with the new vess.

[rando]

Edited, so as not to hijack the thread.

[Reefmaster]

Rhys - DIPPY (Double Island Points Poser Yacht) that's a classic but to be a true poser you need flames and I will leave that with you;D

Michael
Mate the Suzuki has been the easiest decision of the boat and I will be confident it will be a fantastic motor. Unfortunately the DVD footage I showed at the Boat show had no sound so that I could talk my way through it explaining what was what. With out myself talking through it or a voice over this footage would be useless but after all the feed back I received on that 5 minutes of footage alone I'm looking at making a full DVD in the not to distant future. PM your email and I will send some info on chasing reds of DI.

Regards,
Greg

[Reefmaster]

Pic 1 - Transom almost complete


Pic2 - The built in hand rails is a indication of Riptides true craftmanship. Not a quick easy task and even harder considering it also has a slight curve to make the task even harder. The result looks fantastic.

Pic3- Instead of going the normal weld on cast alloy bollards which look reasonably weak (and crappy) Dave has made his own bollards which lean/rake back to give a sleek look.

[Reefmaster]

Pics of the Bow Sprit. The little curved strip under sprit blends in nicely with the hull.

[Reefmaster]

Large rounded seat boxes with hinged lid. Top compartments will house a cooker etc and the other will be food or what ever.

Their will be large alloy flush mount doors in back of the seat boxes. (yet to be made) The drivers side will house a slide out anchor box which can be stored away at all times to allow for a completely clean deck space whilst the passenger side will be for tackle boxes etc. The inside ends of the seat boxes will have recessed compartments for fire extinguisher and epirb.

[Coontakinta]

Amazing how something so small can make a HUGE difference. Those rounded corners look fantastic;) Great thread RM, keep those pics coming

[seatime]

The recessed compartments for the extinguisher & EPIRB are a really sensible idea http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/images/icons/icon14.gif, they will be out of the weather though still easily accessible.
Extinguishers & brackets can corrode and EPIRB markings can fade when exposed to the elements :(.

cheers

[KiWi_625]

hi there
dont know if has already been answered or not.. just been looking at the pics looking great by the way

but if you dont mind me asking how much is the new rig setting you back???
kiwi

[rando]

Really coming together nicely,cant wait to see the end result,
Thanks for a great thread.

[Michael Sharp]

Hi Greg, she looks like she going to be a cracker, I just built a 6.3 cuttty from plate alloy boats Aust out of perth by a bloke called Swzarts designe. And I can tell you It was the best and the hardest thing I have ever done. The concertration and the attention to detail had to spot on. I powered the boat with 175 FS Suzi, and mate it hammers, my fuel is only 250lts but it's 5mm bottom 4mm all over, hard top and deck cover, comes in around 2100kg. I have v19c with a 140 fs suzi on it, and mate by going Suzi you will be soooo greatful.
I started fishing D.I.P about 4 years ago, as i mainly fish the bunker groups, and just brough a new colour sounder, I missed your talk at the boat show and was wondering if there was any way to get your info of D.I.P and sounding for reds. Thanks heeps Greg, and keep on top of that new boat, I bet your there every day hard to stay away I know. Thank again for whatever you can do.

[Blackened]

G'day

I was @ riptide on friday and I have to hand it to dave for those bollards, and your polishing work. Simply spectacular

Dave

[Reefmaster]

Kiwi
It's hard to give an accurate figure but for something similar to what I have just got done for hotwork only would come around in $28,000. ( this includes all alloy work which is completely sanded/ground back ready for paint or unpainted) This may vary depending on the extra custom work done so it may come out a fair bit cheaper or dearer.

As for a complete finished price goes well that all depends on motor, electronics, trailer, paint etc and if you do things yourself but it would come to $80,000 pretty easily for a well finished boat. The boats aren't the dear part but everything else that goes with it is.


Michael
Will send you a PM soon about DI reds.


Dave
I think the boys thought I was crazy just asking for bollards like them but after spending two days grinding, shaping, sanding and polishing them I reckon they think I'm a nut case now. ;D But gee they came up looking like fully molded stainless steel ones. They are dirty as now because everyone just has to touch them::) ;D



I have been slack and have heaps of pics to put up. Picked it up on the weekend and it's now home. Came out unreal but the huge job of painting and fitout begins. Custom alloy trailer built by Riptide gets started on next week which I can't wait for.

Pics coming soon.

Regards,
Greg

[Awesome]

Bloody hell Greggy thats one Awesome boat mate. I wanta see it with my own eyes.
Would love to catch up with you & Critter & kids sometime.
Keeps the pic's coming.

[Blackened]

They are dirty as now because everyone just has to touch them::) ;D

G'day

Greg, I wasn't game!!! honest!!

Dave

[Reefmaster]

Hey Steveo we too would like to catch up soon and what better excuse then to come and have a look at the boat.;D





Righto haven't got some of the photo's of few good features in the boat but will get them this weekend.







The before and after shots of the rear bollards. I thought I would just clean them up a little and after two days worth of work you could say I got a little carried away.

[Reefmaster]

looking at the transom area.

A lot of thought went into this area to make the most of the space and to also help eliminate gear sitting on the deck floor and in the cabin whilst keeping it very practical also.

Pic3- shows the middle door (will be padded) which is now hinged and has folding legs to quickly fold down when not in use. You gotta keep the crew happy and with amount of driving/sounding I do I thought it was a good investment.

Pic4 - Instead of having plastic access hatches in the inner transom to access the batterys and other components I thought it would be something different to access them from the bottom centre stoarge area via the swing seat arrangement. Dave made up fantastic sliding cradles that pull into the centre section (pics coming soon) This gave for a great flat looking transom while still being practical.

[Reefmaster]

curved bait board not only looks good but made it possible to access and see the contents in the large bait esky below it.

The combing in front of the bait board was made to extend into the boat a little to reduce the risk of your feet coming out from under you from the thickness of the padded seat on the middle swinging door. This also made it possible to make two compartments for knifes, pliers etc.

[liltuffy]

Hey Greg, good to see the thread. I'm still running around in the old V-Sea off DI and haven't seen you around up there lately, the fishing especially on the snapper has been excellent the last tweve months - when the weather has co-operated. Reading different threads from you I have to congratulate you on the kids etc, looks like your beach launching days in the lagoon are well and truly over.

Mate that boat looks bloody unreal, I'm really jealous and would love to have something similar, so would a lot of other people by the numer of viewers on your post.

Enjoy it and hope to see you on the beach again soon.

Cheers, Craig

P.S. I'm keen to hear more on your red storoes as well.

[Reefmaster]

Rounded seat boxes were made with hinged lids for storage of a cooker food etc while the back of the seat boxes has a large flush aluminium door that will be hinged with a latch. The drivers side has an anchor box bulit into it (not yet pictured) that slides in and out when in use. (complete anchor system fits including 300mm foam ball) The passenger side will house tackle boxes etc


Half in- half out feet rests where made really well and this reduces the chances of hitting your shins as can happen with the full sized foot rests while taking up very little room in the cab. The outer area between the cab and the seat boxes was sheeted and a hole cut to make a good little storage area of what is usually a wasted space. (storage area has inner shelf 3/4 of the way down to make it possible to reach anything down low in the pocket)

[Reefmaster]

Construction of the cab was a very important part as a good majority of plate boats look out of proportion when glass screens are applied due to various reasons. I was lucky over the past year or so to take a lot of photos of other boats and cut and shut them on my computer until I worked out what made them look good and in proportion. Using this a starting base Dave stayed back with me late one night while he constructed the general frame work and cabin side sheets until we thought it looked right.

The main changes to make it look in proportion was raising the cabin side sheets up 50mm, keeping the roof height down to a minimum (which riptide do anyway) which made the front and side windows look smaller in height but much longer giving the cabin a longer look overall and not stumpy. The next biggest thing was getting a good angle/rake on the front window supports and extending the centre support as far forward as possible without making the front cabin of the boat look to short. We extended the very front of the cabin area forward on the gunnels to compansate for this as well as making it a lot more rounded for a better look also.

Usually when using clears on the side windows you can curve them to give for a better look but since we were going glass sliders on the side windows this was not possible so he made the strip of alloy that runs around the hard top curved to
a nice point around where the end of the cab meets the hardtop whilst running another curved strip from the top end of the cab to the hard top giving it a sleek look.

The hardtop with 8 rod holders was also extended back to give shade while in a good fishing position but still plenty of room to get well clear of it when need be.

[Reefmaster]

Before and after shots of the dash. Wrap around dash will house flush mount gps, sounder and engine gauges. Turned out really well and just another good example of Riptides workmanship. The left side on top of the dash has a built in glove box with a hinged flush mount alloy lid.

[Reefmaster]

some pics of it still sittng on the ground. It's got a very mean look from the front and Riptides signature cut out on the cabin windows makes it look like a mean eye.

[Reefmaster]

Dave's dad was nice enough to give us his trailer to get it home while Dave makes an alloy one over the next week or so. It looks big on a trailer and even got the oldman to do some modeling in front of it to give an idea of size. ;D

Not a bad size for Riptides advertised 6.4m boat.:o It's 7m from bow to stern (not including sprit) and 7.6m from the tip to rear of the transom.

More pics to come soon.

[backlash08]

looking great Greg, well done
cheers - Craig

[Ally Jack]

Greg,

Great looking rig, and thanks for the pictures and you thoughts behind the layout

AllyJack

[Anne-T-Dote]

I think the boys thought I was crazy just asking for bollards like them but after spending two days grinding, shaping, sanding and polishing them I reckon they think I'm a nut case now. ;D But gee they came up looking like fully molded stainless steel ones. They are dirty as now because everyone just has to touch them::) ;D


Oops - sorry Greggo. I was trying to get too close to see my reflection ;D .

Thanks for the opportunity to come and see the rig before she left Dave's workshop. It is truely a masterpiece mate. Someone on here said in an earlier post that this boat should should be on display at the boat shows. I totally agree. There is no other boat like it on the water.

The layout is incredible in that you'll have absolutely everything that a good fishing boat needs, all at your fingertips, the whole while having a completely clutter-free deck space for ease of moving around. And that's not to mention all the little thigs that make a BIG difference - sliding battery trays, half recessed foot rests, places to store tackle boxes out of the way but at an arms reach when needed, full anchor control from the helm with out of the way storage, wrap around dash with lock-up capability, fibreglassed underfloor kill tank, even the sweet little pockets for the knives, pliers etc. at the bait board. The list goes on. Sensational.

I can't begin to imagine how many hours of just planning has gone into it on your part. I particularly was impressed with the way you pulled the cabin together - all the photos and prior planning - priceless. The angles and lines of which I might add are second to none in terms of aesthetics.

Also, Dave, if you are reading this, a massive congrats to you mate on such a quality build. Every little detail has been completed with such a high level of workmanship. Just to watch you work was a pleasure and to listen to a welder hum along so smoothly was a first for me.

Greg, I reckon you and Dave have made a good team in designing and constructing this boat, and the finished hull is a testimate to that, and anyone who will ever have the pleasure of seeing it will realise the same.

Awesome. Simply awesome.

[fleety77]

looks unbeleivable.....................

[pilchardjones]

Greg,
In keeping with what everyone else has been saying on this thread, that boat is beautiful. It is a true credit to the riptide guys. great ideas in there too. obviously from someone who has spent plenty of time chasing reefies - thanks for sharing.
steve

[Matt_F]

Hi Greg,

It is great watching the building process with any plate boat. Stepping everyone through the process as you have done is very educational and spawns plenty of ideas for anyone else looking to embark on a similar project. Please keep the pictures coming!!!! It would be great to see some photos of the cabin configuration. Being a boat designed primarily for fishing, my most obvious question is why did you not go with the centre cab and walk around deck? Is there a particular aspect to that design that you do not like? Secondly, for those of us who will one day build a similar boat when we have the money, what size shed (what height) do we need to house a boat of that size? Also I hope those bollards hold their shine after a good dose of salt spray.

Thanks again,

Matt.

[boogsboat]

Ahhh!

Only 25 more years of work then I will be allowed to buy one of these as my retirement boat! Until then the 5m centre console will have to do.

The boat is just awesome wouldn't be surprised if some of the blokes on here just walk into the factory and say that they want one exactly like that which I guess is the highest compliment you can be paid.

Keep the piccy's coming

Nathan

[revs57]

what, Polished bollards???!!!!:o :o and you reckon i'm a poser???!!!!:P mate, ya's have got too much tim eon your hands:-* :-* (Wish i'd a thought of it first!!!!);D ;D ;D

[Reefmaster]

Thanks for the comments guys. Riptide have gone well beyond my expectations and shows the fantastic workmanship that a small bunch of guys can achieve. You soon realise that it's not just about banging out another boat to them but they truely want to make it your own custom boat that will suit your needs. Riptides pricing also makes it a very attractive package but such qaulity does require a lengthy waiting period but it's definately well worth it.


Craig
Thanks for your comments and yes it would be getting close to 3 or 4 years since we last beach launched at DI as that nasty beach dump was just getting to dangerous with no access into that lagoon area. I see over that past few months it's now possible to once again launch into the lagoon on low tide. Going out the bar is a lot easier although the distance from the ramp to the bar is just over 20km each way and 37km from the ramp to the DI lagoon which adds alot extra onto the trip. As you would know there's something really special about launching at DI and I really miss that. I'm still keen to launch the new rig off the beach up there in the not to distance future just to get that feeling back like old times.

Macca
Good to see you liked the boat as you will be fishing out of it mate. ;D Made that seat at the back just for you;) (so when you pull another big red before the comp like last year it's an easy push out the back);D Good comments about Dave mate and not enough praise can be given to Dave for his boat building ability. What helps also is that he is a genuine nice bloke who loves fishing like the rest of us. Same goes for his Dad russ and young Stu who make up a great team.




Matt
Your question about building a cuddy cab over a centre cab is one that many ask. I believe the advantages of a cuddy far out weight those of a walkaround for the following reasons.

Taking a wave over the front of cuddy cab see's the water run off around the cab whilst with a centre cab you can take on board a very large volume of water which is not a good situation to be in.

The extra room in the bunk area can be a bonus with a cuddy but the full width of the seating area in the cab is where you notice it the most and you can even have a third person placed between the seats in rough or normal conditions. The door way in cuddy is usually in the middle of the cab while a walkaround often have them well off centre or more so in front of the passenger seat which makes it a pain to get in and out of the cab.


The extra protection of the full width cab is proabally the biggest bonus while fishing in crappy condtions, at night or winter fishing. You can lean against the gunnels while fishing and the weather goes around the cab and past you with out feeling much at all but in a walkaround you have that space between the gunnels and cab that allows the weather to come in full contact with you while fishing. The full width cab can also give alot better shade off the wide hardtop oppossed to smaller centre cab top. Some centre cabs have a wide roof area anway so this may not be an issue on all centre cabs.


Anchoring can be an aspect that makes the walkaround a better design but having been up the front of a walkaround to work the anchor it can be dangerous , wet and also lack viewing during the dark. In a lot of cases and probally more so with cuddys an anchor box is used from inside the boat which makes for a cluttered deck. This is why we have built the anchor system into a box that slides in and out from under the seat box to eliminate clutter on the deck. Makes for easy work when anchoring from inside the cab as well.

The only other advantage I can see of a centre cab is being able to quickly navigate your way around the boat when hooked up to pelagics. This can still be done pretty easily from a cuddy cab as well and with the massive gunnels on the Riptide it would be done with ease. I suppose it depends on how serious a mackerel fishermen one can be but a centre console would be the fair better option in this instance.

This is just my opinion but Riptide were also telling me that a good majority of the boats being built now are full cabs as requested by the customer.

p.s Matt I will get some pics of inside the cab soon.


Rhys
Thought you might like the bling bollards. There's nothing stopping you doing yours mate but my advice is don't do it.;D Although it would kinda match your Harley then mate.;) Speak to you soon.




Once again thanks for the comments guys and I will keep the pics coming.


Regards,
Greg

[Smithy]

Greg,

all your comments ring true about cuddys/half cabs over walkarounds. A good anchor from the cockpit system helps no end in making a cuddy the best choice.

[Reefmaster]

Some pics of the battery comparments which are accessed through the hinged door in bottom middle section via slide out cradles. These are very solid and will handle the weight with ease. This gives for a very flat clean look on the inside of the transom for something unique.

[Reefmaster]

Slide out anchor box which will be hidden with a hinged door. Note the top right side of the frame work for the door has a scolloped corner. This allows for the hinged door to be closed with the rope running out the door when it has been tied off on the front bollard after retrieval.

[Reefmaster]

Aluminum dash cover which has four tags that go through the top and bottom of the dash which will be pad locked from inside the cabin to cover the flush mount electronics when left unattended. The cabin will have a lockable door also.

[Reefmaster]

rear wing style set up on the hardtop for aireals and also a radar in the future. Anchor light will go up there until raydome is purchased sometime in the future.

[Greg P]

That looks more like a rear spoiler you Bevan ;D;D;D;D;D

[Reefmaster]

Classic Greg
I have the shiny bling bollards and a rear wing so all I need now is some subwoofers and it will be fully sick;D :P

[kevinnugent@westnet.]

Boy there's been some thought go into this boat!

Kevin

p.s. My teenage son suggests underwater coloured lights and some LCD monitors. You could call is the Doof Doof! :)

[SgBFish]

Greg,

all your comments ring true about cuddys/half cabs over walkarounds. A good anchor from the cockpit system helps no end in making a cuddy the best choice.

So does an anchor winch:)

[Mr__Bean]

Greg,

What are doing for glass?

I went with laminated clear on the front and laminated tinted on the side which I am very happy with.

My cabin does get hot up here though, whilst it was ideal when I lived in Victoria you really do need some ventilation up here.

Are you planning on sliding windows for the sides?

I wish I had them at times.

- Darren

[insideout]

So will we see you at the fraser fishin comp in her this year greg?

[Reefmaster]

Classic Kevin


Darren,
Trying to sort screens out right now but looks like 6mm toughened glass on the fronts and toughened glass sliders on the sides. Been told to stay away from tint on sides as the reflection is bad at night off the electronics? I don't know how you can go with out sliders on the side up here mate. Have you thought about putting a couple of small hatches in the hardtop right above the seats?

Insideout
Mate we are trying madly to get it ready for Fraser but I reckon it's a 50/50 chance at the moment. Are you going and have you still got your cat?

Regards,
Greg

[Smithy]

Anchor winches aren't the be-all and end all. The only successfully used one I have heard about had full chain and a counter. He was a Red Emperor fisherman out from 1770. There you could get away with it and maybe in the NQ shallows. You would also need to have some battery contingencies. They draw a huge amount of current. With the counter that guy was able to let down nearly the full amount of chain he wanted, motor to the spot then let it down where he needed to be for precision anchoring. How would you get on with a normal winch in a bit of wind or current? By the time you dropped in 50-80m which is normal fishing depth for our areas you would be miles off. I am sure part of Greg's success is his precision anchoring. It is a massive component in the whole system. No way would I be dropping anything but a tripped anchor and the minimum amount of chain you can get away with on the sort of ground Greg will be dropping off DI Pt and Fraser.

[insideout]

Classic Kevin



Insideout
Mate we are trying madly to get it ready for Fraser but I reckon it's a 50/50 chance at the moment. Are you going and have you still got your cat?

Regards,
Greg

Yea mate , going this year again!!This time we are using a 6.5 platey. Still got the cat too, but after watchin yours getting built,and having the need for a tougher boat,i may have to place the call to Riptide and get in the que......Catch ya up at the comp site for a beer!!!Danno

[pursuit001]

hi reef master shes surely a neat rig,bet you cant wait to hit the water,.
cheers shane.

[nobody]

greg,

im getting a boat built and this is the winch i thinking of using, worth a look............

Further to your email enquiry I hope you find this informtion useful. The Stress Free is a drum winch designed to fit into the anchor well with an anchor roller positioned in front of the hatch opening to assist the laying of the rope from one side of the drum to the other and to stop any rubbing on the boat as the rope and chain spools on and off the drum.

Re: Stress Free Anchor Winch product information and pricing structure

The Stress Free is a quality built product that has been manufactured to last. The design of the Stress Free is unique and distinctively different to other well known brands. This observable distinction initially got the sceptics talking and challenged the market however through word of mouth, increased presence on the water, targeted advertising and now some years on the proven reliability has got boaties and the industry talking. There is a growing list of boat builders who now fit them exclusively to their products.



We have been marketing the Stress Free for installation and application in both new and used boats of various makes and models for 14 years. The response to our product has been overwhelming with satisfied customers providing positive feedback and documented testimonials in support of the winch for its functionality, speed of operation, user-friendliness and reliability. The reliability of our product is backed up by a 36 month warranty to recreational users and 12 months to professional fisherman and/or charter operators.

The winch has been manufactured with the highest quality of materials and parts. The unit is a compact 12 volt anchor well mounted drum style anchor winch suitable for both inshore and offshore fishing. Ideal for narrow and shallow anchor wells. The drum and shaft of the unit is manufactured from 316 stainless steel standard with the electric motor being waterproof. Single person operation is achieved with the inclusion of a dual direction solenoid, resettable circuit breaker and remote up/down toggle switch. Due to the robust construction of the running gear there is no need to tie off once you have set the anchor - an excellent safety feature. Warranty is 3 years on all working parts and accessories - recreational users only. No longer will you have to grapple the waves or get wet when you climb up the front of the boat to lift the hatch to retrieve the anchor. A user manual with a wiring diagram and step by step installation instructions is provided in the and a 24 hour customer support service via the mobile number 0407 717900 is provided to make sure your Stress Free stands up to its name.



Key Features of the Stress Free;

Maximum torque to get the anchor off the bottom.

No need to tie off your rope at anchorage.

The speed of retrieval increases with each revolution.

All rope and chain is spooled on and off the drum at a rate of 80 and 90 ft per minute (1.5 feet per second).

The rope and chain does not twist and tangle causing the unit to malfunction.

With the flick of a switch the anchor is raised and lowered.

Can use your existing rope and chain.

Simple to use and easy to operate

There are 4 models available:

1. Small Stress Free - is suitable for boats from 5metres to 7metres and has a rope capacity of 75 meters of 8mm nylon plus 6 meters of chain or 100 meters of 6mm braid, 5 meters 8mm nylon and 6 meters of 6mm shortlink chain.

2. Light Medium Stress Free – is a new model released in July 2006 in response to customer feedback. This model is a light weight version of the Medium Stress Free, is suitable for boats up to 8 meters and has a drum capacity of 110 meters of 8mm nylon plus 6 meters of chain.

3. Medium Stress Free - is suitable for boats 7metres plus and has a drum capacity of 110 meters of 8mm nylon or 85 meters of 10mm nylon plus 6 meters of chain.

4. Large Stress Free - is suitable for boats that need more rope and chain (up to 10 meters). This drum holds 170 meters of 8mm nylon or 130 meters of 10mm nylon or 100 meters of 12mm nylon plus 8 meters of chain.

RR:

Small Stress Free $1897.00

Anchor Roller $92.00

Plus Freight



In closing we are delighted to forward this information and should you require further information please don’t hesitate to contact again on 0407 717 900.

Yours sincerely



Shauna Forster

[Mr__Bean]

Greg,

I am 10mm front laminate and 8mm side laminate. Not saying that they have to be this strong but that is what mine are.

Would it cost you much more to go to 8mm front?

Might be worth a look if you do a bit of bar work, they are pretty big front windows.

- Darren

[revs57]

That looks more like a rear spoiler you Bevan ;D;D;D;D;D

Yeah a remnant from his drag racing days!!! Maybe Greg with go with a flame job after alll Greg????:o :o ;D ;D ;D

[Reefmaster]

Smithy
I couldn't agree more in regards to anchor winches and trying to anchor acurately on small rocks only the size of a couple cars in 40m plus would be near impossible with the slow workings of a winch.

Nobody
Thanks for posting the info and I have no doubt that it's a good product but as I stated above trying to anchor in any reasonable depth of water and using an anchor winch would make it extremely hard to position the boat on small reefs which is the key to successful fishing. Things like current and wind would make it even harder. When I throw the anchor out I do a circle around it to avoid any resistance on the rope which would pull the anchor away from desired position so you can only imagine how hard it would be while an anchor winch unwinds itself.



Darren
Going from 6mm to 8mm glass is double the price so 6mm it is:o . Post platey builders up here run 6mm so I'm hopping there's no issue's. It would be safe to say you will have no dramas with yours mate;D


Rhys
ahahahaha. Mate I hate rear wings on cars but yes drag racing will always be apart of me and I still have an almost complete 400 small block chev a home that would make 600hp easy on pump fuel and it would fit nicely into the Riptide.;D It has aluminium cylinder heads, rocker covers, high rise manifold all of which is polished and would match the bollards beautifully.;D ::)
It would only use 650ltrs of fuel out to the shelf and back:D


Cheers
Greg

[revs57]

ThX for the anchoring tip Greg ;)

[insideout]

I can sympathize with Greg about the anchor winch, and was wondering if there is a winch on the market ( that can be controlled from the cockpit, not with a handle) that has a free falling anchor/chain for the drop. That would be a far more superior winching system for accurate drops. I currently have the stress free on my KC 2400 and while it is quick ,and by far the best one I've owned, and has the strength to pull my boat up a tree-/ down into Davie's locker, i would love to see that drum system with a "Free-spool"feature for quick anchoring decisions.

Danno

[WOZZA81]

Nice looking project what height is it on the trailer?

[revs57]

G'day Greg,

'Bout time we had an update isn't it? I was down at Riptide Yesterday doing some maintenance (dropped a jiggler end in the fuel tank when I tried to drain it so had to pull the tank out! Idiot!!!) Dave said you picked it up a few weeks ago - how are the bling bollards and rails going ??? I still reckon you have too much time on ya hands!!!!

On track for Fraser???

Rhys

[rcfisher]

Hey Greg,
Getting itchy feet.
Would love to see some more pics.

[dfox]

Greg's quite busy of late, every spare second he's working on the boat, mainly sanding. It's getting close to the painting stage, most of the boat is in undercoat ... foxy

[Briz]

Hi Greg … great looking boat – sure it’ll look a treat when finished – I was interested when looking at your last post to see in the picture it seems you’ve used polly or automotive bog straight onto the ally (it's pink so that’s what I’m assuming – sorry if I’m mistaken) but having just gone through a bogging/painting process on my plate boat where I used epoxy mixed with micro-balloons applied to an epoxy etch primed surface (a bloody lot harder to work, sand and fair than polly) I'm interested in knowing if there’s some kind of shortcut in getting the polly to stick to straight to plate ally … if there is - then I’ve got to know for my next boat!
Briz

[turtleshead]

What a Weapon, Keep the pics coming .

[skipalong]

shes coming along great greg what will you be towing it to fraser with this yeah, i bet she will be heavy in the sand

[BilgeBoy]

Just paint the dam thing will ya!!!

Looking great Greg

Regards

BilgeBoy

[MEGA'bite]

thanks for the pics greg great to see a good quality job being done. look forward to the finish product, and you taking me fishin for those reds ;)

[sid_fishes]

greg, its looking really good but 3 weeks out mate i dont envy you. and empty out your msg,s ok cheers ian

[Reefmaster]

Hi all,
Been flat out trying to get the boat finished for the up coming Fraser Island expo which we leave for in 5 weeks time. As of today the whole boat is in undercoat (cab needs another coat) with the sides pretty much finished and ready for the final top coat this weekend. If all goes to plan we have to rub back the rest of boat next week and hopefully the rest of the boat can be sprayed the weekend after. That leaves 3 weeks to finish it and that includes fitting out an alloy Trailer frame that Riptide will have finished by the end of next week.


All I can say is "DONT EVER TRY PAINT A BIG PLATEY YOURSELF"::) ;D

what a massive task to do a good job and the amount of fairing/bogging is unbelievable. Every weld/join/corner has been smoothed out and the boat has been straightened to the best of our ability with the limited of amount of time we have to do it. We have probally gone way over board but while your doing it you might as well do a half decent job.

I will quickly run through the task required to prep an alloy boat for paint and hopefully save anyone from thinking of doing it themselves;D We are not panel beaters but have done a few cars in the past so the general idea was there.



The whole boat needs to be sanded back.

All holes/cutouts need to be done for components and also pre drill/tap all screw/bolt holes.

Acid wash the whole boat until it's sparkly clean (man that stuff is deadly)

Apply a product called Alodine which is mixed with water similar to the acid wash and applied with a garden spray. The alodine looks like Iodine (deep brown) and basicly anodises the alloy which seals it off. This makes the boat look off brown with streaks all over it. Kinda like it's been in a dirt paddock for 10 years:o
The alodine acts like a etch primer so you can start bogging and faring your life away with normal automotive polyester filler.


Most edges and corners that were bogged have been sanded back with a small piece of round timber dowel wrapped in sand paper. The sides were bogged in the required areas and in particular where ever a weld was placed as the welds cause high spots and distortion. The bottom areas of the sides where the floor and side pockets have been put in cause the most amount of distortion and also where the side sheet gets tack welded in small sections under the upper gunnel caping. To get the sides dead straight on a plate boat you would need to bog from top to bottom but this wasn't going to happen so we applied where it was needed the most. Weeks alone were spent on the sides and I could go on all day long about what was done to them to get a half decent result.

The section under the gunnel capping where it meets the side sheet is an area most run a very thick beed of sikaflex and paint over which looks ok but not the best. After some good advice we ended up using Epoxy resin with micro ballons. It looks like chocolate and we cut a plastic board into a nicely curved shape and applied under the gunnel cap. It took a few goes to get it 100% right and after rubbing it back with a large round timber dowel wrapped in sand paper it came out looking really good. (photos wont do it justice)


7 weeks of bogging and fairing have taken place and this was with my Dad working on it 7 days a week. (lucky he retired last year:D ) He has done a massive amount of work and I'm sure is sick of me saying we need to bog that or that doesn't feel right::) ;D


To cover the boat we used Jotun penguard 2 pak epoxy high build primer. So far I have used 26ltrs (its on thick) We then guide coated the sides with black and rubbed it down by hand with long blocks and 320 grit wet rub sand paper. Using long blocks reduces ripples and it took 3 days to rub the sides down and get any of the low and high spots out.


Top coat will also be Jotun and hopefully I can post some pics with some colour on it soon.

I must thank my Dad for all the work he has done so far and also my brother Russel, Andy, Foxy(dfox), Rob(maccamania), Jason (bilgeboy) who have all been a great help.

Regards,
Greg





The pics are from just a few sections of the boat to give an idea of he amount of effort gone into fairing and smoothing everything out.

[Reefmaster]

some pics of the epoxy resin under the gunnel caping. It was sanded back with a round piece of timber dowel wrapped in sand paper to get a nice even curve.

[Reefmaster]

A few pics of where the bog is needed the most. The vertical bog area just past the very front of bow shot is where the anchor well is welded in which caused a high spot. The only way to fix this is to slow lightly build the area up to give it a nice even curve.

[Reefmaster]

The boat fully undercoated and sprayed with a black guide coat to help show where you have sanded and more importantly to show the low spots.

Second pic is after the sides have been fully blocked back and ready for paint.

[kevinnugent@westnet.]

Now people can get some idea of why these things cost so much! :)

Looks luverley!

Kevin

[disorderly]

Man, After all that work I'd hate to be the first bloke to drag an anchor up the side.http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/cry.gif
Bloody beautiful and practical fishing boat though, mate.http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/smiley.gif

[Reefmaster]

shes coming along great greg what will you be towing it to fraser with this yeah, i bet she will be heavy in the sand

We will be towing it to Fraser with foxys new Landcruiser V8 turbo diesel ute. Should do the job really well8-)

[Reefmaster]

Now people can get some idea of why these things cost so much! :)

Looks luverley!

Kevin



Kevin your dead right. Most painters want $10,000 to paint a platey that size so you can see why the overall boat package can soon blow out in price. Best to leave it Alloy and Nylac it.::)

[Briz]

Thanks for the details re: the painting process - it will certainly look fantastic when finished! Well done Greg.
Briz

[skipalong]

awesome what colour did you decide on or is that still yet to be made

[Greg P]

I cant believe you painted that bollard :P;D;D;D;D

[rando]

Wow
Beautiful!!!.
Can't wait to see the finish.

[dfox]

Man, After all that work I'd hate to be the first bloke to drag an anchor up the side.http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/cry.gif

Hope that its not me scott :) ;D Im sure looking forward to seeing some paint go on tomorrow ! ... foxy

[dfox]

I cant believe you painted that bollard :P;D;D;D;D
Greg , you'll be happy to know that theyve been safely covered to protect them from over spray ;D ;D ... foxy

[skipalong]

cant lose the bling

[lippa]

looking shit hot mate!
cant wait to see the colour, you still doing the same scheme?

cheers

lippa

[seawasp6666]

Hi Reefmaster what is nylac Thanks

[Reefmaster]

Sorry guys been flat out. The boats getting there and I will try get some pics of it this weekend for an update. I have a few pics I will post of paint and alloy trailer.
The paint came up very well and should look a treat with some stripes and lettering.

Seawasp- Nylac is a clear coating that is spraying on over bare alloy to stop oxidisation and can be easily repaired.


http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat763325.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat763315.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat763342.jpg

It has plenty of large metallic in it
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat763327cc.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat610.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat606.jpg

Alloy Trailer - Sweeeeeeettt
Its made from Structural grade alloy (same as what the boats are made from)
and is 11mm thick, 250mm C channel. Estimated weight around 750kg opposed to over 1000kg of a similar sized gal steel one.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat619.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat626.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat623.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat631.jpg


Will get some more pics this weekend

Regards,
Greg

[Greg P]

Where are the flames, fluffy dice and squirrel tails :P:P;D;D;D



Looks fantastic Greg

[Reefmaster]

Where are the flames, fluffy dice and squirrel tails :P:P;D;D;D



Looks fantastic Greg



I will leave the flames to Rhys and the fluffy dice and squirrel tail is just so not cool::) ;D

[revs57]

What can I say????::) ::) ::) There's only one Flamin Riptide!!!!!;D ;D ;D

[Argle]

Its a real credit to the work youve put into it Greg, I love the colour too - although it will make it a bit hard for you to sneak out to your "secret" spots!
Look forward to some more pics

Cheers and beers
Scott

[pilchardjones]

now that is a work of art. top job greg. a real credit to all involved.
steve

[Blackened]

G'day

Maaaaate, that's fantastic!!!! Absolute credit to you, and I love the metallic.

Has Dave seen it yet?

Dave

[skipalong]

hey greg i bet your going to feel the pain when the paint is scratched

mate looks awesome is definally going to stand out in the croud nice work with the paint good choice

[lippa]

looks horn greg!!!!!!!!!!!
did you end up pulling the trigger? if so, youve missed ya calling!
absolutly awesome job!
the colour looks similar to fords, "breeze" (on bf falcons) did ya work from that colour, and add a coarse aliminium flake?


cheers

lippa

[Aigutso]

its looking awesome, all i can say is with all the work youve put into her I know she will repay with you with many a great fishing trip,, looking forward to seeing the final pics of her completed and fitted out

mike

[Stuart]

I’m about to go through the same ordeal with my plate 7.4 meter centre console. It’s an inspiration to see the quality that has turned out for you after so much work. I’m now inspired to forge ahead with mine.

Stu

[Greg P]

hey greg i bet your going to feel the pain when the paint is scratched

mate looks awesome is definally going to stand out in the croud nice work with the paint good choice

I think the pressure will be on the crew at Fraser - it will be a long (but fast :o) swim back in if she gets scratched on launch and retrieval :-X:P:P;D



Look forward to seeing the splashdown Greg - top stuff !

[rando]

Greg
Thanks for the pics, you must be really pleased with the results.
Keep the updates coming, and I hope you fill it up with big red fish up at Fraser.8-);D;D

[dogsbody]

Looking shizen hot Greg. Love the color reminds me of something.


Dave.

[murf]

:o wow

bit of a change from the the old boat, habbits will have to change to look after it haha

looking forward to seeing it in the flesh, hope all goes well before Fraser getting her ready. what day you going onto the Is mate, we might have to come and help (read watch) at Indian:P

cheers Murf

[zulu]

Looking good Greg!! Looks like all the blood sweat and tears is paying off, good luck at Fraser.

Troy

[dnej]

Stu,
Is you centre console,just being finished at Riptide?
David

[Greg P]

Greg


You should get Dave to weld up some steps on the trailer for getting in and out like some of those Black Lab Platey trailers on the US site. Will make drive on/off a breeze solo.


Cheers

Greg

[dnej]

Hey Greg P,
You will be turning the old fella onto a softie,if you make it too easy for him( LOL)

But ,a good deckie,volunteer of course,could give him a boost up,and down.
Short,strong,stockie retirees,are the best for that sort of work( LOL)
David

[wags on the water]

Greg, thanks for the updates on your new ride. I must admit, that's an exceptional colour. Top effort to yourself and Riptide.

Cheers,
Wags

[Reefmaster]

Thanks for your comments guys.

Lippa
We did all the prep ourselves then masked it, dropped sheeted it and a mate just aimed and sprayed the final coat. We had a few dramas but it turned out in the end. The colour was a custom mix but kinda based off Polynesian Green (1995 Hyundai colour). Seeing it was Jotun paints which is a marine industrial paint we really didn't have many colours to mix up to get the colour right but it came out great.

Stu
Good luck with your future painting mate but my advice would be to get someone else to do it.;D Man what a massive task it is.:o

Greg
I really didn't see the need for a ladder on front of the trailer but I did think about it for a second. I just couldn't be like those yanks.;D


David
You wouldn't happen to know anyone with that description would you;D

Cheers
Greg

[Reefmaster]

Well "Double or Nothing" finally hit the water on the weekend and everything went extremely well. I figured I have fished Double Island Point all my life and we really fish there more then any where else by a long shot so hence "Double or Nothing" and I must thank the missus for that name which she came up with very quickly8-)

We leave for Fraser Island Wed morning so it has been a huge effort to get it on the water before we leave. It's not all finished yet but atleast we can fish out of it;D . Inside the cab needs to be lined with carpet and bunks need to be made. Kill tank/ under floor esky, bait esky and food esky in the transom need to glassed as well. Still lots of small things but it will be right to take to Fraser.:D 8-)

The trailer looks unreal under it and will work very well. The Hydrastar Hydraulic brake actuator works fantastic as well.

Put the boat in at the Raby Bay ramp Saturday morning and once everything checked out ok we headed for moreton and decided to go right the way around Moreton and back through the South passage which gave it a good run.(150km on the dot) It performed fantastic with the Suzuki 225 pushing it really well and seemed to be fitted at a good height and the 16 x 20 inch prop also suited it well. It took 363 ltrs of fuel to fill it and with 4 blokes on board a quick squirt later in the day saw 76kph at 5600 rpm which I thought was pretty good and it also planed at a very low speed which is important in rough seas.

The through hull transducer (600W) also worked great and the Furuno 585 traced the bottom very well at even 25-30 knots with the gain at 10% and very little clutter/ interference was shown which is such a huge relief and something that I find very important. The position and fairing we made for the transducer is what I believe made this work so well but we are yet to try it in rough weather so I can only hope it continues to read well.

More on the boat when we get back from Fraser. Touch wood all goes well.

Regards,
Greg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat724.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat737.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat738.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat719.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat736.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat757.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat766.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat765.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat758.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat707.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat700.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/newboat702.jpg

[Mindi]

green with envy

[STUIE63]

Greg i've been watching this build it sure came up a treat.
Stuie

[Reefmaster]

Inside shots
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00118.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00120.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00127.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00122.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00123.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00143.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00134.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00132.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00135.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00139.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00140.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00124.jpg

Trailer/extended draw bar for the beach and the Hydrastar Hydraulic brake actuator neatly placed in winch post.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00146.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00148.jpg


Cheers
Greg

[Reefmaster]

oh the through hull transducer.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg161/Greg_L/DSC00113.jpg

[Mtx]

Absolutely beautiful and a credit to you.

Well done.

[Stuart]

dnej

No mate, I built the boat myself along with the trailer and will be fairing and spraying it myself as well.

Stu

[rubba]

great job of painting you have got to be a proud as punch mate good luck at fraser greg regards dale

[revs57]

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L...a credit to you and Riptide mate

Hope you get among them at Fraser

Cheers

Rhys

[champion]

shit Greg dont scratch it !!!

Joe

[Vindicator]

Well done Greg, sure looks a treat and the paintwork looks smicko. Bet you can't wait to get it blood stained. Sure love that trailer.

Cheers
Kezza

[two dogs]

Polynesian green with envy

[Blackened]

Gorgeous

Love the personalised plates

Dave

[polky]

Congrats Reefmaster,that project has turned out a absoulte awesome looking rig.Now that she,s finished (nealy) would you tackle a build like that again. Not that you need to. Polky. Good hunting at Frazier.

[Greg P]

Well done Greg - She looks grand ! Now FFS get some blood into it and mess it up - it is too white inside ;)

What are the fuel rates with the EP20


That trailer is a piece of art - not much chance of missing when driving her on :o:o:o

[peterbo3]

Hi Greg,
Looks "Joe Cool".

[Keechie]

OH NOW THATS AWESOME if i was ever to get an offshore rig it would be that, thats some magnificant work there, goodluck to all your trips on that beast.

regards,
keechie

[Awesome]

Greg,Terry & Riptide What a work of art. You should be extremely proud of yourselves.

All the hard work has paid off thats for sure. It looks absolutely gorgeous.

Surely you are going to have it on display at the Brisbane boat show I hope.

The biggest thanks of all I suspect will go to Critter & the kids for being so understanding of the time required & shear size of the project.

8-) WE SALUTE YOU KRISTY 8-)

[turtleshead]

Awesome Rig, .

[wags on the water]

Thanks for the photos Greg. It's looks smick.
Good luck at Fraser.

Cheers,

Wags

[Michael Sharp]

Hi Greg,

What can you say, that someone has'nt already, a credit to you and to riptide for the absolute perfection of that boat. And the trailer is another story,(Awesome) how did you come up with that designe, just goes to show what you can acheive when you have spent years of fishing and years on the water to realy know what works and what does'nt on a boat. WELL DONE Greg
Great name as well, she'll turns some heads at Fraser thats for sure. Good luck.

[lippa]

I'm off to see the bank manager! (i want one)

good luck at fraser, she will be a dream!!!!!!!!!!

[matt fraser]

Simply Awesome!!! you must be pretty happy to have it ready to go for Fraser!

Thanks for sharing your project with us, its been great to follow the build right from the start. I've learnt heaps! Well done, good luck at Fraser!

Any chance of getting a beach launch shot while you are there, I'd like to see that trailer in action. I'd also like to see it without the boat on - it looks awesome!

Matt

[leezor]

It performed fantastic with the Suzuki 225 pushing it really well and seemed to be fitted at a good height and the 16 x 20 inch prop also suited it well. It took 363 ltrs of fuel to fill it and with 4 blokes on board a quick squirt later in the day saw 76kph at 5600 rpm which I thought was pretty good and it also planed at a very low speed which is important in rough seas.



Hi Greg, firstly mate, what a great looking boat you must be absolutely stoked, congrats.
Secondly, will be interested to hear what speeds you find the most economical and what sort of fel burn your at getting at cruise as I have the same engine/prop config on my Seaswirl. I have found anything between 4000-4200rpm and I am burning around 35lt p/h at around 29-31mph, which is 1.3-1.4 km per litre. Like you I have managed 76km/h at WOT at around 5600rpm.

All the best mate and looking forward to seeing some photos with blood on the deck :)

Lee

[Silent]

You have a great artist taste and best wishes on Fraser trip...

[GAD]

Looks good mate , Im sure you'll enjoy it

[pilchardjones]

Greg,
thanks for taking the time to share this great project with us. it looks fantastic and will turn heads for years to come i am sure. congratulations.
steve

[SgBFish]

Greg that is a credit to you and the builder. From a punters point of view its obvious a lot of thought has gone into making things WORK.

Just one question, with plateys like this is the floor sealed before the carpet goes down and how do you deal with the salt that gets trapped in the carpet?

Scott

[dooley]

hey mate,

that is a wonderful looking rig - hope she serves you well.

quick question and excuse my ignorance - how does the self draining deck work on that boat ?

are they the scuppers on the bottom of the vee, below the waterline ?
is there some type of arrangement that stops the water coming back in to the hull when the scuppers are open ?

cheers,
d

[revs57]

G'day Dooley,

You wont get greg til after Fraser now. But I own a Riptide and know Greg's boat, so I can perhaps fill in some of the blanks

I think the things you are calling scuppers under the waterline are actually the volvo penta trim tabs.

Yep the Riptide has self draining deck with two mechanically operated Scuppers, one to the port one to the starboard on the stern, the scuppers are just above the water line but hidden from view by the rear duck board. I'm not sure they would ship a lot of water in a hurry if a huge wave dumped in the back of the boat, but they will move water out, they will open under the pressure of a wave dumping, but need to be closed manually. there is no arrangement that stops the water coming in when the scuppers are open.

cheers

Rhys

[dooley]

Thanks mate.

I could see the tabs, but if you go further down the transom, what are those two grey things on the transom, near the keel ?

That's what i was referring to - looked like scuppers but i could be mistaken.

I imagine there's some form of lever or cord that you can access from within the boat to close the scuppers.

[revs57]

Yeah Dooley, they are sacrificial zinc anodes

Cheers

Rhys

[jtpython]

Congrates Greg
Won't be long till she's full of Reds too i guess
Frazer will be a sure bet Nice rig once again mate
JT

[Vindicator]

Geez Rhys, I thought you would have been up at fraser too with bells on.

Cheers
Kezza

[Reefmaster]

Well done Greg - She looks grand ! Now FFS get some blood into it and mess it up - it is too white inside ;)

What are the fuel rates with the EP20


That trailer is a piece of art - not much chance of missing when driving her on :o:o:o


Hi Greg
I'm yet to interface the Suzuki with the Lowrance GPS so I'm not sure on fuel figures yet but the first drive around Moreton running the engine in which consisted of a lot of different throttle variations and this returned firgures of 150km for 120ltrs. I reckon I could have sold 50 of those Trailers at Fraser alone.

[Reefmaster]

Greg,Terry & Riptide What a work of art. You should be extremely proud of yourselves.

All the hard work has paid off thats for sure. It looks absolutely gorgeous.

Surely you are going to have it on display at the Brisbane boat show I hope.

The biggest thanks of all I suspect will go to Critter & the kids for being so understanding of the time required & shear size of the project.

8-) WE SALUTE YOU KRISTY 8-)


Steveo the hard work did pay off in the end but as you say a massive thanks does go to Kristy and the kids. Kristy has been great through the whole process and I can't thank her enough for everything she has done (including letting me spend all our savings;D ::) ) Working full time and as well as looking after the kids and doing all the duties is a bigger task then building the boat. "I SALUTE HER TOO" ;D

Cheers
Greg

[Reefmaster]

Greg that is a credit to you and the builder. From a punters point of view its obvious a lot of thought has gone into making things WORK.

Just one question, with plateys like this is the floor sealed before the carpet goes down and how do you deal with the salt that gets trapped in the carpet?

Scott


Hi Scott
It's one thing to design how you want a boat but it's another to find a builder to actually work through these with you and even better your ideas as your going. Dave at Riptide did all this with ease and I can't thank him enough. I'm not sure what you mean about sealing the floor before the carpet goes down but the carpet is just glued down on the bare floor sheets. The salt and sand can just be washed out of the carpet and never seems to be an issue if you look after it.

Cheers Greg

[Donny Boy]

Greg, I've just read through the whole thing from go to whoa.....

What a journey.....and what a top result....
My next boat'll be a platey very similar to yours......
I can only wish for a similar finish..............Top Job.


Good Luck..Good Fishin............. Hope you get heaps

[SgBFish]

Greg

I know there was a Barcrusher a while back that had pitting where salt was trapped in the carpet and corrosion occurred. That was a Uni dive boat so I can’t imagine there would have been too much maintenance!

The question was more about whether it was worth putting a sealer coat (say Nylac) on the floor before the carpet went down.

It is an awesome rig that has raised the bar for other builders.

Scott

[Hornet Rider]

Greg, the paint finish inside & out is excellent craftsmanship. Who did the work, & was it done in a heated booth? I noticed you fitted analogue gauges, vice digital. Was that a bit of personal expression, for looks or for functionality? Couldn't see a windscreen wiper in front of the coxswain's station. Is that something you decided against or does the screen angle & width compensate? The internal fit out is also excellent, more quality craftsmanship there. Did you & your Dad do that work? Love the name.

regards, Mark

DUBL or NUFIN