Sports Boat May Preview

THIS ISSUE

3.8

BOWRIDER TEST

QUICKSILVER

PIRANHA

INSIDE

RIB TEST

535 THE UK’S HARDEST HITTING POWERBOAT MAGAZINE

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GET YOURSELF MOOR BACK OUT THERE! KNOWLEDGE

NEW SEASON SPECIA

SPORTS

BAREFOOT WATER SKIING

NO SKIS? NO PROBLEM

SEVEN-PAGE GUIDE TO RE-COMMISSIONING YOUR BOAT FOR THE WATER

PARK IT LIKE A PRO

MAY 2011

WA SITNANDARD

ON HORIZDHELD HAORNTH £235

£3.95

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RADIO GA GA? RING LEADER PUBLISHING

EXCELLENCE THROUGH EXPERIENCE

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QUA LIF

EXCLUSIVE TEST

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH A VHF COURSE

THE SPECTACULAR NEW 475 FROM MIKE RING

RIB-X FACTOR

IS THIS THE WORLD’S MOST UNIQUE RIB BUILDER?

INTERVIEW WITH A RAMP SLAYER

PRO WAKEBOARDER MATT CROWHURST UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

M AY 2011

CONTENTS REGULARS

10 16 28

WORD FROM THE WATER

82

RYA

The record breaking 557hp outboard

WORD FROM THE CIRCUIT The birth of AquaX

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QUICKSILVER 535 FRESH FROM THE NEW ACTIV RANGE

WORD FROM THE WEB New boats and more trips from the online army

The Next Generation

ON TEST

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QUICKSILVER 535 Fresh from the new Activ range

RING 475 – HARBOUR RAT Mike Ring’s latest and greatest

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GET BACK TO

THE WATER SEVEN PAGES OF INDISPENSABLE ADVICE

PIRANHA 3.8 The entry level RIB worth shouting about

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BEST ACCESSORIES

OUR PICK OF THE LATEST BOATING GADGETS

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PIRANHA 3.8

THE ENTRY LEVEL RIB WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT

SUBSCRIBE AMAZING UNMISSABLE OFFER GO TO PAGE 102 NOW!

FEATURES

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PHOTO SPECIAL

GET SNAPPY HAPPY WITH OUR PRO’S GUIDE TO TAKING THE ULTIMATE SHOT

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MOORING GUIDE

40

PHOTO SPECIAL

52 62

THE MAN FROM RIB-X

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VHF

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SIX OF THE BEST

The indispensable guide to not crashing your boat into the pontoon

Get snap happy with our pro’s guide to using your camera

We go chat to Colin Baldwin, CEO of Rib-X

GET BACK ON THE WATER Our marine surveyor helps us bring our boat back from winter’s clutches

The Editor is dispatched to do the latest VHF course

The six best handheld radios on the market

WIN! The chance to win Standard Horizon’s incredible HX851E radio

IN-DEPTH GUIDE TO BAREFOOT SKIING

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Two-steppin’ across the water with the best in the business

INTERVIEW: MATT CROWHURST In the run up to our new Learn to Wakeboard series, we find out more about our resident pro SB&RIB I 9

WORD

FROM THE WATER l MAY 2011

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN

Seven Marine stunned the world at this year’s Miami boat show by unveiling a world first and a true monster of an outboard engine. Producing a mind blowing 557 horsepower – this new lord of combustion blows the latest bench mark of 350hp far, far out of the water.

Our world reporter, Craig Barnett was on the scene: ‘On inspection under its ‘droid-like’ cowling, the lightweight aluminium shortblock, supplied by General Motors, is mounted horizontally, rather than vertically as is traditional. But Rick Davis and son who started the company are refusing to let out the secret on how the engine’s output is transferred through 90-degrees to mate with the drive shaft. What they did reveal however was the unit’s operating temperature is moderated by a closed-loop cooling system, with heat exchangers located in the outboard leg.

Tipping the scales at 1,000lb, the 557 is a hefty unit, but then a double installation (2,000lb) would provide the same power as triple Yamaha F350’s (2,412lb) or exactly the same as three Mercury Verado 350’s. It will lighten your wallet to the tune of $69,000 (USD). For a full write up, make sure you pick up next month’s copy of Sports Boat and RIB magazine.’

PLYMOUTH SAIL AND POWER The seventh Plymouth Sail and Power show is gathering pace. To be held over the weekend of the 7-9th May, the show has free entry, features daily demos and displays and makes a great day out for boaters and their families.

Call: 01752 671142 or visit www.sailandpowershow.co.uk for more info

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NEWS I BOAT ACCESSORIES

PHONE PROTECTION TRI AN ED TES D TED

Another bit of kit from Musto, this waterproof holder is designed to keep your technology dry no matter how harsh the conditions become. I’ve used it with my smart phone and found that it was indeed completely waterproof. The locking system is well designed, a little fiddly to begin with – but you’ll master it in no time. The most impressive feature of this bag is that you can still use your phone’s touch screen, almost as if the cover isn’t there at all.

Worth the money to keep your electronics high and dry.

Price £20.00 www.musto.com

ASADO GRILL

If you came to see the Sports Boat and RIB team at the Birmingham Boat and Caravan show, you would have seen this BBQ up for grabs on our stand, courtesy of our sister magazine, Boat Mart. It received a lot of attention at the show and with good reason - the Asado Flameboy is a tray that attached to your guardrail using the rubber-lined clamp. You then put your dispensable BBQ into it, light it up and use it as you would at home, safe in the knowledge you will not be burning holes in your boat. A must have for any serious boater and BBQ enthusiast.

Price £29 www.asado-grill.com

EASIDRI

Having spotted the Easidri at a boat show earlier this year, we were intrigued, which is not something we often say about a towel. The Easidri is basically a squidgy cloth than purports to absorb fifty per cent more water than chamois and is three times as fast. When we put this to the test, we found it did indeed dry and clean the surface quickly, and without leaving streaks. While we cannot test the claim it lasts for years, it certainly seems both very durable and a worthwhile investment.

Price: From £8.40 01253 888188 www.easidri.com

TRI AN ED TES D TED

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535 A C T I V Q U I C K S I LV E R Alex Smith heads for RIBS Marine for a look at the first in a new range of Activ Quicksilver sports boats.

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e first saw the new Quicksilver Activ range at the London Boat Show in the winter of 2011, where its practicality and pricing saw it pulling in some big crowds. Despite snow, gales and unprecedented extremes of cold, it was easy to imagine how these boats would be on balmy summer evenings with the family. They were plainly in keeping with the big modern drive for spacious, versatile, multi-purpose craft – and not highly-strung, limited in application or difficult to understand. In short, they were designed to bring you the broadest possible spread of entertainment for your money. The new Activ range was as perfect an exponent of the modern, value-for-money craft trend as anything at the entire show. A boat test was a natural priority.

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ON THE WATER i QuicksilvER AcTiv 535

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ON THE WATER I RING 475

RING Harbour Rat

They might call it the ‘Harbour Rat’, but a day at the helm of Mike Ring’s 475 is one you are likely to remember.

Alex Smith reports.

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t first glance, it’s hard to believe that the Harbour Rat hails from the illustrious Ring stable. With a relatively generous beam and fairly squared off mouldings at the bow, it appears to represent a fundamental departure from the acutely angled, narrow-beamed race machines that have made Mike Ring so famous. But don’t be so hasty.

Take another moment to inspect it more closely and this unassuming little boat takes on a fresh personality…

You notice the pronounced, angular (and beautifully moulded) chines, the uncommonly sharp entry, the moderately acute V of the hull and the useful flaring of the bow. You see the heavyweight helm seating with its firm, deep cushioning and the useful addition of lateral support to hold you still in a lively sea. And you notice the stainless steel Sampson post, the full-length grab rails and the understated ‘Mike Ring Design’ insignia on the console.

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PIRANHA

3.8 Pearl Alex Smith gets the exclusive UK test on the prototype Piranha 3.8 Pearl.

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he new Piranha 3.8 Pearl immediately suggests that the relationship between company MD, Nick Edgington, and the Chinese factory where the boats are built, is a very good one. For a start, the boat exhibits a very respectable quality of build, with a heavyweight layup, a smooth finish and a notable absence of rattles when you knock it about. And then you notice how the general shape of things

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here is powerfully reminiscent of a small jet RIB. The two-man aft bench doubles as the skipper’s driving station, with a helm console to starboard, while a single seat to port of that and a further one-man seat in the V of the bow provides decent accommodation for four people. And yet, despite the quality layup and the complicated mouldings, you still get it all for an accessible price. Here, for the boat only, (including VAT at 20 per cent) you will pay just £7,995.

ON THE WATER i PiRANHA 3.8 PEARl

Where does it fit into the range?

While there are three small inflatable boats at the bottom end of the Piranha range (the Airdeck 2.3, 2.5 and 2.7), the current RIB series consists of nine boats from 3.0 to 6.6 metres in length. All are built in China and imported by Nick Edgington of Piranha RIBs to his Sparkes Marina HQ in Hayling Island. The 3.8 is the fourth smallest in the range, sandwiched neatly between the 3.5 and the 4.2, but according to Nick, you can expect the current range to be expanded during 2011.

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Rib-X is unique. A multi-market British boat builder, they are responsible for making some of the finest fully customised RIBs to grace the water.

In production terms, they consider themselves the best in the world. To find out more about this company, Adrian Porter decided it was time to go talk with Rib-X CEO, Colin Baldwin.

A: So, how did you get into boat building?

C: My background is that I worked for Jaguar as

a research and development engineer, my passion was yacht racing and I was offered a contract to race professionally in 2001, which I took. They said they wanted to follow me with camera crews and asked what I needed, I told them I needed a RIB - they asked which one, to which I had no idea.

When I looked into it, I found that all the best RIBs had a delivery time of nine to eighteen months, and all the rubbish was available off the shelf.

So it struck me that there was an opportunity for a business to provide the best available RIB, straight away.

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A: When did you sell your first RIB? C: February 2004, as the first eighteen months or so was research. Being an engineer, I had to make sure we had the best we could get.

A: And how many boats have you sold in the last year?

C: Last year from a retail perspective has been very

poor. In the last six years we have put more than 200 boats on the water.

A: How long does it take to get from the design to being on the water?

talking point i Happy Snapping?

Every boat has a ‘sweet spot’; a lens and angle combination that really reveals the boat’s most glamorous shot.

p p a H y Snapping So you like taking pictures? Well, who doesn’t these days. A lot of people are getting into their photography at the moment, and DSLRs (Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras) are becoming a common sight, and so our professional photographer, Mike Jones, has decided to give us a lesson or two on how to use our nice shiny cameras.

All the geAr…

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The thing is, having a good camera does not mean you’ll start producing fantastic shots. And whether you’re planning on selling your boat or popping it on the readers section of the Sports Boat and RIB forum to show all your friends, you’re going to need to know how to get the most from your point and click. Quite frankly, it’s not always that easy to get great shots on the water; it can be wet, photographer unfriendly and the light can play tricks on you by reflecting off the water, the fibreglass, the port holes and so on. So to help you navigate this potential nautical minefield of photo hazards, here is some advice that will give you the basics needed to take some jaw dropping shots.

get reAdy! ‘Preparation’ may sound terribly boring but it has to be one of the most important aspects of photography

at sea. Once you’ve got your camera, make sure there is plenty of space on your memory card (or lots of spare film to hand), you should not only have a fully charged battery, but make sure you have a back up.

That’s the common sense stuff, but the prep doesn’t stop there.

If you’re taking to sea with a ‘camera boat’ (tender/ mate’s boat), then make sure you have somewhere dry with easy access to stow your camera bag, and that the decks are clear for when you start leaping around to get your shots. Snagging yourself on a wayward rope, anchor chain or cooler may see the shot lost, the camera over the side and a lot of money down the drain. Crucially, make sure all fenders and lines are neatly stowed away, ensign flying properly and not tangled up, as these are the usual culprits likely to ruin what would otherwise would have been a great picture. Giving a little briefing to your crew,

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OVER AND OUT TAKING THE VHF COURSE As technology has changed, so has the one course that almost every single boater has embarked upon. Adrian Porter decided to take on the latest VHF course.

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radio really can be your one and only lifeline to the shore. You can argue until your blue in the face that your phone is adequate, but with coverage only going so far off coast and batteries only lasting so long, the chances are, if you get into trouble, your best chance of survival will be the ability to make a radio call. Doing your VHF course will not only give you the ability and confidence to use your radio, but will also teach you about AIS, DSC, EPIRBs and SARTs, thanks to the course evolving along with the latest technology. I travelled down to Powerboat Training UK in Poole to take today’s version of the course.

RULE ONE: DON’T BE PERFECT

“The first thing you need to realise” said instructor Paul Glatzel, “you will not get everything right.

So relax, you’re not going to be perfect” were our instructors words at the start of the course. This is as true as it is reassuring. There is also an awful lot of ‘VHF etiquette’ to remember whenever making a radio call, whether it be to a marina or making the dreaded Mayday call. But as long as you follow the rules as best as you can and remember, at all times, to exercise ‘brevity, clarity and discipline’, you’ll be able to communicate the vital information in a succinct fashion, which is exactly what this course teaches.

VHF ELEMENTS

The VHF course will impart on you a wealth of knowledge and several skills, most of which

you’ll be able to communicate the vital information in a succinct fashion, which is exactly what this course teaches 72 I SB&RIB

we simply cannot fit into this article. This includes explanation of basic terms, what all the buttons on the radio actually do, the different channels to use, batteries, the capture effect and so on. In this piece I have selected a few aspects to focus on, the first is ‘gain’ and our love of raked antennas.

GAIN

If you’ve got a RIB or a flash sports boat, or perhaps you’re a Miami Vice aficionado, you may have chosen to place your radio antenna to a raked angle, because, well, it looks sort of cool. But by doing this you may be shooting yourself in the foot. Antenna ‘gain’ is the measure of how much of the energy is directed sideways. A very low (or no) gain antenna would emit energy in all directions, including above and below the boat, limiting how much energy is radiated sideways.

The sort of vessel likely to use such antennae would be sailing yachts, who spend time keeled over on a tack. But us motor people have a love of staying upright and as such our antennas tend to be high gain, shooting the energy out in near straight lines for more reach. The problem is, when your antenna is angled, you could be shooting half your signal into the water and the other half high into the sky, which is sort of useless.

SEMI-DUPLEX

We also went into the complexities of simplex, duplex and semi-duplex transmissions. Lots of leisure craft have semi-duplex radios that will use one antenna, which will switch frequencies within a channel depending on whether it is receiving or transmitting. The importance of this? If another boat with a semi-duplex radio is communicating with, for example, a marina, you’ll only be able to hear the marina’s side of the conversation – but nothing from the other boat. This means unless you listen first, you may interrupt a conversation, so always bear it in mind. How did our teacher drum this in? With tin cans on string of course.

COV ER STORY i BACK TO THE WATER

Getting your sportsboat or RIB ready

for the new season

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talking point i Barefoot skiing

In-depth guide to Barefoot

skiing Forget your wakeboard, forget your skis, the only thing you need for this is a swimsuit and a bit of bottle.

Photos: Mark Thomas and Sarah Court.

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here is something that almost seems wrong about barefoot water skiing. That is the act of being towed along at a rate of 35 knots on nothing but your bare feet, then hooking various body parts into the tow handle to allow you to do some crazy tricks, like spinning around on your bottom, or doing a ‘tumble’.

The reality is however, barefoot water skiing is a lot of fun and both children and pensioners are doing it – so I’m afraid the rest of us do not have the ‘it looks like it might sting’ excuse.

The age range? Well at my lake we have Kate Wilsden, aged eight, and Arthur Rabbit, who is approaching 70.

Barefoot

Paul Turner is a man who knows all about the world of barefoot skiing.

Not only is he a barefoot skier himself, but he’s Barefoot Division Chairman and sits on the European council for the sport, helping to organise the big events. When asked why anyone would do this sport, he replied “For the buzz, the adrenaline. There is nothing quite like it, it is simply fast and furious. That said, the falls are actually no harsher than if you catch a lip when wakeboarding, and though there are some more serious accidents from time to time – that happens in any sport. Overall, it’s just a wonderful feeling.”

Heyday Barefoot skiing has been around in the UK since the late sixties/early seventies. The time it was most popular was during the late 1980s, but despite seeing its heyday then, the sport is still thriving now. “Though it still feels fairly elitist”, admits Paul, “in a typical ski club of 100, there may be only ten to 15 who can barefoot ski.” But the range of those within barefoot skiing seems quite vast. “The age range? Well at my lake, we have Kate Wilsden, aged eight, and Arthur Rabbit, who is approaching 70.”

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