The Ripple tender range of designs and kits has been very popular and a consistent seller. We recently had a call from a customer who we built a 3.6m Ripple for in 2014 and his tender had been stolen. The owners were devastated and dearly loved their tender and wanted another one. The design was the same however a few upgrades were incorporated. The options included large diameter beaching wheels, a built-in fuel tank, composite rod holders, lifting fittings and spray rails. As per the first boat the structure was Duflex foam finished in hardtop polyurethane. 

Related to the 3.6m Ripple design, we have personal experience with this exact design and can shed some insight into its suitability as a tender. We have the boat on a trailer so we load the boat from home and launch fully loaded. Most of the time supplies even for just the weekend can be considerable and heavy so the boat has been well tested under these conditions. The engine fitted is a 9.8hp Tohatsu which even when technically 'over-loaded' with 4 passengers, will still get the boat on the plane and cruise well. With this engine we actually haven't had a time where we couldn't plane the boat. Empty with one or two passengers the boat is lively and responsive with a good turn of speed. Also it leaves very little wake which is always good in an anchorage with other boats around. The comfort is quite impressive in choppy conditions and relatively dry. Another advantage we found is if anything large and flat needs to be carried such as plywood etc, the tunnel is ideal. And for a work platform we have even used the tunnel as a work bench to mark out and cut large sheet material sitting on the gunnel while doing this. The good stability is key to achieving this and generally moving around the boat. Something else that we noticed is when in the shallows because of the outboard leg being behind the open tunnel, its possible to motor the boat until it grounds. It also tows well without any signs of zig-zagging etc. 

We can fully understand the above owners devastation with the loss of their Ripple, and we would be the same...

Following on from our last post, the work on 'Siva' continued this year with further extensions to the job list. Although the new electronic engine controls were operational and did the job for the owners over their Christmas holidays in Port Stephens, there was some fine tuning to be done. One of the new jobs on the list was four new Solbian solar panels fitted to the cabintop alongside the existing two unisolar panels. Combined with the two panels fitted on the davits, the solar input is impressive. The Solbian panels are classified as 'semi flexible' and there was concern that they may not be flexible enough to lay on the cabintop without distortion, however they took the curved surface without issues. The bottom wiring leaves a clean uninterrupted surface when fitted. The owner also wanted a gas line run to the Port side of the cockpit for the new BBQ location. This brought to light some inadequacies with the gas installation and further unplanned work with a total upgrade of the gas locker, lines and valves. The BBQ itself needed to be mounted with custom brackets etc.

The owners also had trouble with the existing anchor windlass which was replaced with a new Muir winch. This involved remodelling the winch base and some wiring upgrades. Also needing attention were the daggerboard control lines which continually jammed. 

Another job that needed finishing was the additional water tanks in the saloon. To simplify this work flexible bladder tanks were used and plumbed into the existing system adding an extra 150 litres of capacity. One thing that the owners noticed when using the boat over Christmas was that the new position of the engine controls was too exposed and at risk of damage. So 're-work' of the 're-work' commenced with a custom matching composite bracket/shelf to re-mount the control levers further inboard and away from the side deck. For some reason the main head and ensuite had missing floor boards so these were made to match the original mounts. Also the ensuite never had a door so one was made and fitted along with the manual toilet getting an upgrade to electric. The ensuite had a small clothes washing machine mounted on the bulkhead however the wiring and plumbing were not hidden so another job was to re-route all services out of sight.

There were a myriad of other jobs that were done including things like re-clearing the carbon fibre wheels, hull pin stripes and polished 'Spirited 380' badges to finish her off.

The owners of 'Siva' called in mid last year to say hello in Port Stephens on their way North. They mentioned that there was some damage on the Starboard hull side from a docking accident they would like repaired. We booked the job in for mid July which coincided with their return trip home. With regular comunication the list of jobs/improvements grew. Some of the jobs were things like electronic engine controls to replace the existing morse system and also relocate the engine control levers which were in an unpractical position. With this system we fitted a remote on the opposite helm which provides 'walk-around' control when docking on this side. Another change was to remove the plastic hatches in the top of the aft cockpit seat and fill-in, then cut in flush style doors in the front. Some other major jobs internally were to enlarge the fridge capacity which entailed cutting and modifying the cabinet, as well as increasing water capacity with three additional tanks. 

On deck above the existing water tanks there were ugly raised covers which the owners wanted removed. These covers were unfortunately hiding a multitude of problems and this unplanned work was substantial. The covers were screwed into the deck and also the forward webs/dividers between the tanks and had let water into the balsa core. The affected area spread below anchor winch and surrounding fittings. Part of the instruction for this area was to enlarge the chain locker hatch which was fitted with a plastic spin-out which didn't allow adequate access. Another job in this area was to fit an electric halyard winch opposite the windlass and behind the rope locker. This entire area became a significant part of the work list. We also found that when the original openings were cut the blade had cut into parts of the tanks which required repair.

While cutting out the hatches in the aft cockpit seat more unplanned work was discovered with rotten balsa core which required the Port half of the seat top to be replaced. This was caused by a drain that was cut but not backfilled etc as it should be done. The owners also asked for the 5mm aluminium checker plate to be removed from the aft bottom hull steps and a new 3 rung swim ladder fitted. The checker plate was not only unsightly and heavy but very hot to tread on in hot conditions. 

The long list of other jobs were too many to mention but most people know that there is no such thing as a 5 minute job on a boat! 

It was touch and go to have the boat ready for launch on the 21st of December which was the last day of operation at the boat yard before Christmas closure but we got there!

Although not all the jobs got done we can now finish all loose ends on the water.

We would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and all the best for 2017! 

We wish you fair winds and sunny days if you are going boating.

We appreciate all the support we have received over 2016 and look forward to a busy and prosperous New Year!

We are closing on the 23rd December 2016 & will be re-opening on the 9th January 2017.                                              

This is our latest factory-built Ripple project for a customer from Queensland. Built from the Duflex foam kit it was kept as light as possible. The owner requested some personalised extras such as an in-built fuel tank under the Port forward seat with deck filler, fore and aft tow fittings, large beach wheels, davit lift fittings, gunnel fender strip and composite rod holders. For more information about this design check out the Ripple page

Michael Hoult has posted some detailed feedback of Roam's upwind performance for anyone interested in this design. To read more click here

The standard Spirited 380 design has proven itself as a fast performer however this owner wanted to go next level! You may remember this project that began with the design phase and then the engineering and building of the carbon mast and boom. This Spirited 380 was originally built by Stallion Marine and then bought by the existing owner. It all started with the owner wanting to replace the sails but it didn't stop there, he then approached us to design the larger rig. The boat is fitted with an 18.2m carbon wing mast, custom carbon boom and racing sails incorporating a sizable 'flat top' on the main. The owner gave us this feedback:

 "Been on the water for 12mths now and it is all working well. Makes a surprising amount of boat-speed and is really nicely balanced. Reefing is easy… for most conditions short of a gale, we just furl the headsail and sail on the main... easily controllable and it sails really well on main alone." 

Check out the latest video from the Spirited 480 Roam crew in the Lau Island group, Fiji. This amazing paradise is worth a look, check it out here...

You may remember this Ripple which was sea-trialled in raw Duflex! Since then the owner has spent a lot of effort fitting this little boat out. There is storage below the helm seat, hydraulic steering, an anchor locker, bilge pump and even nav lights! The engine is a 15hp Mercury with electric start and tilt! All that's missing is the espresso machine! This would have to be the most elaborate fit-out of the smaller sized Ripple's so far.

Congrats go to the owner who has done a great job on the finish! 

There is a Youtube video clip of the boat underway for anyone interested: click here

Chris Downing has been enjoying the last few months cruising the East Coast since his departure from
Port Stephens in July. His Spirited 380 Tasha was fitted with a brand new set of North sails for the trip.
Chris recounts some highlights from his trip below:
 

"My brother Andrew, brother in-law Chris and myself sailed non-stop from Soldiers Point to the Gold Coast in 53 hrs. I don’t think this is any kind of record but it sounds good.

Then my mother Bev, step father Mike, Andrew and myself motored through the GC Seaway to Manly (zero wind).

Andrew and I sailed from Manly to Rosslyn Bay (Yeppon) where Andrew jumped ship. Then its was just me to the Whitsundays.

I’ve had friends visiting and have Andrew, his wife Elizabeth, son Lachlan and myself to sailing back from the Whitsundays to Rosslyn Bay.

Then its myself again (I’m hoping my father Frank will join me) back to Manly where she will have a marina berth at the Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club (MBTBC) Marina.

Had mixture of very light to strong (0-25) SW - SE most of the way. Top speed was 16 kts.

A couple of times we averaged 12 kts over several hours.

Tasha has performed very well (overtook several yachts/cats sailing north) and easy as to sail single handed.." 

Tasha is now up for sale for anyone wanting a beautifully finished example of this design. Please contact us for further details.