Powerful RIBS – Philippine Boat Show 2009
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Photo courtesy Advanced Composite Systems
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Powerful RIBS at the Philippine Boat Show 2009 from Advanced Composite Systems Inc., Subic Bay. ACS will be displaying a number of Hammerhead Rigid Inflatable Boats (“RIBs”) at the Philippine Boat Show.
Among the Hammerhead RIBs will be one of ACS’s most popular models, the Hammerhead Explorer 8. This 8-meter RIB was designed and engineered by ACS’s own ‘in house’ team of Naval Architects and engineers. The Hammerhead Explorer 8 is made from industry leading materials such as stitched directional strength glass cloth, vinyl-ester resins and imported high density foams used in the decks, hulls and underfloor hull stiffening. Taking this high tech approach to boat construction results in the Hammerhead Explorer 8 having a lightweight composite structure that is significantly stronger and stiffer; gone are the days of rotten plywood floors, poor hull design and a huge engine just to get the boat moving.
While being shown around ACS’s secure manufacturing facility in Subic Bay, ACS CEO, Duncan Trower, explained that using high-tech materials went hand-in-hand with modern manufacturing methods: vacuum bagging and resin infusion. “Using these methods to produce hulls, decks and stiffening grids has resulted in laminates with near perfect resin-to-glass ratios and zero air-entrapment; both extremely important factors contributing to laminate strength”.
Trower asserted that, “the old method of hand lamination in an open mould, although still widely used, is slowly being replaced in the marine industry by more modern techniques that reduce weight and remove air bubbles from the fiberglass.
“With the world becoming more conscious of fuel consumption, many top boat builders are changing their philosophy and producing lighter boats. Keeping the boat lightweight yet strong, yields a range of benefits . . . end users can use a smaller, more economical engine and still achieve high speeds with improved fuel economy, or the weight saving means they go even faster with the largest engine”.
The Hammerhead Explorer 8 will be on show at the Philippine Boat Show 2009 from 20th to 22nd March. And watch out for the next Hammerhead Explorer on the water: the Hammerhead Explorer 10 . . . it’s huge! Perfect for travel and tourism development in remote areas of the Philippine archipelago