The more economical answer to a Riptide
[Manuals for all My vehicles are provided in the discussions tab. Read-read-read!]
So... It's been a little over a year-and-a-half since we began development of the Riptide line of high-speed sport boats. And in that time we've sold over 2700 units. Respectable. Could be better, but it's a boat market out there. And when you're in the market doing the same thing as everyone else I guess standing out takes some work.
On the other hand we've gotten...
Zero complaints.
Well, zero that matter. Some yahoo out there decided to say I'm 'cringe'.
Cringe I mean r- Did you come here for the BOAT or the half-time entertainment?!
There. Showed him.
Anyway, Riptide, no complaints. Functional boat, multiple jobs.
PROBLEM: We have no problems, and thus nothing to guide us in improvements. So in the time honored tradition of the phrase 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', we decided to fix it anyway.
Because we're broke.
Somehow.
No seriously, we have a full account, but like a dingus I approved Ringo's Christmas Vacation time without asking for the password.
...No Greg, we can't call her at home. She's one of those fancy space royals with the magic lumber ships that pops away to hippy-tree-planet. I'm pretty sure our cell phone plan doesn't include Galactic Roaming service.
Anyway, because we can't touch the investment account to so much as order pizza, we're forced to develop something on a shoestring budget with the only resource we have on hand.
Yeah, the three adorable equine children we pay with dried grass and half-eaten apple cores. Just so we can have a Christmas Party.
So we got Bloom to stare long and hard at the problem. And she realized, the twin diesel engine on the Riptides, while pretty good at casual speed, DID become a bit of a gas guzzler at top speed and the low freeboard limited the capacity of models like the Cyclops. That means the tanker can't go very far with very much unless you want to all but paddle your way there. What good is a go-fast if it spends most of its time in the slow lane?
Now, since boats are all but solved in her eyes, Bloom was able to whip up a completely new boat utilizing the gas-turbine engine on the V-11 series, our most fuel efficient FUEL BURNING engine.
'What about the RTG' you may ask?
We're trying to limit that to 'absolutely must have to function'. Unicorn hair, remember? Sweetie's not a sheep. It only grows so fast, and that horn of hers is only getting sharper.
It also shoots magical lasers...
What we got out of this is a new form of small utility hull we've dubbed 'Bow Shock'.
Look, we tried, but let's face reality. Trying to put together a name that communicates the characteristics of this vehicle is a little more difficult than we first expected. It goes fast, but it can run for days. Not as fast as the Riptide, but still a respectable 45 knots. And would you believe with power to spare? Gear ratios are your FRIEND when you're trying to balance power with control.
No seriously, we tried a 3:1 > 3:1 ratio. Moment Arm like a trebuchet.
Oh, right, speaking engineer to Sawyer Islanders. You set things on fire statistically more often than Pit-masters on the Fourth of July. Let me dumb this down...
If you change our gear ratios and put it in high while it's at full power, you will cease to be a boat, and proceed to become a wingless air vehicle that excels at the Olympic backflip competition.
...And then you'll crash, catch fire (again), and sink to your demise. So don't do it!
Anyway... This variant is known as the... 'Thresher'. It's a trawler. Yes, I know we already made a trawler. Riptide: Siren, yes. But remember, new hull, different operational characteristics.
The primary improvements of this vehicle over the Riptide include the platform's fuel efficiency, a significantly larger internal hold for catch, and a more optimized and enlarged net assembly.
The total fish capacity between the hold and the net is somewhere around 1,100 fish. With the improved, 150 meter winches and a larger net configuration, you'll be able to go out to the deep areas and get more of those mid-level schools the Riptide just didn't have the ability to reach.
On top of this, the Thresher features Radar, rotating land-scan LIDAR for avoiding small islands on longer trips, fish scanner, and an all new HUD VISOR system to provide that same sense of situational awareness without the expense of a large display unit on the main console.
There's also a place to sleep below deck, basic SCUBA gear and winter gear for one person; some repair torches in case you throw it into overdrive in the dock, fishing pole in case you just want to sit off shore and catch them the old fashioned way, and enough seats to bring along friends or additional hands.
Did we mention the fuel efficiency? Flow rate monitors indicate we have over thirty hours, to forty-PLUS hours of operational time, even at full speed. And when you're doing forty-five knots, that turns into serious, SERIOUS range.
Speaking of range, we have GPS and autopilot systems. If you get lost at seam the Thresher can seek out a waypoint programmed into the command console, or orbit that waypoint at any distance with the click of a button. Great for trawling those hot spots. Or just... driving in circles, I guess.
Overall, if you're looking for an efficient, long range fishing trawler that can pull in the profits on a budget, we have it here, starting at just a pizza-delivery-boy's paycheck shy of $60,000...
...That IS cheaper than the Riptide. I guess it just proves the saying, premium gear for premium prices. Oh hey! It's got a heater. Nice. Greg, get the manual ready. I want to know if this thing has any quirks I need to worry about.
Off the Shelf Micros used in this build...
- NJ Modular Artificial Horizon
[url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2471103899]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2471103899[/url]
- Radar by jecki1379
[url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2731413960]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2731413960[/url]
- MFD For Monitor 1x1 V2 by unippu
[url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2859503536]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2859503536[/url]
- NJ 1x1 Radio with Touch Controls
[url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2280999235]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2280999235[/url]
- Advanced LIDAR for Ship
[url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1753070592]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1753070592[/url]
- Zizo's Fish Finder
[url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3244366053]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3244366053[/url]
- Zizo's Sea Deapth Graphing
[url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2787024185]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2787024185[/url]
