Jump to content

RIBs What is the best brand now??


Island Time

Recommended Posts

We had a last minute decision to buy a RIB before christmas,dive tender mostly to keep the kids interested for another season or two. I wanted a Southern Pacific, but no stock.

So I ended up with an AB and it seems pretty good. raw ali hull, supposedly hypalon tubes. All thats good , good little fizz boat , rows like pig and a totally useless set of oars. I've only ever had hard dinghies before and I don't think you could row that thing off a shore in a breeze to save yourself.

So after one season I think its useful but totally dependent on the motor working, therefore it isn't the answer.

Link to post
Share on other sites

lemmee see , I have a sabot, a delta, an 8'6 wreck of a production glass dinghy, prob from the 70's, a 15 ft strip cedar row/sail thing, three or four of the kids dinghies I built and , I feel I've forgotten something.. oh yeah the RIB.

Let me know when you've figured it out squid. As the kids drop away we'll go down to something about 8 ft again ,and possibly a pram for the volume.

Those walker bays are pretty good idea I have to admit. Tubes on a good hard dinghy gets you rowing , no boat damage alongside and plenty of reserve buoyancy if it all turns to custard. Make a nice ply version , narrower and lighter for on deck and it might be a done deal.

 

a ply RIB which is more boat and less tube in other words.

Link to post
Share on other sites

2.7(?) Walkerbays are good, plastic hull with floatation tubes, rows well 1 up, acceptable 2 up, 3 + you are working. 2hp put put is ok but could cope with up to 5hp. PVC tubes are crap, Hypalon are good but expensive. Smart marine used to be the importer, don't know is now.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I love your stripper!!!!

 

I'm thinking ply home made rough as guts finish so losing it would not be a big deal, just slap another one together.

The idea of tubes is brilliant for stability and protecting topsides, just not sure of a simple cheap way to do it

Has to row well and sail, there's a small outboard already on the unflappable so it could be transferred if I was desparate (why put a motor on a nice rowboat?)

Has anyone been near Danny Greene's Chameleon?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I would have thought the advertiser on the right of the screen, namely Lancer, would be a good place to start.

 

Just needs to get their web site updated :oops:

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm in no hurry, the current unflappable should run a couple of years yet. At which point iot will be way overdue for a tube replacement. But at that time I could replace with a hard dinghy and a roll up. Or something else if I think of it .

 

I know others like them but I can't see the point of a RIB, can't stow it below, expensive, poor longevity, draggy to tow, needs an outboard.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Can't agree with you there squid except for the stow below. What we do is let the front tube down for offshore and stow on the cabintop, then we still have a ready to go liferaft. We replaced a rollup and normally stow our 2.8m Southern Inflatable RIB across the transom where it is ready to go in a few minutes as compared to stuffing around blowing up a rollup which also takes up valuable stowage below. It is way better to row than a rollup, not much different to a hard dinghy and has the advantage of being so much more stable and safe. Also easier to pull up on a rough or oyster covered beach. We use a 8hp yamaha which easily planes 2 people. We have replaced the crappy plastic rowlocks with stainless. The only minus with the 8hp is that it adds to the weight pulling up soft sand so thinking of a small outboard for shorter trips. We do have large diameter wheels, not those little useless things. As far as longevity goes I think probably twice a rollup and you can replace the tubes. We use a sun cover on the marina.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Each to their own. Longevity - a hard dinghy could outlast me. I'd rather not use an outboard, hard dinghies row better than anything, get stolen less often. I have davits, if they are used for a RIB I have a boat that can't row or sail, if I use them for a hard dinghy I can carry a roll up below decks for the odd occasion I might want it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you have a look around the liveaboard / long distance fleet, the RIB is not as preeminent as some may think. Hard dinghies are making a comeback.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...