Buying a Charter RIB

[Alpina]

Hello all!

I've been working in the RIB Charter business for two years now, this has generated a huge amount of experince of different Charter RIBs, Parker 900's, Ring Powercraft's and others. I'm now looking into buying a RIB for my own business and I've narrowed the selection down to a Ring or the Parker 900RS.

Both are great imo but with slight different behaviour's. In Sweden, the practical limit due to law is 12 passangers and two skippers.

When considering the Parker 900RS I'm looking into dual Suzuki DF300's, should push performance beyond 60 knots with correct rigg and prop's. Could the boat fit Yamaha 350 V8's?

The Ring I have driven was the 9.5M with tripple Suzuki DF250's, something that seem a little to heavy for the boat. Performance, however, was great! 65+ knot's with 12 passengers was possible. But I don't like the behaviour of tripple installations with two props spinning counter clock wize and one clock wize. What performance could you expect with dual DF300's? Yamaha V8's?

There's a catch on using other engines than Suzuki in Sweden because they, Suzuki, provide excellent warrantys on their engines for charter use and henche the majority of all charter rib's in sweden use Suzuki engines. I've also witnessed several Verado 275's break down and that makes me question if they're suitable for charter use, has the new 300 modell improved on reliability? What about the 350 Verado? I love any inline 6 cylinder engine and the supercharger gives exellent tourqe throughout the entire register.

Any thought or comment is welcome!

/Alpina

[martini]

Hi and welcome!

I cant remember the name but theres a charter 11.5m Ring in Sweden with triple Suzuki DF300's which apparantly handles very well. The 9.5m you were driving with triple 250's may have been much easier to control with power assisted steering as fitted to the 11.5m. Or going for dual 250's would probably only lose a couple of knots off your top end speed, but with a full payload you will see where the 3rd engine came into play.


The decision on whether to go for Parker or Ring is probably mostly down to your area of operation. Sheltered inland fjords would be the perfect stomping ground for a Ring but with the seas that can build in the Baltic, the ring may be somewhat less than comfortable for your passengers!

[Alpina]

Hi!

My friend and collegue used to work on the 11.5M Ring you mention, great boat but way to big and expensive imo. The 9.5M had powersteering, but when using an uneven number of engines you tend to get a boat that feels slippery. If i went for a Ring 9.5 I'd probably go for dual 300's.

[joakimhansson]

In Stockholm we have many different brand of charterribs. One of the fastest is http://www.nilkar.se with http://www.allabla.se/ with a very narrow Tornado. I personaly don´t like the tornado so much, weak and quality? http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?...t=fjordrafting

http://www.oceanmanagement.se/ talk to these guys they have same plans as you to next summer. Suz 300 or Yam 350 and one more new rib.

When you have experience of driving boats in this size, you know how much you need to get some extra knots. For me i should go more for handling, why not a revenger 29 with twin? Or a 34...

I talked to a guy who planned a charterrib in germany with twin inboard petrol. 2x425hp... A Revenger..

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by Alpina

Hello all!

When considering the Parker 900RS
Could the boat fit Yamaha 350 V8's?

/Alpina

Where is Andre when you need him?

Nasher.

[martini]

There's always the Yamaha 350 but if Suzy are offering the best commercial warranty thats an important factor for a charter boat.

Theres a rib based over here with triple 250's but it's pointless in my opinion, there's pro's and cons' to choosing between single and twin installations but when choosing between twins and triples, the cons are starting to take over

[martini]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Where is Andre when you need him?

Nasher.

Available in any colour as long as it's black

[codprawn]

I wouldn't touch the Yam V8 - it's way too heavy!!! I would go for a Suzuki 300 or an Etec 300 - also look at the Mercury 300XS - it is a very light engine and supposed to be good on fuel as well - and it's a 2 stroke!!!

I would think 3x engines are too much for a 9m boat - fine on an 11m though.

The Verado is a great engine but I am worried about how complex they are with all the electronics. They are releasing a 350 in october.

[Steve_B]

I am in a simular position as Alpina.
The deciding factor as to whether I go for the Parker or to an alternative, is down to the engines. Parker will not supply a hull with anything other than Mercury or Mercruiser engines, I have asked.
Therefore if you want Suzuki, the Parker is off your options.

Let me know if you get a different answer from Andre

[Andre]

Originally Posted by martini

Available in any colour as long as it's black

Matt, MILITARY GREY not Black

[Andre]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Where is Andre when you need him?

Nasher.

HERE

[Andre]

Originally Posted by Alpina

Hello all!

I've been working in the RIB Charter business for two years now, this has generated a huge amount of experince of different Charter RIBs, Parker 900's, Ring Powercraft's and others. I'm now looking into buying a RIB for my own business and I've narrowed the selection down to a Ring or the Parker 900RS.

Both are great imo but with slight different behaviour's. In Sweden, the practical limit due to law is 12 passangers and two skippers.

When considering the Parker 900RS I'm looking into dual Suzuki DF300's, should push performance beyond 60 knots with correct rigg and prop's. Could the boat fit Yamaha 350 V8's?

The Ring I have driven was the 9.5M with tripple Suzuki DF250's, something that seem a little to heavy for the boat. Performance, however, was great! 65+ knot's with 12 passengers was possible. But I don't like the behaviour of tripple installations with two props spinning counter clock wize and one clock wize. What performance could you expect with dual DF300's? Yamaha V8's?

There's a catch on using other engines than Suzuki in Sweden because they, Suzuki, provide excellent warrantys on their engines for charter use and henche the majority of all charter rib's in sweden use Suzuki engines. I've also witnessed several Verado 275's break down and that makes me question if they're suitable for charter use, has the new 300 modell improved on reliability? What about the 350 Verado? I love any inline 6 cylinder engine and the supercharger gives exellent tourqe throughout the entire register.

Any thought or comment is welcome!

/Alpina

For charter work I would select the 9 mtr Baltic and not the 9 mtr RS. The Baltic has much better sea capabilities, ok it will not go 60knots + but with 14 persons and twin Verado 300, full fuel and against the tide you are talking
of 52/54 knots max

There is a Parker 900RS with twin Verado 300 in Greece and I will ask the owner what speed he gets out of the rib, mind you he does not carry 12 passengers

Is speed the only issue in Sweden cos going 60knots must be quite punishing for the passengers. I would have thought a safe ride in high seas would give a greater thrill and here the Parker 900 Baltic will stand out in her class

Have you had a ride on the Parker 900Baltic cos there are a few in Sweden just talk to Peder

Andre

[Andre]

Originally Posted by 250kts

I am in a simular position as Alpina.
The deciding factor as to whether I go for the Parker or to an alternative, is down to the engines. Parker will not supply a hull with anything other than Mercury or Mercruiser engines, I have asked.
Therefore if you want Suzuki, the Parker is off your options.

Let me know if you get a different answer from Andre

Steve, since we last met we have had a change of heart and will supply with any other engine and will even supply without an engine

of course we would prefer to supply with Mercury outboards or Cummins stern drive being the distributor but we have decided to be more flexible and if this increases the sales of our ribs then it was a good decision. If you are still in the market for a 9 mtr SeaSafari rib then pls send me your spec and perhaps this time we can conclude. Following the SBS and some tests done during the show on our demo 9 mtr Baltic with twin Verado 300 I now know you are not going to get a better rib. With similar power o/bs of another brand you will of course get similar results. You have had a demo on the Baltic with twin 300s so you know what I am talking about

Andre

[Andre]

Originally Posted by Andre

There is a Parker 900RS with twin Verado 300 in Greece and I will ask the owner what speed he gets out of the rib, mind you he does not carry 12 passengers
Andre

The rib is owned by our distributor in Greece and max speed is 59knots

[Alpina]

Originally Posted by Andre

For charter work I would select the 9 mtr Baltic and not the 9 mtr RS. The Baltic has much better sea capabilities, ok it will not go 60knots + but with 14 persons and twin Verado 300, full fuel and against the tide you are talking
of 52/54 knots max

There is a Parker 900RS with twin Verado 300 in Greece and I will ask the owner what speed he gets out of the rib, mind you he does not carry 12 passengers

Is speed the only issue in Sweden cos going 60knots must be quite punishing for the passengers. I would have thought a safe ride in high seas would give a greater thrill and here the Parker 900 Baltic will stand out in her class

Have you had a ride on the Parker 900Baltic cos there are a few in Sweden just talk to Peder

Andre

Hi Andre!

I've done many hours on the Baltic model, several actually, with engines from 2x275 Verado to 2x300 Suzuki. I do agree that the Baltic is very good in very rough seas but I have never felt that the RS Isn't good enough. The smaller pontoons and the narrower interior of the RS also puts the passengers closer to the water and that magnifies the experience without compromising saftey.

The competition in the RIB-charter business in off the western Sweden area is pretty severe, the biggest boats are Ring 11,5m and 13m with 3x300 Suzuki and 2x Yanmar 480 on ZF-trimax surface drives respectivly.

Now, I'm not looking into spec competitions with those, however, adding to the list is three 10m hulls with 3x250 Suzikis and five Parker Baltics and RS hulls with 2x275 Verados and 2x300 Suzukis all of which are capable of speeds in the 55-65 knots range. Thus I need the boat to perform 55-60 knots easily with 12 passengers and 100% fuel load which needs to be a minimum of 500 litres.

/Fabian

[Alpina]

Originally Posted by Andre

The rib is owned by our distributor in Greece and max speed is 59knots

That's more like it...

[Andre]

Originally Posted by Alpina

Hi Andre!

I've done many hours on the Baltic model, several actually, with engines from 2x275 Verado to 2x300 Suzuki. I do agree that the Baltic is very good in very rough seas but I have never felt that the RS Isn't good enough. The smaller pontoons and the narrower interior of the RS also puts the passengers closer to the water and that magnifies the experience without compromising saftey.

The competition in the RIB-charter business in off the western Sweden area is pretty severe, the biggest boats are Ring 11,5m and 13m with 3x300 Suzuki and 2x Yanmar 480 on ZF-trimax surface drives respectivly.

Now, I'm not looking into spec competitions with those, however, adding to the list is three 10m hulls with 3x250 Suzikis and five Parker Baltics and RS hulls with 2x275 Verados and 2x300 Suzukis all of which are capable of speeds in the 55-65 knots range. Thus I need the boat to perform 55-60 knots easily with 12 passengers and 100% fuel load which needs to be a minimum of 500 litres.

/Fabian

Fabian, I am pleased to here your comments about the 9 mtr Baltic

the 9 mtr RS will carry max 2 x 220 ltrs of fuel and this cannot be increased

you have now quite a challenge to select the right rib

Andre

[A.C.]

Ring 9.5 with twin 300HP Suzuki's,10 persons on board and about 400 litres of fuel in the tank was giving speeds of about 60-65mph. Engines were fairly new with less than 20 hours.

May be worth getting in touch with Mike at Ring Powercraft (01243 554401) as he still has the above boat as a demonstrator.
If you can get over to the UK take it for test drive.

[Andre]

Originally Posted by A.C.

Ring 9.5 with twin 300HP Suzuki's,10 persons on board and about 400 litres of fuel in the tank was giving speeds of about 60-65mph. Engines were fairly new with less than 20 hours.

May be worth getting in touch with Mike at Ring Powercraft (01243 554401) as he still has the above boat as a demonstrator.
If you can get over to the UK take it for test drive.

60 miles per hour = 52.138knots
65 miles per hour = 56.483knots

[bogib]

Originally Posted by A.C.

Ring 9.5 with twin 300HP Suzuki's,10 persons on board and about 400 litres of fuel in the tank was giving speeds of about 60-65mph. Engines were fairly new with less than 20 hours.

May be worth getting in touch with Mike at Ring Powercraft (01243 554401) as he still has the above boat as a demonstrator.
If you can get over to the UK take it for test drive.

60 MPH equals to 52 KNOTHS
65 MPH equals to 56,5 KNOTHS

Bogi