New Buy in the USA

mavrick211 · 13 July 2006, 03:22

Im wanting to buy a Rib some what in the catagory of a CZ7 but i most certainly cannot afford the price

Ribs are not that popular here in the sates and used one are hard to find
I found one in cannada brand new a 633 OB hurricane figured that would fit the bill but it would cost some where around 65000

are there any other options for me I live on the west coast of the country weather here can get nasty at times unexpectedly thats why i would like to have a twin engine very tough boat id also like to be able to travel at 60MPH max speed

any suggestions or opinions are very appriciated

Nos4r2 · 13 July 2006, 03:59

Would it be cheaper to buy a boat without engine in the UK and ship it to the USA to buy/fit the engine and buy the trailer?

mavrick211 · 13 July 2006, 04:13

Im not shure if that would be cheaper or not dont have a clue what shipping rates are
i know here in the US i wanted one shipped from California to Washington state about 1200 miles shipper said it would cost 4,000 so i can amagin what over the atlantic would cost

im really looking for opinions on RIB manufaturers from the internet research i have done i have come to the conclusion that the Zodiac Hurricane is about the most durrable but i would like to here other opinions if there is a better biult model out there i would like to here about it

I did find a 630 hurricane but it had a diesel inboard

would i be able to buy one of these and have it converted to out board and have the aluminum outboard bracket put on or is that to expensive

Nos4r2 · 13 July 2006, 04:31

If you search this site you'll find a whole load of manufacturers and names.

Might be worth a look at:-

Ribcraft

Avon

Redbay

Humber

From what I've seen it'll be a whole load cheaper to buy engines and trailers in the USA.

Your $4000 shipping at a rough guess should cover the cost of bringing one over in a container-as long as it'll fit in a 20' container.It's VERY expensive retubing in the USA and if the prices are similarly over the top for whole boats then it might well be worth looking into.

I doubt you'll be able to do anything with a rib that'll really stress any of the ones that are traditionally used as dive club boats over here though. You'd be surprised how tough they are. There's people on here (me included) beating the crap out of 20-30 year old Avons in all sorts of conditions and they just shrug it off and take it.

There's a redbay for sale on their site that'd pretty much fit your criteria too and would come in at less than $45000 including shipping it over.

http://www.redbayboats.com/preownedboats.htm

prairie tuber · 13 July 2006, 06:13

http://www.polarisboats.com/p/boats.htm

These guys are out of Langley B.C. and make very high quality aluminum hulled, Hypalon tubed RIBS for much lower prices than Hurricane.

OceanEco · 13 July 2006, 07:23

I have a used 22 foot Polais RIB for sale in British Columbia with no power. It is a heavy duty fiberglass commercial hull with double layer Hyplon tubes. It has a 2 foot alum outboard pod(extension). PM me if you are interested. 200 hp max. I just bought a new Hurricane 640.

Check out these links.

http://www.liquidmetalmarine.com/

Excellent company with attension to detail and a excellent ride.

http://www.polarisboats.com/

Another good company. Their fiberglass hulls are made in house and they contract out their alum hulls.

www.inflatableboatsales.com

Used Rib dealership in Vancouver Canada.

http://www.titanboats.com/

Another good but expensive company from vancouver island.

Channelwatch · 13 July 2006, 16:20

you have got to take a trip to Southern California and take our Ribcraft Mitigator, named Maverick, for a spin. I would bet that head to head the Mitigator would outperform the CZ7 and cost considerably less. You can also purchase the same boat without all the bells and whistles for less than what you might think.

Ribcrafts may not be as heavily built as Zodiacs but they are well built, lighter, and perform wonderfully especially in heavy seas. Ribcraft USA is in MA and will build a boat to suite your particular needs, set up however you like. Give me a call or send an email and I will gladly provide more info and a rough idea on prices. All the contact info is on our website. Look through the photo gallery and you will see some pictures of Maverick and there will be more coming soon.

A ride is all it will take and hopefully in a bit of a sea so you can really appreciate it.

Limey Linda · 13 July 2006, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by mavrick211

Im wanting to buy a Rib some what in the catagory of a CZ7 but i most certainly cannot afford the price

Ribs are not that popular here in the sates and used one are hard to find
I found one in cannada brand new a 633 OB hurricane figured that would fit the bill but it would cost some where around 65000

are there any other options for me I live on the west coast of the country weather here can get nasty at times unexpectedly thats why i would like to have a twin engine very tough boat id also like to be able to travel at 60MPH max speed

any suggestions or opinions are very appriciated

I live in AZ and am in approx the same position as you. I am seriously considering importing a used 7/8 M RIB from UK less engine. Have a quote for the shipping from Southampton to Port Huenemein, CA, of 2418 UK pounds ( approx. $4000) Hope this helps. PM me if you need more info.

jyasaki · 13 July 2006, 23:04

I got my Polaris about a year ago. Built very well, and the company is a dream to work with. Not particularly inexpensive, but should last pretty much forever.

I checked out Titan Boats as well, when I was speccing thing out; they seemed a little reticent to commit to building a small boat (I think they are primarily building large commercial boats.)

Hit the Polaris webpage, and give them a call; they get used boats for sale on occasion, as well as staying in touch with most owners (so they know when owners are selling.)

jky

Chopppywaters · 14 July 2006, 00:33

I got my Ribcraft 585 this summer. Its great (built from the MA factory) and i could almost guarintee any conditions you want to take the boat out in the 585 could handle, worse conditions=swimming....alot of swimming.

Ezgoing · 14 July 2006, 01:51

Maverick

I am a Redbay 6.5 user who ribs a lot on west coast of Ireland in North Atlantic.

I chose Redbay over Zodiac on grounds of toughness and seakeeping.

buying without an enginr from them could be worth a try.

Your quote on shipping seems excessive. Try and get someone with contacts in shipping industry or a company who ships a lot and I will bet you can get a much better price on the shipping.

rgds

mavrick211 · 14 July 2006, 02:58

Thanks for all the info
u guys have been a great help
didnt know there were so many manufacturers
ill keep whatching the used market i think so i can save some cash
are there any things that i should be watching out for like if i bout a X coast guard boat would it have stress fractures and the such thats why they are selling it

Nos4r2 · 14 July 2006, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by mavrick211

are there any things that i should be watching out for like if i bout a X coast guard boat would it have stress fractures and the such thats why they are selling it

it's unlikely but you'll be able to see if it has stress cracks as long as the gelcoat is original and the boat is on a trailer.

I'd hazard a guess and say the main reason the coastguard sell them on is end of fleet contract or number of hours on the engines.

fast fred · 14 July 2006, 12:35

just some info for ya's, been to Ribcraft hear in ma, nice set up, you got Brig, and AB .Shipping tubes can be Vary diapointing, Best by far to get your own container, maybe share cost with someone to take up unused space.

importing from the UK dose not seem to panout well $$ wise hear, it's the exchange game, mostly reserved for a hull you got to have, like say a
Bananashark, for a little more $$ than used cost from thare, you can get new from some ware else, However, thare are other pit falls to consitter.

The Garfish · 14 July 2006, 13:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by fast fred

thare are other pit falls to consitter.

fuk mee fasst fredd i fink yew nead a spel chekker

gaRf

fast fred · 14 July 2006, 13:15

i'm good with it, thinkin you can get the jest of it despite my spellin habits.

sunrider · 19 July 2006, 21:05

I bought a 1995 Zodiac Hurricane 733 from the Government a short time ago, and am in California now to pick it up for return to Iowa where I will recondition it for sale. This is the exact boat the CZ7 is patterned after.

As is typical, I wasn't sure of it's condition while bidding. I was able to inspect it yesterday and found every aspect better than expected. It does not have tubes, engine or drive - consisting of hull, console and storage, fuel tank, deck fittings, and sits on a triple axle trailer. It appears in very good shape structurally, requiring tubes, power and cosmetics to be ready for use. The trailer also appears strong, with disc brakes, requiring cosmetics, a wheel, and and winch/post to be fully operational.

My intention is to convert the original I/O to outboards by installing the aluminum transom extension as seen on the CZ7 - I have plans provided by Zodiac for this purpose. In the end, I hope to have a boat that closely resembles the CZ7, but could be priced at a fraction of the cost - and offer it for sale on eBay and through other contacts. I know where a used set of tubes can be found for $3k, or a new set for about $7.5k.

Unfortunately, there have been unforseen delays in processing the paperwork so I cannot pick up the boat now, and am returning to Iowa without it. If you have an interest in this boat I might consider selling as-is to avoid another long drive out for pickup. I you would like to discuss the possibilities please let me know by direct email to sunrider@lisco.com, or cell phone at 641-455-9955. I'm on the road at the moment so there will probably be a delay before I can reply. bryan.

wes · 20 July 2006, 19:30

Zodiac did a nice job copying the Ribcraft (USA) Mitigator that was introduced a full year before the CZ7. http://www.ribcraftusa.com/mit/

Unlike Zodiac, I undstand Ribcraft has actully sold some of these things. Rumor is Zodiac has sold two to private users but unloaded a couple demo boats to a government agency that needed 7m quickly. Also heard that Zodiac will soon retire the CZ7 as it's been such a loser for them (though in typcial French fashion it will quietly fade away).

codprawn · 20 July 2006, 19:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by wes

Zodiac did a nice job copying the Ribcraft (USA) Mitigator that was introduced a full year before the CZ7. http://www.ribcraftusa.com/mit/

Unlike Zodiac, I undstand Ribcraft has actully sold some of these things. Rumor is Zodiac has sold two to private users but unloaded a couple demo boats to a government agency that needed 7m quickly. Also heard that Zodiac will soon retire the CZ7 as it's been such a loser for them (though in typcial French fashion it will quietly fade away).

There is actually a bloke on here(in Wales) who has a CZ7 - and no doubt loads of cash!!!

Nice boat but not exactly good value for money???

OceanEco · 20 July 2006, 23:54

Zodiac did not copy ribcraft. The CZ7 is modelled after zodiac hurricanes which have been in production for over 25 years.

They were first built on Vancouver Island in Sidney by Oceanus Re-Enforced Plastics. They were then picked up by Zodiac and have been building the hulls for zodiac ever since. The hulls then go to the Zodiac Hurricane plant where they are fitted with toobs etc.

The zodiac hurricanes can not be compared to the french made zodiacs they are a total different class of boat.

The CZ7 is basically exactly the same as the Hurricane 733, but done up for the general public. Most of the hurricanes are sold to the US navy Coast guard etc.

I have run the 640, 733, 753, zodiac hurricanes as well as the Ribcraft mitigator and in rough seas there is no comparison.