Towing inflatable rib

[Phil18]

Is it safe to tow inflatable rib in trailer my concerns are the light weight and stones puncturing boat, can the outboard be attached aswell.
Cheers

[spartacus]

You'll need to elaborate on your question and provide a little more detail. I've absolutely no idea what you're asking.

[Phil18]

When i bought rib seller told me because of rib being so light would be best to deflate for transport and because of weight of outboard seller told me not to travel with outboard on boat

[Mollers]

This sounds like either a sib or a dinghy, not a rib. Your call fella, if it's light enough to blow out/off of a trailer, probably best to deflate it and stow in safely in either a trailer or in the boot.

[ShinyShoe]

If you are getting punctures from stones your rIB has too thin a 'rubber' to be safe at sea, or you need to not drive at 60mph across sharp stone. Puncturing a RIB is about as hard as puncturing skin. If you aren't worried about killing people with flying stones you are unlikley to puncture the rIB.

However plenty damage does occur trailing any boat. If its got GRP hull you can chip that but unless it's a FIB you have no choice. If its a SIB some people do tow with engine on, but you would be less likely to cause damage by not... But I'm sure there are plenty who have never damaged.

[Mikefule]

Most of you will be familiar with this, but this is an answer to the original poster.

Most people two RIBS (rigid hulled inflatables) on trailers, inflated, and with the engine attached. On any decent summer weekend, the M5 is full of them being towed down to the diving honey pots. A RIB has a hard hull like a "proper boat" made of fibreglass (GRP) with an inflatable tube around the top.

There is no obvious reason why you cannot tow a SIB ("soft" inflatable boat) on a suitable trailer. It needs to be properly secured with wide straps. A SIB has either a firm inflatable floor or a floor made of removable boards. The bottom of the hull is a soft skin of waterproof fabric.

However a "rubber dinghy" is a different thing: much thinner, softer, lighter, and on the whole not a safe thing to transport inflated.

A Rigid Inflatable Boat has a strong rigid transom as part of the rigid hull and it should be OK to tow with the engine attached. Some engines are too big to remove without a hoist anyway.

A Soft Inflatable has less support for the transom and I would be wary of towing with the engine attached unless the trailer had some sort of support for the foot of the engine.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Mikefule

However a "rubber dinghy" is a different thing: much thinner, softer, lighter, and on the whole not a safe thing to transport inflated.

I'm not sure where you are making the distinction between a rubber dinghy and a SIB; before RIBnet* coined the phrase SIB there were only inflatable boats... I assume you are really talking about children's beach toys but I have no idea why one couldn't be transported inflated if you chose to and tied it down safely.

*there is some suggestion that the Scandinavians might have started it, but I prefer to think it was Keith (don't forget the brackets) Hart.

[Mikefule]

Originally Posted by Poly

I'm not sure where you are making the distinction between a rubber dinghy and a SIB; before RIBnet* coined the phrase SIB there were only inflatable boats... I assume you are really talking about children's beach toys but I have no idea why one couldn't be transported inflated if you chose to and tied it down safely.

*there is some suggestion that the Scandinavians might have started it, but I prefer to think it was Keith (don't forget the brackets) Hart.

I'd say a SIB is a bona fide boat that is inflatable, whereas a rubber dinghy is, if not a beach toy, not really a practical boat - the sort of thing you see for sale at the seaside rather than at a marina or chandlery.

However, there are "rubber dinghies" sold as suitable for 3 or 4 people and I'm sure some people are tempted to take them beyond their design remit. I have seen "rubber dinghies" on roof racks (rather than trailers) bending upwards and folding because of the headwind. However, a "proper SIB" (as we would understand the term) properly inflated has enough rigidity for this to be unlikely.

I mentioned "rubber dinghies" for completeness because the original poster seemed to be unsure of definitions. On eBay you may well find items misdescribed. In another forum I use, a novice bought a musical instrument only to find it was a completely different type from what it was listed as.

[ShinyShoe]

But would they ever put an engine on a Rubber Dinghy ala Beach toy?

Like you I've seen SIB style Tenders on the roof of card bending - I think they are under inflated and badly tied down.

[stevo]

i tow my sib 4mtr avon ,with the motor in back of car tried towing with motor on transom but going over speed bumps is a nightmare the back end bounces like mad even with a strap on motor.

[falcon0310]

guys,
think your missing point
1 small boats are hard to tow, because iv all-ways towed them from my transporter cant see them in my mirrors .
2 A 200 kg step ups, all ways bounce drove 2/3 miles in 30 mph area had check twice before i was happy
3 found 12 ft trailer with alley floor quicksilver 380 hard to reverse compared to 18 to 25 ft rib range as just cant see it

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by falcon0310

guys,
think your missing point
1 small boats are hard to tow, because iv all-ways towed them from my transporter cant see them in my mirrors .

Sorry did the OP say he had a transporter? I've towed a vast range of sizes of trailer and the only thing I've never been able to see was a tiny box trailer. I solved that by attaching a pole to it.

2 A 200 kg step ups, all ways bounce drove 2/3 miles in 30 mph area had check twice before i was happy

Sailing dinghies are under 100kg, they do bounce. Slow down if its properly bumpy stuff.

3 found 12 ft trailer with alley floor quicksilver 380 hard to reverse compared to 18 to 25 ft rib range as just cant see it

So don't reverse it. Small trailers don't reverse well in my opinion even if you can see them - they are too twitchy with the slightest imperfection on the road surface. But they are light. So if you need to turn round just jump out and unhitch it. Launching can be by hand for that weight and then recover driving straight up...

The OP didn't say will it be a 'mare to tow? He asked if he was gonna damage his boat towing it.

[Phil18]

Cheers guys some good information there.
Thanks very much

[jonp]

I tow mine thousands of miles here in Aus often on gravel roads, yet to have a puncture. Make sure you have some good mud flaps on the tow vehicle and trailer.

Jon

[Whizzbang]

Why is it in the RIBs for sale Section?