Trying to upgrade to a RIB...close quarters

fordtrbo · 31 July 2019, 15:27

Hey everyone. As you can see from my pic, I currently travel with my 330 SIB inside my Toyhauler (RV). With my SIB it fits fine, width from outer tube across is 63 inches, 16" tubes. I would like to move up to 18" tubes in any RIB size, 340,350,360 etc for stability in rough water, but...I am restricted with 68 inches across. Since I want to travel with it fully assembled, boat, motor and trailer. Can I deflate the tubes on one side 50% and still have the transom strength for my 20 hp "Fenlander" Suzuki? Would that allow me to "squeeze" the boat inside past the kitchen counter and fold down couches since most 18 inch RIBS are at least 70" across. I don't really care about which brand inflatable I would purchase, just one that will fit. I can go up to a 380 length wise, that is not the issue. Any ideas? I live in Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area that sometimes has fairly rough water, trying to be as safe as possible with the family fishing excursions.

Poly · 01 August 2019, 13:29

If you can live with the inconvenience of deflating/inflating, then I don't think the tubes add any structural integrity to the transom.

brveagle · 01 August 2019, 13:52

If you upgrade to a rib, you won't need to worry about the tubes supporting the transom.

Pretty cool picture. Thanks for sharing.

fordtrbo · 01 August 2019, 14:25

Thanks for taking the time to respond, Poly and BrvEagle. Sounds like good news for me, I should be able to purchase a nice inflatable with 18 inch tubes. I think a RIB is the way to go, probably performs better in rougher water. Thanks again

Mikefule · 01 August 2019, 14:30

If by "stable" you mean able to proceed without tipping over, a RIB is not necessarily more stable than a SIB.

The advantages of a RIB over a SIB is that it is a better performing boat when it is on the water. It will tend to go faster and smoother in a chop. The other advantage is you don't need to assemble and inflate it every time. It will generally be on a trailer and can be launched or recovered at the slipway with all or most of the safety equipment and fishing/diving/picnic gear on board.

The advantages of a SIB over a RIB: it takes up less space when it is not being used. The parts can be carried separately, allowing it to be assembled and launched at many sites that would be inaccessible to a trailer. It is generally cheaper, size for size. It may be more stable at anchor as a SIB tends to sit on its tubes, whereas some RIBs float quite high.

I'd say that if you go for a RIB, but partly deflate it, and transport it inside a vehicle rather than on a trailer, you are losing many of the advantages of the RIB.

In your position, I would either stick with the SIB, or get a RIB on a trailer.

fordtrbo · 01 August 2019, 15:29

Thanks Mike for the info. The fact is, I already have a trailer (see pic}. I simply want to deflate one tube 50-60% to accommodate a wider boat in the narrow space I had previously mentioned. It takes me 10 seconds to inflate my tubes, I stopped using foot pumps 20 years ago!

brveagle · 01 August 2019, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordtrbo

Thanks Mike for the info. The fact is, I already have a trailer (see pic}. I simply want to deflate one tube 50-60% to accommodate a wider boat in the narrow space I had previously mentioned. It takes me 10 seconds to inflate my tubes, I stopped using foot pumps 20 years ago!

Don't take my word as gospel, but i have read that having one compartment or tube at full psi and the other dropped down to zero, is very hard on the baffle.

I would plan on deflating the whole boat a percentage to accommodate what you are seeking.

beamishken · 01 August 2019, 22:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by brveagle

Don't take my word as gospel, but i have read that having one compartment or tube at full psi and the other dropped down to zero, is very hard on the baffle.

I would plan on deflating the whole boat a percentage to accommodate what you are seeking.

It depends on the order the compartments are inflated in, if the compartment intended to be deflated was inflated first then the others inflated in order after it then when that compartment is deflated all the baffles will relax towards the deflated tube. This will have the affect of reducing the pressure in all the compartments

jeffstevens763@g · 02 August 2019, 20:45

I woul deflate all at least get rid of pressure then 10 mins to inflate back up again, if it's a sib just make sure the transom is supported it will be fine.

fordtrbo · 03 August 2019, 00:08

Thanks Jeff and others. Jeff, when you said "supported" do you mean the boat sitting on the bunks of my trailer? The Suzuki weighs 97 lbs and will sit on the boat and trailer....hopefully with the tubes deflated enough to allow the larger sized tubes to fit my limited area. (if that makes sense) I am trying to avoid taking the motor off for transport, it defeats the purpose of my Toyhauler.

beamishken · 03 August 2019, 09:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordtrbo

Thanks Jeff and others. Jeff, when you said "supported" do you mean the boat sitting on the bunks of my trailer? The Suzuki weighs 97 lbs and will sit on the boat and trailer....hopefully with the tubes deflated enough to allow the larger sized tubes to fit my limited area. (if that makes sense) I am trying to avoid taking the motor off for transport, it defeats the purpose of my Toyhauler.

If you are buying a Rib and not another Sib as the post states then you won't need to support the transom to carry the engine installed. The tubes on a Rib dont provide any support for the transom, unlike a sib which relies on the tubes being inflated for rigidity

jeffstevens763@g · 07 August 2019, 09:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordtrbo

Thanks Jeff and others. Jeff, when you said "supported" do you mean the boat sitting on the bunks of my trailer? The Suzuki weighs 97 lbs and will sit on the boat and trailer....hopefully with the tubes deflated enough to allow the larger sized tubes to fit my limited area. (if that makes sense) I am trying to avoid taking the motor off for transport, it defeats the purpose of my Toyhauler.

Hi FT
you need to support the transom even if the tubes are fully inflated thats as simple as a padded block under it, on mine i have two 8 inch wheels it sits on which help me launch and recover

beamishken · 07 August 2019, 10:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

Hi FT
you need to support the transom even if the tubes are fully inflated thats as simple as a padded block under it, on mine i have two 8 inch wheels it sits on which help me launch and recover

If its a rib hes buying he doesnt need to support the transom at all. The tubes provide no structural integrity to a rib whatsoever

jeffstevens763@g · 07 August 2019, 11:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by beamishken

If its a rib hes buying he doesnt need to support the transom at all. The tubes provide no structural integrity to a rib whatsoever

i might be wrong but i assume he is keeping the trailer he has with bunks if he buys a rib looking at the trailer he wont have hull support with the tubes deflated so would still need to support the engine, unless he is going for keel support then he will have. having said that personally with the small ribs i would still have extra support for the transom just in case.also if traveling with deflated tubes they need to be tied up to prevent chafe & stress on the tube hull joint.

beamishken · 07 August 2019, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

i might be wrong but i assume he is keeping the trailer he has with bunks if he buys a rib looking at the trailer he wont have hull support with the tubes deflated so would still need to support the engine, unless he is going for keel support then he will have. having said that personally with the small ribs i would still have extra support for the transom just in case.also if traveling with deflated tubes they need to be tied up to prevent chafe & stress on the tube hull joint.

You would expect hes planning on fitting the trailer to the new boat,
As for worrying about the engine hanging on the transom its going to get a much harder time on the water bouncing over waves with the the engine flat out or tying on bridals for watersports or even a frames.
If I thought a rib was so weak it needed the engine supported during transport I'd be seriously concerned about its sea worthy ness

fordtrbo · 08 August 2019, 23:02

Thanks Beam and Jeff, appreciate the insight. Yes I am keeping the trailer with bunks. The only time I will be deflated is when it is traveling INSIDE the RV. I would expect bumps to be minimal (although California has some rough paved roads) The deflation of the tubes is only required because of the limited width of the RV. Possibly will only have to deflate the port side, if that helps at all