Newbie, standby !

NautiSeacrets · 16 January 2010, 18:19

Hi all, been lurking for a while, now registered to get some particular help in choosing a rib.

Having been to Excel today, Ribcraft and Ribeye seem to be in the game with their 7.85 and 8.1m, 250hp.

Suzuki V. Yamaha.

Thoughts please on suitability for longer cruises, based Solent, but prefer x channel stuff ideally.

Any info/experiences appreciated. Genuine questions, not a troll. Been boating for 11 years.

C2 RIBS · 16 January 2010, 18:22

Welcome- We all here have our preferences and some or all will be fairly biased based on these experiences. If you did the show, I would see who can offer a run out on the craft you may like to buy. Most have access to trial boats on the Solent where you are.

Steve_B · 16 January 2010, 21:00

Welcome again and well done for putting your first step in to the forum.

Lots of good makes at that length. The one thing I would insist you do, is keep an open mind and try as many Ribs on the water as possible. What might suit another, may not feel right for you.

To that end why not go to the next Ribex at Cowes, 3 days in May, all the big players will have ribs in the water for you to try back to back.

Steve

Nasher · 16 January 2010, 21:27

Welcome to Rib.net.

I would agree with 250, Ribex is an ideal oppertunity to try various boats and internal layouts to see what suits you best.

Mind you, I can understand not wanting to wait if you are all fired up to buy.

If you don't mind me giving my opinion, which probably applies less to yourself than somebody without your other boating experiance.
It's always hard with your first RIB, as you'll not really know what works for you until you've used it a bit, even things like the layout of seating, storage, fuel tank size etc can make a big differance.

At the end of your first season you can realise you've spent £30K+ on a new boat that really doesn't quite fit you properly, or have the equipment you've found you need. You then have the choice of making expensive alterations or cutting your losses and swapping it in for another new boat.

I'd always advise picking up a used boat for your first season to help decide what you really need before commiting to a bigger expense for the next season when you'll have a better idea of what you want.

Nasher.

Hightower · 16 January 2010, 21:36

All very constructed posts above and to expand on Nashers recommendation I would suggest looking at the cruising section and see if you could crew for someone in the type of RIB you're looking at. I'm betting that not too many would turn you down for the offer of some beer tokens and a spot of lunch

It would certainly pay you dividends in the future!

Poly · 16 January 2010, 23:16

Everyone is being very well behaved and not jumping on the 'this brand is better than that' bandwagon. Unfortunately thats not that helpful for you. If you've been lurking for a while I guess you've found the Search tool. You will find less neutral views in those threads, there is probably no need to regurgitate that here. However you might also want to look at other brands who chose not to represent themselves at London. Whilst there is nothing wrong with any of the main engine brands either - I, personally, would always prefer to be able to pick my engine than be told that I should use a particular brand because it financially benefits the builder.

Channel Ribs · 17 January 2010, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by NautiSeacrets

Thoughts please on suitability for longer cruises, based Solent, but prefer x channel stuff ideally.

I can highly recommend keeping an eye out for Tim Griffin's Alderney Floptilla thread, a great chance to cross the channel and see how various RIBs cope.

http://www.alderneymarine.com/floptilla/

As an example of a good channel hopping set up, one local uses a 7.2m Ocean with twin 90s.

NautiSeacrets · 17 January 2010, 14:59

Thanks all so far......keep 'em coming!

Sea trial would be a given, wouldn't buy without! - surely though the "main" brands are pretty good anyway?

Read the Floptilla thread with great interest, fantastic.

What about after sales service levels from the different brands?

And is there really any benefit of a twin setup?
(caught a net and rope back from Guernsey last year (hard boat)- big insurance claim with twin shafts)

Having had hard boats from the 3 big brits, Sunseeker, Princess and Sealine, after sales varied enormously, even when buying new.

Is it same for RIB manufacturers/dealers?

Getting all excited, and I can't wait for May Ribex before buying!

All info is good info - sorry for all the questions - nothing from me on passage planning etc, I should be able to help others in that regard.

More, more !

Channel Ribs · 17 January 2010, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by NautiSeacrets

And is there really any benefit of a twin setup?
(caught a net and rope back from Guernsey last year (hard boat)- big insurance claim with twin shafts)

Personally I am a single engine fan, but a lot of people like the reassurance of twin tanks, batts and motors when tackling shipping lanes 30 miles from land.

Last year a RIB was doing the crossing and suffered an unforeseeable gear box failure just north of the NE lanes, the Alderney Lifeboat took an hour to get to them and guess which way they drifted!

Like I say, I am single engine chap. So long it floats, I have control over where I am heading and I have a way to contact other people I am happy.

We have contact with most of the manufacturers on behalf of customers and two stand out: Winsor Bros (Ocean) and Redbay. Not saying that others are poor.

Poly · 17 January 2010, 15:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by NautiSeacrets

Sea trial would be a given, wouldn't buy without! - surely though the "main" brands are pretty good anyway?

Yes in the same way that you would take a car for a test drive and all the main brands should give an OK experience. But the boats aren't identical, the build quality varies and so do the prices etc!

Quote:

And is there really any benefit of a twin setup?

the main advantage is redundancy so a dead engine doesn't mean a crisis. But this requires careful planning so electrics, fuel etc are independent too (as they are the likely cause!). There have been many threads here in the past on the subject. I would suggest it comes down to your "personal risk assesment" - if a breakdown is an inconvenience whilst waiting for SeaStart/RNLI/other boater then it is unnecessary. If the conditions/locations you boat in mean that that sort of delay is too dangerous or unpleasant then you need a twin setup or an aux. With an 8m boat, doing cross channel trips you are probably looking for something like a 9.9 HP aux - and a mid channel breakdown will still take a long time to get home.

Edit - but for ordinary leisure use most people are happy with one engine (possibly plus aux)

Quote:

What about after sales service levels from the different brands?
Having had hard boats from the 3 big brits, Sunseeker, Princess and Sealine, after sales varied enormously, even when buying new.

Is it same for RIB manufacturers/dealers?

none of the rib manufacturers are really on that scale; most of the common names seem to have a reasonable reputation for being helpful - but several are criticised for their email response times. I can't recall a main brand being criticised here in the last few years except for failing to respond to emails (so pick up the phone).