£5k budget what RIB?

[ADS]

I am considering upgrading my current RIB as I fancy a change and have sort of grown out of it, and would like to do abit more long distance cruising and join in a few ribnet cruises, my current boat is an Avon Sportsboat not a Searider so not really suited to the task.
I have a few ideas of what to replace it with but does anyone else have any suggestions.
-Budget is a max of £5k
-No bigger than 5.5m
-less than 100HP (student can't afford the fuel costs)
-Would like proper seating for 3 people although I can retro fit this myself.
-35knots +
-In good overall condition, not after a shed with loads of work.
-Capable sea boat, with a deepish v

Boat would most of the time have no more than 3 people on it and would be used for solent cruising, towing a few toys, bit of rescue boat duty.

My current thoughts are an Avon Searider 5.4 with 70-90HP on it, although the internal dimensions are not ideal, it would make a good compromise.
Other thoughts are a Ribcraft 4.8 although these all seem to be around £7-8k which I can't stretch to.

Does anyone else have any suggestions or experiences with the above.

Regards,

Alex

[Pete7]

Alex, how strict is the size limit. This has been for sale for a while and open to offers. Its ex sailing school but seems to have a reasonably new 4 st engine. Could be worth a cheeky offer, you never know.

http://hamble.boatshed.com/viewboat.php?boat=16100

Or a 5.4m with a Yam 80 4 st ?

http://www.boats-for-sale.com/boatde...rnalbrokerlist

Pete

[ADS]

Cheers for that Pete,

The size limit is not particularly concrete, but I will have to tow it so I was going to try and avoid something that would require me to do the trailer license ( I will only be towing it a mile down the road).

I was going to check out that Searider at BHG next time Im at home, although the 80 4 stroke is probably a bit over weight for the Searider.
That Humber is also worth a look but 6m is big!

regards,

Alex

[Tim M]

There was a fairly reasonable (both in terms of price and looks etc) Ribcraft 4.8 on ebay recently. It went through twice and didnt sell. Might be worth keeping a look out for it - it was being sold by a student who needed to get some cash. It's bound to come up again.

[ADS]

Originally Posted by Tim M

There was a fairly reasonable (both in terms of price and looks etc) Ribcraft 4.8 on ebay recently. It went through twice and didnt sell. Might be worth keeping a look out for it - it was being sold by a student who needed to get some cash. It's bound to come up again.

I didnt see that one Tim, orange hull I recall, something about it didn't seem right, I remember it seeing it had been used for a rescue organisation of some sort. It also had a 75HP Merc on it, and Ribcraft will only fit a 60HP to that model, might spell insurance troubles, interesting handling and a tired transom.
Just going to concentrate on selling my boat at the moment, the next time waster that rings up offering £1500 is going to regret it

Cheers,

Alex

[Jimbo]

Could do a lot worse than an Osprey:
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F91899/

[Rich L]

Originally Posted by ADS

Cheers for that Pete,

The size limit is not particularly concrete, but I will have to tow it so I was going to try and avoid something that would require me to do the trailer license ( I will only be towing it a mile down the road).

Trailer License?? What's that?

[ADS]

Originally Posted by Rich L

Trailer License?? What's that?

Doesn't effect you Rich, theres a thread here about out, think only the students on here are effected, but worth considering for your kids.

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread....towing+license

Alex

[Tim M]

Do I detect a tad of sarcasm from Rich L

Shoot me for not having one (a trailer licence), but I (along with the majority of the rest of the student population on here) tow things which are whhheeyy too heavy for my post 97 licence, and have never been stopped by the police. I don't know anyone who has. I remember having this conversation wih CJL - he suggested (something which seems to be very true) that the police really don't know the (trailer) law.

Of course, if you do get stopped or have an accident then you are a bit screwed. However, I doubt very much that you would have a problem towing that Humber a mile down the road to the slip....

[ADS]

My thoughts entirely Tim, the slip way is very close and I often I forget the light board!
I missed the sarcasm from Rich, I am currently doing a statistics assessment, what that has to go with Geography I don't know!

Alex

[ADS]

The main issue with that Humber is that a 75HP 4 stroke on a 6m could be a bit leisurely!

[DJL]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Shoot me for not having one (a trailer licence), but I (along with the majority of the rest of the student population on here) tow things which are whhheeyy too heavy for my post 97 licence, and have never been stopped by the police. I don't know anyone who has.

I was stopped once - the police where doing routine stops on people leaving baiter slip in Poole a few years back. I've also seen the VOSA\Police doing stops on cars towing trailers on a number of occasions.

Additionally if you are thinking of doing the B+E test, do it sooner rather than later. There are some regulations coming in from the EU that will make it more expensive for people running B+E training - which inevitably will mean we pay more..

[Rich L]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Do I detect a tad of sarcasm from Rich L

Shoot me for not having one (a trailer licence), but I (along with the majority of the rest of the student population on here) tow things which are whhheeyy too heavy for my post 97 licence, and have never been stopped by the police. I don't know anyone who has. I remember having this conversation wih CJL - he suggested (something which seems to be very true) that the police really don't know the (trailer) law.

Of course, if you do get stopped or have an accident then you are a bit screwed. However, I doubt very much that you would have a problem towing that Humber a mile down the road to the slip....

No - actually I've never heard of it before . There are some advantages to being old(er) then.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Could do a lot worse than an Osprey:
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F91899/

Jimbo, unfortunately I think that one sold on e bay last week, but good idea, there is always a couple about often at quite good prices.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Pete

[ADS]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Jimbo, unfortunately I think that one sold on e bay last week, but good idea, there is always a couple about often at quite good prices.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Pete

Cheers Pete, that went for £3,400, can't go wrong for that, they do look abit odd from a few angles though with that hard nose!
Hopefully mine will be sold before easter, then I can start making a few offers.

Alex

[George8910]

I looked closely at a ribcraft 4.8 - went out at last Ribex in cowes - they are nice boats a noticeable step up from a 4m searider imho - but they are expensive and quite tight on space compared to the SR5.4m - with patience you are bound to find a good one for a third/quarter of the price of a ribcraft - mine needed about a day of finishing -(fitting the supplied new steering and cleaning the carbs - new battery) and cost £1400 admittedly in winter - to my mind I would have to spend a lot more to get a boat that is significantly more capable - but on the other hand old seariders are scruffy with fewer options like inbuilt tanks etc

[ADS]

Originally Posted by George8910

I looked closely at a ribcraft 4.8 - went out at last Ribex in cowes - they are nice boats a noticeable step up from a 4m searider imho - but they are expensive and quite tight on space compared to the SR5.4m - with patience you are bound to find a good one for a third/quarter of the price of a ribcraft - mine needed about a day of finishing -(fitting the supplied new steering and cleaning the carbs - new battery) and cost £1400 admittedly in winter - to my mind I would have to spend a lot more to get a boat that is significantly more capable - but on the other hand old seariders are scruffy with fewer options like inbuilt tanks etc

Seems like a bargain, I ve found a few 5.4's I need to look at, similar to yours. Is yours a clamshell 75HP Mariner, if so what sort of performance do you get?

cheers,

Alex

[George8910]

Hi Alex
Yes old mariner 75 clamshell 1993 vintage - Turbodiesel speaks very highly of these units so seemed less risky than other old motors particulary as the compression was good and spares are easily available- the boat came with a GPS which I haven't connected yet so can't really say what sort of performance but what is really noticeable is the improved ability to keep speed up through solent chop compared to the SR4m - I would guess acceleration is slower with the 75 than the 4m with a 50hp but hull is still flooded and was sealed on the 4m so not a straight comparison - ideally
I would perhaps go for a Yamaha 90 which is a fair bit lighter and are also well respected engines but hearing Turbo's accounts of the amount of hours mariners can take was compelling!

[Rogue Wave]

I am going back to the North Sea in April (late) and I am likely to be gone for 5 months or so. I am thinking of selling Stevie before I go either with or without an engine/trailer.

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

I am going back to the North Sea in April (late) and I am likely to be gone for 5 months or so. I am thinking of selling Stevie before I go either with or without an engine/trailer.

And what a job of renovating a 5.4! Stevie's tubes have not lost a single bar of pressure in about 3 months (and no, they're not flat, they're rock solid), and having been cleaned and painted, for a 5.4 searider she looks the biz.

Shifts nicely with the 90hp Tohatsu as well!