6.5m-7m Rib.. about to buy an XS

[sydneyribber]

Hi folks

first of all I'm new here so hello to everyone. originally from northern Ireland and now living in Sydney with my wife and 3 young girls.

so the background, i live on the sydney harbour, Canada Bay to be exact and well we have decided we need a boat for some family time, day trips, fishing and for me, a few runs up and down the NSW coastline.

I have been using Ribs for my entire life, family having owned multiple Seariders and Redbay's from 4m up to 8.5m, with family friends also on rib crafts, red bays and... XS

so to the point as much as i hate to admit it a sports boat like a bowlder would prob be the better choice for day to day use with my young kids but sydney harbour is extremely busy with both pleasure and ferry traffic, and thus I'm having nightmares of nose diving the bloody thing over a ferry wake. that and its not really me, I'm not one for the shiny white craft with plush seats.

unfortunately the Rib selection down under is much like the above, shiny white overpriced and to be honest not overly sea worthy, they seem to be more focused on selling to the super yacht tender market.

so I'm looking at an import. have priced both a redbay and XS 6.5 and 7m and XS is coming in strong but I'm worried about build quality over the redbay. I'm looking at a new boat for peace of mind due to my location. budget is tight, but bear in mind i will pay no VAT. looking for boat only, engine i have covered and trailer is to much hassle to import with regulations.

So id love some advice from other XS owners and am very open to other suggestions.

thanks in advance. and happy easter

[Dauphin]

Love them. Used a 6m XS with a 150 to commercially line fish for bass, and it did hundreds of hours in very tough conditions and never missed a beat. Took a pounding, lived on a deep water mooring, and is still going very very strong.

Following that experience, we ordered a new 850 from Barnet Marine towards the end of last year, having auditioned a number of other boats. Watched the build step by step, from bare hull up. Very happy with the end result, which is used for commercial charters, RYA Advanced Powerboat courses etc etc. She's seen some tough use, and has already been out in some very serious conditions, both day and night. She came in at a terrific price it should be said.

Complaints- one or two very slightly leaky lockers. All the grab handles are very satisfactory, however, a couple of minuscule discolourations in the odd piece of stainless steel here and there.

[jeffstevens763@g]

There's a vid on you tube of the XS build you won't be disappointed great boats

[sydneyribber]

Dauphin

thats a stunning boat, love the colour scheme. probably what id be after, or all black. however with the UV out here and 40 degree summers I'm slightly worried about fading. thus my wife is keen on the Blue tube white hull. a bit bland but look at the end of the day colour is not important when you are at sea.

Jeff i have watched every video from both xs and redbay, with XS there has been a few things that have stood out, mostly cosmetic. the tubes seem to bulge unlike other manufacturers, obviously they way the manufacture the chambers i presume.

also some of the seems on the tubes look a little rough, or threaded?

i know its requirements are different for everyone but is there anything you wish you had added to the build or that on hindsight you would have changed. I'm mainly speaking about accessories.

thanks guys

[Dauphin]

Originally Posted by sydneyribber

Dauphin

thats a stunning boat, love the colour scheme. probably what id be after, or all black. however with the UV out here and 40 degree summers I'm slightly worried about fading. thus my wife is keen on the Blue tube white hull. a bit bland but look at the end of the day colour is not important when you are at sea.

Jeff i have watched every video from both xs and redbay, with XS there has been a few things that have stood out, mostly cosmetic. the tubes seem to bulge unlike other manufacturers, obviously they way the manufacture the chambers i presume.

also some of the seems on the tubes look a little rough, or threaded?

i know its requirements are different for everyone but is there anything you wish you had added to the build or that on hindsight you would have changed. I'm mainly speaking about accessories.

thanks guys

Nothing we'd have added I don't think. Ours came as a turn-key fully commercially coded boat so we had put a lot of planning into what we wanted. A few examples of what it came with; LED nav lights, LED deck lights, deck wash, awesome swim ladder, removable rear pod seating to facilitate a 2 ton payload, search lights, combined GPS/Radar etc etc.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by sydneyribber

.......also some of the seems on the tubes look a little rough, or threaded?

Perversely that's the sign of a better tube, Hypalon does that. It only applies to HYPALON though, Hyperlon, Hiperlon, Hipalon all behave differently [emoji849]

[willk]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Hyperlon, Hiperlon, Hipalon all behave differently [emoji849]

I heard that Hyperlon is the fastest type...

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by willk

I heard that Hyperlon is the fastest type...

Nope, that's Hyperon, apparently it's used widely in Chinese RIBS.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by sydneyribber

.... or all black. however with the UV out here and 40 degree summers I'm slightly worried about fading.

Black is a no go in 40c, you won't be able to touch it - good in the colder months though.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Black is a no go in 40c, you won't be able to touch it - good in the colder months though.

Flame free BBQ - catch fish stick it straight on the tubes - eat it a few minutes later!

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Poly

Flame free BBQ - catch fish stick it straight on the tubes - eat it a few minutes later!

Saw these at the camping show, not sure how they'd fare in a British summer though
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222258084580

[office888]

https://www.zodiac-nautic.com/en-us/...n-en-us/open7/

Zodiac has a dealer network in AUS.

Maybe go ask about their new boat? It's 6.95m. Lots of seating, per usual with the "Pro Open" lines.

[willk]

Originally Posted by sydneyribber

I have been using Ribs for my entire life, family having owned multiple Seariders and Redbays from 4m up to 8.5m, with family friends also on rib crafts, redbays

Originally Posted by office888

Zodiac has a dealer network in AUS.

Maybe go ask about their new boat?

He could, maybe even should. But he's spoiled for life....

[office888]

Originally Posted by willk

He could, maybe even should. But he's spoiled for life....

My inflation adjusted two cents:

Zodiac molds their hulls, stringers, and decks, then bonds them together. Best of all, a special "clamp-up" jig holds everything in place so the hull, stringers, and deck are aligned the same way every time. The process requires a substantial tooling investment, but yields a more consistent product.

Redbay's manufacturing techniques seem to the same as Avon in the 1970s.

The hull is molded. Stringers are then hand cut, laid in place by hand, then glassed in by hand. The deck is cut, laid in place by hand, then glassed in by hand.

Then, since it is open-air, the entire deck is "splatter gunned" to act as non-skid at an extremely uneven thickness of gelcoat (I have seen many cases where the entire splatter-gun finish has tiny cracks everywhere, due to excess thickness in the gelcoat).

Sure, it's great because it minimizes tooling costs which makes for an easy way to increase profit margins in the short run, but ultimately, you're producing a boat with very outdated techniques.

Another gripe of mine, is I hate plywood in boats. I hated rotted wood cores.

I dislike glued tube attachments too.

I'm a bitter old technician who is hard to please, apparently.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by office888

My inflation adjusted two cents:



Zodiac molds their hulls, stringers, and decks, then bonds them together. Best of all, a special "clamp-up" jig holds everything in place so the hull, stringers, and deck are aligned the same way every time. The process requires a substantial tooling investment, but yields a more consistent product.



Redbay's manufacturing techniques seem to the same as Avon in the 1970s.



The hull is molded. Stringers are then hand cut, laid in place by hand, then glassed in by hand. The deck is cut, laid in place by hand, then glassed in by hand.



Then, since it is open-air, the entire deck is "splatter gunned" to act as non-skid at an extremely uneven thickness of gelcoat (I have seen many cases where the entire splatter-gun finish has tiny cracks everywhere, due to excess thickness in the gelcoat).



Sure, it's great because it minimizes tooling costs which makes for an easy way to increase profit margins in the short run, but ultimately, you're producing a boat with very outdated techniques.



Another gripe of mine, is I hate plywood in boats. I hated rotted wood cores.



I dislike glued tube attachments too.



I'm a bitter old technician who is hard to please, apparently.

Hmm! I'm thinking Ford Focus v Morgan Roadster. Nowt wrong with wood in boats if its done properly, I seem to recall we've been using it for a while. If I'm not mistaken, the Victory & Mary Rose have a fair bit of wood in their construction[emoji848] FWIW I hate moulded decks, horses for courses.

[willk]

Originally Posted by office888

I'm a bitter old technician who is hard to please, apparently.

Luckily you're largely mistaken in your assumptions about how Redbay build a boat

• They have full deck/cabin moulds for a range of boats from 6m to 16m (see photo) but do build custom boats using ply decks.
• They don't use only gelcoat to seal plywood decks - they coat in resin/glass, fit, and then use non-slip flo/gelcoat. Splatter gun??
• They DO glue tubesets on. That's pretty standard this side of the pond.

Just sayin', is all

[breezeblock]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Saw these at the camping show, not sure how they'd fare in a British summer though
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222258084580

food would go out of date first me thinks

[office888]

Originally Posted by willk

Luckily you're largely mistaken in your assumptions about how Redbay build a boat

• They have full deck/cabin moulds for a range of boats from 6m to 16m (see photo) but do build custom boats using ply decks.
• They don't use only gelcoat to seal plywood decks - they coat in resin/glass, fit, and then use non-slip flo/gelcoat. Splatter gun??
• They DO glue tubesets on. That's pretty standard this side of the pond.

Just sayin', is all

I like their cabins...

But what about their open hulls?

I guess my "deck gelcoat" was poorly worded...yes, it is still glassed, but it is sprayed in the open air for a splatter / non-skid additive finish.

American consumers prefer a molded deck with a synthetic core (if there is a core).

[willk]

Originally Posted by office888

I like their cabins...

But what about their open hulls?

The most popular small hulls have a fully moulded deck - including console and seats. Tidy work. Like I say though - they still fit the odd deck, but they work with honeycomb deck materials quite a bit...

[mikew4]

XS 6.5 with Merc 150 owner here. Took delivery of boat new in Oct. Very pleased with it. Holler if you have any Q's.