Advice on Humber/Rib Quest

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Dan Gurney

I've heard that the way to go with Humber is to buy a bare hull and have someone else rig it. Swordfish Marine at Holy Loch Marina used to do this i think.

Whilst that is an option, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a better result. Look carefully at who is doing the rigging; if you want to cut corners and make a bigger profit that’s an easy place to do it. If you really want to make sure it’s well rigged - buy a bare hull and fit it out yourself then you can make sure it’s all tinned cable, proper sikaflex, no self tappers, every hole sealed properly, etc.

[beerbelly]

i have a 5.5 destroyer with a 115 mariner comand thrust and i find it very comfortable in most of the sea states i go out in i usually cruise at 25 knots but even if it kicks up rough i can keep to a steady 20 knots it will usually do 36 knots flat out i am using a 19p mercury spitfire 4 blade that allows 6k rpm easily but gives very good and snappy mid range i tried a 21p the same but it didn't increase or lose the top speed but made it feel lethargic on pick up .as for build quality i bought a bare hull and did it all myself so if theirs any issues its not humbers fault

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Maximus

Humbers aren't like the early strongly built utility Bosts they once were....they seem to be playing the " numbers" game...stack em high and sell em cheap....

That's a pretty derogatory comment, do you have evidence to support your claim?

[matt h]

I had one Mr Walker and can say that the Ocean Pro is a fast hull however thats where it ends as not great build quality, had a late model offered recently which after viewing i declined as hadnt changed.


Low grade build quality, seats and consoles screwed down with self tappers with no adhesive.what so ever, believe they are still the same.

Even the seat bases were velcroed down rather than proper water proof bases /seals and securing latches.

Stick your head inside an humber anchor locker and look under the deck as you maybe surprised how slapped together they are.

No R&D into improving quality and just haven’t moved with the times in terms of up to date options.
Im sure the sales brochure printed in the 80s is still currently being used.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by jwalker

That's a pretty derogatory comment, do you have evidence to support your claim?

Read the post above...oh and I dived and helmed (from 1980s)most models and sizes of Humber RIBs on many occasions in all weather and Sea conditions and loadings...along with a good many other marque's over the years.
By far the best way to evaluate different models and manufacturers IMO....

Believe me they are not built in terms of materials ...quality control...and workmanship like they used to be.
...You did ask.

,,,,,,One of the MANY reasons I bought my 545 and 6.8 Ribcraft models...no comparison

[treerat]

I also looked at 2nd hand Ribquests and new Humbers before settling on my current Highfield. I've dived for years off Humbers and thought them great boats, but a BSAC webcast during lockdown showed some of the issues as mentioned above.

Still a great looking boat but may no longer be built for the tough life a dive boat will get.

The Ribquests looked great and had the one I sat in not been sold 20 minutes before I arrive dto view then it would have been a real contender, but to be fair I didn't like the configuration.

I ended up with the Highfield Patrol as it has a massive dead rise at 26 degrees which gives a really good ride and with the wide console and large tubes a dry ride too.

[xpertski]

Hi all, so I can I put into this with some knowledge of how the Humber Ocean Pro handles and what it’s like when it’s taken apart, so I can comment on build quality. We have the Humber Ocean Pro 6.3, 2.34m beam - we used it with a 140hp Suzuki 4 stroke but have replaced that with a 175hp opti.

Handling; it handles really well, we have had it out in some pretty rough conditions and it has always been sure footed. For a 6m rib, really happy with its rough water capability, it has a genuine proper deep V Hull and a sheer bow. With our 140 Suzuki we topped out around 36/37 knots with a 21” Ali prop. We haven’t tested the 175 opti but have been told around 44/45 knots is possible. The tubes touch the water at the back so it’s very stable.

Build quality; so I can’t comment on other years of build as manufacturing may have changed. Ours was a 2004 Hull which we bought from new but currently renovating.

We have taken off all console, seating, electrics and removed the deck to expose the substructure. The consoles and seating were all extremely heavily built, solid and will last for years. They were fitted down with self tapping screws and sikaflex down as well, was tough to remove even with all screws removed, they wouldn’t pull up so had to use a multi tool to cut under the flange where the sika was still holding each item down. So the seats etc won’t be going anywhere. The screws seemed to cause some problem though. It wasn’t clear if there was any real attempt to seal the screws into the deck and reliance seemed to be made in the sika sealing from above. Of course like all sealants, as they age gaps will appear and water ingress happened through a number of self tapping screws into the marine ply deck below.

The deck did as a consequence get water ingress into the layers and expanded by a few mm. Bear in mind this is a 17 year old rib though. When I removed the deck it revealed that the whole deck was damp but amazingly wasn’t rotten. It had expanded but probably due to the quality of the marine ply it had no sign of actual weakness and was solid to jump on everywhere (I think it must have been Sapele which is more expensive, heavier but very high quality - Humber also use cheaper meranti). But as it was wet and expanded it’s life was limited so I decided to remove the whole deck and replace. There are two main potential reasons why the deck became so sodden. 1) the self tapping screws fixing the furniture down allowing ingress over time and perhaps the screw holes not having proper seal, 2) it seemed the underside hadn’t been coated at all and as water enters the Hull void and comes out through a rear bing, it was always going to get damp in there. Without protection or sealing the ply was always going to take on water. Humber say the underside is given a coat of resin painted on but I couldn’t see any evidence of that. In my view it should have been properly sealed.

The other thing I noticed was the drainage holes in the stringers weren’t fully sealed which in a hull that accepts and drains water means the stringers were exposed in that area. Over time this could result in damage to the stringers, though other than being damp, after 17 years there was no notable sign of damage. Another 10 years? Perhaps not so good. Finally it seemed the stringers were glassed and the deck put on in a hurry as the glass running up the sides of the stringers weren’t trimmed flush everywhere so when the deck was placed on it pushed out some of the glass on the stringers creating gaps and allowing water ingress.

So in short, the boat was built like a tank, but a few areas of attention to detail like properly sealing the underside of the deck, the stringers and the self tapping screws would have saved me the work of removing the deck 17 years after its manufacture. Though it would likely have continued to 27 years without much problem.

The transom is very solidly built so no issues there. Electrics. In my 2004 boat the electrics were installed a bit agriculturally, not that neat and very basic. Functional but that’s about it. Can’t comment on more recent builds.

In summary would I recommend a Humber? As a capable well priced run, yes absolutely. They are solid craft but unless quality control has improved there are some easily fixed build issues that would massively extend the shelf life of already solid great boats. Can you guarantee the more expensive males are built much better below the glossy surface? Unsure - ribcraft have a great reputation and I would suspect some higher end brands like Ribeye and scorpion are built better below deck (perhaps someone who has seen below deck can comment…). But then you pay allot more for those. I have no knowledge of the build quality of ribquest.

Humber have been building ribs for many decades now and are well trusted by commercial and leisure markets. Just expect you may need to do a mid life renovation to keep them in top shape (as most boats need tbh).

Hope this helps.

[Gav03830]

Originally Posted by Navman

Hi all,
I'm considering a Humber Ocean Pro (6.3x2.34, 6.8x2.34 or 6.5x2.6) because I'm not happy with the ride of my current boat. Brig Eagle 6. She get's very slammy in anything around even F3-4 (i.e. around 2 foot short waves) even if I'm at minimum planing speed (12-14kts). Faster doesn't help either. I've decided she's not got a deep enough vee (17 deg transom, 20 deg midships). The bonus is she's stable at rest and underway and economical too (0.7-0.8l/Nm).
I can't get a test drive at the minute so wondering if anyone has any direct experience of any of the above. What's the minimum planing speed if conditions demand a slow plane? What sort of economy? Is there any noticeable handling difference between the 3 sizes? What sort of upwind conditions would be doable without being very uncomfortable (or risking bodily injury)?

At the risk of complicating the thread I'm also considering RibQuest 6.5x2.6 but info is very scarce. It's a dearer boat so trying to figure out if it's worth the extra.

Thanks

I bought an Ocean Pro 6.3 with a DF140 at the beginning of Last summer . 2009 model. I couldn't be happier with it. build quality is spot on and the tubes still hold the air perfectly, looking like they have many years of life left.

With the family on board, full tanks and a couple of full Jerry cans we can get just under 40kts. Max we have had was 42kts running down the sound of Mull with approx 50 litres of fuel on board. It cruises comfortably at 28-30kts and we very rarely need to go slower due to sea state. We've been all over the west coast, Firth of Clyde, and the Forth out to Isle of May.

Have been pondering sell it as i'd like a boat with accommodation, but can't quite bring myself to do it.

I see you're in Glasgow, so if I decide to launch from Kip or Largs in November/December when I'm back in the country then you're more than welcome to come for a blast to see what you think.

[Navman]

Really useful info xpertski and Gav - Thanks for the offer as well. Appreciated. Not sure I'll be brave enough in Nov/Dec mind.

Do you have single axle trailer? Might be a bit off topic but how do you get on with keeping the brakes from seizing? I flushed mine using the flushing system after every dunking but still started to seize after 2 months. How often do you have to do maintenance on yours?

[Gav03830]

Originally Posted by Navman

Really useful info xpertski and Gav - Thanks for the offer as well. Appreciated. Not sure I'll be brave enough in Nov/Dec mind.

Do you have single axle trailer? Might be a bit off topic but how do you get on with keeping the brakes from seizing? I flushed mine using the flushing system after every dunking but still started to seize after 2 months. How often do you have to do maintenance on yours?

I had mine serviced last year with new bearings, shoes and ram in the hitch.

I keep the boat at a caravan storage place nearby as its about 1300 cheaper than the local marina. So i normally take it home to give a good wash down, running the hose connection on the hub for a good 15 minutes. Then on the three mile drive to storage I do a bit of braking to warm up the drums.

[Robbie Diesel]

If its a comfortable riding 6-6.5 metre you are looking for, its worth adding Coastline Ribs & the Osprey Vipermax to that list of boats to keep an eye out for. 👍