Are "project ribs" generally a viable endeavour

[Dankoozy]

As in buying a rib with knackered tubes, having it retubed by some fella, buying engine and doing all the other wiring and installing yourself?


New RIBs from the factory usually cost a lot more than the price of the tubes and the engine so I am wondering what the disadvantages are? There are some cheap hulls up on Donedeal at the moment

[ShinyShoe]

A 20 year old rib with new tubes and a new engine will still be a 20y old rib when you come to sell. Yes it will sell for more than a project, but it won't sell for what a 2 year old would.

Is a project rib just needing tubes and engine or is the transom knackered. Is the floor rotten. Is the inbuilt tank full of sludge/leaking. What is the hull like underneath? What is the trailer like?

What warranty? Your engine will be fine, and the tubes should have some warranty, but if the hull crumbles they will say that's your fault. The rest, you have no comeback

And ultimately, it's often about man hours. Even if you subcontract the lot you will be taking it to Mr Tube, Mr Engine, Mr GRP, Mr Electric, Mr Trailer. Assuming that's not on your doorstep that's 5 days each. Plus time specifying work and trying to coordinate and project manage...

...new boat. Salesman asks why you want. You go down a list of options, maybe throw on some extras. Next time you might need to do anything could be to hand over cash and collect...

[A1an]

Depends on the base you start from and the spec you finish with.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Dankoozy

As in buying a rib with knackered tubes, having it retubed by some fella, buying engine and doing all the other wiring and installing yourself?


New RIBs from the factory usually cost a lot more than the price of the tubes and the engine so I am wondering what the disadvantages are? There are some cheap hulls up on Donedeal at the moment

Retubing is rarely economical if your going to sell however it could give a 15 or 20 year old boat with poor tubes & good hull another 15-20 years of good service. 9 times out of 10 its the tubes that finish a rib everything else is relatively easy to repair or replace for a reasonably competent diyer. If you know exactly what you want and intend to keep it then finding a good hull with worn & tatty tubes & retubing will get you a boat with a fairly long life left for way less than buying new, just don't expect to sell on & recoup your money in a couple of years.

Sent from my SM-G950F using RIB Net mobile app

[Nasher]

Don't forget that some of us actually enjoy the rebuild and opportunity to customise the boat to our ideal spec as much as using it afterwards. Dare I even say more!
It's not for everyone, but I can't imagine just going and buying a boat(or motorcycle) that is ready to go and doesn't need a load of work.

The chase when finding a project is also far more fun to me than just spending a load of money on something that probably isn't exactly what you want.

Horses for courses I think is the expression.

Oh, and no, it probably won't be financially viable, but if it's your hobby then so be it.
I don't pay subs at a Golf club every month, don't have a season ticket to watch other people play sport, I don't drink or smoke, but get my kicks resurrecting stuff that other people are not capable of rescuing, and I enjoy it.

[A1an]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Don't forget that some of us actually enjoy the rebuild and opportunity to customise the boat to our ideal spec as much as using it afterwards. Dare I even say more!
It's not for everyone, but I can't imagine just going and buying a boat(or motorcycle) that is ready to go and doesn't need a load of work.

The chase when finding a project is also far more fun to me than just spending a load of money on something that probably isn't exactly what you want.

Horses for courses I think is the expression.

Oh, and no, it probably won't be financially viable, but if it's your hobby then so be it.
I don't pay subs at a Golf club every month, don't have a season ticket to watch other people play sport, I don't drink or smoke, but get my kicks resurrecting stuff that other people are not capable of rescuing, and I enjoy it.

This forum needs a "like" button.

[whiskylee]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Don't forget that some of us actually enjoy the rebuild and opportunity to customise the boat to our ideal spec as much as using it afterwards. Dare I even say more!
It's not for everyone, but I can't imagine just going and buying a boat(or motorcycle) that is ready to go and doesn't need a load of work.

The chase when finding a project is also far more fun to me than just spending a load of money on something that probably isn't exactly what you want.

Horses for courses I think is the expression.

Oh, and no, it probably won't be financially viable, but if it's your hobby then so be it.
I don't pay subs at a Golf club every month, don't have a season ticket to watch other people play sport, I don't drink or smoke, but get my kicks resurrecting stuff that other people are not capable of rescuing, and I enjoy it.

Agree nasher

Refurbishment is the best part, understanding how your boat goes together

Sent from my motorola edge 20 lite using RIB Net mobile app

[Pikey Dave]

Anyone who has ever watched Bangers & Cash will know that financially, restoration doesn’t pay. It’s a labour of love.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by A1an

This forum needs a "like" button.

No, no, no, no, no!

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

No, no, no, no, no!

This Forum needs an Agreed button

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Nasher

This Forum needs an Agreed button

Agreed…

[Nasher]

Yes, we need an agreed button to agree we don't want buttons.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Yes, we need an agreed button to agree we don't want buttons.

Agreed….I’ll get mi coat

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Nasher

This Forum needs an Agreed button

No, no, no, no, no....... Yes. Agreed

[Matt]

The forum needs green & red blobs. Nasher may recall what I'm talking about.
https://www.rib.net/forum/f31/the-us...stem-4588.html
https://www.rib.net/forum/f31/vive-l...tion-6173.html
https://www.rib.net/forum/f31/no-mor...lity-8162.html
19 years ago. Jeez!

Financially, it's rarely viable to restore a boat. It's likely to be cheaper to buy a brand new boat than it is to restore a boat to an as new specification & quality.

But personally, I find the rebuild/restoration/whatever to be part of the hobby, so I don't mind.

[GuyC]

I agree with most of what has been said above. The only thing I'd add for discussion is how much you know about what you want. There is a possibility you could build yourself a pup.

To avoid this I'd copy a conventional, good quality builder for the big bits e.g. Redbay, Ricraft etc and then add some customisation.

[Matt]

The owner of Llys Helig is currently learning some of these lessons

[GuyC]

Originally Posted by Matt

The owner of Llys Helig is currently learning some of these lessons

I hope they get it back up and running but I fear it is a case of champagne ideas and prosecco pockets.

Apologies for the thread creep.

[fastasfox]

I agree with nasher.
I Loved every second of my build and learnt so much.
I spent quite some time looking at ribs before I purchased one.
I came across an add on Gumtree for a 5 meter Tornado. The advert stated that it required. I went to look at it and it it was clear it had been stood in a field. I turned the outboard over by hand ...checked the hull and transom and gave the trailer a once over. I payed £1800 for it and i figured that worse case i could split it apart and sell the parts separately.
The plan was to make repairs to the bow tube then use it for a couple of seasons....but it soon became clear the tube was beyond any repair that would be safe.
The problem was I had fallen in love with it...it was my first proper boat.
Long story short I spent including the purchase price around £8500/£9000 on it. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get my money back if I sold it.....but the build was a test not a money making scheme.
If you look at my post on the boatlife show you will see the cheapest rib I featured cost £25,000 and that's a lot of money. I couldn't afford to spend that kind of money on a boat so rebuild it was...and I love what I have got now.

[A1an]

Is it just my projects that the costs run away on?