Doing my research for getting another RIB

[Solent-Salted]

Hello all,

I will be looking to get a rib in the next year and looking for suggestions from you lovely people.

My basic requirements are;

1) Easily towable with a 2.0l diesel bmw x1,
2) Ease of launch and recovery solo,
3) maximum of 6 metres as would like to easily tow and use along the South Coast as travel from Hampshire to Cornwall regularly,
4) Would like it to be robust as want to use in the more fun stuff,
5) A good surveyor to do a pre-purchase inspection (no-one likes a rotten transom etc),
6) Good brokers,
& 5) Budget = £15k - £20k.

Thanks in advance

[Iankristy]

Hi,
First point would be see what Beamer can tow. Is it rear wheel drive? Good budget you’ll get something decent for that.

[Solent-Salted]

Originally Posted by Iankristy

Hi,
First point would be see what Beamer can tow. Is it rear wheel drive? Good budget you’ll get something decent for that.

Morning Ian,

Beamer is RWD and i can easily tow my two seater kit car on it's trailer.

[69cmw]

Originally Posted by Solent-Salted

Morning Ian,



Beamer is RWD and i can easily tow my two seater kit car on it's trailer.

Towing won’t be an issue

Launching and recovering may be a different story depending on slipways 🤷

[Solent-Salted]

Hmm,

Would have to do some site checking on slips and conditions.

[Iankristy]

Originally Posted by 69cmw

Towing won’t be an issue

Launching and recovering may be a different story depending on slipways 🤷

Yeah that was what I was meaning. Watched a rear wheeled drive transit almost get stuck at the bottom of a weedy slipway the other week with quite a small boat. Important to know towing max though. Many cars will tow fine but not necessarily be legal.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Solent-Salted

Hello all,



I will be looking to get a rib in the next year and looking for suggestions from you lovely people.



My basic requirements are;



1) Easily towable with a 2.0l diesel bmw x1,

2) Ease of launch and recovery solo,

3) maximum of 6 metres as would like to easily tow and use along the South Coast as travel from Hampshire to Cornwall regularly,

4) Would like it to be robust as want to use in the more fun stuff,

5) A good surveyor to do a pre-purchase inspection (no-one likes a rotten transom etc),

6) Good brokers,

& 5) Budget = £15k - £20k.



Thanks in advance

Items 5&6 will probably swallow 20-25% of your budget, which would be better invested in the boat imvho. There’s a couple of RC 585s on the Ribcraft Owners FB page at the mo, but they won’t be there long.

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

There’s a couple of RC 585s on the Ribcraft Owners FB page at the mo, but they won’t be there long.

Agreed PD, the RC585 is an excellent boat and you'd get a good one within your budget.

As regards towing, you'd be wise to actually check what the Beemer is rated to tow within the spec, including the nose weight.
It's sometimes a lot less than you think, because the 1 series is quite light in weight itself.
There appears to be quite a bit more checking of these things going on by the Highways agency these days.
If you get diverted to a weighbridge and are found to be outside the spec of the Tow vehicle things can get quite expensive.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Agreed PD, the RC585 is an excellent boat and you'd get a good one within your budget.



As regards towing, you'd be wise to actually check what the Beemer is rated to tow within the spec, including the nose weight.

It's sometimes a lot less than you think, because the 1 series is quite light in weight itself.

There appears to be quite a bit more checking of these things going on by the Highways agency these days.

If you get diverted to a weighbridge and are found to be outside the spec of the Tow vehicle things can get quite expensive.

What he said^^^^^^^
Chances are you’ll own the boat for longer than you own the Beemer. Buying a boat based on the capabilities of the current car will be restrictive.

[Voodoo]

Wise words ....

[davej]

One thing I would add is the braked trailer v the unbraked. I use two RIBs one my own which is a Tornado 5m on an unbraked trailer and the other a 6m Tornado on a braked trailer and as many know the braked trailer is a pain with its rubbish shoes and adjusters.

While the bigger boat is clearly better on the water and is OK to tow around, its a lot more hassle than the smaller boat when on the trailer. The small boat even fits in one side of a double garage to keep it nice and secure and away from the weather. The 5m boat goes reasonably well on a 60hp engine, although I am planning to repower to a 70hp but the 6m boat has a 115hp with all the additional costs.

a few thoughts!

Dave

[Nasher]

I must admit I'm a little surprised that a 5M Tornado, engine, trailer etc comes in under the 750Kgs braked trailer limit, but I always overestimate these things, mainly as I always want to be able to use the boat and trailer as a huge camping trailer when we go away with it on holiday.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Nasher

I must admit I'm a little surprised that a 5M Tornado, engine, trailer etc comes in under the 750Kgs braked trailer limit, but I always overestimate these things, mainly as I always want to be able to use the boat and trailer as a huge camping trailer when we go away with it on holiday.

It's probably very close. A 5.4 Searider comes in under 750kg on the trailer too if you don't put fuel aboard.

[spartacus]

As far as I can see the legal towing braked for BMW X1 is 1800-2000kg, or 750kg unbraked, but double check yourself - as it's based on year of manufacture. Nose weight or tongue weight is usually around 80kg.

Westfalia's site is excellent as an example.
https://www.westfalia-automotive.com...0%2F15-10%2F22

Think about the harbours and launch sites you intend to launch from.

A 4.8m Ribcraft for example single-handed is fine on decent slips at mid to high-water is fine. Anything where the trailer is unhitched, then it's always a two-man job. That's something to consider for any rope-work if slipway is green. If it's green I wouldn't even take 4WD on it for what it's worth.

Also think about seating. This can be expensive to change down the line, and can change the saleability of the boat too.

FAFB site is decent for RIBs, but if you're based down south, then their are plenty of brokers to choose from if buying private sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Lastly, ask for paperwork and lots of it. Anyone that has cared for a boat, then they should have engine receipts, electronic receipts and servicing invoices and be prepared to bore the **** off you with tales of how good it is in any kind of sea. A visual inspection is essential - not sure I would use a surveyor given budget.

585 here, but out-with budget. This is a 20 year old boat with a new engine. https://www.findafishingboat.com/ribcraft-585/ad-132412

[Iankristy]

Originally Posted by spartacus

As far as I can see the legal towing braked for BMW X1 is 1800-2000kg, or 750kg unbraked, but double check yourself - as it's based on year of manufacture. Nose weight or tongue weight is usually around 80kg.



Westfalia's site is excellent as an example.

https://www.westfalia-automotive.com...0%2F15-10%2F22



Think about the harbours and launch sites you intend to launch from.



A 4.8m Ribcraft for example single-handed is fine on decent slips at mid to high-water is fine. Anything where the trailer is unhitched, then it's always a two-man job. That's something to consider for any rope-work if slipway is green. If it's green I wouldn't even take 4WD on it for what it's worth.



Also think about seating. This can be expensive to change down the line, and can change the saleability of the boat too.



FAFB site is decent for RIBs, but if you're based down south, then their are plenty of brokers to choose from if buying private sounds like more trouble than it's worth.



Lastly, ask for paperwork and lots of it. Anyone that has cared for a boat, then they should have engine receipts, electronic receipts and servicing invoices and be prepared to bore the **** off you with tales of how good it is in any kind of sea. A visual inspection is essential - not sure I would use a surveyor given budget.



585 here, but out-with budget. This is a 20 year old boat with a new engine. https://www.findafishingboat.com/ribcraft-585/ad-132412

Good advice here [emoji115]
Prefer this one [ATTACH]144109

[gpsguru]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Agreed PD, the RC585 is an excellent boat and you'd get a good one within your budget.

As regards towing, you'd be wise to actually check what the Beemer is rated to tow within the spec, including the nose weight.
It's sometimes a lot less than you think, because the 1 series is quite light in weight itself.
There appears to be quite a bit more checking of these things going on by the Highways agency these days.
If you get diverted to a weighbridge and are found to be outside the spec of the Tow vehicle things can get quite expensive.

Pre 2019 the Beemer 1 series towing weight is 1200kg

post 2019 is it 1300kg.


I guess the OP's kit car weighs way less than 1000kg.


That pretty much puts a Ribcraft 585 out of the question, mine weighs a tad under 1600kg, (I have to cross a weighbridge on my way to the slip ). I normally tow mine with a Jeep Cherokee 2.8CRD, but the Disco Sport 250 will also tow it OK.


The Ribcraft trailer is 1500kg, but you are allowed 20% overload on boat trailers (something to do with the variable load rules). I have qualified it with the DVSA (my son works for them !)

[69cmw]

Originally Posted by gpsguru

Pre 2019 the Beemer 1 series towing weight is 1200kg

post 2019 is it 1300kg.

The guy has a X1, not a 1 series, big difference [emoji848]

[69cmw]

Originally Posted by gpsguru

The Ribcraft trailer is 1500kg, but you are allowed 20% overload on boat trailers (something to do with the variable load rules). I have qualified it with the DVSA (my son works for them !)

So are you saying that a boat trailer manufacturer puts on a 1500kg axle and that’s the total max load of trailer and boat he recommends. But DVSA say you can disregard what the axle is rated for and bang on 20% above it?
Utter pish or I’m reading it totally wrong 🤷

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by 69cmw

The guy has a X1, not a 1 series, big difference [emoji848]

2000Kgs then, which should cover a lot of 5-6M RIBs, as long as they are not loaded with lots of other gear and the trailer is built lightly with a single axle.

[gpsguru]

Originally Posted by 69cmw

The guy has a X1, not a 1 series, big difference [emoji848]

My bad, ….. note to one’s self …… must read the OP more carefully 🙄🤣🤣🤣🤣