First RIB - Opinions Required

[Flotsam]

Good Evening all

I am sure that many before me have joined this forum to gather as much information and advice prior to buying a RIB as possible, so I am sorry if I am repeating what others have asked... However, here goes...

A couple of years ago I owned a Stingray 240cs which was not my first boat, but was the first boat that I had owned that was worth looking after. It was intended for weekending, general fun and skiing whilst being cheap to own as it could live on a trailer. It ended up getting very little use as it was too small for comfort for a weekend, too big to tow down narrow lanes, too thirsty to ski behind and generally a compromise too far.

I sold the boat and miss the water so its time for another. Long story short, I have concluded that a RIB will satisfy my needs. I am looking for something that weighs less than 1.5 tonnes as I will wish to tow it behind a motorhome on occasion and it is only rated for 1500kg (this will include the trailer etc)

Something in the 6-6.5 bracket seems to be possiblel for this weight, so the question is which type and what engine?

It seems that outboard engines are something that go missing if not adequately secured, so I have read with a little interest of the RIBs that can be had with inboard engines. What are the downsides if any?

I will be buying new or nearly new and my decision will be based more on suitability than cost.

I very much look forward to your views.

Cheers

[GJ0KYZ]

Buy a Ribcraft 5.85 with a medium-sized four-stroke outboard motor and you won't go far wrong. Loads of people on this forum have them. http://www.ribcraft.co.uk/index.php/...-5-85-pro-boat

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Flotsam

It seems that outboard engines are something that go missing if not adequately secured, so I have read with a little interest of the RIBs that can be had with inboard engines. What are the downsides if any?

Petrol inboards are very unusual on RIBs so really you are looking at a "petrol v's diesel" debate which has happened here many times before so you should do a search. Bear in mind that some of the older arguments for diesel on the grounds of cost of red diesel are partly or completely irrelevant now as diesel is no longer available "duty free"* for leisure use.

I've never heard the security argument used for outboard v's inboard before - in reality your boat is unllikely to be particularly secure anyway - so they'll just nick the whole boat if they can't take the engines.

The weight of the engine is likely to further restrict your choices (for total weight) if you go inboard diesel. The main downside, other than upfront cost, will be the loss of deck space - that may or may not matter depending on how many people you want to accomodate.

* technically it was never duty free - but the duty or red diesel of marine leisure use used to be insignificant. The amount of duty now paid will depend on how much is used for propulsion v's heating/cooking etc. On a 6m boat it is very unlikely you'll convinvce HMRC that you are doing that - so will be paying "road" prices.

[sarahscottiedog]

Agree, definately can't go far wrong with a Ribcraft, The only thing you havent said is where and what you intend to use it for........... Can make quaite a differnce.

[Anchorhandler]

Hi Flotsam

Just curious, how much/offen do you intend to use your rib? and in what geographical area?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by sarahscottiedog

Agree, definately can't go far wrong with a Ribcraft, The only thing you havent said is where and what you intend to use it for........... Can make quaite a differnce.

Budget and new / second hand would also be relevant!

Whilst there is certainly nothing wrong with Ribcraft, there are plenty of other brands which are worthy of consideration and its probably a bit quick to be telling the guy he should be looking at just one specific boat

[Flotsam]

Thanks for the replies so far, with regards to my intended use, i would like to have skiing weekends with the boys, Fishing trips in coastal waters. Also I envisage holidays with the motorhome where the boat will be the transport (as I cant' tow the car too) for this the boat needs to be safe and dry to attract my wife. Destinations such as the Italian lakes, as well the European coastlines in addition to the UK possibilities. I would like to think that the Cumbrian coastline along with the South West Scotland coast linking with Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man will be manageable, conditions permitting of course.

What I really need is a boat that can be as versatile as possible whilst being easy to live with and manageable out of the water as well as in it.

Cheers

[Anchorhandler]

If your not intending to go out in the 'rough' stuff them i'm sure plenty of manufacturers will meet your requirements. Having owned many a conventional boat but only three ribs from three different manufacturers, i would not want to comment on a specific make. Im sure other people on this forum will give you good advice. One thing i will say though, is not to dismiss four stroke outboards, especially if you want ease of ownership. My last rib had a 90hp 4S Mariner fitted and it was almost a case of 'fit and forget'. Reliable and ran on vapour.

Very recently, i nearly purchased a diesel inboard rib but was disapointed with the encroachment into the deck space of the engine housing.

Also as Polwart said, nowadays, thieves just take the whole boat; thats not to say that outboards do not get stolen but the days of the chainsaw through the transom seem a distant memory!

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Erm, outboards arguably are getting stolen more again, specifically the large outboard 4 strokes for adventure ride boats abroad!! Chainsaws through transoms aren't needed as they use the weight of the engine to snap the locking bolts!!

[Flotsam]

Interesting stuff. RIBs of the size that I am considering are obviously designed for one engine. I am sure modern four strokes are highly dependable, but I have been in a single engined boat with engine failure an it is a really nasty place to be. Do RIBs of this size have the capacity to mount an auxilliary even if you can find a place to store one? How do people mangae this issue?

Cheers

[Anchorhandler]

yes, on a rib of the size you are considering you should be able to mount an auxiliary engine without too much fuss.
If enough room is available on the transom either side of the main outboard then you may be able to mount an 'off the shelf' bracket. Failing this the option of a custom made bracket may be required.
On both our current and previous rib, custom made brackets had to be used. Both worked very well though. We had/have the auxy outboards secured with a stailess 'safety' cable (mormally used to stop the outboard falling into the oggen ) but was attached with a stainless steel padlock for when the boat was left on a berth/mooring.
depending on the size of the auxy outboard, you may need to carry a seperate fuel tank to supply it. You may find this an inconvenience hovever i see it as a small price to pay for a reasonable degree of redundancy.

To be honest, even if i had opted to buy the inboard powered diesel rib as previously mentioned, i would of still made it a priority to fit an auxiliary engine.

[davej]

Mine sits next to the main engine and is a small yam 2s, which seems to work well although I don't always put it on, it all depends on where I am going. Many rib users use an aux engine and if it doesn't fit on the transom directly fit it on an ob bracket.

It just gives piece of mind.

dj

[GJ0KYZ]

Originally Posted by davej

Mine sits next to the main engine and is a small yam 2s, which seems to work well although I don't always put it on, it all depends on where I am going. Many rib users use an aux engine and if it doesn't fit on the transom directly fit it on an ob bracket.

It just gives piece of mind.

dj

I'm not sure many rib owners do use auxilliaries actually; not many here do anyway. I don't even take a tool kit to sea anymore as I have no chance of fixing the engine if it went wrong. Have you seen how complex an E-Tec is under the bonnet? You need a computer telemetry link just to change the oil from one type to another. If I'm off to MStM or there abouts I always carry a spare prop and the means to change it but that's about all.

Going back to the debate about diesels for a minute, I used to have one in my previous boat (a big Orkney). They're ok insofar as they burn less fuel than outboards but they have their own specific problems as well such as belt failures, impellor failures, corrosion, weight, general complexity (what is it with all that metal piping?) sensitivity to fuel impurities and smell (bletch). I also agree that a diesel in a 6m rib will take up alot of deck space and will make the boat a bit heavy in the stern.

I stick by what I said earlier: a Ribcraft 5.85 with a 120 four stroke will more than meet your needs, it will be easy to tow and won't break the bank as they're readily available second hand for less than £20K.

[Anchorhandler]

"If I'm off to MStM or there abouts"

Good choice of destination!!! but then i suppose i am biased!


Simon

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Flotsam

Interesting stuff. RIBs of the size that I am considering are obviously designed for one engine.

Not necessarily - e.g. Willk's Redbay is in your size range but has twin outboards - and whilst less common twin can be found on most sizes of RIB. They certainly wouldn't be out of place on a 6m rib, IF you need that level of redundancy. You'll find hours of reading on the twins v's single+aux debate using the search tool.

Do RIBs of this size have the capacity to mount an auxilliary even if you can find a place to store one?

aux brackets, storage and need for auxilliaries has been debated much in the past. Theres even just enough space to squeeze a tiny aux on my 4m boat - so there is "always a way". It will be more useful if it is sitting in place ready to deploy - but a rib transom is not usually the most gentle place for bits of metal which weren't designed to bounce around.

Whilst I believe an aux is a good idea, its not something that every rib carries. If you were cruising on the south coast then a longer than "normal" anchor and membership of SeaStart may be just as appropriate. If your longer cruises are going to be in company then it may not be necessary either - but if you are planning crossing the Irish Sea alone then I'd certainly want an aux (and a toolkit!). For a boat the size you are looking at something around 6 HP should get you back to shore eventually - bear in mind that if shore is 20 miles away this might take five or six hours to do, and longer if the wind/tide are not favourable.

[Anchorhandler]

I dont want to drag this thread away from its origins but i'm quite a strong advocate of auxy outboards....

True, we do use our rib to venture somewhat further afield then the average rib user but never the less, even if we stayed in the sheltered coastal waters near where we live, we would still use one.

An auxy outboard will give you more than just the option of getting back to port, it can be used to assist in various other situations.

I have lost count of how many times the inshore lifeboat gets called out simply to recover a pleasure boat that suffered engine failure. On many an occasion, i have seen pleasure craft drift into busy shipping lanes (West Brambles in the Solent) causing a real headache for commercial traffic. If they were equipped with an auxy, then at least they could have cleared themselves from the path of oncommong container ships, tankers etc...
If (god forbid) we suffer engine failure when far from the coast then i know that, even if i can't get myself back to port, at least i can put the nose into the swell and stay 'comfortable' while waiting for help to arrive.

We also use our auxy for 'quiet' navigation through canals, rivers etc....its nice sometimes to be able to hear the vildlife around you while gently meandering along at 3knts....quite theraputic actually (i must be getting old! )


'Seastart' is good, i just wish more people would use them but i appreciate its an extra cost to what can already be considered a 'costly' passtime??.

Incidentally, over here in France, if the lifeboat goes out simply to recover a driffting pleasure boater then the owner of the boat gets charged for the service (i believe its a minimum of 80 euro's). If the RNLI adopted this philosophy then maybe people would use either the likes of 'Seastart' more often or make sure they were better equipped to go to sea. (people STILL going out with no VHF or flares etc...)

Simon

[9D280]

Also if you are in tehe 6-ish M category & want redundancy, twins of the smaller (and I use that word in the loosest sense) Hp will usually have an emergency pull start under the hood, and will not require a battery to run, only to crank the starter.

Net result is that you could possibly compromise on the "double everything" theory as discussed in the many twin / single discussions, because in a worst case of your battery dying, you lift the lid(s), wrap the rope round the flywheel & pull. I have pull started 55 & 60 horse engines with ease.

There is a lot to look at to optimise a twin setup, but as I have said dozens of times before, when you take an aux into account, you would be surprised just how often twins are lighter.


......and welcome to Ribnet!

[jambo]

On the subject of aux engines, as one who does all my boating on the waters of the west of scotland I never leave without mine and has helped me on one occassion in the sound of jura to get home! if you need more convincing just check Alysra's thread last year re his 'smell' as it illustrates the need for one. It gets you to land and gives piece of mind.

[Flotsam]

Thank you all for the contributions so far, there is clearly a great deal of reading for me to do on various threads within the forum..

The single/twin debate and the opinions with regard to the need for auxilliary power is an interesting one. I would suggest that the need is just as great when close to the shore as you are by definition that much nearer big solid things! I guess a great deal depends upon which part of the coast you are enjoying.

With regard to the original question, I know that the answers are going to to skewed by brand loyalty etc, but as I see it you tend to be loyal to a brand because it is good? With the exception of the Ribcraft there have been no specific suggestions as to what might suit me. Being based in the North an obvious choice would seem to be Humber, especially now that they have embraced the leisure market a little more. Any thoughts?

Cheers

[jambo]

AS a Ribcraft owner I am loyal to them because of their performance and finish. But I do have three mates who all have Humbers of varying lengths and all are good boats and as they say do what it says on the tin!!

J