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Originally Posted by timmy
I...Ride motorbikes and wonder if owning a RIB might move me away from biking, for a change.
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I also ride motorbikes (Ducati 916) and as much fun as RIBs are, don't think for one moment they'll match the adrenalin fix of a Superbike regardless of what size outboard is fitted; but that's not really the point - after all there are no Volvos to pull out on you or cow shit to slide on when you're on the water and in that respect you'll find a RIB an altogether more relaxing experience! View them as a complementary hobby rather than a replacement for a bike.
Purchasing a RIB is an altogether more complicated issue than buying a new bike, because even if you've decided on a manufacturer you still need to ensure you pick the right length hull and appropriate size of engine for your specific requirements. This forum is full of people who wish they'd got a bigger engine on their RIB and getting that bit right first time will save you losing a load of money if you decide to change it later. The fact that you allude to skiing/wakeboarding makes the choice of a big enough engine even more critical.
As Bruce says, setting a budget is a prerequisite and if you're prepared to buy second-hand then your options are obviously much wider - you won't be surprised to learn that shiny new RIBs depreciate at much the same rate as this year's latest Superbike! Be wary, however, of buying some ancient relic of an outboard and don't be fooled into thinking that because your Suzuki GSXR1100 engine went 'round the clock' without incident your 20 year old Japanese outboard won't break down - it will, and you won't have the luxury of Norwich Union's Bike Assist breakdown service to get you home!
Difficult I know when you're new to the game, but bear in mind that although you might think that you just want to 'potter about' at the moment, you may well develop an interest in taking your boat further afield, so be wary of buying too small a RIB that you'll outgrow too soon. Having said that you also want to avoid buying something so big you can't handle or store it easily.
You will, over the course of the next few days, receive a mass of quality information from experienced ribsters on this forum and will become so confused that you'll wish you'd never asked the question in the first place. However, as someone who'd never even heard of the word RIB 18 months ago, the one piece of advice I would proffer would be to try out as many different sizes of RIB as you can before you commit to a purchase. Only in this way will you be able to formulate a realistic appreciation of what you want.
You are ideally situated on the South coast and there are a load of extremely friendly, helpful guys on this forum who'd be more than happy to take you out for a spin - even more so if you offer to buy them a beer or two! One thing's for sure, though - once you've bought one you'll never look back
