Humber 4.7 Assault or Valiant 490

[buzz]

I am looking into getting my first rib, currently considering a Humber 4.7m Assault (early 90’s) with 70hp Yamaha and a Valiant 490 (1998) with 75hp Mariner and would like opinions on which would best suit my needs.

The rib will mainly be used on the sea, don’t intend to tow any ringo or water ski just general playing about, will also be using as a safety boat now and again for my local rowing club.

From what I understand the Humber may have a better hull (deeper V) and has Hypalon tube whereas the Valiant is slightly longer and has PVC tube.

Will the extra length compensate the shallower V on the Valiant? (if it is in fact shallower) I know there are mixed opinions on the forum about Hypalon v PVC. The Valiant looks to be in better all round condition.

Thank for your help.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by buzz

I am looking into getting my first rib, currently considering a Humber 4.7m Assault (early 90’s) with 70hp Yamaha and a Valiant 490 (1998) with 75hp Mariner and would like opinions on which would best suit my needs.

You won't find a lot of "Assault" fans on here - although humber market it as a "deep" V - it is pretty rough riding. Assuming it has 25 yr old tubes and engine then these would take a lot of my attention before parting with cash. You could easily find yourself sinking a couple of thousand in fixing issues. Of course the Valiant isn't brand new either so also needs careful inspection.

Are the seat configurations comparable?

the Valiant is slightly longer and has PVC tube.

definitely PVC? Valiant did a lot of PU tubes and they get confused. As a general rule Hypalon is considered by most here to be the "bees knees" of tube materials, but those who have actually owned PU speak highly of them. Almost everyone agrees PVC is inferior - but how much so depends on how its been stored/abused.

Will the extra length compensate the shallower V on the Valiant? (if it is in fact shallower)

Unless you take both out with the same helm on the same water on the same day you will never know for sure. I'd be surprised if you came back saying the Valiant was significantly worse than the assault on a rough day though. The one "swing" factor might be power trim - if one of them has PTT and the other doesn't you can make a lot of adjustment from the helm to compensate for the ride and get more comfort.

The Valiant looks to be in better all round condition.

Boat TLC costs lots of money and takes up valuable boating time, so unless you enjoy a project that would be a significant factor for me.

[buzz]

Originally Posted by Poly

Are the seat configurations comparable?

The seating configuration on the Humber a double jockey seat and on the Valiant a double jockey seat and a double bench seat in front of that so the Valiant be better when I have others on board

Originally Posted by Poly

definitely PVC? Valiant did a lot of PU tubes and they get confused. As a general rule Hypalon is considered by most here to be the "bees knees" of tube materials, but those who have actually owned PU speak highly of them. Almost everyone agrees PVC is inferior - but how much so depends on how its been stored/abused.

How would I be able to tell if they are PU or PVC?

[spartacus]

Here's a review of a Valiant 490 from Ian Parkes back in 2001. Good honest appraisal from someone who has owned one.

I have just sold my 490 valiant. It was a 2001 boat and had aged very well.

My feelings were that it had a good waterline length for its size and it seemed to be a pretty dry ride even compared to some bigger ribs. The anchor locker and cleat on the bow were very useful. At rest it was very stable and the tubes low enough to make climbing back in possible. Plenty of ropes and handholds are standard which makes it good for passengers sat on tubes.

It's a medium v and not bad in the lumpy stuff but something like a humber ribcraft or searider of similar size or just a bit bigger seemed to get along much better.

The valiant corners very flat at medium higher speed so I felt a little was lost in the higher speed handling. I had a df 70 suzuki on mine which was a great engine but i would liked to have tried a lighter motor if I had the choice. I feel it may have performed better with less power and wieght. Top speed was 38mph with 2 people on board and best cruising 28mph.

The A frame I had was a simple bolt in job that valiant sell.

Certainly no worries with the pvc but it is harder to glue. I had to re stick the corner of a wear patch, but i got there ok in the end. Compared to my pvc tubed zodiac the valiant pvc doesn't mark as easy and stays looking cleaner and is easier to clean. However the zodiac tubes looked better made.

In all they are good value for money in the same way a ford car probably is. It ain't built for heavy use but good enough for pleasure, and for the extra few quid the 520 would probably be worth looking at.

Original thread here including details on tube material: http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/valiant-...perts-398.html