Need advice for buying first RIB

Sirius_Bane · 20 July 2004, 08:17

Hi there. Im 16 years old and live in Vancouver British Columbia. I have loved RIBs since i first went on a bear watching tour on a 24ft RIB when i was 13. I fell in love with the awesome performance. Now with a job ive saved up some money and plan on buying a "small" rib next year.
I need some advice. I want a RIB not a SIB. I dont need the whole portability advantage. So im interested in a small RIB under 13ft.
Im considering this 3.40 m RIB from west marine. Its made by Avon
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...32&storeNum=10

What do you guys think? I want it to be under $5000 Canadian.
Any advice would be appreciated. I hope I become an active member here! Thanks

tim griffin · 20 July 2004, 08:27

Go for it, but do get trained in how to use it i think the rules in Canada are alot stricter than in the UK re qualifications
but have fun and be safe
regards tim
www.griffmarineservices.co.uk

Sirius_Bane · 20 July 2004, 08:33

Hey. Thanks for quick reply. Actualy Ive already taken a boat safety course and hold a "Please Craft Operators Card" (required if born after certain year).
I just wanted some advice from you guys to see if this boat would be worth it? I dont believe Zodiac or Bombard offers any RIBs in this size.

MeMe · 20 July 2004, 09:12

..........spending your hard earnt cash on that West Marine RIB. Why ? Well in the first instance it's expensive for what it is, however, anything brand new always is. Next, it's only rated for a 10hp which, although enough for a chap your age I feel sure that once you really get bitten by the RIB Bug you'd feel restricted by 10hp performance and want to jump to 15hp especially when one of your pals passes you and leaves you in his wake.

Therefore, if I were you I'd search for a 2nd hand RIB with a minimum length of 3.80 mtrs which would be capable, in most cases of taking upto a 40hp whilst still delivering sound performance with a 15hp on the tail. In this way, once you feel ribbing is for you there's the option to upgrade your engine. Furthermore, it's always safer and more fun to boat with a pal either in a seperate boat or by your side (even better with a girl) therefore, a 380 has the room and of course some added stability and performance in differing sea conditions.

Where to look... well, if you were in the U.K we'd be laughing however, we're not so why not search through the classifieed adverts in your local paper, visit the marina and search the notice boards in yacht clubs, chandlers etc and one tip that has always worked for me, put your own advert together "Wanted" with a few well chossen words and stick it wherever you see "For Sale" adverts. Someone is bound to see it and may just have what your looking for whilst not exactly realising they wanted to sell it - if you get my drift.

Furthermore, please don't dismiss a SIB as they're just as much fun and just as safe for inshore pottering from here to there. If Keith Heart reads this I'm sure he'd vouch for this fact. SIBs are also a lot cheaper, easier to come by and whilst I appreciate you say portability is not a factor, the lightness of such craft has real advantages, especially if I may be so bold, for a chap of your age.

I hope the above is of assistance ! Good luck with your search - keep us informed.

By the way, this site may be of assistance in bench marking whats about. www.boatsandoutboards.com

ADS · 20 July 2004, 09:15

I am not sure about the RIB you have shown but it may be a bit small -it depends what you are going to do with it. I would advise that you look at secondhand boats as you may get more for your money. I was in a similar situation as you last year when I was 16,with my budget I could have gone for nearly new YAM SIB with a 15HP fourstroke on it. In the end I bought a 4 metre Avon with a 40HP Suzuki for similar money its just a bit older.

Was it worth it? Well, the Avon leaks like a sieve and I am now completely fluent in outboard maintenence and can take the carb off with my eyes closed! However, the Avon is a good 10 knots faster and I can fit some mates on it as well.
I would recommend that you look at secondhand boats but set some money aside to rectify any problems. Good luck, Alex.

Daniel TD5 · 20 July 2004, 09:44

i agree with meme go for a second hand boat its cheaper and you all so
will get bits with the deal like anchor flares so on
you need to get a boat with a consul of some sort it much more fun with remote steering

valiant do 340 with seat and take a20 hp look for something like that

hears a pic

Jono · 20 July 2004, 09:57

As a student surely you should be spending your cash on more worthwhile activities?....... drink, parties, women........

ADS · 20 July 2004, 10:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono

As a student surely you should be spending your cash on more worthwhile activities?....... drink, parties, women........

I work part time so i can afford to do both! The only thing is the Suzuki does more of the drinking than I do.

Secondly, I bought my RIB instead of buying my own car. My mate has a '89 Fiesta 1.1 auto which is painfully slow. He paid £400 for the car and his insurance is £1500!

My RIB costs me £155 to insure, accelerates faster and is more of a babe magnet!

Alex

Rogue Wave · 20 July 2004, 10:18

It's difficult for us to recomend what you purchase without knowing a bit more of the product range available to you! Are there any websites we could look at to see what is available , do you have a secondhand selling website. etc let us know. A secondhand 4 metre Avon sea rider with a good 30- 50 hp takes some beating.

Also what are the waters like where you are are they cold? do they freeze? what is the sea state like most of the times. This makes a difference to the type of boat and hull shape you should buy.

Oh and a big welcome to the forum to you young man

Sirius_Bane · 21 July 2004, 05:18

I think I might save up for an Avon A 400 Open instead.
I think it is the only good boat available to buy near me (Vancouver) in the 4m RIB range.
Any thoughts on this?
http://www.boat-finder.net/1380/details.php

The waters around Vancouver never freeze. They are rather calm but North of Van theres a place with quite large swells. Just so you guys know what im dealing with. The boat will be an introduction to ribbing and I wont use it offshore so don wry. Thanks guys

MarkWildey · 21 July 2004, 06:16

Sirius

Avon is a very good but you pay a high price to have that name on the side of your boat. The other people here have suggested a couple of other makes that are nearly as good and for the purpose of your usage it would be fine.

If you get a chance to see another boat look at the quality of fittings / gluing, routing of cables etc. If it is a well known make such as valiant then this would be a good buy.

I also agree that a second-hand boat, for your first one, is the best way to go. The benefit is when you make a mistake, and you will, it won’t cost as much or cause the second-hand value to drop when you want a bigger boat.

Whatever you get post some pictures on here, of that great part of the world.

Regards

Mark

Sirius_Bane · 21 July 2004, 06:52

Thanks for your imput. Ya ill keep my eye out for used ones. It sounds like a good option for first RIB. Because im aware that the resale value is quite good. But still I want to consider a new one as well. I dont believe there is any Valiant dealers around here. The only models that have here are small Mercury (quicksilver) valiants under 3m! The biggest takes a 10 horse heheh. Whats up with that.

What do you guys think of the Bombard WB 420? The price may be right

http://www.zodiac.ca/products/bombard.html

codprawn · 21 July 2004, 12:58

I don't think British people realise how rare RIBs are in the USA/Canada - second hand ones will NOT be that easy to find.

Just done a search on Ebay.com and Ebay.ca - 4 between them!!! And they were crap!

You won't go wrong with an Avon - they are built to last - I would have advised you buying a boat from the UK and shipping it over but the £ is very strong against the $ at the moment!

Bombard/Zodiac are similar to the Avon but aren't quite as ruggedly built.

Hope you get something nice and have loads of fun with it - don't forget to post some nice piccies here!