Need recommendation for RIBs for California Bay Area and Delta

[Pbi]

Hi guys, i'm relatively new to boating here (San Francisco Bay Area / California Delta) and need your recommendations - I only have prior experience with RIBs in the Mediterranean.
I am considering a RIB to enjoy the SF Bay between the south bay (Redwood City) and the Delta (up to Sacramento/Stockton). No intention to cross the Gate and do open-ocean waters. The RIB purpose would be cruising with family and friends. No interest in fishing, racing.
Ideally, i would leave the boat permanently docked at a marina in the south bay (i have no idea how easy/doable/costly this is). Alternatively, although less preferably, I can also be mobile and trail my boat back and forth assuming that the boat is not too big and heavy.

I was wondering the following:

Is a RIB suitable for enjoying and tackling these waters? If so, is there a particular size (or even RIB make/model) that you would recommend?

Any considerations on Marina services and boat maintenance that i should be aware of (e.g. lack of services in the area, or headaches for specific types of boats/brands/engines)?

Any additional suggestions or thoughts are welcome!

[Peter_C]

I have a small 4.5m RIB I often launch at Horseshoe Cove under the Golden Gate Bridge. It does great in the bay and ocean, but bigger is always better. I used to have a 4.2m SIB and drove it around the bay and ocean all the time.

How many people will you be hauling? Your budget will play a large part in size. Depending on size and use a hard sided boat might be preferable. Can't help on marinas, but I would also consider keeping a boat at a marina a lot of work too as the bay tends to grow stuff on the bottom very well, so bottom paint is in order.

As to the Delta most any boat will work.

[Pbi]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

I have a small 4.5m RIB I often launch at Horseshoe Cove under the Golden Gate Bridge. It does great in the bay and ocean, but bigger is always better. I used to have a 4.2m SIB and drove it around the bay and ocean all the time.

How many people will you be hauling? Your budget will play a large part in size. Depending on size and use a hard sided boat might be preferable. Can't help on marinas, but I would also consider keeping a boat at a marina a lot of work too as the bay tends to grow stuff on the bottom very well, so bottom paint is in order.

As to the Delta most any boat will work.

Thanks, Peter. As far as people go, onboard i will have either just myself or wife+dog too, or possibly some friends. Max would likely be: 6 adults, 4 kids, 1 large dog.

As far as RIB size, I was thinking of a 6.50m/21’ (minimum) and 8m/27’ (maximum) for trailer-ability. The use would just be recreational, inside the bay (i.e. east of the Golden Gate). Based on this size and use, would you think a fiberglass boat as opposed to a RIB?

For the marinas, if the only additional work is frequent (1x or 2x per year?) bottom clean-up and repaint, it sounds tolerable assuming that this is work that businesses at the marina can take care of.

Budget: ideally, I’d love to stay within 50k, but could stretch it to 100k.
One of the reasons why i was looking at RIBs is that i find them generally cheaper than full fiberglass boats… but maybe I’m wrong. Anyway, browsing on BoatTrader, it feels like more than the budget the main problem with RIBs is availability. Not many around…and I’m still not sure of why. The only reason i can think of is cold waters and cool temperatures, favoring cabin fiberglass boats. But with those, the required budget goes up very quickly.

Thoughts?

[Peter_C]

That is a pretty full crew. Bigger is better. For a level day on the bay a catamaran would be awesome! Something with a cabin can be really nice to have. Of course I own an open boat with console like so many other boaters. Bring a hat and coat.

You will find a bunch of locally made Protectors around here but they tend to be expensive.

This RIB is nice, and make sure to read the text about "I’m buying a bigger boat for the fam. " https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/boa...780907033.html

Here's a bigger boat.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/boa...769261854.html