New Ribcraft 5.3 package

[RibinSpain]

Hi all & thanks to the many contributors to this site, it is very interesting.

After reading all the posts about what RIB to get as a first outfit, I have decided on a Ribcraft 5.3 with 90 hp 4 stroke. I am hoping for a good price at the Boat Show but I would greatly appreciate your views on the extras. So here goes:

Ribcraft 5.3 & Suzuki 90 4 stroke, trailer as supplied.

Single helm seat & side by side 2 person pods behind

Underfloor tank

The above spec was priced up via Ribcraft´s winter offers at 15k GBP, & I hope the same sort of price is on offer at the Boat Show.

I know an A frame looks good but will I really miss it? & can I have it retro ftted at a later stage?

Also, for c 15k, is this the package to go for?

Really appreciate any help, RIB´s use is for beach hopping, fishing, blasting about. Main priority is safety, reliability & not losing too much if & when I upgrade, also, I must be able to launch singlehanded on a low gradient slipway.

Cheers

[Jizm]

I had trial in that package at SBS in 2005 at the time it was £18k with double a-frame, sounder and vhf. So yes that is a good price. I have to say tho' I was not overly impressed with the motor but maybe I was expecting too much, may have been better with an etec I think.

[al40]

I believe the A-Frame can be retro-fitted but if you can afford it upfront it's prob as well to get Ribcraft to fit it. It's really useful for mounting all of the various aerials, Nav lights etc and I think it makes the boat look a whole lot better. I was in same position as you and had originally decided to fit it later but changed my mind and got Ribcraft to supply and fit with the boat.

Assuming you are going for the Rapide trailer, you should be able to launch and recover singlehanded as long as you've got a car that's able to pull the fully loaded rig up the slip (obviously depends on the condition / gradient of slip etc). I did some calcs the other day and reconned the fully loaded boat and trailer (full fuel, anchor, aux etc) was just under 1000KG. Trailer is great tho and boat rolls on / off no problem.

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by al40

I believe the A-Frame can be retro-fitted but if you can afford it upfront it's prob as well to get Ribcraft to fit it. It's really useful for mounting all of the various aerials, Nav lights etc and I think it makes the boat look a whole lot better. I was in same position as you and had originally decided to fit it later but changed my mind and got Ribcraft to supply and fit with the boat.

Assuming you are going for the Rapide trailer, you should be able to launch and recover singlehanded as long as you've got a car that's able to pull the fully loaded rig up the slip (obviously depends on the condition / gradient of slip etc). I did some calcs the other day and reconned the fully loaded boat and trailer (full fuel, anchor, aux etc) was just under 1000KG. Trailer is great tho and boat rolls on / off no problem.

I agree, if you can afford to, get Ribcraft to fit the A frame. I've got the ski tow frame that's bolted through the hull and I certainly wouldn't want to do that at home.

The Rapide trailer makes it a doddle to launch and recover, the rollers letting me winch off and on again without (usually) getting the bearings submerged.

I've got the E-Tec 90 which has given me a 35.4 knots when lightly loaded, is cheap to run and has a three year service interval, and can be winterised by a novice in five minutes. Nothing on board has failed, broken or fallen off.

I use my 5.3 for beach-hopping and just cruising around and it's perfect for that, plus you can do a lot more if you want.

[RibinSpain]

hi thanks for that. I was after a 4 stroke as I used to have a 2 stroke scooter & upgraded to 4 stroke, much quieter, smoother, more fuel efficient but heavier & more servicing. I am assuming this is the same for outboards.

Can I ask what seating configuration you have on your 5.3? I would like a central helm seat but appreciate with passengers I will be talking like a taxi driver!! The side by side 2 person pods behind seem ideal.

I am sold on a factory fitted A frame now, thanks.

Anything else I should consider having done at the factory?

Thanks everyone for your time & contributions to date.

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by RibinSpain

hi thanks for that. I was after a 4 stroke as I used to have a 2 stroke scooter & upgraded to 4 stroke, much quieter, smoother, more fuel efficient but heavier & more servicing. I am assuming this is the same for outboards.

The new 2 strokes, especially the E-Tecs are definately lighter and need less servicing than four strokes and I wouldn't think there is a lot in it regarding fuel consumption. Subjectively I think my engine is a little bit noisier at tick-over than similar four strokes but not by much and the other advantages outweigh this. I think it comes down to personal preference; I like E-Tecs and they suit me. Some of the four strokes seem very desirable as well though. I quite fancied the Yamaha 100hp four stroke as well but the odd £1000 extra is a lot of cash and paid for a few more goodies.

Can I ask what seating configuration you have on your 5.3? I would like a central helm seat but appreciate with passengers I will be talking like a taxi driver!! The side by side 2 person pods behind seem ideal.

I've got a double cruiser console with front seat and two 2-man jockeys as discussed in this thread http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15684 which works quite well, but is more expensive, though not by a lot.

I got Ribcraft to do all the stuff that involved dragging stuff through the conduit (as I saw them struggling with that at the factory) such as nav. lights, vhf aerial, engine gauges etc. Other than that, as long as you have built-in tank, seats and A-frame other stuff can be added later, though not as easily. Charlie at Ribcraft must be a contortionist to work inside consoles.

[RibinSpain]

Thanks for info, as the helm is offset does this affect the boats handling when single handed?

I like the look of your boat & will ask Ribcraft next week for a quote for a similar set up, I see also you have space for an aux engine.

No worries about seeing a direct copy of your boat as I live in Spain (20 degrees today so I want to get out on the water).

Just another, is there anything you would have added if you were buying again? ie, stuff you can´t retrofit.

Cheers

[al40]

I can confirm that pulling cables through the trunk is pretty difficult if you are doing it alone.... With 2 people it's not too bad - gets a bit harder once the trunk is full tho!

In terms of extra's, I don't think there is anything additional I would have added with the exception of possibly the engine installation (which you are talking about anyway when going for a package).

Fitting the lights / VHF / Plotter etc is extra hassle but it was a good bit cheaper doing it myself that getting Ribcraft to supply / fit. I guess it's a trade-off of cost vs time. As Lawrence says, you could always get them to pull the cables through for you.

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by RibinSpain

Thanks for info, as the helm is offset does this affect the boats handling when single handed?

I'm not sure that I've ever been out single-handed in this boat but when I've been out with just one very light daughter I've not noticed any imbalance; I carry a 26 kg auxiliary on the port transom which must partly balance it out. I remember asking Jason at Ribcraft the same question before I bought it but he didn't think it would be a problem and after using it for over a year now I don't think it would be either. The console is quite narrow so the helm is only offset by about fifteen inches.

Don't worry about copying - I copied a 585 called Rib Panther.

Just another, is there anything you would have added if you were buying again? ie, stuff you can´t retrofit.

Not really, other than already mentioned, as al40 says its cost against time/effort.