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Originally Posted by happydays
We're in Mallorca and plan to use it for inshore/coastal cruising (beach and town hopping!) and in fair weather conditions.
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my advice would be to look and see what other people are using locally. Often there is a particular style of boat which seems to "evolve" in a particular area because its hull is suited to the seas an its deck layout etc suited to the weather, whilst if everyone in the local marina is running a particular brand of engine its probably because the local dealer is really helpful/good. Obviously do this with a "critical/cynical" eye - because sometimes its just there is very little competition, but even within the UK there seem to be local preferences.
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We're currently thinking 5 to 6m max but need something that 2 people can handle on a trailers in and out of the slipway, as we'll be keeping it at home and taking it to the local marina for launching. We have plenty of hard standing at the house and 2.9m wide gates. We have thought of starting smaller but we're concerned about stability on rough seas and don't want to change in a year or two for a larger RIB...
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2 people will be able to launch a 6m boat no problem with a bit of practice. Once you get good and organised you could do it single handed. Many people change ribs after a season or two once they start to understand what the really want. Obviously that could be expensive if you are buying new...
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What power outboard motor would be needed to give sufficient speed for days when we might want to do a longer run out? We're currently thinking of a 4-stroke 70. Any recommendation for makes?
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that will depend a bit on which boat you end up with. 70HP would be fine at the smaller end of 5-6m but probably too little at the top end. In terms of makes all the big brands are generally considered to be much the same. i.e. Yamaha, Mariner/Mercury, Suzuki, Honda, Tohatsu etc, I wouldn't discount an E-tec modern 2 stroke either (3 yr service interval!). There may be a specific engine or brand which makes more sense at a particular size because it has better power to weight ratio etc.
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What options are recommended for "casual cruiser" use - e.g. bimini... ?
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most folk here are in the UK so have no idea what a bimini is, but would quite like one to keep the rain off
If other similar sizes boats (even if not ribs) used locally all have biminis then you should probably give it serious consideration.
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Finally - new or second-hand? What are the pitfalls of buying S/H? What do we need to look out for (e.g. damage, service history...)?
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Nos4r2 has a "guide" somewhere in the depths of Ribnet for you to read over. Its no different to buying a car really - do you want to spec exactly the features you want or live with what someone else picked? do you want to take the big initial depreciation? do you want a "pride and joy" or "a means to get from a-to-b"? does a warranty matter to you, or could you afford to replace a dead engine if the worst happened? If you are buying a boat in the med I'd also be paying extra attention to the tube condition if it has been stored outside.
