new to ribs what to buy??

skeane19 · 18 August 2005, 07:58

Hi lads, i only found this site couple of days ago wish i found it sooner. I have been looking through the archives section for advice but i cant get exactly what i'm looking altough some excellent reading there

Basically i'm completely new to boats and have very little or minimal expierence. I'm looking for a rib capable of carrying 2-3 people and pulling a skier to enjoy for the summer months. I'm fortunate enough to live close to both a river and sea and thought its time i should start to enjoy them.

as its my first rib my budget is minimal, can anyone recommend what size and engine size i should go for, also what brands to look for and what to steer clear from. also the general things to be aware of when buying.

i have plenty room to store it, i do all my own servicing for my work vehicles and machienery and car so i would hope to buy something which i can maintain myself.

sorry for being so long winded but what i'm looking for is a beginners boat which i wont get bore of or "grow out" of too quickly

All advice appreciated

roycruse · 20 August 2005, 13:15

what is your budget ?

If you are going to carry 2 or 3 people and want to pull a skier you are going to need at least 4 or 4.5 meters and a 60hp engine but this will have to be propped for skiing (ie low pitch) and not for speed as you will have no surplus power.

If you can afford bigger and have the room to store it and the car to pull it then ribs around the 6 meter mark with 90 - 150 hp will give you far more versatility opening up the posibilities of long cruising runs and taking more people and coping with harsher conditions.

roycruse · 20 August 2005, 13:25

As far as manufacturers are concerned...

My advice is to look at all the links from this page http://www.ribexhibitions.co.uk/exhibitors_2.htm its the exhibitors list from this years ribex show.

Find a boat you like the look of then check back and do thourough serches on this forum for users opinions, good and bad experiences with that type of boat.

Thats what I did and ended up choosing Ribcraft.

roycruse · 20 August 2005, 13:32

The best place to look for second hand ribs is http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/pages/ribs.php

Its a free to advertise site so everybody usually putsd their boat on the site even if they are paying to advertise it elswhere.

Yu may even want to consider ebay - I bought a great little 4.2m humber from ebay for £3750 at the start of the season. Unfortunately ive allready sold it otherwise it would have made a great boat for you.

Rogue Wave · 20 August 2005, 14:40

you ca pick up a decent 5.4 searider for around 5 to 6K with something like a 90 hp on it this will amply fill your requirements you can then beat the stuffing out of it for a season or two and get most of your money back!

seariders go down to 4 mtrs My favourite rib ever was my 4.7 mtr searider with a 70 yummiha on the back.

Other boats worth a look secondhand would be Humber, ribcraft, and definitely think about a Flatacraft if you find one they were strongly built boats and worth a go.

slimtim · 20 August 2005, 17:05

I had a little flatacraft 3.4m with a 25hp yamaha on the back. cost me about £1300 and could pull a wakeboarder with two people in the boat (with a low pitch prop and a bit of weight shift from the driver/crew). I had loads of fun in it with my mates but I grew out of it which is why I'm building something bigger. A boat of that size would be a bit limited for cruising anywhere though.

Tim

skeane19 · 21 August 2005, 23:52

thanks for all the replys lads. i've plenty room to store one and i have a 4*4 so thats 2 things i dont have to worry about

basically looking for something suitable for a 1st boat but big enough not to get bored of it too quickly. my max budget is 6k but would like to spend less basically want to spend as little as possible as its my first rib. when i get the

is there any model/make i should completety avoid??

swginn · 22 August 2005, 00:14

How's it goin??

Whereabouts in Cork you from?? I would reccommend calling in to Marine Motors in Little Island to see what they have, as they don't really update the website too often:

www.marinemotorscork.com

Is that a budget of 6k sterling or euro and do you intend to buy in Ireland or UK? The UK market is cheaper and has a better selection but obviously is more awkward!!

This looks nice:

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F69309/

Pete7 · 22 August 2005, 00:27

Or something with a 4 stroke engine perhaps and a Yamaha to boot

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F74003/

Pete

boatbuoy · 22 August 2005, 00:38

The only BWM I used had a very shallow V, and made it slap in anything more than a millpond? Do they do a deeper V at all?

Pete7 · 22 August 2005, 08:54

Most of the 17 - 19 BMWs you would describe as medium V, I think, they are good compromise between stability, excellent speed and load carrying.

Pete