Hi I have just finished looking around. i went with a coastline. (on your door step)go and have a look ,and test and will not need to say any more
ps. if they do not have a 6.5m to try i am in the water most weekends.
Of course I am biased but I explored the same sort of range of Ribs as you are doing for my family and took delivery of a Solent 6.5M (Farfetched) with a 150hp Opti in September. Am very very pleased with her - in fact am still grinning. I was out last weekend and went from Mudeford across to the Needles on the Saturday morning - grey skies and 4/5. Fairly evil seas as we approached the south end of the bank. Never thougt I would go out in such seas - a year ago we had never owned a boat and bought a 3.2M SIB at the London show 2004. I was at the helm and I kept checking my 15 year old was not terrified in the navigators seat! The boat coped with it brilliantly. I mucked up one wave and it we had copious spray over the console to great amusement of us both, but nothing of siginificance in the boat. I would never call myself experienced, but the boat is just amazing.
On the flat (Southampton Water) have got her to 48 knots on GPS with two on board, but we regularly see 43, 44 on the GPS in the Solent.
PM me or email if you want my mobile number for a chat. I have some suggestions you might want to discuss with Lee if you are gonig this route.
Cheers
Bruce
PS Andre's boat was a close second. Consider a Parker even with a petrol solution.
Thanks very much. Very envious of you being out on such a lovely winter's day! Am trying to take in all the comments and work on our own ideas at the moment so will come back to you when done some more head scratching
and will not need to say any more
