Piranha Experiences

TonySmith2k · 30 September 2011, 20:03

Hi RIBNet.

Having visited the Boatshow for some general catching with friends and pottering about I suddenly find that we have decided to buy a family friendly RIB to potter about in the Solent area. I was quite impressed by what I saw at the Pirhana stand but have struggled to find any reviews or comments on quality, value for money, performance etc.

We are looking for a 5.8m boat, 90(ish)hp and wonder if anyone has any experinece of Pirhana as a comparison with Ballistic, Ribeye, Predator for example.

Any advice would be appreciated. Great site by the way, lots of useful information especially for a soon to be converted WAFI

!

Poly · 30 September 2011, 20:33

A piranha 6.6 reviewed here: RIB Magazine - Rigid Inflatable Boats, RIB Boats - RIB International Ltd - Piranha 6.6m (which should give some idea of general quality). Bear in mind that magazines rarely say "this boat is rubbish" though!

The best way to see if it suits your needs is to try it out. I think Piranha do open days to come and try. JBT (who supply Balastics) definitely do. I am sure if you PM the Ribeye marketing person on here she can arrange something for a serious customer too. Worth talking to Predator too. Once you have tried them all then you will be in a better position to judge for yourself.

Just before you splash the cash can I suggest you get a trial in something which is more about function than form (that is not to say that any of these will be bad for what you want). I believe Ribcraft are haveing a demo day soon - that would give you something completely different to compare it to. If after that you still want a "leisure" oriented RIB then great you know where to go. On the otherhand if it highlights different priorities then you've saved yourself some money!

TonySmith2k · 30 September 2011, 21:09

Thanks Polwart. The article is a good read, but as you say magazines don't often openly criticise so I was hoping to get a bit of owner 'ground truth.

However, we are going to visit Piranha tomorrow, hopefully for a test drive, and later in the day we have a drive booked with Ballistic (have you seen the Solent forecast for tomorrow

). We have had a look at Predator 599 today (albeit on dry land), which I quite like, although I prefer jockey over bench seats for helm/nav. Hopefully they have a s/h 599 coming soon so hopefully a chance for a ride. I'll post an analysis of the day, once I can get the grin off my face!

Poly · 30 September 2011, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonySmith2k

Thanks Polwart. The article is a good read, but as you say magazines don't often openly criticise so I was hoping to get a bit of owner 'ground truth.

Beware, owners rarely give unbiased reviews either. Afterall nobody likes to admit making a mistake, and an owner is unlikely to have tried all the alternatives.

Hightower · 01 October 2011, 08:53

If I were you I would go down the Members list looking at what RIBs people own. It might take a little time to see what pattern it produces but at least will give you an idea what people on here drive around in.

thomas · 01 October 2011, 20:35

Plus 1 to above, may also be worth chatting to people like Rib Shop, JCraft and other RIB repair people, these people fix RIBs and will know how well they are put together and how good the materials are.

Nauti Buoy · 02 October 2011, 00:35

I think J Craft do their repair work give Jason a call

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TonySmith2k · 03 October 2011, 06:27

Good ideas, thank you. I also like the look of J Craft's boats - I may have to arrange a look at one of those too!