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Originally Posted by codprawn
As I have said before - been around boats all my life. Not as experienced as some on here with RIBs but have been out in quite a few.
A Humber with a 200hp Suzuki being the latest one.
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Reason I ask is not simply to have another dig at you, tempting though that can be at times...
No, rather its to comment relavent to prudence and speed. Ribbing and Ribs by their nature attract the roughty toughty, wind in yer face, all action superhero type boaters. Stereotype I know but read Rib.net, meet up with a bunch of ribsters in a pub and soon you get into the 'there I was in a Force 6/8/10, 2/3/4 m seas' etc etc type conversation and the myth gets perpetuated that you are not a real ribber until you have risked life and limb to prove yourself as the ultimate aquatic hero (or heroine).
Trouble is that being out in rough conditions whilst usually fun for a short period of time can be a brutal assault on the driver and passengers leaving you fatigued, cold, wet and sore. To truly use a rib to its potential, more than blasting around the bay in the rough and then heading back in for tea and biccies, we are talking about the abilitity to sustain a reasonable cruising speed in reasonable conditions and keep crew and boat safe when things get bad. So rather than be obsessed about being able to do 50kts or 55kts for example, the interest is in whats a comfortable speed that keeps the crew happy, gives the right degree of adrenaline rush and enables longer distances to be covered, extending our range and horizons.
This of course varies with boat size. In a 5m or less rib that sustained cruising speed is going to be 20-24kts, in a 7.5m it could be 30-35kts. I'm talking about the pace you can keep up for hours on end, not the wanging along in the flat calm at WOT burning tons of fuel.
Lots of new folk are coming into Ribbing and at times I think living up to the action hero image and obsession with speed/weather/wave height can be lead to problems. Knowing your limits, your crews limits and of course your boats limits cannot be overstated enough. Usually its the crew that gets overlooked, cos the driver is having lots of fun, is in control (or thinks he is) and the crew are sitting behind him, getting cold, wet miserable etc.
So, from my modest but hard won experience, I am espousing a more measured approach to speed, prudence and ensuring all have a good time. which sounds tremendously old farted of me but as my wife delights in pointing out to me I am becoming one. Bahhh.
Des
At last,likeminded comments,hear hear!! 
