RIB Origins?

Stoo · 24 November 2006, 13:33

I was talking to a diving friend last night about my old boat, which became his new boat. It was an early Hurricane, built before Hurricane was owned by Zodiac. Essentially, it was a Mark III Grand Raid, with the floor cut out and bonded to a fibreglass hull. I have always understood that these early Hurricanes were some of the first RIBs although it's hard to imagine that they haven't been around a long time.

Does anyone know about the first RIBs or better yet, have photos? Are any of them still in service?

codprawn · 24 November 2006, 16:55

It is a bit hard to tell - apparently the first RIBs were made at Atlantic College in Wales. They developed the first inshore lifeboats and worked with the RNLI - hence the name "Atlantic" for that class of boat.

Zodiac were also one of the very early pioneers as were Avon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigid-h...nflatable_boat

There is a photo somwhere of a very early lifeboat which has a normal wooden hull with rounded cork "tubes" along each side from the 1800s - there's nothing really that new!!!

Stoo · 25 November 2006, 00:46

That's an interesting article Cod... thanks for posting it....

Biggles · 25 November 2006, 00:56

A copy of RIB International from a couple of years ago go backs to the start of RIBs in the UK. Its based around the 1970s and a couple of innovative indivuiduals. It was all trial and error and lots of glue and rubber boats bits of ply wood.
Although I can't remember any of the original names I can recall that the Avon Searider and Flatacraft were basically the forerunners of all our mass produced RIBs. Although the original Flatacraft has evolved somewhat the Searider is essentially the same beast it was all those years ago.
In the same magazine a Flatacraft 3 with a smallish outboard went from the UK to Europe with an early version of I'm a celebrity get me out of here. The owner of the Flatacraft took a Lady he'd never met before on the trip for company. Absolutely amazing and very brave and confident.

codprawn · 25 November 2006, 02:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggles

A copy of RIB International from a couple of years ago go backs to the start of RIBs in the UK. Its based around the 1970s and a couple of innovative indivuiduals. It was all trial and error and lots of glue and rubber boats bits of ply wood.
Although I can't remember any of the original names I can recall that the Avon Searider and Flatacraft were basically the forerunners of all our mass produced RIBs. Although the original Flatacraft has evolved somewhat the Searider is essentially the same beast it was all those years ago.
In the same magazine a Flatacraft 3 with a smallish outboard went from the UK to Europe with an early version of I'm a celebrity get me out of here. The owner of the Flatacraft took a Lady he'd never met before on the trip for company. Absolutely amazing and very brave and confident.

He was Welsh as well.....

Jizm · 25 November 2006, 11:08

I just read
'Rigid inflatable boats' by colin jones.
very good and goes into the history of them.

Stoo · 25 November 2006, 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jizm

I just read
'Rigid inflatable boats' by colin jones.
very good and goes into the history of them.

I found a used copy on Amazon... It's selling for $68 CDN. Worth it?

IanE · 25 November 2006, 22:52

http://www.glacierbooks.com/Book_Mis...s.asp?AUTHOR=J

ian parkes · 26 November 2006, 00:20

there was or is one of those old lifeboats with the cork around the gunwhales beside the river at Exeter opposit the maritime museum .
Must have been fun rowing that

Tibs · 06 December 2006, 14:22

Check out this blog from the Ribcraft USA website about the birth of RIBs. I found it quite interesting......

http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2006...h_of_ribs.html

Jelly · 19 January 2007, 11:05

There was talk of a Rib forerunner in / around Plymouth at the same time Atlantic college was working on there's.
Story was that it was an inflatable that got its hull ripped out and some one put a plywood hull of some description. What ever happened to it no one seems to know.
It looks like nothing more was done on the subject, so the main players deserve the credit for developing the idea.
It could also be a sailing club bar story, without further evidence we'll never know!
James