RIB prices

dimitris · 06 September 2001, 19:17

What are your thoughts about RIB prices in the UK ?

Do you think they are value for money ?

Regards

Dimitris

Charles · 09 September 2001, 15:49

Just to elaborate on this question ..... many people ask me why on earth one would pay in excess of £30.000 on a rubber boat when you can get a GRP week-ender with stereo, fridge, sink, gas cooker etc, etc for half the price? I always try to explain the concept and inherent safety of a RIB, also the time-consuming man hours that go in to producing a RIB.
Any comments?
Back to the original question, like anything else, you get what you pay for. One manufacturer will build you a boat for say £28000 new, while another will build the same boat (comparitively) and charge you £38000. Maybe the people who subscribe to this forum who work in the RIB building industry can cast their opinions on this thread. I personally think that RIBS are a tad over-priced in the UK.

nreid · 09 September 2001, 17:08

Which makes me ask, where are they best priced?
Nick

sasa · 09 September 2001, 17:53

Well, you can find some comparatively cheap RIBs in Sweden. I admit, they are not built to endure the sort of punishment some of you might expose them to, but they are very good boats for shorter cruises and water sport activities.
Check these sites:
X-RIB
RIB Unlimited

The sites are in Swedish unfortunately, but you can still check the images. All of these boats have really efficient hulls and are working extremely well with smaller engines. Apparently, RIB Unlimited 600 only needs 50 hp to achieve speeds well over 30 knots. Not bad for a 6 m RIB!

The Swedish Crown is at the all-time low, so this might be a good time to buy a Swedish RIB.

Sasa

batfalcon · 10 September 2001, 06:30

Following the link I took a look at the above mentioned rib and pin pointed a detail. The boat weights 250 kg ONLY. For a 6 m rib it's rather light, when the BAT 9 Falcon X weights 480 kg empty !!

Michael

Keith Hart · 10 September 2001, 07:14

In relation to Stealth's comment:

"many people ask me why on earth one would pay in excess of £30.000 on a rubber boat when you can get a GRP week-ender with stereo, fridge, sink, gas cooker etc, etc for half the price?"

I have heard a simmilar question about my motorbike (Triumph Trident 750cc). I could have bought a car for the same price, 4 seats, heater, stereo, more mpg etc. However I suspect that the reasons I prefer my motorbike to a car are about the same as why people prefer ribs to motor cruisers!

Keith Hart

dimitris · 10 September 2001, 08:21

nreid,
I do not know where they are they best priced.

Definetely not in Greece.

As far as I can see, I think they are overprised all over europe.

Maybe the fact that there is no mass production (eg cars) is one reason.

I also agree with stealth. I would like to hear the opinions of people who work in the RIB industry.

Dimitris

tsunami · 10 September 2001, 14:18

For the very reason of value for money and as I was invovlved in the Rib building industry quite a few years ago I decided to build my own rib to keep the cost as low as possible!
We actually built 2 so as to try and keep the cost on carriage and other items to a minimum. Even with building the entire boats ourselves with no outside labour costs apart from buying the tubes and stainless steel work it was amazing how expensive they had become!
I would imagine if we had paid people to do the laminating, fitout and electrics we would soon have been up to the price of a boat from any one of the production yards!
I feel that some builders are certainly offering value for money but find it hard to see how a few of the builders can justify the excessive prices for what can only be considered to be very similar boats with practically identical materials and equipment fitted!
Below is a photo of one of the boats that we built. Its 7m and capable of 47 knots. We also completed a South, West and North coast trip of Ireland just a few weeks ago as a belated maiden voyage!

batfalcon · 10 September 2001, 19:44

Can you estimate a total cost for the boats you have built ?
I mean total cost. Boat + Engine + Accessories + Equipment installation.

Michael

tsunami · 11 September 2001, 08:54

Batfalcon,
it wouldn't be fair to a few of my friends that are still involved in the rib building industry. They wouldn't be very happy with me if I was to give away the details of their costings!
What I can say though is that although I went way over budget with my boat it was certainly well worth while especially if you are willing to put a lot of your spare time into it! It took 14 months to build our two boats which we did in a shed we built onto the side of the house.
Most production builders would happily supply bare hulls and consoles for you to fitout yourself which would certainly save you a lot of money.
The reason ours took so long to build was the fact that built all the plugs and moulds for the hulls and console etc.. ourselves rather than buy in the parts.
Maybe I should start a discussion on building your own rib?

batfalcon · 11 September 2001, 09:42

For discussion sake only. I am not planning to build my own rib, especially with my little knowledge.

Michael

Jari Hjerppe · 18 September 2001, 09:02

Do you have any experience about the RIB Unlimited 600. The price isn't too bad, even when looked from the east side of the gulf!

Jari

Charles · 18 September 2001, 13:28

I think we have all missed the point? Why are RIBS, comparitively, much more over-priced than conventional vessels?

dimitris · 18 September 2001, 16:28

From the number of opinions/answers that the thread is getting can I assume that most members think that RIBS are fair priced ?

Charles · 18 September 2001, 18:33

Yeah, I know, that is not the question .... comparitively is the key word. You can buy a reasonably good GRP boat with all manners of gizmos etc for under £20 000! So, why are Ribs so expensive??

batfalcon · 18 September 2001, 19:01

Maybe because RIBs are fashion, need more man-hours to construct and the materials are more expensive.

sasa · 20 September 2001, 20:04

Jari,

I don't have any personal experience with the RIB Unlimited boats, only what I have read and heard. The boats have very efficient hull form. The boats I've seen were very nicely built.

Mats Lindgren, the guy behind RIB Unlimited, is no stranger to RIBs. After all, he constructed RIBCAT, capable of speed over 100 knots. Is it still the fastest RIB?

So I'm quite sure you won't regret buying a RIB Unlimited if you're looking for a sleek, sporty and economic RIB.

I am meeting a new member in the Scandinavian Inflatable Boat Association this week-end and he has a RIB Unlimited 600. I'll ask him for his opinion. If the weather is decent we may even go out for a spin. I'll keep you posted.

Back to the price of RIBs. Well, small series are probably the main reason the RIBs are comparatively more expensive than their all-rigid cousins. Besides, almost every RIB is unique as you are allowed to choose consoles, seating, A-frames, lockers... And this makes it impossible to have a rational production line.

Of course, there are also big manufacturers with standardised boats. Zodiac comes to mind immediately. As a matter of fact, I met Zodiac representatives at the demonstration of their boats for Swedish journalists few weeks ago. And I did ask them why their RIBs were so expensive. And the answer was: "We don't have any real competition which means we don't have to keep the prices down. If the competition emerges we'll surely be able to do so."

Well, there you have it. We need more strong manufacturers that are selling their RIBs worldwide. Still, I feel that majority of us will keep buying "overpriced" boats simply because we like to specify how our boats should look like down to the last screw!

Sasa