Ribcraft 4.8 reinvented

[spartacus]

Seriously considering getting my angle grinder out this weekend!

[Orwell boy]

sorry ,please ellaborate

[willk]

Originally Posted by Orwell boy

sorry ,please ellaborate

Delta seating config. All the best RIBs have it

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by Orwell boy

sorry, please ellaborate

The Ribcraft 4.8 has been available in single or double jockey configuration for as long as I can remember. They've only gone and added another seat!

Certainly makes it more family friendly.

[smallribber]

Are Ribcraft any good. I thought they were at the lower end of the spectrum ?

[69cmw]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

Are Ribcraft any good. I thought they were at the lower end of the spectrum ?

What are you comparing them with? [emoji848]

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

Are Ribcraft any good. I thought they were at the lower end of the spectrum ?

I agree, they're crap. I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole. Stay well away, they wouldn't suit your needs or style of boating.

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I agree, they're crap. I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole. Stay well away, they wouldn't suit your needs or style of boating.

Thanks for the confirmation Dave

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

Thanks for the confirmation Dave

Not sure who missed the sarcasm on the forum today...

BigPlumbs or Me?

BigPlumbs - you do know what Pikey owns don't you? In which case it was maybe me...

Or maybe I picked up sarcasm that wasn't meant... ...because maybe Pikey knows what kinda boating BigP does and in car terms he needs a BMW Convertible rather than a Landrover Defender...

I certainly wouldn't reject a RibCraft if they wanted to give me one as a prize... ...but then I've always liked Defenders...

[Orwell boy]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Relax, I'd never argue with you[emoji57]

OMG ,what am i going to do now !!! , advice from here gave me nightmares about my highfield chinese rib ........... i dreamt i was leaving the river orwell at 25 knots when i struck a semi submerged highfield with tube failure (pvc) my ally welding instantly failed folowed by drastic tube failure which left me in the middle of the shipping lane at felixstowe dock paddleing along on my bolster seat that had become detached as it was poorly riveted down , ........then i woke up and remembered i had just sold it for 7.5% more than i paid for it in 2014 , and there was a second buyer waiting to pay £500 more if it was,nt collected
anywayafter climbing out from under my rock i decided ribcraft is the way forward for me i thinks, so when i saw the 3 seat option on the 4.8m along with the 4.8m special for the boat show i reckon sounds perfect ,it was a very genuine request for more info ,then you guys suggest all is not well ..
decisions decisions maybe 5.4m may be better for me ,athough not sure i can get to that

[willk]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

I certainly wouldn't reject a RibCraft if they wanted to give me one as a prize...

Can we play "Name that Competition"?

[lakelandterrier]

Originally Posted by spartacus

The Ribcraft 4.8 has been available in single or double jockey configuration for as long as I can remember. They've only gone and added another seat!.

True, but you can't get a 2x2 configuration on a 4.8 unfortunately. Need the 5.3 to get 2x single jockeys side by side up front.

[Orwell boy]

Originally Posted by lakelandterrier

True, but you can't get a 2x2 configuration on a 4.8 unfortunately. Need the 5.3 to get 2x single jockeys side by side up front.

more useful info ,thankyou , with the loss of the london boat show (not really a loss ) i am hoping we may get a few uk rib manufacturers at southampton

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Orwell boy

OMG ,what am i going to do now !!! , advice from here gave me nightmares about my highfield chinese rib ........... i dreamt i was leaving the river orwell at 25 knots when i struck a semi submerged highfield with tube failure (pvc) my ally welding instantly failed folowed by drastic tube failure which left me in the middle of the shipping lane at felixstowe dock paddleing along on my bolster seat that had become detached as it was poorly riveted down , ........then i woke up and remembered i had just sold it for 7.5% more than i paid for it in 2014 , and there was a second buyer waiting to pay £500 more if it was,nt collected

anywayafter climbing out from under my rock i decided ribcraft is the way forward for me i thinks, so when i saw the 3 seat option on the 4.8m along with the 4.8m special for the boat show i reckon sounds perfect ,it was a very genuine request for more info ,then you guys suggest all is not well ..

decisions decisions maybe 5.4m may be better for me ,athough not sure i can get to that

Any particular reason you now want a RC when you were so happy with the Highfield?

[Orwell boy]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Any particular reason you now want a RC when you were so happy with the Highfield?

Thats a great question so i will try to answer ,, when i entered the rib market i had only ever had 5/6/7 metre sports boats bowrider /cuddy 4.3 v6
when it came to ribs you were right i had been living under a rock ,i looked around an saw alot of fading hypalon and grotty old ribs on grotty old trailers , one day i saw at my local dealer a 5m highfield ,nice honda 80 ,loads of seating ,looked the business ,i made enquiries and they said i could buy a 46o with 60hp for my budget , after thinking it was good i got real and decided there was a massive step from 460 to 5m and i told the highfield guy i would not be buying as i do,nt want a 460 rib to replace my 535 bowrider and would save some more cash to fund a 5m later , well all of a sudden massive discounts flowed my way and i could have a 5m with a 90hp provided i purchased at southampton that year ,so with money in my pocket off i went to southamton .
nothing could come close to the deal i was offered ,so i bought the highfield
got delivered ,was well pleased ,still believe it was a great entry level rib for me ,genuinely i had none of the things many of the old timers suggested ,and it just became rather annoying seeing such narrow minded comments one after the next and all said and done highfield put me into the rib culture ,and now i have decided to move up ,but highfield served me well right till the end even returning a 7.5% profit for the 3.5 years of ownership
so working in british industy all my life i am getting the ribcraft message ,however i,m thinking the 4.8 may be too smmall and the 5.85 too expensive and then theres the nautica which ihave and like more and more with every outing and incredible build quality made in typical over the top usa spec

[smallribber]

Keep the Nautica

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Orwell boy

Thats a great question so i will try to answer ,, when i entered the rib market i had only ever had 5/6/7 metre sports boats bowrider /cuddy 4.3 v6
when it came to ribs you were right i had been living under a rock ,i looked around an saw alot of fading hypalon and grotty old ribs on grotty old trailers , one day i saw at my local dealer a 5m highfield ,nice honda 80 ,loads of seating ,looked the business ,i made enquiries and they said i could buy a 46o with 60hp for my budget , after thinking it was good i got real and decided there was a massive step from 460 to 5m and i told the highfield guy i would not be buying as i do,nt want a 460 rib to replace my 535 bowrider and would save some more cash to fund a 5m later , well all of a sudden massive discounts flowed my way and i could have a 5m with a 90hp provided i purchased at southampton that year ,so with money in my pocket off i went to southamton .
nothing could come close to the deal i was offered ,so i bought the highfield
got delivered ,was well pleased ,still believe it was a great entry level rib for me ,genuinely i had none of the things many of the old timers suggested ,and it just became rather annoying seeing such narrow minded comments one after the next and all said and done highfield put me into the rib culture ,and now i have decided to move up ,but highfield served me well right till the end even returning a 7.5% profit for the 3.5 years of ownership
so working in british industy all my life i am getting the ribcraft message ,however i,m thinking the 4.8 may be too smmall and the 5.85 too expensive and then theres the nautica which ihave and like more and more with every outing and incredible build quality made in typical over the top usa spec

That's a hell of a long sentence, but does it actually explain why you wouldn't be making the Highfield 5.9 high on your shortlist? If I was in your shoes with both a positive experience and a good financial outcome, I'd certainly be ignoring the opinions of a handful of brand obsessed people on the internet if I was sure I was better informed.

[Bigo]

I agree poly! Seen loads of highfields down in salcombe and a lot of them look great ascetically and in terms of build quality. I spoke to a chap who owned a DL 640 he previously said he had a ribeye. He said the highfield was great and in hi words ‘ribeye, you pay for the brand. Highfield you pay for the product’.

I think these days it’s very difficult to break through as a newish manufacturer. Give it a few more years and I think highfield will be in the top 3 rib manufacturers.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Bigo

I agree poly! Seen loads of highfields down in salcombe and a lot of them look great ascetically and in terms of build quality. I spoke to a chap who owned a DL 640 he previously said he had a ribeye. He said the highfield was great and in hi words ‘ribeye, you pay for the brand. Highfield you pay for the product’.

I think these days it’s very difficult to break through as a newish manufacturer. Give it a few more years and I think highfield will be in the top 3 rib manufacturers.

Depends how you judge "top" I suppose; sales volume, quality, resale value, longevity???

[matt h]

Give it a few more years and I think highfield will be in the top 3 rib manufacturers

Redbay goldfish Ribcraft... just cant see a higfield in there this century