Ribcraft 585 ....530

[gpsguru]

Having previously decided that a Zodiac 550 pro suited my needs, I was more than a little concerned when I spoke with 2 different dealers ...... reading between the lines it would seem that the build quality and certain design aspects of the 'new pro' are questionable .......... so I decided to ,run to the hills' .......


Speaking with a trusted friend who is a full time outboard grease monkey, threw up another option .......... his suggestion for a new build that would be a keeper was Ribcraft ...... in his words 'not the prettiest, but substantial, well built, and can handle the rough stuff .............


Surprisingly, when I spoke with Ribcraft both the 585 and the 530 fall almost into budget (30K ish) ..........


So ..... do these RIBS live up their name ? ............. does the 585 really need 140 ponies ...........530 seems a bit small, but looks to deliver internal sizes of most other 550's ? I guess this is a que for El Pikey (Dave) to give me an honest answer.


Looking at the specs the deadrise and bow sheer angles seem to indicate good (or excellent) sea keeping ability ............ currently I am thinking 585 (a bit over budget) .......


My main use is pleasure fishing up to about 12 miles out .......

[Poly]

Ribcraft deserve their reputation. It’s quite a step up from the Zodiac you were considering so if it can be done in similar budget it is a no brainer. Not sure if the lead times will be comparable though.

Rarely has anyone regretted getting 50cm more boat, if you can afford it without under-speccing the motor. If I was regularly going 12 miles out I’d want the bigger boat - but that is with no real experience of the 5.3.

[John Kennett]

A 585 is quite a lot more boat than a 530. If you can afford the 585 I’d definitely go for that. It will work OK with a 90, but will be better with a 140 (better acceleration, able to carry a heavy load easier, faster, more fun).

[Xk59D]

Forget the 140, get a Merc 150 on the back of a 585, job done. A 585 with a 90hp will be gubbins, don't do it.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

A 585 is quite a lot more boat than a 530. If you can afford the 585 I’d definitely go for that. It will work OK with a 90, but will be better with a 140 (better acceleration, able to carry a heavy load easier, faster, more fun).

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Xk59D

Forget the 140, get a Merc 150 on the back of a 585, job done. A 585 with a 90hp will be gubbins, don't do it.

The Merc is a good Matcn!

[jambo]

Originally Posted by Maximus

The Merc is a good Matcn!

Sure is would not change mine. Works really well with the 585. Big step up from my d v6 smoker.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by gpsguru

........... does the 585 really need 140 ponies ....... .......

Absolutely not..........it needs more. [emoji1]I had a 175 on mine, as others have said, the 150 Merc would be a good match, especially with a Rev4 prop on it. ( I'm guessing around 21"pitch)

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Xk59D

Forget the 140, get a Merc 150 on the back of a 585, job done. A 585 with a 90hp will be gubbins, don't do it.

[gpsguru]

Sorry for the delay in reply ........ been busy ........ yesterday & today has mostly been replacing the foam surrounds on a pair of 6.5" Infinity speakers from our Jeep Cherokee ....... replacement speakers from jeep are £600 each ...... replacement foam surrounds from Springfield Speaker in Missouri were $9 per pair plus a little bit of postage. Its a fiddly, high patience job as it is quite difficult to align the voice coil without shims, however, all done now and mighty pleased with the results



Back to the Ribcraft 585 .......... The verdict is that it definately needs 140ponies and preferrably 150 ponies ......yes, I would very much like the new Merc 150 (3.1L V6) as I have had a number of Mercs over the years and they have all be fine. But ........ if I end up with a zuk 140 on the back then so be it ..... the zuk 140 is a very popular engine with small fishing boats and are supplied as standard on warrior 175, Raider 18, and I think Garry Bull uses them on the new wilson Flyer ........... also, I often use an offshore 25 which has a pair of zuk 140's on a pod, in this boat we often go out 50+ miles to the mid channel wrecks ...... so this is an engine that I know quite well and its unusual in as much that it has quite a decent low rev torque which is not what you expect from a Jap engine.

I talked myself out of twins right from the beginning as 5.85m (19ft) is just too small for twins. Having said that, the smallest twins I would entertain would be a pair of DF90's ............ again another good engine ... one of our local commercial fishing boats has one with a little under 4000 hours on it and it has never missed a beat.

TBH, with known brand modern fourstrokes that are no real bad engines ..... not like in the days of Johnson VRO (marmite engine), Johnson Flicht (unreliable), Merc water grommet issues with the rebadged Yam powerhead ....etc, etc. The only engine I would most likely steer clear of is the G1 ETEC (broken mounts, Melted exhaust etc) but the G2 is a real nice engine, albeit a tad expensive.

I still have a lot of thinking to do and probably a lot of 'bargaining' to do before the order is placed in early Sept for a winter build ...........

[Pikey Dave]

Trust me, you'd be disappointed with the 140 on a 585, what about the DF150ap? Around 40%more displacement for just 10 more hp, that translates to more torque. The 140 is weedy on the bottom end.

[Xk59D]

If you are buying new then put the merc 150 on it, utter no brainer and cost may even be less.

If you buy used and it comes with a 140 then so be it if the rest of boat suits.

I know what you mean about grand cherokee, I've owned one briefly (3 days) and it suffered self levelling headlight failure and a transmission control module fault. It was under warranty but no parts in Europe to fix it for 3 months, couldnt drive it so they took it back.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Xk59D

If you are buying new then put the merc 150 on it, utter no brainer.

If you buy used and it comes with a 140 then so be it if the rest of boat suits.

[emoji106]+1

[jambo]

Originally Posted by Xk59D

If you are buying new then put the merc 150 on it, utter no brainer.

If you buy used and it comes with a 140 then so be it if the rest of boat suits.

+3[emoji106]

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by Xk59D

I know what you mean about grand cherokee, I've owned one briefly (3 days) and it suffered self levelling headlight failure and a transmission control module fault. It was under warranty but no parts in Europe to fix it for 3 months, couldn't drive it so they took it back.

Dodged a bullet on that one.

[lakelandterrier]

Originally Posted by gpsguru

Sorry for the delay in reply ........ been busy ........ yesterday & today has mostly been replacing the foam surrounds on a pair of 6.5" Infinity speakers from our Jeep Cherokee ....... replacement speakers from jeep are £600 each ...... replacement foam surrounds from Springfield Speaker in Missouri were $9 per pair plus a little bit of postage. Its a fiddly, high patience job as it is quite difficult to align the voice coil without shims, however, all done now and mighty pleased with the results



Back to the Ribcraft 585 .......... The verdict is that it definately needs 140ponies and preferrably 150 ponies ......yes, I would very much like the new Merc 150 (3.1L V6) as I have had a number of Mercs over the years and they have all be fine. But ........ if I end up with a zuk 140 on the back then so be it ..... the zuk 140 is a very popular engine with small fishing boats and are supplied as standard on warrior 175, Raider 18, and I think Garry Bull uses them on the new wilson Flyer ........... also, I often use an offshore 25 which has a pair of zuk 140's on a pod, in this boat we often go out 50+ miles to the mid channel wrecks ...... so this is an engine that I know quite well and its unusual in as much that it has quite a decent low rev torque which is not what you expect from a Jap engine.

I talked myself out of twins right from the beginning as 5.85m (19ft) is just too small for twins. Having said that, the smallest twins I would entertain would be a pair of DF90's ............ again another good engine ... one of our local commercial fishing boats has one with a little under 4000 hours on it and it has never missed a beat.

TBH, with known brand modern fourstrokes that are no real bad engines ..... not like in the days of Johnson VRO (marmite engine), Johnson Flicht (unreliable), Merc water grommet issues with the rebadged Yam powerhead ....etc, etc. The only engine I would most likely steer clear of is the G1 ETEC (broken mounts, Melted exhaust etc) but the G2 is a real nice engine, albeit a tad expensive.

I still have a lot of thinking to do and probably a lot of 'bargaining' to do before the order is placed in early Sept for a winter build ...........

Ive had both an RC 5.3 and currently 5.85. Both great boats. They are totally different in handing space and in my definition capability. They are different hulls. designs and the extra length of the 5.85 makes a huge difference.

Loved my 5.3, but would not swap back from the 5.85 for the ribbing I want to do - longer trips, more challenging conditions..

I found the 5.3 4 up struggled in a sea, the 5.85 just eats it.

5.3 very easy to handle, launch, recover solo, the 5.85 really needs 2 people due to heavier weight.

[gpsguru]

Originally Posted by Xk59D

I know what you mean about grand cherokee, I've owned one briefly (3 days) and it suffered self levelling headlight failure and a transmission control module fault. It was under warranty but no parts in Europe to fix it for 3 months, couldnt drive it so they took it back.

We have had our 2004 Cherokee 2.8LTD auto since new and I have kept it all this time for 2 reasons ........ its the best tow car I have ever used, and it has been extremely reliable.


Now got 260K on it and the only issues I have ever had was a crankshaft sensor at 150K and it tends to eat alternator clutch pulleys about every 60K, but they are cheap and easy to change. TBH its had a hard life and has spent a lot of time towing heavy trailers (3T) both here and on the continent .......these days it used for towing the boat and the family hack ............ interestingly the VM diesel engine it uses was orginally designed as a marine engine and adapted for car use (used in both the Chrysler Voyager and then bored out to 2.8L for the Jeep).

[gpsguru]

Thank you all for the thoughts on what to do ............ its a big chunk of cash, so I need to get it right ................ I have already decided that the 585 is the way to go as the 530 would just be too small.



My original thoughts were it needed to have the new Merc 150 .......... I have had Mercs in the past (current engine is a Merc) and the 3.1L V6 150hp is getting very good reviews. However, Ribcraft seem to want a hefty premium for fitting this engine , but I think I can deal with that issue



But, that also means more money as I would also want the SC1000 smart craft rev counter and Active Trim. My current boat has 'Smart Craft' and I wouldnt want to be without it. Active Trim is also getting some better than excellent reviews.


I wont be placing the order until mid to late Sept for a winter build........ I will keep you posted.

[Xk59D]

I have a build quote for a 585 and 150 Merc for a winter build, was a few years ago now so I guess prices will have went up.

You may find a used one between now and then that ticks the boxes. When I went to order mine they knew of a nearly new 6.8 for similar money which I bought instead

[Maximus]

P

Originally Posted by gpsguru

Thank you all for the thoughts on what to do ............ its a big chunk of cash, so I need to get it right ................ I have already decided that the 585 is the way to go as the 530 would just be too small.



My original thoughts were it needed to have the new Merc 150 .......... I have had Mercs in the past (current engine is a Merc) and the 3.1L V6 150hp is getting very good reviews. However, Ribcraft seem to want a hefty premium for fitting this engine , but I think I can deal with that issue



But, that also means more money as I would also want the SC1000 smart craft rev counter and Active Trim. My current boat has 'Smart Craft' and I wouldnt want to be without it. Active Trim is also getting some better than excellent reviews.


I wont be placing the order until mid to late Sept for a winter build........ I will keep you posted.

Just get a quote for Spec -Layout -Seats-Consul internal fuel tank ect you want without the engine...loads of people out there will fit the engine of you're choice!...(without a premium!)..it's what I and plenty of others have done when ordering a new RC
Not sure where you are based but I know at least one person close to Yeovil who will do you a decent deal on AND fit the Merc
Defiantly the right way to go 585 over the 530...totally different and inferior Hull..