RIBs for flood/swiftwater rescue?

[iancg1]

Thank you for all the recommendations. I will look into all of those. This forum is very helpful indeed!

[iancg1]

Raising an old thread. Things went quiet for a while but our team is now back on track since we are anticipating funding. Here is our situation:

We are setting up an all-volunteer rescue team here in our city. The local government doesn't have a full time water rescue team. The only unit that provides water rescue is the coast guard. For small boats, they are equipped with only two SIBs, covering an entire region. We would like to fill that gap by providing flood, swiftwater, and beach rescue services.

Given our funding, we can only purchase one boat for now, so it has to work with all three scenarios. Based on the information generously provided by the members here at RIBnet, inflatables (RIB or SIB) is out because of its durability problems in flood water. Rescue One Connector Boat was initially an option but I don't think it will work well on beach patrol (correct me if I'm wrong). Our options have narrowed down to rotomoulded boats. After browsing through the websites cited, the following boats seem to fit the bill:

-Fun Yak D Category 3.9m, 6pax
-Smartwave AV3500 3.5m, 4pax
-MAC 420 Open Tiller Steer 4.2m, 5pax
-Tehri Sea Fun 4m, 4pax
-Steady 400 4m, 5pax
-Steady 320 3.2m, 4pax
-Rigiflex Newmatic 360 3.6m, 6pax

Have I made the right assessment? Are there other boats that would better fit our purposes?

Thank you.

[GandyGoose]

How about Pioner?

http://www.pionerboats.co.uk/69/Multi-Gallery

[iancg1]

Originally Posted by GandyGoose

How about Pioner?

http://www.pionerboats.co.uk/69/Multi-Gallery

The multi looks okay for flood water, but how does the multi perform in swiftwater and on the beach?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by iancg1

-Fun Yak D Category 3.9m, 6pax
-Smartwave AV3500 3.5m, 4pax
-MAC 420 Open Tiller Steer 4.2m, 5pax
-Tehri Sea Fun 4m, 4pax
-Steady 400 4m, 5pax
-Steady 320 3.2m, 4pax
-Rigiflex Newmatic 360 3.6m, 6pax

If it helps at all then London Fire Brigade have recently bought 20 modified Funyaks (to take 10 pax) http://mortonboatsblog.blogspot.com/...e-brigade.html

I am sure Morton boats or the LFB would be happy to share the modifications required to take enable this.

[Richard Selman]

We replaced our rescue RIB at the sailing club with a Pioner Multi 8 years or so ago. They are a bit heavy compared to a RIB of the same length but totally indestructible. The abuse it gets would have destroyed a RIB. Not had to do one single repair despite loads of groundings, collisions etc. (and all the drivers had their PB certs). Huge amount of free flat deck inside and the landing craft ramp is excellent should you need to pull a casualty onboard. You can drive with it down providing you keep your fingers away from the gap. Would be excellent for diving. Draft is probably a little less than an equivalent RIB. They wobble a bit at speed but out and out speed is rarely a serious requirement for this type of work.

Richard

[iancg1]

Originally Posted by Richard Selman

We replaced our rescue RIB at the sailing club with a Pioner Multi 8 years or so ago. They are a bit heavy compared to a RIB of the same length but totally indestructible. The abuse it gets would have destroyed a RIB. Not had to do one single repair despite loads of groundings, collisions etc. (and all the drivers had their PB certs). Huge amount of free flat deck inside and the landing craft ramp is excellent should you need to pull a casualty onboard. You can drive with it down providing you keep your fingers away from the gap. Would be excellent for diving. Draft is probably a little less than an equivalent RIB. They wobble a bit at speed but out and out speed is rarely a serious requirement for this type of work.

Richard

Under what scenarios do you use your Pioner Multi sir?

[Richard Selman]

Just the normal dinghy sailing club rescue type jobs. Attending capsized boats, towing, mark laying etc. Before that we had RIBs but we were always having to fix them. Mostly damage from anchor and chain handling. We also got both RIBs opened up from bow to stern with a knife (we know who did it but could not prove it). It has a Yamaha 50 high thrust engine on the back so its not particularly fast but its fast enough for dinghy rescue although it probably can't keep up with my 20' catamaran when its going full chat with the spinakker up. Its just fast enough to plane with a few people on board but I doubt whether you could flip it or come to any other grief as it is very stable. I think that the new ones are rated for 80HP.

As is usual with sailing clubs, it gets used by very inexperienced people - they all have their certs but have no time behind the wheel. The kind who will barrel on into the rocky shallows with a £12K boat to rescue a £500 quid dinghy, the crew of which is in no danger (generally standing knee deep in the water). We go through a lot of props and the engine skeg is a bit remodeled but the hull is fine - some massive divots taken out though.

Richard

[m chappelow]

i was asked a few months ago what my views were on using r.i.bs by a large fire service who are in the process of buying 3 new boats for use in urban and swift water rescue/flash flooding of rivers going through town centres , to compliment a small number of s.i.b.s that they use ,but as a great lover of r.i.b.s i had to agree on this one that they have now decided to buy 3 x 17 ft aluminium ,, connecter boats ....by rescue one ...from the u.s.a , one big reason behind this is that as they have no sponsons they can be ridgidly clamped together if needed to make a bridge also they have very little draft ,also the ease of boarding access for general public ,eg elderly persons when trying to climb over sponsons ,and walk boards can be readily solidly clamped on if used as a bridge ,and they take a 40 hp standard or jet drive outboard if needed ,another reason is that a step or platform can be attached and lowered for ease of access ,and as they have a square bow they can be pushed up square against a window or building also they will be less prone to damage by barbed wire ,broken glass and by comparison with a r.i.b they have more usable room inside when operating waterpumps /generaters ect ,

[iancg1]

Rescue One seems to perform well in both swiftwater and flood. Does anyone have experience with it on the beach/surf? We're looking for a boat that can work on all three environments.