Talk to me about RIBS!

[Zagato]

Hello folks, I am selling my yacht as the kids aren't into sailing - "to boring Dad, we want some excitement"! So with a limited budget I have bought a Kayak from the sale and want to buy a RIB with roughly 8K. A dinghy will come later to teach the kids sailing!

Like others I love Monty Halls old Humber Destroyer and would like one just like it. I wonder how much it sold for - here! http://www.quinquarimarine.co.uk/vessels/6/29.html



It would be 5.5 -6m long, 90HP and would be used purely for leisure around Chichester Harbour and the Solent.

Sooo many questions but I have set my heart on an orange Humber (dream boat would be a lifeboat ) I don't like the grey/white look! Before I finally decide are Humbers OK, do they have any problems and what other makes/models should I look at. I am amazed new ones only come with a 1 year guarantee - yes I have spoken to Humber about a new one, 9k, but will have to save up for a S/H engine trailer etc - I don't mind scraping the rest of the money up over two years say I would keep it for life so should be worth it.

Many thanks in advance - what do you think?

[Calne Diver]

To be honest, I'd stick with second hand everything at that budget, you'll get far more for your money. You also often end up with all those little bits such as rope, anchors, electronics, radio, all of which would soon add up to hundreds if you bought them yourself.

Just make sure you go see it, watch them start it from cold, take a ride on it and make sure the tube is in decent condition. Same as buying a car.

Who wants to give the government more tax in the form of VAT anyway!

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by Zagato

want to buy a RIB with roughly 8K

Humber have not fared well recently with feedback on here, have a search and a couple of cuppas while you read through.

Lots of RIB builders make orange boats, a few of them have lifeboat credentials too!



(Not orange, I know. But it has a blue light!)

[Courageous]

Welcome Zagato from a fellow canvas man. Don't totally give up sailing. I couldn't be a stinkpot for the rest of my days. "Point and shoot" can get so boring.

Duck! Incoming!!!!

[Poly]

There is nothing wrong with Humber - but if you just want an orange boat you don't need to limit yourself to Humber. Valiant, Ribcraft, Northcraft, Osprey, XS, Tornado all spring to mind as people who make boats in the size and style you want and depending on age/condition in your price bracket.

One thing to bear in mind is that whilst there are plenty of wanabe lifeboat coxwains around, resale prices for that style of boat seem to be lower than more subtle colours, unless it is a genuine ex lifeboat in which case you might pay a premium for its pedigree. This may be because a lot of the orange boats are ex Sailing Club / Dive Club boats and usually 'tired' by the time they reach the 2nd hand market.

[9D280]

I got one like that - Admittedly it's about to hit it's 25th birthday, so considering the multi-user "club boat abuse" it's seen is still remarkably solid.

Not sure what your outboard experience & knowledge is, but I'll second the secondhand route. A reasonable halfway house is if you get a decent s/h hull, worst case you upgrade the engine- that's going to have more resale value than a shiny boat with a proverbail bag of spanners hanging off the transom.

And to the dinghy idea - lots more to do in a dinghy, & things happen much faster. If they are <15, you could do a lot worse than an Oppie, especially if racing sounds good to them.

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Originally Posted by Channel Ribs

Humber have not fared well recently with feedback on here, have a search and a couple of cuppas while you read through.

Really? That's a sweeping statement. If you consider the sheer number of Humber boats owned, the number of negative comments on here may well be proportionally very low to other brands.

My interpretation of the general consensus on here is they are pretty good. Solid build and excellent seakeeping hulls (except the shallow v assault, but it is priced and sold differently) with simple functional lay outs. The Humber Ocean Pro has recently been chosen for the Arctic Challenge and its hull and high sheer bow are renowned throughout the industry for being excellent in the rough stuff.

I may be one sided as we have a Humber, but there only flaw, if that's your fancy, is the interior fit out, it isn't as leisure orientated as others, but it's horses for courses.

Arguably other makes such as ribcraft and the avon adventurers, who are popular, have been getting more grief recently. The latter is a cheaper leisure boat and sold as such, with sun pads and cushions etc. The former is sold as a premium brand, costing more than equivalent Humbers for example and posters are finding poor hidden build quality on removal of hatches etc in some cases, with water ingress.

[Channel Ribs]

not fared well recently with feedback on here

Originally Posted by HUMBER P4VWL

That's a sweeping statement.

Unless you mean some other, even more, sweeping bit then eh?

"All Fords are rubbish" or "Orange boats sink faster than blue ones", now those are sweeping statements.

[Zagato]

Thanks for the replies I'll look into the other marques although Humber does seem to have a good pedigree with sales to many commercial/govt agencies. Not sure about Avon these days since they were taken over so out goes Bombard/Zodiac for me SeaRider, Osprey, Ribcraft all seem to be mentioned a lot on here so will look into those

I'll also look at second hand stuff when it comes up, your right you get better value for money Doesn't seem to be alot around at the moment, nothing without blue striped upholstery anyway

I will always sail hence the dinghy but a RIB will give a wider weather/tide window to get out on the water and it will be better for the family and a lot easier to maintain. Kids are 4 & 7 so A-B stuff taking in a pub/picnic etc

A nice second hand RIB for 8K, that will eat a chop...err rough seas, would be just the job

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Courageous

I couldn't be a stinkpot for the rest of my days. "Point and shoot" can get so boring.

Once you've mastered point and shoot then you can go further or in worse conditions etc... ...if it gets too boring just buy a smaller rib and it becomes more exciting again. Of course if you really want to zig zag around at 5 knots you can do that too!

Originally Posted by Channel Ribs

Humber have not fared well recently with feedback on here, have a search and a couple of cuppas while you read through.

mmm... I'm going to have to back Paul up here. I only recall one thread in the last year where Humber took some stick. Humber have never been at the top end of the market, but then the prices reflect that. They certainly aren't at the bottom of the pile.

Originally Posted by Zagato

Humber does seem to have a good pedigree with sales to many commercial/govt agencies.

they probably have, but there could well be some marketing spin in there too! Their 'commercial' "arm" Quinquari operate as a different company and rig those boats themselves. Many of the others also sell to both commercial and govt agencies and might well be further up the list for people with the right budget.

SeaRider,

= Avon but usually have grey tubes on orange hull hence I dismissed them...

[Anchorhandler]

Originally Posted by Channel Ribs

not fared well recently with feedback on here



Unless you mean some other, even more, sweeping bit then eh?

"All Fords are rubbish" or "Orange boats sink faster than blue ones", now those are sweeping statements.

'A new broom sweeps clean'........now that's a sweeping statement!!

Simon

[Zagato]

Just researched the SeaRider "Polwart" (Orange hull will do ) Wow talk about pedigree but to me it doesn't look as nice as the Destroyer Shame because it really has history, somebody said they were like the Land Rover of RIBs which does appeal being a Land Rover nut...

More research and maybe a 6m would be better for me, 90HP should be adequate for me do you think, I'm not into hairing around like a stinker! A steady pace for family trip to Bembridge and around Chichester Harbour and Falmouth estuary is fine for us

[Erin]

IMV 90 is fine on anything up to about 5.8/6m for family use. Given that you have a budget and the world is not your oyster, I would suggest being a little less concerned about trying to find a particular make of boat, but instead concentrate on finding something with suitable seating layout, engine and equipment. You can then check with the forum collective on whether it's a good'un or not.

[Courageous]

Polwart - I had my share of 5 knots on my auxy when my gearbox let go!

[Zagato]

Originally Posted by Erin

IMV 90 is fine on anything up to about 5.8/6m for family use. Given that you have a budget and the world is not your oyster, I would suggest being a little less concerned about trying to find a particular make of boat, but instead concentrate on finding something with suitable seating layout, engine and equipment. You can then check with the forum collective on whether it's a good'un or not.

It's easier for me to decide on the right boat and the Destroyer seems ideal for my application, dryer boat, cope with Solent seas, colour, look, reputation etc so a Destroyer is what I have set my heart on. Some nice examples have come up for sale when you Google them.

I don't mind waiting even one or two years to find a nice example. We are a bit boated out as a family and could do with giving the other hobbies a chance. I have bought my Kayak to keep me on the water however, I'm getting a sail for it next year . There is no rush, I enjoy the research and hunting part and the more time I give to it the nicer example I will be able to afford to buy!

Boat selling next week! Sniff...



But two new toys to play with in the meantime...just needs a bright orange Destroyer on the back, the family and a picnic. The RIB is going to be much more useable for us!

[lakelandterrier]

With young children - especially at that age have a careful think about seating & layout, for now & the next few years. I've recently been through this when choosing a RIB with my 6&7 year old in mind.

If you're taking them out in "exciting" (for them ) condtions, would you be happy with them on a bench seat, or would you prefer jockeys? - I wasn't comfortable at the thought of them bouncing arond on a bench seat without their feet on the floor.

Will you be happywith the family sitting behind you all the time or not? I went for a 2x2 single jockey layout so if I was out with just one,they could be beside me - in my view, safer, and more reassuring for the child.

Will double jockeys give enough support / safe handholds for a child? I thought not, pushing my layout to the 2x2 format. Considerations like this will influence what boats / layout are suitable, and may constrain your choice of craft.

Also have a think about your children's ability to stand / sit safely, and how long before their legs will reach the deck. You can get fold down pegs for footrests, but I made a couple of 4x3 wooden footblocks bungeeds rouns the pod, topped with non-slip which gives the younger a solid foot rest without dtilling into the pod for just 1 season.

Do consider the age of family now & future, your safety & security criteria into your requirements, then scope / find a baot that fits. It'll always be a compromise!

LT

[Zagato]

Thanks for that, yes I'm looking into it at the moment so anyone's advice on seating young children would be much appreciated. I am researching bench seats and having them made if necessary roughly £400 mentioned from a previous thread, a good deal cheaper than the £1000 quoted by Humber and maybe jockey seats with a grab handle over the seat.

I was wondering about a bench seat at the back and maybe a twin jockey seat at the front! My wife could go on the bench seat with my 4 year old and my 7 year old daughter could maybe go on the jockey seat behind me. We wouldn't go out in rough weather and probably not even out of Chichester Harbour whilst they are this age (We haven't whilst sailing) You can spend all day in the harbour and pull up to a beach or pub But as we all know conditions can pick up unpredictably anywhere so the safest most appropriate seating layout would be good to hear about.

Humber 5.8m or 6m Destroyer is the chosen weapon, new or s/h -the budget is going up 10K seems to get you a better deal and they also don't seem to depreciate that much. Stretching the budget further you seem to be able to pick up roughly 4-5 year old ones that have taken the depreciation hit like a car but they are still in good condition, maybe still under warranty and the engine has very low miles - have been spending hours Googling past sales of Destroyers I am going to wait until next year to buy anything and another few months will plump the budget up a bit...I'm still keen on buying new to my spec then waiting a year to get a decent engine...I've been in contaqct with Humber and a quote is being worked through although i won't be ordering anything until next year. A nice 5 year old one may come up in the meantime - who knows.

[HUMBER P4VWL]

If you like the Destroyer, don't rule out the Ocean Pro if Humber have one already built for example. It's a slightly more expensive hull as it has chines/spray rails that help a) lift the boat on to the plane quicker and keep it higher up when loaded and b) push the spray away and out rather than just up.

Seating. Your plan re two jockeys and a bench is a good idea. We have that set up and what you find is the bench is lower than the jockeys, so the two bodies up front and the console provide a massive amount of wind protection for wife and youngster sat behind! It is also good that if you go out and play in the rough, the jockeys are great for you and a mate. When calm, the bench is great for having a picnic and loungin etc. We also got a reversible back to the bench seat. Means you can face backwards, with your back in to bad weather, face the sun or watch the skier/inflatable behind. Worth thinking about!

[Zagato]

Thanks Paul, I had discounted the Pro because of the extra cost but as you say it depends what comes up. Doesn't the pro have a wider birth over 2.3m and so cause problems for towing. I probably wouldn't be mooring mine and need to tow from Reigate Surrey to Chichester Harbour/Solent EDIT the ocean pro doesn't come up on the humber site, looks like a SIB?! Will look again...OK the Sea Pro is 1K more than the Destroyer!

Glad I'm on the right track with the seat layout and like the reversible seat idea

Chris

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Zagato

Thanks Paul, I had discounted the Pro because of the extra cost but as you say it depends what comes up. Doesn't the pro have a wider birth over 2.3m and so cause problems for towing. I probably wouldn't be mooring mine and need to tow from Reigate Surrey to Chichester Harbour/Solent EDIT the ocean pr doesn't come up on the humber site, looks like a SIB?! Will look again...

Glad I'm on the right track with the seat layout and like the reversible seat idea

Chris

I think you are mixing up the Ocean Pro with the sea pro Rigid Inflatable Boats - a vast range of quality ribs for both leisure crafts and sports craft from Humber Inflatables

The OP comes in different beam options