The perfect rib for the med

[allegria]

Any suggestions?

[Richard B]

Anything from Fabio Buzzi would be just perfect.

[codprawn]

Picton Cobra for family use

http://www.cobraribs.com/Gallery.htm

Or Pascoe for speed freaks with money to burn

http://www.pascoeinternational.com/

[Pete7]

See what the locals are using, there might be a good reason for it, like there is only one dealer in town. But light coloured tubes because they will get hot.

[Cookee]

Size, value, use? Of course I would put forward one of ours as a possible boat!

[Phil]

I 've been looking at this for a few weeks now.

It really depends what use you require;if its just for playtime in coastal waters you might find that a hard boat is better because of the internal volume.Tubes reduce the available space.

Having spent a few days on the water in the Med this year I found the following

space for sunbathing

good sturdy sun shade ,maybe cuddy cabin if kids need to be right out of the sun

storage for skis, biscuit etc

bench seats not jockeys

deck shower

none of these is impossible with a rib but if you work on 6 people on board as I have to then you must be looking at a minumum of 8 metre +

Also the need for deep v Brit style boats is questionable unless you plan long distance cruising -on the basis that if the weather is bad you do not go out

Do a search for Italian manufacturers -great style but at a price .

[hard1]

Although I'm biased, I would have to agree with Admiral Codprawn's ascertation that the Cobra Nautique is absolutely designed for this kind of use. Light tubes, sunbed/V seats forrard, Ski Pole, bench seat rear and enough lockers space for cooled refreshment area etc etc. , I would also agree that 8.5 metres would be ideal although the 7.5 also packs some space in. Very stable, dry boat too, ideal for family use. Hope this helps in some way...

[MeMe]

......Medline I or Medline II Compact. Got everything anyone would need. Security - Speed - Handling - Size - Storage - RANGE - Looks - Name - should I continue ?

[Nick Hearne]

Originally Posted by MeMe

......Medline I or Medline II Compact. Got everything anyone would need. Security - Speed - Handling - Size - Storage - RANGE - Looks - Name - should I continue ?

LOOKS!
Yer looks like a deck chair!

[MeMe]

........fight....... .............

[Nick Hearne]

Originally Posted by MeMe

........fight....... .............

But I love deck chairs!

[Hugh Jardon]

Originally Posted by Nick Hearne

LOOKS!
Yer looks like a deck chair!

or perhaps they purchased the surplus material they used to make the 2cv roofs out of, looks very similar

i must admit the stripes are a bit much

[hard1]

Sorry, i thought we were talking proper boats here....

[MeMe]

....pictures of your RIBS ! "let's see ya boat then" and perhaps we could determine which would be best suited for Med cruising with the family. This will be interesting..............

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by Phil

I 've been looking at this for a few weeks now.

Tubes reduce the available space.

space for sunbathing

good sturdy sun shade ,maybe cuddy cabin if kids need to be right out of the sun

storage for skis, biscuit etc

bench seats not jockeys

deck shower

none of these is impossible with a rib but if you work on 6 people on board as I have to then you must be looking at a minumum of 8 metre +

Also the need for deep v Brit style boats is questionable unless you plan long distance cruising -on the basis that if the weather is bad you do not go out

Do a search for Italian manufacturers -great style but at a price .

To take the above in order:

Tubes versus space - we have slimmer tubes (that are in the water at rest giving stability) Inside max beam is 1700 and external is a little under 2500.

Sunbathing - we have a large foredeck, space in the cockpit and a big rear benchseat.

Sunshade / cuddy - No cuddy cabin, but I could be persuaded to do a bimini type of sunshade if there was a request!

Storage - Not only is there a ski locker in the cockpit floor big enough for a pair of skiis, a mono, but also some flat fenders and other stuff, but there is also a 6 foot long locker under the foredeck capable of holding an amazing amount of "stuff" including an igloo, dry clothes and so on as it is a "dry" locker.

Seating - the front seats are our own 4 way design - giving bucket seat type security when traveling quickly, but they reverse for observing a skier and also act as a stand up bolster type thing for greater visibility when going slowly. The rear seat is a 3 seater bench type seat with enclosed sides for greater security.

Deck shower - that of course is an optional extra on our boats.

6 people - Our 7.7m boat seats 5, but because it has a hard nose it has the hull lentgh of a 8m + boat.

Deep V - The BananaShark Seven Seventy is a stepped hull boat and not a "Brit Style" Anything - it has handling that has to be tried (anyone welcome for a demo!), is comfortable in any normal conditions, but has already been tested in conditions you wouldn't go out in voluntarily!

I would suggest you don't have to go to Italy for style - we are not the only British manufacturer to offer stylish boats! (IMHO)

[MeMe]

.......was the silent reply (H1-CH)

[Phil]

Cookee, thanks for that response; I agree with you that there is some fantastic design capability in the UK ;however many manufacturers are quite rightly aimng for the home market as opposed to the Med.Or trying to compromise.

Having said that one only needs to look at Sunseeker to appreciate that the Med market can be eaten into from "home"

You will probably have seen that my last RIB was the Humber 8m Extreme.Never let me down -brilliant sea keeping.I searched high and low for a berth in SoF without success.On reflection it was just as well since it would have been the wrong boat apart from long term cruising maybe once a year if lucky.(Corsica , the Ligurian Riviera etc.)

So the SoF and I suppose the Med generally is more about playtime ,little by way of navigation and weather (where I am in Nice) not as unpredictable as further West, the Mistral etc being more prevalent in the Marseilles area down to Spain .

Without any disrespect have a look at the Cap Camaret 755 (I have hired from www.darkpelican.com) and think about the transfer of some of its features to a RIB.Obviously you are not a million miles away but for those of us who do not wish to spend £100k plus on a dayboat there are some issues.I cannot tell from your photos but a sunbed inset or with guardrails would be good up front.No one will sun bathe between the console and the rear seat -bit of a wasted area I think. Definitely , cover is needed -a firm Bimini and maybe an extension across the back.

Don,t have a go about technical issues -I am an end user only!

But if I dip the foot in the water I 'll give you a buzz and see what can be done.for an elegant rest in Nice see my site

www.palais-yolande.com

[Jono]

I saw the "leisure" Bananashark RIB at Southampton and was given the guided tour by "Kitten". I was very, very impressed at the amount of thought and effort that had been put into it. It certainly was well made and capable to start with as befits its pedigree, but the added detail to turn it into a leisure boats stands head and shoulders above any other that I have seen. The seats being a good example. It is obvious that someone who appreciates not only what’s required, but the forces involved has designed them. Clever and simple engineering. Kitten, I salute you! If I was in the position of buying a “leisure” RIB and could afford it, I would, seriously consider this as an option.
It also has that “special something” that is essential in any Mediterranean based boat…… Style! Fast, great handling, well appointed and stylish

[The Jackeens]

Agree with that Jono.

Having seen it in the build stage we were impressed by the special features.

Kitten is a very talented designer.

Us

[Rodan]

Would agree with above comments, however having just got back from St Tropez the Brit style ribs are catching on fast. Plenty of big flash Italian boats and a few of those Wally power tenders but a good few deep V boats.
However, for general use the open dayboats that are so popular down there are so for a reason. The Ribs are mainly tenders for large yachts. There is readily available rib hire in St T (about E220 for half a day on a 6.5 to 7m RIB bareboat, you need your ICC or RYA PB2).