To RIB or not to RIB?

[gavtawn]

Hi, looking to buy a boat for next summer. It'll be my first boat, and hopefully my last. Here's what i intend to do with it.

I live close to the Marlborough Sounds in Nz and need a boat that can carry 4 adults to secluded bays with enough gear to camp for a few nights. We love to fish and will be doing alot of it but also would like to be able to tow a wake board or skier.

Boat needs to be easy for 1 person to launch and retrieve and also tow-able behind the 2wd family car.

Fuel economy is super important as the Sounds are a vast playground and I really don't want to be worried about the fuel cost when planning a trip to the next bay.

So with all this in mind is a RIB the right choice for me (if not what would you recommend). Assuming the RIB is the way to go, what size and what HP would be best suited. There's a local firm, Wavebreak Boats that design and build Ribs here in Nelson. They look great but i'm not really sure what i should be looking for.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Gav

[Jojosrib]

Hi mate,

Lots of fun to be had around the sounds. I was in a similar position as you a couple of years ago with my boating experience and requirements...but In Whakatane....To cut a story I ended up buying an Atomix 5m rib with 60 hP Honda on back.....these boats are designed in NZ but made in a purpose built facility in China....you can pick these up for around 15 to 22k on trade me second hand.....New they would be around 35k with a few accessories....very happy with it too....very cheap to run and very versatile....Although with the harsh sun we make sure the pontoons are always covered as they are made from Relatively cheap PVC and not the more durable Hypalon.
Second hand high quality European ribs are quite hard to find in NZ and generally expensive when they come up....I believe this is because most boaties here want tinnies.......so the market is fairly small for ribs.....having said that I think they are great for NZ waters and unless you want to be game fishing they handle everything with ease.....good luck on your search....
Gazza

[gavtawn]

Cheers Gazza. I've come across the Atomix boats in my countless hours of Internet wandering and they look great. If I do decide to buy a RIB I think the local Nelson company wavebreak will get the custom. I like the fact that the ally side walls of the hull go up the tubes half way.
Did you find your 5m was plenty big enough for 4 adults? Is a 4.2m boat going to be to small?

[Poly]

A 4.2m rib will be "cosy" for 4 adults. Fine as a ferry for a few miles in good weather with people on tubes, but not really suited to serious use with more than two adults IMHO. With camping gear too could be very cramped.

plan for 1L per NM for fuel. Some will do better but not enough to get excited.

[Jojosrib]

Originally Posted by gavtawn

Cheers Gazza. I've come across the Atomix boats in my countless hours of Internet wandering and they look great. If I do decide to buy a RIB I think the local Nelson company wavebreak will get the custom. I like the fact that the ally side walls of the hull go up the tubes half way.
Did you find your 5m was plenty big enough for 4 adults? Is a 4.2m boat going to be to small?

I Ve just checked out the wave break site.....never heard of them before......some interesting points of design though.....and fair play to you for supporting a local......
I think 4.2 would be on the small side for what you are asking the boat to do.....I find my boats layout very versatile for gear and passengers......only this week we went waterskiing with gear.......we had 3 large blokes and 4 kids aged 8 on board....one of the reasons I liked the Atomix was the 2.3m beam which is pretty wide.....it feels more substantial than a 5 m boat........out of interest....what kind of money are the wave break boats?..

[gavtawn]

Originally Posted by Poly

A 4.2m rib will be "cosy" for 4 adults. Fine as a ferry for a few miles in good weather with people on tubes, but not really suited to serious use with more than two adults IMHO. With camping gear too could be very cramped.

plan for 1L per NM for fuel. Some will do better but not enough to get excited.

So how does that fuel economy compare to a similarly sized and capable Aluminium or glass boat?

Am i right in assuming the RIBS will always be more economical because they are lighter?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by gavtawn

So how does that fuel economy compare to a similarly sized and capable Aluminium or glass boat?

Am i right in assuming the RIBS will always be more economical because they are lighter?

I'm not sure they will be lighter than an Ali boat? hull shape makes a difference (bigger v is less efficient, but more capable in rough water). some of the engine makers publish case study data for specific examples.