What do people want from a RIB

[Bodie The Boat Guy]

Hi all. This is my first question, so be gentle.
So, if you were looking to buy a new RIB and had the opportunity to design it, what would you want?

What would be your perfect size, features, colours, seating arrangements etc. Plus anything else that would be on your wish list. And be fair. What would you expect to pay for your perfect RIB.

Thanks in advance.

[Poly]

Welcome. I’ll try to be gentle - but your question is niave. Lots of people buy ribs for lots of different reasons. Speed, cruising, a platform for water sports, diving, fishing, camping adventures, to support kids in dinghies etc… size then depends on where, how many people, storage etc.

[Pikey Dave]

I’d want something between 3.5 & 9m that I can trailer or keep on a mooring. Seating for 1-12 people & loads of deck space for fishing & sunbathing. Have a diesel inboard or a 9.8hp Twatsu 2 stroke, I’m easy either way. Colour scheme, something understated, that says I’m not a pretentious terwat, whilst still being striking & individual. It must have a hull that’s upto crossing the Channel/Irish sea in any weather, and bay hopping. It MUST be able to handle the Solent Chop, that goes without saying
And it must be superb build quality, not Chinese built & cheap.
Apart from that, I’m pretty easy.

[Bodie The Boat Guy]

Hi Poly, It's not a case of being naïve. What I'm looking for is exactly that information. That way when I'm working with Rebel, I can provide the details required so that the range can organically evolve in to a choice that will hopefully have something that will suit a lot of peoples wants. I totally get that people have different pass times on the water and that we will never have the perfect RIB. But by at least giving RIBBERS the opportunity to say what they would like rather than be given what you get is hopefully something new. ��

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Bodie The Boat Guy

..... But by at least giving RIBBERS the opportunity to say what they would like rather than be given what you get is hopefully something new. ��

Most, if not all of the traditional UK RIB builders have always given the purchaser the opportunity to have a boat built to their spec. The Likes of Ribcraft, Humber, XS, Tornado, Redbay, Rib-X, Delta, Cobra et al. to name but a few. It's only since the influx of mass produced Far East, Eastern European, and to some extent Zodiac, that the "Off the shelf" RIB has made it's appearance. Offering something other than "given what you get" isn't a new concept. If you want to be disruptive in the relatively limited market, you need to offer a bespoke build, with UK craftmanship & quality at mass market prices.
Good Luck

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Most, if not all of the traditional UK RIB builders have always given the purchaser the opportunity to have a boat built to their spec. The Likes of Ribcraft, Humber, XS, Tornado, Redbay, Rib-X, Delta, Cobra et al. to name but a few. It's only since the influx of mass produced Far East, Eastern European, and to some extent Zodiac, that the "Off the shelf" RIB has made it's appearance. Offering something other than "given what you get" isn't a new concept. If you want to be disruptive in the relatively limited market, you need to offer a bespoke build, with UK craftmanship & quality at mass market prices.
Good Luck

Your absolutely right what we're seeing currently is the death throws of a once buoyant uk rib manufacturing base . Brought about by exactly what you describe, I help out at a dealers who supply 3 of the big mass producers of ribs & I occasionally mount engines & generally fit the boats out & in all honesty I wouldnt buy any of them. Too much emphasis on 'pretty bits' & not good build quality imho. Most of the builders you mention built bespoke boats the way the customer wanted them & built to a reasonable quality standard, what we see nowadays are mass produced boats built to a price that look good but quality is questionable & the only customisation available is the engine (sometimes) & the electronics & the size of the speakers & amp for the stereo, oh & the colour of the underwater lights.
I guess some of us have lived through the heyday of British rib building & in a decade or two the uk boat building will be a thing of the past & buyers wont know what it's like to spec a boat from start to finish & visit the builders workshop & watch & smell the process , quite sad to be watching it happen

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Bodie The Boat Guy

Hi Poly, It's not a case of being naïve. What I'm looking for is exactly that information. That way when I'm working with Rebel, I can provide the details required so that the range can organically evolve in to a choice that will hopefully have something that will suit a lot of peoples wants. I totally get that people have different pass times on the water and that we will never have the perfect RIB. But by at least giving RIBBERS the opportunity to say what they would like rather than be given what you get is hopefully something new. ��

Bodie, I don't know who Rebel are, or what your role is with them, but I'd guess they were either expecting you to already have that knowledge when they hired you or if you are some sort of market insights guru to put a bit more effort in than asking the internet. However it seems that the answer to your questions could be closer to home than you think, because Rebel ribs website says:

• superior sports RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats)
• designed for pleasure and family fun
• fast and in style
• highest quality
• understand the importance of listening to customer feedback
• provide a safe and dry ride.
• over 30 years of experience in the industry (*)
• designed for family and water sports

​
So someone there already thinks you guys are good at this and have not just stumbled into the market but have huge experience and actually designed products to meet the market needs after listening to customers.

I think if you are trying to define something new you are going to have to start by working out what your niche is. Marketing 101, segment your market. Find something the rest of the market is not doing that those people want (not throw everything the market is doing on one boat). Beware the people on here are a particularly focussed type, typically keen on a harder core of ribbing - that's a finite pool of people.

I don't want to be rude so I won't give a detailed critique of the boats on your website but I would suggest you guys should go and play with one for an extended period doing exactly the sort of things you think your customers want to do.

[Bodie The Boat Guy]

I actually agree with what you are saying. The sad fact is due to the cost of building a boat in the UK is unfortunately a very expensive process. It would be fantastic to be able to offer a genuine UK boat that is affordable for everyone. The UK is a very talented country with amazing craftsmen.

[Bodie The Boat Guy]

Hi Poly. Not to worry. I was just asking the question in order to see if there is a particular area in boat building that is being missed by boat builders. But clearly that isn't the case which is great. ��

[jonp]

5.5m has always been a sweet spot in terms of running costs and sea handling capabilities. 130hp Yam 4 stroke and 150-200lt fuel tank underfloor. Merury would be my second choice having used them commercially over the past couple of years.

Hydraulic steering a must.

No seats, I never have them in my boats and remove them if the boat came with them. Colour grey with white decking, as here in Australia dark colours get to hot to sit on at times. Also dark colours show dirt and dried watermarks to much.

Console with enough room for two 10-12 ins Garmin screens and a gt51 and live view transducers. Icom vhf and fusion stereo.

Electric drum winch and bowsprit to suit.

Easy to replace tubes like those on Zodiac's. Relief valves and ladder with open steps to allow entry without removing dive fins when in a hurry.

Deep V hull of 24 degrees minimum, with good sized strakes to lift the all and keep the tubes clear of the water while underway to reduce drag. Handles and grab ropes around the tubes

Plenty of rod holders and speargun racks.

[Bodie The Boat Guy]

Hi Jonp
Thats excellent. Thanks for that.
Interesting re the removable tubes. Rebel is in consultation with the boat builder about seeing if that can be offered. So, what you have described is what Rebel is also looking into developing which would be called the DeFender or Explorer range (to be decided upon). It would start from 4.2 upto 8.6. It would come in Orca 866 commercial grade hypalon and constructed from a heaver duty aluminium too. You would have the option to have no seats if thats your requirement. Re upholstery, we are also looking into a fabric which doesn't get hot. So even on a very dark colour, it wont burn your skin.
The dead rise on for example a 5.6 would be 24°.

Re having a 130 on it. Technically isn't a problem as most are the same engines as 115 etc that are restricted. It would need to be tested and rated accordingly. Again, this is in development too.

I would have to ask re the fuel tank as that is large.
I can't see a problem either with a helm being able to accommodate 2 large screens, VHF and stereo.

Thanks again for your feedback.

[jonp]

Originally Posted by Bodie The Boat Guy

Hi Jonp
Thats excellent. Thanks for that.
Interesting re the removable tubes. Rebel is in consultation with the boat builder about seeing if that can be offered. So, what you have described is what Rebel is also looking into developing which would be called the DeFender or Explorer range (to be decided upon). It would start from 4.2 upto 8.6. It would come in Orca 866 commercial grade hypalon and constructed from a heaver duty aluminium too. You would have the option to have no seats if thats your requirement. Re upholstery, we are also looking into a fabric which doesn't get hot. So even on a very dark colour, it wont burn your skin.
The dead rise on for example a 5.6 would be 24°.

Re having a 130 on it. Technically isn't a problem as most are the same engines as 115 etc that are restricted. It would need to be tested and rated accordingly. Again, this is in development too.

I would have to ask re the fuel tank as that is large.
I can't see a problem either with a helm being able to accommodate 2 large screens, VHF and stereo.

Thanks again for your feedback.

For most of the style of boating I do with those sized engines 120lt will do as this will still give 200km+ safe range with that sort of size hp but I have days where the tuna etc can be pushing my fuel range if the weather turns bad. I don't mind carrying jerry cans when I do long-range offshore trips over several days where I can drop the fuel on islands I use as base. Sometimes I have fuel pre dropped offshore.

My reasoning for no seats is partly from having broken my neck in the past and also have lover disk issues in my back, where I find standing in rough conditions far easier. I also like deck space so I can sleep across the floor on trips where I can't get onto some islands.

The two zodiacs Ive had, a 500 and 550pro I managed to remove and replace the tubes on my own. Ive just seen a new 7m Zodiac which actually comes with a new spare set. The issue with that sized boat for me is the running costs of the 225 Yam and the added size and weight to tow. Very boat I have has to be able to be towed around the country (Australia). I also need to be able to fix broken or damaged tubes when remote, so a decent repair kit with any purchase would be a good option rather than having to search the net for bits and pieces. A kit the manufacturer recommends with plain instructions how to use.

I sold my 550pro because of the lack of storage, which will always be an issue in these style of boats, however with a fuel tank around the middle section and an underfloor kill tank at the rear and the usual hatches up front, it would be a better use of space. The little 4.3m centre console (non rib) I have has good amounts of storage where I can add 10lt fuel cans in the underfloor hatch or a couple of mid sized tuna. I also use the long style dry bags which I strap down towards the front of my boats which help in reducing water coming in in heavy conditions. It would be an easy thing for manufactures to add a few extra securing points to handle these sorts of things.

Ive had Lonestar winches in my last two non rib boats and would be without one these days as I find pulling anchor in ribs isn't so easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t66J1uhBpMI