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.