Which RIB?

sk8rpj · 27 August 2006, 20:41

Hey guys have been lurking here for a while and now became a member. Seems like i'm quite a ways away from most of you being on the West Coast of the US. Looking for a RIB that would handle being taken offshore 15 miles or so. We have a channel here that can be very unpredictable and quite rough. I got a quote from Ribcraft usa for a RIB for a 15' with a 50 horsepower outboard for $30,000 US. Not sure what that equates to for the rest of you but it just about knocked me out of my chair. Is this what I would be looking to pay? Any sugestions you have? Thanx guys

BogMonster · 27 August 2006, 20:58

I got a price list from Ribcraft UK recently and the package price for the 4.8m boat (which I guess is your 15') comes in at about £12000 (about $23000 at current exchange rate) before you add anything (i.e. it is a single seater, no A frame, presumably no VHF fishfinder etc) so I guess your $30,000 is probably not too far off the mark once you start adding some of the options you'd be likely to want?

sk8rpj · 27 August 2006, 21:03

I really love RIBs but for that price you can get yourself a 24' foot boat with a cabin and a diesel.

Biggles · 27 August 2006, 21:17

Yeh,

Ribs are quite expensive compared to other boats. It got me thinking why, the only thing I've been able to come up with is that the tubes must be very labour intensive to put together and thats where the money goes.

Also I guess some of the costs are purely down to supply and demand. In the UK RIBs are popular and the homegrown ones, which are the ones we tend to go for, tend to be expensive because its still quite a small supply that becomes available.

Personally because of my circumstances I need a RIB. I need to be able to tow it and at a push I want to launch on my own.

If I had a place in a Marina on a pontoon I would seriously consider a boat with a cabin.

But for me its a RIB now. I also think there fun and when you get it wrong they seem very forgiving, except for stuffing (Personal very bad experience, which will no doubt happen again, and I hope the tubes stay on then as well), and they float when full of water.

sk8rpj · 27 August 2006, 21:25

i know that this may open a can of worms but what about pvc tubes instead of the hypalon if your willing to keep it out of the sun and care for it? Just thoughts.

Moneypit · 27 August 2006, 22:08

I recently purchased a Zodiac Pro 9 which is about 15 feet (4.7m) with a Suzuki 50 4 stroke. Cost about 10K (US$17,000) including A frame, lights, etc. Thought that was a reasonable buy and very happy with the performance.

Biggles · 27 August 2006, 22:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk8rpj

i know that this may open a can of worms but what about pvc tubes instead of the hypalon if your willing to keep it out of the sun and care for it? Just thoughts.

"Is there a price difference. Labour will still be the same to stick all those fiddly bits together" ?

sk8rpj · 27 August 2006, 22:16

That sounds like a more reasonable offer and I like the zodiacs better. I thought that i had read that there was quite a price difference between the hypalon and pvc tubes. Correct me if im wrong.

Nos4r2 · 27 August 2006, 22:17

well.....

My 22 year old hypalon toobs haven't needed topping up and it's been in the water all week. I wonder if there's any PVC toobed ribs about that can say the same?

BogMonster · 27 August 2006, 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk8rpj

I really love RIBs but for that price you can get yourself a 24' foot boat with a cabin and a diesel.

Horses for courses I think. I love the fun factor with RIBs and, like Biggles, I need to be able to launch and recover it myself almost every time I do it, which I doubt I could do with most other types of boat but is really quite easy with the RIB now I have got the hang of it.

I don't know much about tube materials except that everything I have ever read on the subject says that Hypalon is the best for the job, so I don't think I'd go for second best on what is a fairly expensive bit of equipment, my thought is that it would be a false economy. I must admit though, the one thing that I don't like about RIBs is that the tubes are relatively fragile and relatively labour intensive, if somebody would invent some sort of self-sealing un-burstable Kevlar bulletproof tube at a reasonable price I'd be sold on the idea!

I also like the safety, because basically its unsinkable, though I'm glad to say I haven't seriously tried out that side of things yet

But the sheer Grin Factor wins the day for me, because that's why I got it, for fun. Nothing to beat it on a fine day, compared to something with a roof on its like the difference between riding a powerful bike and driving a saloon car

Biggles · 27 August 2006, 22:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

But the sheer Grin Factor wins the day for me, because that's why I got it, for fun. Nothing to beat it on a fine day, compared to something with a roof on its like the difference between riding a powerful bike and driving a saloon car

Thats what sold the RIB for me.

sk8rpj · 27 August 2006, 22:50

What about offsheore capabilities of a RIB? I know conditions will affect that and what not. How about calm day looks like a lake not a breath of wind, and no fog. No possibility of motor breaking down. How far from shore or how far of a distance would you be willing to travel?

BogMonster · 27 August 2006, 23:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk8rpj

What about offsheore capabilities of a RIB? I know conditions will affect that and what not. How about calm day looks like a lake not a breath of wind, and no fog. No possibility of motor breaking down. How far from shore or how far of a distance would you be willing to travel?

No possibility of motor breaking down? That's asking for trouble

From my point of view it really would depend on how many engines you have. I've just got a small aux engine to (hopefully) remove that element of doubt, though you'd not want to go a long way home on 6hp....

If you are solo with one engine, in my case "not far" as there's not a lot of rescue in this part of the world. More than one engine, and preferably more than one boat, as far as you like really? The restriction on mine (apart from sea conditions) would be the fuel capacity as it only has about 90L or so in the tank, I don't have secure storage on board for more than about 60L at the moment, and my old tech 2 stroke drinks more than George Best, I reckon running at WOT you'd near enough empty the main tank in about an hour, certainly not much more! Cruising at say 18-20kt I should think I'd get about four or five hours endurance which more or less tallies with the "about 1 litre per mile" rule of thumb I've seen quoted on here by many people. Running out of fuel would be a dumb thing to do

In conditions as you say (perfect sea conditions) there's really no restriction on anything is there? There was a post on here a month or two back about somebody who went across the Gulf of Mexico which I thought was amazing

sk8rpj · 27 August 2006, 23:27

Glad to hear that they are so seaworthy because I want to get one for here on the west coast and we have islands that are around 15 miles offshore and I would like something capable of reaching them.

BogMonster · 27 August 2006, 23:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk8rpj

Glad to hear that they are so seaworthy because I want to get one for here on the west coast and we have islands that are around 15 miles offshore and I would like something capable of reaching them.

That one was a wee bit bigger than 4.8m though

The original thread is here

500 miles - seriously impressive stuff

sk8rpj · 28 August 2006, 00:08

Theirs was a bit bigger than a 4.8m but Im not looking to take the boat 500 miles.

jyasaki · 28 August 2006, 01:45

sk8r;

15 miles; must be talking about the Channels. A couple of guys on this board have done the San Pedro(?) to Catalina run.

A buddy of mine bought a Zodiac Pro 16 (15.5', PVC tubes) wih a Merc 60 4-stroke; think his price was somewhere a shade over $20K (about 3 years ago.)

Might think about looking used; you'll get a much better buy (assuming you can find what you're looking for.)

jky

sk8rpj · 28 August 2006, 01:59

I would be looking to go to the Channel Islands. If you launch out of channel islands harbor it is about a 10 mile or so trip out. We just have such an unpredictable channel crossing that i want something that can handle it.

jyasaki · 28 August 2006, 02:29

10 miles from Ventura puts you at the frontside of Anacapa. Kind of depends on what you're going for, but the better diving is on the backside (conditions allowing, of course.) Makes for a triip of about 18 miles (according to a buddy who does it fairly often in his 17' Whaler. I never have. Yet.)

But, in any case, a 15' RIB would be fine for that if you pick your days (actually, you could get out more often than the Whaler, which pounds a lot in chop.) The limiting factor is likely to be how much of a beating your body will take, and how much you're willing to slow down, rather than how much the boat will handle.

You do have one advantage on that trip, as the islands themselves knock down a lot of the NW swell that is prevalent here on the left coast.

Luck;

jky

CAH · 28 August 2006, 04:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk8rpj

i know that this may open a can of worms but what about pvc tubes instead of the hypalon if your willing to keep it out of the sun and care for it? Just thoughts.

I would never again own a PVC boat. Had many seams fall apart on a PVC boat after almost 10 years of use . Lucky for me the seams failed on dry land. The boat was cleaned after each use, well maintained, and garage stored. I repaired that boat and sold it as soon as I could, and yes I told the new owner about the repairs. All my hypalon boats never failed me. Don't skimp on your choice of boat; it is you, mother nature, and a chunk of rubber floating in the Pacific!