Zodiac 5.5 pro ribs

[sterobloc]

Any general thoughts/advice on Zodiac 5.5 Pro rib boats. Looks to be a good leisure boat for coast hopping but to my eye Zodiacs have quite a low bow, not ideal for cutting through heavy seas? Any advice gratefully received!

[office888]

Originally Posted by sterobloc

Any general thoughts/advice on Zodiac 5.5 Pro rib boats. Looks to be a good leisure boat for coast hopping but to my eye Zodiacs have quite a low bow, not ideal for cutting through heavy seas? Any advice gratefully received!

Pro 5.5 or Pro 550?

Both are solid, 5.5 is the same hull base as the 7, just shorter. The vee is fairly aggressive.

The older Pro 550 is a little shallower, but I have had one out in 1.5m seas before and it felt solid.

[br1anuk]

Ive got a Zodiac Pro12 Pro550 open, bit confusing that theres another Zodiac with exactly the same name.
Mines the type were you could choose your console and seating type.
Great family boat, touches 33knots with a Suzuki 90hp four stroke.
Highly recommended.

Brian.

[jonp]

I've got a 550 pro tour 2014, love the thing. The tour is a little narrower to allow for fitting inside standard garage doors ( only just ) the tour also performs very well with smaller outboards, I run a Yam f70 4 stroke that gives me a good 300km range from the underfloor 100lt tank. I push mine in very rough conditions up to 80km offshore, the hulls in the older ones are slightly different with the newer ones certainly performing better.

Mine is also a very dry boat, very different from other ribs I've been on that have been very wet.

[JTURNER]

I have a Zodiac Pro Open 550 (which is different to the Pro range). Mine is a 2009 boat. I bought it 2 years ago. I had a Zodiac Futura before that, which was brilliant. I have last year replaced the original PVC tubes with new Zodiac ones - I really like the fact the tubes are on a rail and can be easily replaced. Kieran at Ribshop did a great job. Mine has a 100HP Suzuki. It is not the fastest by any stretch and sits on the water at the rear, but with a young family it is exceptionally stable and dry. It is a great family boat (though somewhat lacking in seats, given it is rated for 11, there are only formal seats for 2, a bench seat for 2 and then perhaps the bow can take above 2 kids) and a stable platform for jumping from, towing the ringo (though it only creates a smaller wake than some RIBS given the way it sits in the water) and of course fishing is also great, though for the this the deck space is a little limited with large hooks flying about the place! All in I am really pleased with the 550. Hope this helps