Small SIB or aluminium rib

Moorsman · 27 October 2019, 17:33

I am looking for a about 3.2 light sib ,preferably with about 6 to 9 up out board and trailer, or information about what set up I should go for ,thanks

Fenlander · 27 October 2019, 17:49

>>>or information about what set up I should go for...

Hi Moorsman. What sort of thing do you want to do with this small RIB/SIB?

Moorsman · 27 October 2019, 18:21

Hi ,inshore fishing ,my last sib was a 3.4 Avon with wooden floor ,a 6 hp Tohatsu ,it was good but just a bit heavy I am quite elderly! I do leave it inflated

Fenlander · 27 October 2019, 18:49

If you are leaving it inflated I'd look at one of the lightweight alloy floor RIBs. They are around the same weight as an air floor sib which would be my other thought to keep weight down.

But the alloy floor should perform better for any given outboard size or even allow a smaller lighter outboard. More suited to fishing and being on a trailer too with a hard floor.

GuyC · 27 October 2019, 18:55

Going one step further, would a hard boat be an option i.e. not a RIB / SIB

beamishken · 27 October 2019, 19:46

Several manufacturers now make aluminium hull ribs we bought a ribeye to replace an airdeck as a tender. It is better in every respect performance wise than the previous inflatable and is a few kg lighter.
AB inflatables & highfield also do them & i recently noticed another well known brand was making aluminium hulled ribs it hay have been zodiac but I couldnt swear
The only downside is they are significantly more expensive than a sib & they dont fold up.
If you have the budget & dont need folding then they are a good option
Ours is 2.8m & goes well with 8hp but I susspect a 3.3 you would need 10 or 15
Preferably a clean late 2 stroke if weight is important

Moorsman · 27 October 2019, 20:23

Hi all thanks very much for your useful information,I do fancy a aluminium Hull one but they are pricey,any recommendations? ,I do have a bigger boat it is for me on my own ,thanks again the help is useful

Pecheur Anglais · 28 October 2019, 17:26

My requirement sounds the same as yours. Although I have not taken delivery yet, I just bought a 2.9m Quicksilver Alu-Rib and she is a beauty! Looks well built, very robust and the absolute dogs in dark grey, yet weighs in at only 41kg. Paired with a 9.8 Tohatsu she will be light to launch single handed on dinghy wheels and should fly across the water at about 20 mph to my chosen fishing marks! Dearer than a compatible sized sib but I decided the benefits are worth it.

Moorsman · 28 October 2019, 17:32

Thanks for you post,sounds just right for me ,I will do some searching on that ,cheers

Locozodiac · 28 October 2019, 19:16

Any 320 Sib with an alum panel floor is an excellent size for solo or 2 men boating, fishing to keep inflated on a trailer with attached motor or not. Good to handle as much as a 15 HP motor, if 2 strokes much lighter. Don't go for a smaller size, the weight difference is bare minimum among other nautical disadvantages...

Happy Boating

Moorsman · 29 October 2019, 16:34

Thanks for the info ,after doing some looking I see that the aluminium hull ribs are quite expensive so if I can’t find a used one maybe a air deck would be better ,I hear the honwave are good ? But a problem where to mount my transducer as I use it for fish what are your thoughts?

Pecheur Anglais · 29 October 2019, 16:55

If you prefer not to fit it to the transom, have a look at the boatworld web site, they have a variety of mounts to use with sibs:
https://boatworld.co.uk/index.php?ro...rch=fishfinder

Moorsman · 01 November 2019, 09:33

Thanks for help ,been searching the web ,no used aluminium out fits around any other info or which package to get gratefully received.