Wanted 5-5.7 M deep V wide beam - Ribcraft 5.3, Osprey Viper, Ribtec or similar

[yellowjet]

I am after a 5-5.7M rib with good sea keeping qualities.

Must be in good condition with history, good tubes and hull wise, with or without engine is fine but do need a useable trailer..

Really want deck space more than seating, preferably two side by side up front with a wide console… Happy to remove seats to get the space needed.

Wanted for easy launching when needed during the winter use runabout while bigger boat is out of the water..

Thanks

[Wave Rider]

Ocean pro 5.7 has a 2.34 beam with XL shaft. Anything smaller has a 2m or 2.28m beam so may be too narrow for you.
Humber destroyer 5.5 has a 2 4 beam & XL shaft.
Ribcraft 585 I think it is 2.45 beam. The old ones have 2 stroke transoms.

Hope this helps.

[paulbrown22]

I'm just jealous of the Ribworker - have always loved those and would love to own one, one day! I did start discussing with Shaun many many years ago while he was still with us, but we ended up getting a sailing yacht instead.

[yellowjet]

Originally Posted by paulbrown22

I'm just jealous of the Ribworker - have always loved those and would love to own one, one day! I did start discussing with Shaun many many years ago while he was still with us, but we ended up getting a sailing yacht instead.

I have to say it's an awesome yet safe boat... lots of fun and practical for what we need... just a bit overkill and awkward to launch and recover in the winter from the quay where we are. got a tight 90Deg bend to netotiate.. I never met Shaun but what an amazing boat design.. still going strong after 20 years... mine is one of the smaller ones he did !! Two new Ribworkers turned up on the islands a few months ago so his design lives on...

So on the hunt for a even smaller boat to complement it in the winter... I am finding it difficult to resist the temptation to go bigger, but need to stay around the 5M mark... want a wide beam for the deck space, only need seating for one or two side by side... I'll keep looking... any boat suggestions welcome..

So far I like the RibCraft 4.8/5.3/545 or 5.5 but can't stretch weight or size wise to the 585 or bigger. The Viper or Vipermax look interesting but seem older hulls...

[yellowjet]

Originally Posted by Wave Rider

Ocean pro 5.7 has a 2.34 beam with XL shaft. Anything smaller has a 2m or 2.28m beam so may be too narrow for you.
Humber destroyer 5.5 has a 2 4 beam & XL shaft.
Ribcraft 585 I think it is 2.45 beam. The old ones have 2 stroke transoms.

Hope this helps.

Thanks... I'll checkout the Ocean Pro... Humber Destroyer is on my list but the RC 585 is on the large side... looking at RC 4.8/5.3 or 545.... Don't want a major project boat unless I can't avoid it to get what I want... new is not out of the question but a stretch to justify... just looking at options for the moment... but do want something in the next 4 week for this winter use if possible.. Happy to re-engine or re-tube depending what is needed as long as the price reflects that...

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by yellowjet

Thanks... I'll checkout the Ocean Pro... Humber Destroyer is on my list but the RC 585 is on the large side... looking at RC 4.8/5.3 or 545.... Don't want a major project boat unless I can't avoid it to get what I want... new is not out of the question but a stretch to justify... just looking at options for the moment... but do want something in the next 4 week for this winter use if possible.. Happy to re-engine or re-tube depending what is needed as long as the price reflects that...

RC 4.8 I think you'll struggle to get 2 side by side seats - it's only a 2.1m beam? All the ones I've been on have only ever been single seat up front, or a longer in-line double jockey pod. I've seen a few pics of side by side seating in the stern of an RC 4.8 where it's widest, but then you lose the deck space.

Worth looking at some of the smaller XS RIB's too - the XS500 that I just bought for our sailing club again is a long double jockey in-line and I think a 2.2m beam. From memory the XS 545 is where the beam started increasing and would more comfortably allow side by side jockeys.

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by yellowjet

I have to say it's an awesome yet safe boat... lots of fun and practical for what we need... just a bit overkill and awkward to launch and recover in the winter from the quay where we are. got a tight 90Deg bend to netotiate.. I never met Shaun but what an amazing boat design.. still going strong after 20 years... mine is one of the smaller ones he did !! Two new Ribworkers turned up on the islands a few months ago so his design lives on...

So on the hunt for a even smaller boat to complement it in the winter... I am finding it difficult to resist the temptation to go bigger, but need to stay around the 5M mark... want a wide beam for the deck space, only need seating for one or two side by side... I'll keep looking... any boat suggestions welcome..

So far I like the RibCraft 4.8/5.3/545 or 5.5 but can't stretch weight or size wise to the 585 or bigger. The Viper or Vipermax look interesting but seem older hulls...

I remember taking our sailing yacht to St Agnes/Gugh a few years ago - absolutely loved it there. Are the new Ribworkers the replacement for the old Cyclone/Hurricane that run to Tresco? They used to speed past us as we were anchored in Green Bay on Bryher!

I only looked them up this morning but Mainstay Marine (former Mustang Marine) who used to build the hulls for Ocean Dynamics/Shaun seem to still offer the design, which I didn't realise. Great news, if I'm ever in a position to afford a new one!

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by paulbrown22

RC 4.8 I think you'll struggle to get 2 side by side seats - it's only a 2.1m beam? All the ones I've been on have only ever been single seat up front, or a longer in-line double jockey pod. I've seen a few pics of side by side seating in the stern of an RC 4.8 where it's widest, but then you lose the deck space.

Worth looking at some of the smaller XS RIB's too - the XS500 that I just bought for our sailing club again is a long double jockey in-line and I think a 2.2m beam. From memory the XS 545 is where the beam started increasing and would more comfortably allow side by side jockeys.

Agreed re. The 4.8. I doubt you’d get side by side seating in a 5.3 too, it would be just as tight,

[yellowjet]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Agreed re. The 4.8. I doubt you’d get side by side seating in a 5.3 too, it would be just as tight,

Yes, side by side in a 4.8 would not work...just the second row, so a one/two layout, but no deck space left at transom so would not go that way myself.

Ribcraft are happy to spec out a 530 with side by side seating, it's in the sales datasheet as a recommended layout option, but loosing a little faith in a new build from them at the moment... I have seen some pictures of factory builds like that... but I would really want to see one to check it out as I also think it would be tight.... Thanks

[yellowjet]

Originally Posted by paulbrown22

Worth looking at some of the smaller XS RIB's too - the XS500 that I just bought for our sailing club again is a long double jockey in-line and I think a 2.2m beam. From memory the XS 545 is where the beam started increasing and would more comfortably allow side by side jockeys.

Ok, been looking into XS Ribs.. I like the XS550 with a single console and separate single jockey then two behind in V, a 2.6M beam, will also do bolt-in seats so I can swap in my suspension seats, dive ladder, internal fuel tank, Hypalon tubes etc.. weighs in sub 1 ton (800kg) with a 115 or 130 on it.. so looks ideal on paper,,,,, anyone got experience of the XS550 with a 115HP or more with 3 or 4 divers?

Laurence at XS seemed experienced and knows his RIBs, I found him very helpful. So I am now swinging away from a Ribcraft 5.3 towards an XS550..

Does anyone have any hands on experience of the XS550 and any comparison with the RibCraft 5.3 or other similar sized RIBs?

[spartacus]

Rule out the 4.8m with double jockey up front. That’s relatively new on the market, and suspect you’re not going to see that filter through to second hand market for years to come.

5.3m is rare with side by jockeys but has been done.
https://www.rib.net/forum/f8/rc-5-3-refit-87940.html

Only rib I can think of where it’s fairly commonplace is Ribeye A600. Expensive new, but few examples out there.

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by yellowjet

Ok, been looking into XS Ribs.. I like the XS550 with a single console and separate single jockey then two behind in V, a 2.6M beam, will also do bolt-in seats so I can swap in my suspension seats, dive ladder, internal fuel tank, Hypalon tubes etc.. weighs in sub 1 ton (800kg) with a 115 or 130 on it.. so looks ideal on paper,,,,, anyone got experience of the XS550 with a 115HP or more with 3 or 4 divers?

Laurence at XS seemed experienced and knows his RIBs, I found him very helpful. So I am now swinging away from a Ribcraft 5.3 towards an XS550..

Does anyone have any hands on experience of the XS550 and any comparison with the RibCraft 5.3 or other similar sized RIBs?

I can only speak well of Laurence/XS - in the last 12 months I've bought a brand new XS500/Mercury 60 from them and then a brand new Suzuki 40hp engine for an existing Ribtec at the sailing club, and they've been brilliant in all our dealings, very helpful and never pushy.

I've used numerous Ribcraft 4.8-7.8m and various XS RIB's over the years. Personally I'm very impressed by the build quality and attention to detail on our XS500, even more so given the price point. We've already done nearly 200 hours in < 1 year of pretty hard sailing club usage, and so far it's been absolutely perfect and isn't showing a single mark or battle scar despite a wide range of helms of very mixed abilities! I went for single console with separated seat as well, which I think makes it far easier to get behind the wheel.

A solidly built 5.5m hull with 115hp isn't going to set any records, especially when loaded with 3-4 divers + kit, but should give a mid-20kn cruise. If possible for that usage I'd probably fit a larger engine.

I don't think I've actually been on an XS 550, but from all the XS and RC's I have been on I'd honestly be very happy with either and within a similar size don't think there's much difference if any in performance/sea keeping, and given the price difference I'd personally probably favour the XS in most cases!

[yellowjet]

Thanks for all the feedback...

My shortlist for a winter run-about:-

Ribcraft 530
XS 550
Delta Dash 550

Or for other reasons Ribcraft 480/585 or Robust Boats 17C (Not a RIB sorry) but low maintenance, light and just works for winter use with my main RIB in the summer..

So looking for any of the above.... Might have a Delta 550 to go look at from someone I know... not yet seen anything else online that looks the part without major work or re-fit to suit.... I am more than happy to repower as it must be reliable but not after another project...

Thanks in advance if anyone has one vailable......

[paulbrown22]

If it's mainly for around the islands, there's a lot to be said for a Robust! Similarly we use a 14' tiller steer aluminium boat as our runaround in Poole Harbour, and it's absolutely ideal for knocking around the harbour islands, beach landings, etc. But I wouldn't be as keen to go longer distances in ours at least, but it is smaller/lighter than a Robust 17.

[jonp]

I had a little Zodiac 550 pro tour which had a 24.5 degree hull, meaning it landed softly off large swell and sliced through chop very well. I commercially drive Gemini and Naiad boats but don't find them as much fun simply due to size and weight. I also have a Zodiac 500 pro which handles very well. The large strakes allow for a very economical running hull to run, needing less hp and lower servicing costs etc. Obviously deep V boats without wide strakes need more hp to get them out of the hole and keep them there but will have a slightly softer ride and often a wetter one.

Everyone has there opinion on what rough water is but working on small boats some 60k from harbour often in 40ts of wind I never see any other small boats out there. I see videos posted where people claim to be doing 30kts in 40kts of wind where there's no broken white water to be seen.

This pic was taken from a 60ft police vessel of me fishing in the little 550 zodiac on a day of winds under 15kts and swell under 2m. One of guys on the police vessel often fishes with me if he isn't out chasing bigger waves on their jet ski.

The downside is keeping these light boats on the water in strong head winds.

I see very little difference in hull design with the ribtec and gemini, perhaps those with ribtec can shed a bit of light to this as gemini is a far lower cost and extremely popular with maritime and other government, fisheries and other government bodies over here but neither the Gemin or Zodiac are mentioned in this thread.

[yellowjet]

Originally Posted by paulbrown22

If it's mainly for around the islands, there's a lot to be said for a Robust! Similarly we use a 14' tiller steer aluminium boat as our runaround in Poole Harbour, and it's absolutely ideal for knocking around the harbour islands, beach landings, etc. But I wouldn't be as keen to go longer distances in ours at least, but it is smaller/lighter than a Robust 17.

Hi, Thanks... yes it would be just around the islands... getting more info on a coded cat4 Robust 17C, it's a real easy to launch and recover option at the moment and will complement my larger RIB that is for summer use and longer distance running.... it's just the lead time on one, I will miss this winters use unless I get one already built..or a second hand ready to go boat...

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by jonp

I see very little difference in hull design with the ribtec and gemini, perhaps those with ribtec can shed a bit of light to this as gemini is a far lower cost and extremely popular with maritime and other government, fisheries and other government bodies over here but neither the Gemini or Zodiac are mentioned in this thread.

Probably simply because in the UK we very rarely see Geminis, and if we do, not sure they are lower cost over here! We do get some of the Zodiacs, but less so than other makes.

[yellowjet]

Originally Posted by jonp

I had a little Zodiac 550 pro tour which had a 24.5 degree hull, meaning it landed softly off large swell and sliced through chop very well. I commercially drive Gemini and Naiad boats but don't find them .......

Thanks... i have looked at the Gemini and my other half is from SA so would be happy to get a 550 but not seen many around in the UK... I like the deck plates and the hull has good weather keeping properties... but can be fast with the right HP.. only seen two Gemini 550's on the 2nd hand UK market, one is under HP (big time) and the other has almost white tubes/hull and looks like a bit more of a project boat than I wanted.... Don't know much about the mid sized Zodiac.. I did like the removeable tubes on some of them.... makes it easy to replace when living on a remote rock in the Atlantic..... rather than sending the boat off to be re-tubed, it saves £ on shipping, that is how I did my 9M.. it's got bolt on ones so being able to remove them and re-fit for remote rebuild or repair is a real plus....

Does anyone know what makes/models in the 4-6M range have bolt on or slide on tubes?..This would really help... Cheers...

[jonp]

Originally Posted by yellowjet

Thanks... i have looked at the Gemini and my other half is from SA so would be happy to get a 550 but not seen many around in the UK... I like the deck plates and the hull has good weather keeping properties... but can be fast with the right HP.. only seen two Gemini 550's on the 2nd hand UK market, one is under HP (big time) and the other has almost white tubes/hull and looks like a bit more of a project boat than I wanted.... Don't know much about the mid sized Zodiac.. I did like the removeable tubes on some of them.... makes it easy to replace when living on a remote rock in the Atlantic..... rather than sending the boat off to be re-tubed, it saves £ on shipping, that is how I did my 9M.. it's got bolt on ones so being able to remove them and re-fit for remote rebuild or repair is a real plus....

Does anyone know what makes/models in the 4-6M range have bolt on or slide on tubes?..This would really help... Cheers...

Ive removed the tubes on both the 550 and 500 on my own before, it is handy to be able to that.

[Bodie The Boat Guy]

Originally Posted by yellowjet

I am after a 5-5.7M rib with good sea keeping qualities.

Must be in good condition with history, good tubes and hull wise, with or without engine is fine but do need a useable trailer..

Really want deck space more than seating, preferably two side by side up front with a wide console… Happy to remove seats to get the space needed.

Wanted for easy launching when needed during the winter use runabout while bigger boat is out of the water..

Thanks

Hi. We have a new Rebel Riot 580 in stock. Its an end of season sale. Reduced from £47,995 inc VAT to £39,995 inc VAT. Thats complete with a Tohatsu 115 with stainless steel prop, Hypalon tubes, built in pressurised shower, under water lights, deck lights, wireless phone charging pocket. Just add water. Available at Farndon Marina. Notts. These boats were reviewed in the British Boating Magazine. They reviewed well ��