A good suggestion - I may expand my budget plans, as I am fairly convinced that a RIB will be better suited to the conditions in the Pacific northwest. I may also scale back my hopes and expectations for the number of people to be supported - it seems the optimum may be a 15 ft RIB with a 40 HP...
Thanks for the recommendation re Seabright - unfortunately, they're in Nova Scotia (5000 miles from where we'll be) and they don't ship RIBs. Since we have a home in southern CA and will be in BC in summers, we will likely want to work with a dealer on the west coast, be it here or there.
I do...
I'm actually trying to use this guidance to determine my budget. I'm open to new or used, so I have some flexibility, but I'm starting with the idea that I'll spend at least $6000 US and likely up to $10,000. Not sure if you're familiar with the area I described - we are planning to buy a home...
Likely a maximum of 4 divers, more often just the two of us. We may or may not have a non-diver(s) with us to watch the boat while we're under. A RIB is certainly where I'm leaning, but I'm here to learn!
We're looking at options for a general purpose boat for the Pacific coast - pretty much in protected or near-shore waters, Georgia Straits area. We are divers, and want to be able to get into the boat without incredible contortions, but we also want a boat that can get around and is easy to work...
