Re: RIB forum
These are the only forums I found also.
Ribnet is HUGE, I think RIB's are 100 X's more popular in the UK than in the USA.
I'm new to RIB's, really like my little Avon Rover 310 Lite, but I'm already considering selling my 22' Stingray with 350 Magnum, 300 hp, and getting about a used $15,000.00 RIB. I will weigh the pro's and con's over the next few weeks/months and decide if that's best for me. I like the cuddy cabin on my Stingray, that's hard to give up, but I like the lighter weight and therefor less fuel consumption of a RIB. The tow vehicle will also get better mileage pulling a RIB. I would love to hear from RIB owners on why they chose a RIB, but I think over here in the USA it's more as a dinghy than a pleasure craft , like in the UK. I suppose I'll pose this question in Ribnet.
I got a RIB because:
- smaller engine/better fuel economy
- easier towing
- easier handling (can be moved by a couple of people)
- easier beaching
- very hard to sink
- can carry lots of load
- the whole boat is a fender
- provides comfy seat almost anywhere
- draws little water (can go a lot of places that other boats can't/won't go)
However, a RIB can also
- ride a bit rough because of light weight
- ride a bit rough because the tubes provide a lot of area so the boat rides on top of the waves rather than punching through them (although deep-V ribs can help this)
- have less interior space for a similar size hard boat because of the size of the tubes
- require more active management of the boat condition (e.g. monitor the inflation of the tubes)
There are lots of reasons that RIBs are more popular in Europe. Mostly due to operating and indirect costs being much higher there than here. The dealer I got my boat from expects that as gas prices go up, more people will become interested in RIBs vs. hard boats.
In the US you usually see RIBs as tenders or runabouts. They are also used as small dive boats and for excursions (i.e. whale watching). They are not really equipped for extended cruising. In Europe you can get nice cabin RIBs outfitted similarly to 25+ foot cruisers found here which you could live on nicely for a number of days. However, this kind of RIB costs a fair amount of money.
