Eddie,
We've had our Achilles for one year. We got rid of our
RIB because on the rocky
Maine coast we wanted a
dinghy light that we could easily carry it over the rocks, up to the high
water line, and set down on the rocks without damaging the
hull. We have the 260cm, and we use either a 2.5hp Suzuki (less than 30# and my parents' preference) or a 6HP Tohatsu (55# and my preference). The main downsides of the 8'6"
hull are less capacity, lots of spray over the bow, and it doesn't plane when loaded down, because of the short waterline. But this was pretty much true of our
Avon 260
RIB lite, too. I would have gotten a 280cm or 310 cm
boat, but I didn't want a dink in the
davits that is longer than my transom is wide.
The air floor gets really firm, but of course it's not as stiff as the
fiberglass floor, and I guess this is both good and bad. You can feel the floor flex underneath you somewhat as you pass over waves, so this probably compromises performance somewhat. On the other hand, it's considerably lighter than the RIB lite, so I think it actually gets up on a place more quickly. With the 6hp
motor it leaps out of the
water with one full-size adult aboard, it will plane with two adults after about 15-20 seconds of acceleration, and it will definitely not plane with three adults. Once on a plane, the ride is actually more comfortable than the RIB lite, because the air floor absorbs some of the shock. I don't even install the seat in the
boat; I just sit on the air floor or the hull.
Like I said, the biggest hassle of the air floor is the need to wash all the sand off your feet and shoes before climbing aboard. You also lose some cargo volume since you're sitting higher, whereas the RIB has a deep
bilge. So it's all a compromise, but it seems to
work for us.