Ribs

[Lt.]

Ok, I know that inflatibles are the majority of dingys, and that nearly no one rows them. But I'm curious to know, in the experience of cruisers, how durable ribs are, do they have V-bottoms, what is their range, what brand of dingy&engine do you have, and lastly, just how "rigid" is your rigid infallible boat. It's just, I'm mostly curious of the bottom of you're dingy, does it have a V-shaped bottom like I've seen on tv, or is that impractical for on a sail boat, and is it just flat bottomed

[skipmac]

Answer to all the questions, it depends.

How long they last? In the tropics or northern climates? Hypalon or PVC fabric. How much will you use it. Tropical sun burns them out faster, Hypalon handles it better than PVC. I have seen dinghys 15 years old that are still in good shape.

Range? How much gas can you carry?

Hull shape? Depends on the brand and model. Most have a moderate V.

How rigid? It's fiberglass so may bend or drum a little but it's not going to fold in half.

Which outboard? That's about like asking which anchor. I like older Johnson/Evinrudes, 2-4 year old 2 stroke Yamahas.

[44'cruisingcat]

The hull of our RIB is aluminium, with a moderate V. It's very rigid, actually has a false floor too. Range? We carry 10 litres of fuel, probably use around 4 litre/hour at about 15 knots, (Tohatsu 18 two stroke) so maybe around 40 miles max?

The hull will last a very long time, the (PVC) tubes probably less than 10 years, but there are places who can "retube" RIB hulls at quite reasonable prices.

[swdreams88]

Hi, we are needing to upgrade our tender from an old AB 12' RIB. At this point I have considered some usual suspects such as AVON. However, the other day I came across the Zodiac Classic Mark 2 HD, inflatable, not a RIB. We have teenage kids and are very acitive on the water, snorkeling, scuba, tubing, beaching, etc. Our boat has davits and stowage on the foredeck for open water crossings. The weight and rollup characteristics of the Zodiac seem appealing, as well as utilizing a smaller HP motor. Any of you think we will be not satisfied moving away from a RIB? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by swdreams88

Hi, we are needing to upgrade our tender from an old AB 12' RIB. At this point I have considered some usual suspects such as AVON. However, the other day I came across the Zodiac Classic Mark 2 HD, inflatable, not a RIB. We have teenage kids and are very acitive on the water, snorkeling, scuba, tubing, beaching, etc. Our boat has davits and stowage on the foredeck for open water crossings. The weight and rollup characteristics of the Zodiac seem appealing, as well as utilizing a smaller HP motor. Any of you think we will be not satisfied moving away from a RIB? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Here is a different route I'll be taking on my next dinghy purchase. A minimum wetted surface, air entrapment catamaran hull. So efficient, will plane with 3 hp, so stable you can stand on any part of it. Most companies that build this type are building race boats and surf rescue, Takacat is building them for our needs, and I don't know about you, but I don't need a 70 mph tender.

HOME - Takacat.com

[Cheechako]

A good RIB lasts a long long time. A 10 ft AB cam e with my catamaran. It was new in '92. I sold the cat in 2000 and the RIB was still flawless, even with a patch on one tube. Man ribs have a v hull forward and then it stops part way back becoming flat. Any other Non-RIB inflatable is bendy in a chop or rough water.... completely differnt boats really.