AB 10 UL Aluminum RIB?

[witzgall]

HI all;

Could anyone out there with a 10 foot AB aluminum rib, the ultralight version, comment on the boat? I am very interested in how wet/dry it is, as the bow has much less rise then the AL version.

Chris

[mayday12]

I'm curious myself - I've convinced myself I "need" a new dingy, and unless someone can convince me otherwise, our boat show is in 4 days , and a 9' is the plan (although crikey you'd think they were made by Yanmar by how expensive they are!).

[ameliaalex]

I love my new AB Lamina 10! With a 15hp Yamaha Enduro 2-stroke motor, my teenager kids can wake board. Putting the fuel tank under the bow seat is also a big plus along with the floor. Best $4000 I ever spent!

Salty Ginger,
Antigua BWI

[witzgall]

Salty,

It sounds like you have the "regular", or AL version. I am interested in findingf more about the UL, or "Ultralight" 10 footer. The Lamina is a nice boat, but the UL version might be a better fit for us, if it is reasonably dry.

Chris

Originally Posted by ameliaalex

I love my new AB Lamina 10! With a 15hp Yamaha Enduro 2-stroke motor, my teenager kids can wake board. Putting the fuel tank under the bow seat is also a big plus along with the floor. Best $4000 I ever spent!

Salty Ginger,
Antigua BWI

[ronbo1]

When I bought my glass AB they were made in Venezuela, now I think, they're produced in Columbia so don't know if the specs have been changed. I compared aluminum with fiberglass and found for a 20 lb. weight savings the aluminum model was $1000 more. By the way, very satisfied with the AB.

Ronbo

[capngeo]

I think mikepmtl has one....

[witzgall]

Hi all, I thought I would update the thread, as we have pulled the trigger on a new dingy. We have ordered a AB Lamina 9.5 AL. We "Discovered" that with the boat completely deflated, we should be able to put it upside down and thwartships, right behind the mast. The side decks will still be clear.

When in protected waters, we will tow the dingy, with the engine on the stern, something we have done many times with our current dingy.

In comparing all of the options, it finally struck us that there are essentially a "light" and "regular" versions of both fiberglass, and aluminum AB dingies. The big difference being that the "regular" versions have a much deeper bow section, a vee shape deeper throughout the full length of the hull, raised forward tubes, and a bow locker. The "Light" versions of both Fiberglass and Aluminum both have much flatter hull profiles, and no bow locker.


So to us, the 9.5 AL is only 6 inches shorter then the 10 foot Ultralight, weighs the same at 95 lbs, and has a bow locker to boot. It is also rated for a 15hp engine, the UL is rated for a 10hp. Comparing the Aluminum 9.5 AL to the 9 VL (Fibrerglass), the AL weighs 95 lbs, and the VL weighs 47lbs more!!!

I do think that the "Light" version of the fiberglass dingy has a bit fuller hull then the "Ultralight" aluminum, but it does not look to be a big difference. I think that the 9.5 AL will be much drier, and a better performing boat then the 10 UL. The only downside is that it costs more. The local dealer here in Oriental gave us a good deal, so we are happy, and look forward to receiving the boat sometime next week. I am an "EX" marine photographer, and look forward to having a dingy that I can shoot from, and I hope that the 9.5 AL will do the trick.

I will take some photos when it arrives.

Chris

[Whaubner]

We got the 11 AB AL towards the end of last season. We really like it. This replaced a 12+ year Zodiac Yacht Line.
I think you will be happy with your choice.

Gongrats

[Finistere]

I have an AB 9.5 light weight fiberglass dinghy. Talked to the dealer about getting an aluminum ultra light, he advised me against indicating it was hard to handle, did not track well, rode to high in the water. Kept my original although I would have liked to save the weight.

[paulbennett]

Chris,

Thanks for the info about your purchase. I'm wondering, a month on, how's it's turning out. We're planning to purchase either an 8'3" AB UL aluminum or 8'6" AB regular aluminum, but have heard people complain about the interior floor paint starting to flake and powder relatively quickly. I have kids, and the last thing I need is for them to track that stuff all over the deck. Have you had any experience with this? Is your floor painted or bare aluminum?

Paul

[Whaubner]

We got our AL not painted.

[Dustymc]

Not quite what you're asking, but after looking hard at the AB I ended up buying an Achilles for the folding transom. Achilles Inflatable Crafts

Very happy with it and a 15HP Yamaha, and it stores very compact - for a RIB.

[witzgall]

We insisted on an unpainted hull for this reason. We really like the dink sofar. The bow locker is nice, but the lid is attached with two stainless hinges without any corrosion protection. We will have to remedy that ourselves. It came with the bow cushion, which I thought was going to be extra, but it is white vinyl - and shows all the dirt, as it gets stepped on constantly. Grey would have been a better choice.

[goboatingnow]

No comment re AB, but I have an AquaPro aluminium RIB, one from when they were still made in NZ. The RIB gets a lot of abuse, and muddy feet, gravel, stones, the Paint hasnt budged, anywhere.

But I do understand the Chinese built ones gave a lot of trouble with paint flaking off.

Aluminium RIBS I find tend to very bow light and can be scary in a head sea with strong winds. I have a Selva ABS rotomoulded RIB , which is easily the lightest biggest RIB Ive every owned ( no longer made), its very scary in a head sea!

Dave

[MarkJ]

I have the AB fiberglass Light 9.5 and its good.
Yes, the bow locker of the heavier would be nice but one doesn't keep anything in there anyway. Junk just slithers around the floor and no one would keep valuables in there. Even so make sure you have a good padlock for it.

And a 15 hp donk!

I haven't heard any real ( or even imagined) complaints about AB dinghies. I'm sure some must have died in the ass, but all the news I ever hear is good.

Also make sure you can padlock the bloody fuel tank to the boat! There's a spate of tank robberies here. How cheap can someone get. Lol