AB RIB/ outboard combo help

[kwf05001]

Currently trying to commit to a new RIB/outboard.
We currently have a 2008 Avon 280 RIB and 2012 Merc 4-stroke 9.9. By spec the combined weight is 224lbs.


We want an electric start for my wife's elbows, ability to plane with 4 or 5 adults, max length 10'6". I'd prefer a yamaha, but in a 20hp the tohatsu is 26lbs lighter (and of course cheaper). With the 25hp the yamaha's weight makes it no contest.



Our top contenders are:
1. AB 10 VL with Yamaha 25

combined weight=255lbs, more hp, slightly cheaper, fiberglass hull, no bow locker, boat backordered until May or June, engine in stock now

2. AB 10 AL with Tohatsu 20

combined weight=232, 5hp less, $660 more, 23 lbs lighter, Aluminum hull with bow locker, boat and engine in stock now



Thanks,
Kevin

[team karst]

You may need the 25. The weight of 5 humans dwarfs the numbers you are using for the rig. And a 12' will help seating 5 significantly.

[tkeithlu]

Ditto. When I hit "ability to plane with 4 or 5 adults" I immediately thought "not enough engine."

[kwf05001]

Thanks.
Weight is a consideration because we have davits.
I really "need" to plane with myself, wife, and two growing kids (call it 4 adults). If we can have a guest and still plane that would be awesome, but not as critical.

[Muaddib1116]

Dinghy/Engine weight is not a major factor in getting up on plane, but it can be a decision maker in regards to storage and hoisting. Some davits are better than others and some people are stronger than others, and weight can matter.

[zstine]

Who can't plane with 4 normal sized adults and 20HP!?!?

We have a 9.8 and can plane with 4 on a 10ft airfloor dink... granted the 4 adults have to be relatively small for "American" standards. like 2x 120lb women and 2x 180lb men... But I have less than half the power!

well, I guess I can see 5 full size men and 20hp being close to not planing, but not 4.

[Muaddib1116]

Air floor dinghies generally plane more easily, since they have flat bottoms.

[kwf05001]

Our current tender (Avon 280 RIB with 4-stroke Merc 9.9) will not plane with me, my wife and our two kids. It just barely planes with me and the kids, I'm a big guy (220lbs). Our kids are 7 and 9, but they keep getting bigger and I want to future-proof this investment!


I'm committed to the benefits of RIBs.

[Muaddib1116]

I think HP is most of the equation, but the size of the dinghy matters too. I have 10ft highfield (CL310) and was unable to get on plane with myself (~240lbs) and 4 women (~135lbs ea.) and my 35lb dog. I think my same engine would have gotten a CL340 or CL360 onto plane, but I've decided it's not worth the money to change dinghies at this time. I'm going to try some hydrofoils bolted onto my outboard to see if I can get on plane better when loaded up like that.

[contrail]

Having had both an AB lightweight fiberglass dinghy (AB 12 VL) and an AB aluminum (AB 11 AL, which is actually 11'6") I can tell you that the later seemed a much more robust dinghy. In addition, when a big adult jumped into the VL, which happens a lot because there is no bow locker, and the hull is deep, the single skin would flex just enough to create stress cracks. the AL had a false floor, so any water ran under it keeping the floor dry, whereas the floor on the VL could get wet.



I had a 25 HP Tohatsu on the VL, and once I put the right prop on, I could plane with four pretty big people (charter guest big, if you know what I mean!). That boat was scary fast. I may have been able to plane with five, but they would have been smaller folks, if I did. I weighed about 175, myself. On the slightly shorter AL, I downsized to an 18 HP Tohatsu, and don't remember being unable to plane, but by then I was carrying smaller loads, and may not have had more than three. Bottom line is that AB make great dinghies. I loved all of mine, and, over the years, I had five.



Not wanting, in any way, to start a war, but through all of that I was based on Tortola, and was good friends with the head of the dinghy operation at Moorings, there. He probably was responsible for around 300 dinghies, from choosing through buying and maintenance. He has seen probably more dinghies than anyone else on Earth, and he was always my resource for knowledge. At one point, I asked whether he preferred Highfield or AB, and he replied AB, without hesitation. He said, in his experience, they had fewer problems, although both were good.

[kwf05001]

Muaddib1116- what HP are you running?

[Muaddib1116]

20hp suzuki 4 stroke

[kwf05001]

Contrail- I'm already pretty convinced to go AB!
Thanks for the comparison.
I'd love to have the robustness of the AL, but it's significantly more expensive and max HP is 20. Of course I'm reducing the savings on the VL by upping the motor. Not really sure what factor is reducing the max HP compared to the VL, but so be it. Prevents me from being tempted to spend even more!!
Muaddib1116- Thanks for the real world performance info.
This is a very big purchase for us, and am trying to avoid regretting any decisions..

[kwf05001]

This would be so much easier if it was a fiberglass vs Aluminum debate or a 20 vs 25hp or a Tohatsu vs Yamaha, but it's a benefits of AL vs more hp vs cost vs supply issues confluence instead!

[Muaddib1116]

I don't know what davits you have on your boat, but I would lean towards loading them less than more. I always remove my outboard before hoisting my dinghy in my davits. The outboard has it's own rail mount. Aluminum has other benefits over FB than just weight, although it has a downside or two. I was glad to have an aluminum rib in Maine when most of the beaches I was dragging up on were rock, some quite sharp. On the other hand, FB can be repaired relatively easily.



For more real world experience, when it was just me, and my buddy (~200lbs) and my dog, we got up on plane pretty easily and tore along at a really good pace.