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13-02-2015, 10:30
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
Boat: Downeaster 38
Posts: 120
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horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
We just bought our first RIB: a used 10' 6" Avon with a hard fiberglass bottom.
It came with a 4 stroke 6 HP suzuki that just plows the water, doesn't come close to planing with two people.
We need suggestions on what size outboard will reliably push the RIB on a plane with two not too large people.
Thanks
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13-02-2015, 10:33
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Mt Pleasant SC
Boat: Hunter 326
Posts: 22
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
I have a 9.9 Honda on a 310 Rib and can plane with 3 adults at a good clip.
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13-02-2015, 10:34
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Gladstone QLD
Boat: Alan Pape Ketch
Posts: 223
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
I have a 10hp 2stroke on ours and it rockets along. I would imagine 6hp isn't far off
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13-02-2015, 10:37
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#4
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Eternal Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,046
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Depends on load and on bottom cleanliness.
10HP is marginal in my experience. Much better and more reliable for planing with 2 adults and a load of groceries is 15HP.
Oft times a clean bottom makes all the difference between planing and not.
Bill
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13-02-2015, 10:45
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 2,876
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Manufacturer horsepower ratings are more marketing than engineering. The 6hp Suzuki has the same displacement (8.4 in.) as the 4hp. They just run it 1000 rpm faster.
I once had an 8hp that did OK with an optional prop meant for heavy loads and a fin on the outboard that helped lift the stern up while getting on plane. 10 or 15 would be safer - but recognize that these are much heavier engines if you plan to lift it on on off the dinghy.
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13-02-2015, 11:08
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2010
Boat: Polynesia 40/42
Posts: 812
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
We had to turn downwind to get up on a plane with the 2 of us with a Honda 5 then we could slowly come back into the wind. But only people (we are both smallish), no gear.
New dingy has a 15 hp...
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13-02-2015, 12:01
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#7
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Moderator

Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Jacksonville/ out cruising
Boat: Island Packet 38
Posts: 31,464
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Quote:
Originally Posted by btrayfors
Depends on load and on bottom cleanliness.
10HP is marginal in my experience. Much better and more reliable for planing with 2 adults and a load of groceries is 15HP.
Oft times a clean bottom makes all the difference between planing and not.
Bill
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I've got the 20 HP Suzuki on mine, and it's slightly underpropped as it'll bang the rev limiter easily, with four "Americans" on board (also know as fat people in the rest of the world) it takes every bit of the 20 HP to crawl onto plane, but one person it leaps on plane is less than it's own length, so it's of course very load dependent. Spotless bottom
My opinion is I'd rather run a bigger motor at half throttle than a smaller one wide open all the time. Bigger is more money and weight though
If your small people re-propping your motor might get you on plane, assuming your overpropped now.
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13-02-2015, 12:11
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#8
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Anacortes
Boat: previous - Whitby 42 new - Goldenwave 44
Posts: 1,836
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Not mentioned is that it really matters what kind of dink you have. What kind of bottom - soft or rigid. Also how heavy is the dink itself. How much weight in the dink - as noted. Where the passengers sit - all as forward as possible, including the operator. You need to get the weight away from the stern as much as possible.
Also the adjustment of how the motor tilt is important, as is the prop.
Water conditions matter - smooth is easiest to plane on. Wind on you nose, etc.
We had a 9.9hp 4-stroke that would plane fine with two of us and not a ton of cargo. Three and it wouldn't plane worth a damn. 15hp is a better choice if that matters. But in WA state, you don't need to register (and pay annual tax on) a dink if it has 10hp or less as a motor. So most use those.
Some people don't care if they ever plane. But you can get from A to B faster on plane and use less fuel, comparatively. But you also have a much heavier motor to haul up and down. A heavier motor on the rear also is counter-plane that is overcome by more horsepower.
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13-02-2015, 12:42
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#9
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Do… or do not

Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: in paradise
Boat: Sundeer 64
Posts: 11,564
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
I had that same dinghy for years and it did great with a Mercury 2-stroke 15hp. Here in the tropics 2-strokes are still easy to get so I have no idea about which 4-stroke would work...
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13-02-2015, 14:29
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Presently on US East Coast
Boat: Manta 40 "Reach"
Posts: 10,104
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Quote:
Originally Posted by a64pilot
I've got the 20 HP Suzuki on mine, and it's slightly underpropped as it'll bang the rev limiter easily, with four "Americans" on board (also know as fat people in the rest of the world) it takes every bit of the 20 HP to crawl onto plane, but one person it leaps on plane is less than it's own length, so it's of course very load dependent. Spotless bottom
My opinion is I'd rather run a bigger motor at half throttle than a smaller one wide open all the time. Bigger is more money and weight though
If your small people re-propping your motor might get you on plane, assuming your overpropped now.
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Are you sure you are under-propped? If it takes a lot of time and hp to get onto plane with 4 people, it sounds like you may be over-propped, not under.
We have the same outboard with probably the same standard prop. Our 12' 350lb dinghy will take all 20hp to slowly bring 4 "American" people on plane. I recently borrowed another prop that was 1 inch less in pitch - and with this prop the dinghy popped right up on plane with 4 people instantly and stayed on plane at 1/2 throttle.
Mark
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You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
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13-02-2015, 14:38
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Englewood, Ohio/Oak Harbor, Wa
Boat: catalina 27 & Windrose 20 Hunter 34
Posts: 206
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
40 h.p. merc or evenrude otta do the trick.
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13-02-2015, 14:38
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#12
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: gettin naughty on the beach in cornwall
Boat: 63 custom alloy sloop,macwester26,prout snowgoose 37 elite catamaran!
Posts: 10,560
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
I have a 25hp 2stroke on the back of my 10ft rib..............but I would not recommend it without some one in the bow to stop it flipping............just a tad overpowered.....
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13-02-2015, 14:55
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 23,338
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Some ribs are heavier than others (double floor or single?) I had a 15hp on mine and it would plane with 3 adults or 4 if you tried real hard.... The 15HP was the same weight as the 10 hP so it was a no brainer....
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13-02-2015, 15:00
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Long Island
Boat: Beneteau Oceanis 510
Posts: 167
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Quote:
Originally Posted by atoll
I have a 25hp 2stroke on the back of my 10ft rib..............but I would not recommend it without some one in the bow to stop it flipping............just a tad overpowered.....
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I have a 25 hp 2 stroke that did the same on my 12' rib. I added those plastic automatic trim tabs, the kind with the gas strut. Made a huge difference. It planes off really quick and flat, and also minimized chine walk, which gets real scary. Definitely worth the $120. I got them from defender.com. They are the Nauticus Smart Tabs SX. Their website helps you pick the right set.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app
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13-02-2015, 15:32
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#15
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: gettin naughty on the beach in cornwall
Boat: 63 custom alloy sloop,macwester26,prout snowgoose 37 elite catamaran!
Posts: 10,560
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Re: horsepower to plane a 10' RIB
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptNemoO2
I have a 25 hp 2 stroke that did the same on my 12' rib. I added those plastic automatic trim tabs, the kind with the gas strut. Made a huge difference. It planes off really quick and flat, and also minimized chine walk, which gets real scary. Definitely worth the $120. I got them from defender.com. They are the Nauticus Smart Tabs SX. Their website helps you pick the right set.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app
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the rib is only rated for a 9.9 hp max  ............ 
hydrofoils might work better!
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