Rib inflatable vs. fiberglass hull

Rib inflatables are a real bear to keep clean. The tubes start leaking air after 5 years and are basically high maintanence. They also need to be re-tubed after 7 years usually. Also a 16' RIB would barely fit 5 people and it would be tight, because the tubes take up a few feet of the length.

Personally, I'd go for a Carolina Skiff. Not the prettiest, but will easily hold 5 people, shallow draft, self bailing, light weight, very stable, economical,unsinkable, and great for bay fishing. A boston whaler would be a good choice also, but heavier.

On many of the boats I worked on in the early days we had Boston Whalers as the main tender and a rubber duckie Zodiac for running about.

These days the modern RIB does it all. The fabrics are much better, you can get any lay-out you want and the quality is much better. The only word of warning is do not buy a water-jet RIB. They are horrible.

I got a new white RIB this summer but wish I'd got a grey or red one; if you know what I mean.

ribs vs solid boats

i've ben going through a similar exercise and have moved between ribs and solid boat alternatives lately. i was trying to finalize the choice for an explorer yacht and my parameter was to have a stable rib with diesel inboard (not willing to carry large quantities of gas on long hauls) with a long range and to be capable for cruising in choppy weather. i was looking for a size of 20' / 6 meters. of course i also considered my options with compromises in mind.

i tried several ribs and boston whalers. initially i've liked the internal space on the boston whalers and i have thought that they would be better sea going boats.

however, finally i decided to stay with ribs, because they are much more stable when you are stepping on the boat from the yacht; they are just as good in bad weather; you have better seating arrangements for traveling with more people on board; they are lighter, weight limitations for diesel inboard can be achieved; you don't need fenders when you are approaching the yacht.

hope this gives you some more insight in making your choice.

The life span is considerably longer for a Whaler or such, but either bought today will probably outlive the use of it's first owner. The Ribs have a much more cushioned ride in rough water, and as Nilo pointed out aren't going to scratch or chip anybody's boat. Not sure how I'd feel about fish hooks and gaffs on board though.

These boats are also good and tough.

AB inflatables - Models

I take care of a Nautica right now, and took care of another one before. The build quality is ummmm well average and personally I'd look for a better brand.

J,
These are the most overpriced, underwhelming RIBs in the business I've found.

http://www.williamsjettenders.com/williamsjettenders.html

Just for fun, let me suggest (no personal experience or relationship - just see them around here) these two companies for something different. They are both built up here in the currently rather chilly PNW. Hulls from both firms are aluminum for durability.

Munson Aluminum Boats - Custom welded aluminum boats, landing craft, workboats, patrol boats, fire boats, passenger boats, dive boats, research boats, fishing boats, boom boats

Northwind Marine - Aluminum boats, seafox, sea fox boats, aluminum boats, aluminum boat builders, aluminum hull inflatables - (Offers RIBs with foam collars so punctures are a thing of the past).

Around $40k for a 15-17' center console rib from a topend vender with engine.

Rigid Boats

Here is a link to a vendor we met at the St. Pete Boat show. He makes an interesting product! Looks like a rib but is rigid!

Rigid Boats

Similar concept from the West coast...but with aluminum hulls.

Bullfrog Boats

And an owner who uses one.

Nordhavn 76 Eliana

We did a ton of research on this and ended up with a 13.5 Rigid with a 40hp motor.

It is AWESOME!

It is lighter than a comparable inflatable, and runs at 50MPH GPS.

There is tons of storage in the tubes which you do not get on an inflatable.

I have only one gripe. Because it is all fiberglass, it must have a capacity plate. I removed ours as it only shows a capacity of 3; yet is sits and fits comfortably 6.

It is impossible to sink as the bottom half of each tube is filled with foam.

Hope this helps.

PS: I am selling our WM 310 (10.5 feet) rigid bottom with a 4HP 4 stroke.

Ken

That seating capacity seems very low for a 13.5. I'd look into the reason for it before removing that plate and putting 6 on board. You could also have a serious liability problem should anything happen.

What I was told is that the capacity is determined by length by beam. This is not required for an inflatable. You could line up 6 to 8 on the tubes of an inflatable.

We have actual seats for 6 on our Rigid. No one needs to sit on a tube or on the floor.

You are correct in saying I could have liability if something happens if we had more that 3. I suspect that same liability would exist on an inflatable even though there is no capacity plates on inflatable tenders.

Ken

I believe it has more to do with weight and safety than seating capacity, and there was a fairly recent change in the standard for passenger weight. I read recently (possibly on YF) that a passenger used to be considered to be about 160 lbs. and that is now changed to about 190 lbs. Also RIBS do have a passenger rating although you are correct that there usually or often isn't a plate. We have a 10 inflatable (not RIB) that can easily fit 6. It took some explaining to the boss why I would only take 3 (liability for exceeding the max load as stated by the mfg.). Even if the CG never checks you can be assured that a lawyer for someone who goes over and gets hurt will, and removing the plate goes to intent.