Center Console RIB's

[Pirate]

I am considering the addition of a center console RIB to the 'fleet'. These boats enjoy widespread and growing popularity in many areas of the world, but I don't see that many in the Southeastern US.

I want to tow this boat with the 480 on trips to the islands and I also want to be able to pull it behind a 'regular' sized truck (Honda Ridgeline). This seems to me to be a reasonable expectation for a 24-28' RIB whereas an equivalent conventional CC of that size would require a lot more truck and it would be prohibitive to towing with the 480.

Any experiences with larger RIB's here?

 

[Henry Boyd]

Matt,

We had a number of Zodiacs prior to Bella. The last one being a 17' RIB. They are great boats. They worked well for us because we used it to go down to the beach, or meet up with friends.

They require a little more maint than hard boats. Mainly the inflatable tubes need to be coated with something like 303 on a regular basis, and kept clean. You also have to be aware that sunlight over time is not good for the fabric. Also the interface and the tube needs to be kept clean to prevent abrasion. Cleaning is more of an issue if you use it for going to the beach (think of sandpaper without the paper part). That being said they are far more stable than a hard boat.

You should be aware that towing (behind a boat) at speed is not recommended. Basically you have to tow via a bridle attached to the tubes. The tubes. and tube to RIB bottom interface, are designed to be pushed through the water at speed, not pulled, so you end up loading the hull in a manner it is not optimized for. The dealer we have worked with over the years has always made the point that Zodiac would not honor the warranty on tow damage on everyone of the 4 boats we have bought from them. I don't know if that is them, or Zodiac's policy.

As far as trailering is concerned, they weigh next to nothing in comparison with hard boats of the same size.

Henry

 

[Pirate]

Henry- Thanks for your comments. The towing surprises me. In S FL, I see larger boats towing CC boats ALL the time. They usually have a special hardware piece fitted to the bow just at/above the waterline. Of course, I'm watching guys w/ 75'+ boats towing 30-35 CC fish boats. I would think the strain on my 480 with a conventional boat 24-28' long would be prohibitive on an ongoing basis. That's what attracted me to the RIB. We currently carry a Zodiac ProJet350 and it really does take a lot more effort to maintain that than a conventional boat.

I checked on another forum called rib.net, but it is predominantly Euro as are the boats they discuss.

If anyone else has anything to add, let 'er rip.

Thanks,

Matt

 

[Henry Boyd]

Matt,

I would guess if you could find an aftermarket item that would take the load off the tubes, and be able to get the engine up out of the water it might work.

I have never tried it because our local Zodiac dealer has always been adamant about not doing it. We also sold the RIB when we bought Bella and replaced it with a blow up/fold up dinghy, so I don't have one to test the idea out on.

I too have seen a number of big yachts towing the size RIB you are talking about but always chalked it up to a case of more money than brains.

Henry