RIB's

[Dignity]

Looking to buy an inflatable to take with me when down around the pin etc, mainly for getting to shore and back but also a little bit of fishing or crabbing. Was looking to putting a 4 hp on it. What are the pitfalls i.e are there brands I should avoid, inflatable/vinyl bottoms etc. I have already seen where you can skids glued to the bottom to save on wear and tear but then again at the end of the trip I would like to deflate the RIB so what effect do the skids have in packing the thing away. I have a 195 Allison Vision so I am probably limited to something about 2.1 m although would prefer a 2.4m mainly for the director of the house as she likes a bit more stability.

sam

[Spaniard_King]

Sam,

Not sure you are asking about the right boat here, a RIB is a rigid inflateable boat generally of alluminium hull with inflated tubular sides.

I think you are lookin for an inflateable boat which can be optioned with strakes or ribs does this sound right :-?

Garry

[allsaint]

Sam,
I think you are after a SIB? Ribs are actually spelt RHIB which stands for Riged hull Inflatable boat. My old man runs 2, one has a 60 on the back and the other a 175.

I think the sibs? have removable floors in either wood or ali.

check out the web below, do a search it may help you out.

www.rib.net

sj

[BillB]

Sam,
I have got an inflatible for sale but it's a bit larger than you were thinking of. It's a Zodiac 3.4 Metre with an inflatible floor and keel. It has a 5 person carrying capacity and registered until Dec. If you want one for crabbing and fishing you may need to consider a larger size than you were suggesting because of the various bits an pieces you tend to carry. If you are interested give me a call on 0427868495.
Cheers,
BillB

[Dignity]

Thanks sj & Garry, my mistake, thought the generic term was RIB but I am after something which just needs to get me from the anchorage to the shore. What does the "S" im SIB stand for.

BillB, probably a bit bigger than I was looking for. The fishing and crabbing part is not critical but have used a 2.4m once for just an hours fishing and putting dow 2 collapsible pots. Great for checking the pots and for an hour or 2 fishing was sufficient. btw does it come with a donk.

sam

[Rhetly]

Sam

I have a quicksilver inflatable and I can't say enough good things about it. It is a 3.8m so is obviously not what you are chasing but the smaller models seem to be just as good. If I had a choice I would probably go for something with a wood panel floor over air floor for stability. It does make them a bit heavier but I think it's worth the compromise.

I have the heavy duty Hypalon model and it is used specifically for what you want it for and have never had a problem with it. I built a fold up trailer for it and it travels on top of my camper when I go places but I have the advantage that it packs up into a really big suitcase if need be. Here is the link to their range.

http://www.mercurymarine.com.au/MPI/mmproddb.nsf/Products+Main+Page?openform&Restrict=QUICKSILVER%20INFLATABLES

On the other hand, my father in law has a 2.4 or 5 zodiac with an 8hp on that will get up on plane with the two of us in it. However his is a full fibreglass floor so that would not be an option if you wanted to pack it away. But at least with a boat that size you could probably put a slightly larger motor (6hp) to get you along a bit better.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, rhet

[Dignity]

thanks for the info rhet. could you post a pic of the fold up trailer, sounds intriging. may still go for something a little larger but lneed tp relook the logistics of it all

BillB - was there a motor with your inflatable?

sam

[Rhetly]

Sam

I don't have any photos of it actually and at the moment the boat is sitting on it.

However I will be going away in a couple of weeks and packing it all up so if you want I will take a few then on how the trailer folds and how it pulls apart. There are quite a number of fold up trailers on the market to give you an idea of what the are.......just google fold up trailers and that should sort you out.

Cheers

[fish2eat]

Hey Sam,

I swapped my old wooden 8ft tender for an inflatable tender about a year ago. I went for a 2.4m with inflatable keel and cannot say how great it is compared to rigid dinghies. My Mrs was always scared of the dinghy when going through the wake of big sports cruisers when getting to shore, and in getting in/out to the main boat. The inflatable is so stable, she willingly goes fishing in it, even when we take it in the bag on hols to Noosa and go out near the bar...it is that stable.

Mine is a "Grand" very similar to the Quicksilver but cheaper. I got the additional keel /underside ptrotectors glued on and it does not worry it being rolled up in the bag to transport it. Takes just 10 minuts from out of the boot to on the water.

I got the inflatable keel because it gives better directional stability under power, important if you use it (like we do as a second boat for fishing, cast netting etc. I think mine was around $1500 +$170 for the extra protectors.

Cheers

Stuart

[fish2eat]

Sam, also meant to tell you that mine came from "the Inflatable Centre" at Springwood.

Stuart

[Dignity]

Thanks Stuart, visited the place and it seems that prices have fallen a little since you bought yours. They also now have a HD Foam infill about an inch thick which they will reduce the price on if you buy it with the boat and it seems to give a very stable floor to the ones with vinyl slats. At the price quoted iut certainly is cheaper than getting an air filled floor or wooden floor.

sam