R.I.B. advice

[Hap-E-Cruzer]

Getting ready to buy an inflatable, want it to serve two purposes. Would like to run the river with buddies ( fast of course ) and would like to be able to tow or carry aboard a 30 foot cruiser when cruising. What are some good brands? 2 cyl or 4 cyl? 9.9 hp or 15 hp? keel bottom or flat?

 

[Bliss]

I have owned Zepplin, Achilles, Zodiac and Avon dinghies. I still have a 1990 Avon 11' RIB I bought new. Ironicly Avon is owned by Zodiac, which made the poorest quality of the four. If it were me I would try to find a used Avon RIB and save a few dollars. They are very expensive, but you will get what you are paying for.
The one thing you must remember to think about is the weight. At 11' or more you have a runabout/workboat. Good luck, JS

 

[Tim R]

Whoah! A whitewater raft is a totally different make and style of raft than a raft designed to be used as a tender. You cannot just take any old raft and attempt to run a fast river with it, especially if you and your buddies have never done it before. That has disaster written all over it.

 

[MikeeH]

Some things need to be clarified:
1) Weaver Snap Davits will allow you to conviently store and launch the dink from a vertical position on your swim platform. A Weaver Snap Davit does not support storage of the motor. You will need to either remove the motor before storing the dink or install a seperate motor mount on the dink that allows the motor to be rotated to a position parallel to the top of the transom. If you want to store the dink with the motor mounted you may want to also look at the Hurley Davit but make sure you have a wide enough swim platform to support the system.

2) RIB's normally have a hard, fiberglass hull supported but traditional inflated tubes. RIBs are by far the best dinks for stability and speed. The downside is that they are very heavy.

3) I think your main constraint will be the size of your boat. A 30' cruiser doesn't allow for a big dink to be stored in an assembled state.

4) 4 Cycle engines are quieter but very heavy in relation to 2 cycle models.

5) Sunlight (UV) is the main killer of dinks. Whatever you chose, plan to keep it covered.

 

[36mainship36]

I have had an achillies SPAD-4 10'2" with a 9.9 Mariner since 1986. If you are looking for speed, you need power. We can tube with ours. Not real fast ,but the kids have fun. I can't complain, this achillies has held up. I used armrol to protect it. Now I'm told this stuff is bad for it, go figure after 20 years. With one person on board, this thing does wheel stands. As for weight, 100lbs. plus 60lb.motor. I us to man handle it, 20 years later, it takes two hands. To answer your question, Hypalon seems the way to go. Good Luck

 

[brimanst]

I have a 34' express and can only reasonably put a 9'6" dinghy across the beam (11' 6"). I opted for the inflatable bottom instead of the RIB because of the weight. You just have to be careful when running up to the beach. I went with the Hurley Davits so I can keep the motor and gas tank in the Dinghy. A 2-stroke motor in much lighter than a 4-stroke. The Yamaha 8HP (max rating for my inflatable) that I have only weighs 65lbs. Also, if you have to remove the motor, you can lay it in any position. With a 4-stroke it has to be verticle or on a certain side to prevent the oil from leaking out. I have been researching this topic quite extensively. You just have to know what it more important, speed, cost, and the ability to carry it on your boat.

If I could figure out how to upload pictures, I would show you a picture of mine (the Dinghy that is).You can go to my blog and check it out. It is the December 22 post. It is at http://brianandbj.blogspot.com

 

[HOGAN]

With your size boat, I would go with an 8' -9' inflatable keel with an 8 HP 2 stroke motor.

Keep it covered, the sun is the enemy of all dinks!!!

 

[Peleka7]

Just a different opinion then Hogan's...I hate inflatable keels. Brand new (no leaks) they steer poorly. Bigger problem (for my use) is they always have a leak in the floor from being dragged up on beaches and such. Least durable and most irritating of the types. It's something to putt around in but hardest to manage on the water and usually very slow. They are light weight and easier to carry then a rigid bottom but I'd never own another one. JMO

I've owned an Avon hypalon, and loved it. Extremely fast with 15 hp, stable enough to dive from...weighed 400 lbs! Way too heavy for me (catamaran) which is why I don't own it anymore. I could run a 20 mile trip in it and enjoy doing it. A really fun boat. Mounting a 15hp motor in a swell is not fun however.

I now have a porta-bote. Folds up to a surfboard and will plane (2 people) with a 4hp engine. Weighs about 70 lbs. The ease in mounting a 4hp engine rather then a 15 hp engine is considerable! I run it over coral reefs, pull it easily up over coral beaches and, filled with water, floats. Nearly as fast as the Avon boat, I take it miles to explore islands and reefs, can dive from it, and never need to worry about glues, patches, and pumping air into it. All stuff I don't need to carry around or pay for. Best yet...it's a great rowing boat, something difficult to do on most RIB.

 

[Hap-E-Cruzer]

Thanks all for your info. This is very helpful, guess I will just have to decide what is most important. Weight, speed, size, etc.

 

[thataway4]

Thru the years we have owned a number of inflatables and hard dinghies. We like a light weight hard dinghy for beach and surf work--as well as a larger RIB for longer trips. If you are going to do serious cruising, definately get Hypalon fabric. The PVC's don't last as well. Not only the seams give out, but plasticisers are damaged by the UV. We have lost transoms and found it difficult to reglue the PVC. We had a heavy duty Achillies 13 foot with plywood floorboards (befor RIB became available)--that did take 15 minutes to blow up. But a slat floor or air floor boat can be put up in a couple of minutes. The secreat is a good 12 volt pump. We have a LVM for over 25 years and it still blows up a boat in a couple of minutes from 12 volt battery.

With a boat your size, probably an air floor would be most practical if you want to inflate and deflate the boat. However one has to be careful to not put too long a boat on a swim step where the ends may catch a wave. Agree that the average inflatable is not suitable for "river running" but there can be some exciting fun going up and down salt water rapids in high tidal areas. Definately get an inflatable keel for the inflatable--slat bottoms with no keel/or support will not plane well and can give a hard ride. The 9.9 and 15 hp motors are essentially the same, with slightly different high end RPM, restrictor plates or detuned for lakes which do not allow more than 10 hp motors (sort of an old rule on some resivoirs).

RIB's can be put on a "rack" which fits on a swim step. When Crusing full time I see a good heavy duty RIB as a utility boat which is capable of rescue in significant seas (once we rescued 5 people whose Boston Whaler had capsized), The RIB is capable of carrying a large enough engine to help maneuver the larger boat (lacking thrusters or incase of engine failure)--such as 25 hp outboards. Also many times we would take a RIB many miles to explore--and a smaller or lighter boat would not be comfortable or even safe.

The 4 strokes are definately more effecient engines. They weigh more. I have personally used 2 strokes on dinghies--but if I currently had a 13 or so foot RIB, I would have a 4 stroke.