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Old 21 August 2011, 23:25   #1
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What car do you use when towing/launching your RIB?

Eventually saw a rib I want, a Ribcraft 5.8m with a nice 4 stroke OB. The only issue is that I drive a vauxhall vectra 1.9. So I am not sure if my car would be capable enough to launch/recover without giving me and my family stress.

So I was just wondering if all you guys who own the rib, use a 4x4?
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Old 21 August 2011, 23:48   #2
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I have Audi A3 quattro , 1.8 T , tows lovely ....it's a sports 4x4 drive but has no low box...used it a few weeks to demo a launch and recover of a 5.5 metre RIB on a PB 2 course ....

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Old 22 August 2011, 07:09   #3
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I have a bmw 320td, I have a 17ft speedboat aswell as my 5.4 avon searider. The rib is a joy to tow you dont notice its there. I tend to plan ahead before launching, tend only to use slip ways & bring a long climbing rope just incase the slip is flat.
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Old 22 August 2011, 07:12   #4
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"The only issue is that I drive a vauxhall vectra" queue Jeremy Clarkson!
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Old 22 August 2011, 07:42   #5
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Hi here is my list of cars and boats.

CAR BOATS
Ford escort 45 Vand 1.3 E-reg DELTA 5-5, Osprey Sparrow Hawk, 4mtr SIB
Vauxhall cavalier old type OSPREY, DELTA
MITSUBUSHI SHOGUN SPORT RIBTEC
Vauxhall Vectra All newer Types OSPREY, DELTA, RIBTEC 5.35 with indi roller coaster
RANGE ROVER Classic 3.9 efi LPG RIBTECH
VW Passat SPORT estate 130 TDI RIBTEC
Vauxhall Frontera LWB TDI RIBTEC
Jaguar x-type estate 2l tdi RIBTEC
and my old man towed a few of them with things like ford shaphires 1.8 petrol.
I have even towed a few with old mk1 ford escorts 1.3 no bother even if we were a little over weight!
never had any issues with any of them and the 1.3 escort van was a very good tower suprisingly.
The 4x4 were good as you can imagine. especialy for launcing when its a little shalow like in Dale wales.
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Old 22 August 2011, 10:48   #6
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John Deere 4230... great for launching... not very practicle on the road
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Old 22 August 2011, 11:19   #7
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Used to tow my old 5.8m rib with an Audi A3 1.9tdi. No problems at all on a good slipway and was well within the 1500kg tow limit of the car.
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Old 22 August 2011, 12:40   #8
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John Deere 4230... great for launching... not very practicle on the road
Now THAT is a tow vehicle!
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Old 22 August 2011, 12:42   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jezza2011
Hi here is my list of cars and boats.

CAR BOATS
Ford escort 45 Vand 1.3 E-reg DELTA 5-5, Osprey Sparrow Hawk, 4mtr SIB
Vauxhall cavalier old type OSPREY, DELTA
MITSUBUSHI SHOGUN SPORT RIBTEC
Vauxhall Vectra All newer Types OSPREY, DELTA, RIBTEC 5.35 with indi roller coaster
RANGE ROVER Classic 3.9 efi LPG RIBTECH
VW Passat SPORT estate 130 TDI RIBTEC
Vauxhall Frontera LWB TDI RIBTEC
Jaguar x-type estate 2l tdi RIBTEC
and my old man towed a few of them with things like ford shaphires 1.8 petrol.
I have even towed a few with old mk1 ford escorts 1.3 no bother even if we were a little over weight!
never had any issues with any of them and the 1.3 escort van was a very good tower suprisingly.
The 4x4 were good as you can imagine. especialy for launcing when its a little shalow like in Dale wales.
Do you have enough boats? And cars?
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Old 22 August 2011, 12:47   #10
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No problem. I use to toey RC 596 with mariner 150 on with am Astra 1,9. Now have a Kis Sorento Wichita doesake it easier!
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Old 22 August 2011, 12:48   #11
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A Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.7CRD - Great car for almost anything and very assured on steep or slippery launch sites.. I have a 2002 model - you can pick up nice ones for about £5K these days....
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Old 22 August 2011, 18:10   #12
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The Defender is absolutely the best thing for launch and recovery in dodgy beach conditions, plenty of weight in the rear where you need it and therefore bags of grip.

Most of the time I use the Ford Ranger crewcab which is good but a bit light in the back end if you got a trailer stuck in softish beach conditions. Works well enough most of the time though, and on a concrete slip you wouldn't need low range (though it is never a bad thing to have)
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Old 22 August 2011, 18:33   #13
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I tow and launch my Ribcraft 5.3 with a vectra 1.9 and it's absolutely fine (5.8 is not much heavier) - have been doing so for nearly 5 years. Like all front wheel drive cars if you are on a steep slip sitting in weed then it will scrabble for grip but easily solved with a bit of rope and moving onto a weed free bit of the slip! If the slip is weed free then no problem.

I got the boat stuck once and the car couldn't pull it out but the trailer wheels had sunk into the sand at the bottom of the slipway and nothing was going to move it other than a proper 4x4 with low box!

Just my 2c tho No guarantee it will work for you
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Old 22 August 2011, 19:56   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Courageous View Post
"The only issue is that I drive a vauxhall vectra" queue Jeremy Clarkson!
It works for me with my boat (albeit a smaller one)

A vectra is just like a porsche. Just looks, feels, and handles differently and probably costs the same to run now its ten years old...
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Old 22 August 2011, 20:21   #15
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No problem. I use to toey RC 596 with mariner 150 on with am Astra 1,9. Now have a Kis Sorento Wichita doesake it easier!
J
Good God I will have to start wearing my glasses when I use my iphone!!

J
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Old 22 August 2011, 20:58   #16
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Good God I will have to start wearing my glasses when I use my iphone!!

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Wun too minny glassies, shurely lad?

Slainte Mhath!

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Old 22 August 2011, 21:30   #17
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You could always try this for towing.
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Old 22 August 2011, 22:03   #18
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Wun too minny glassies, shurely lad?

Slainte Mhath!


A bit of the old garfish!!
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Old 22 August 2011, 23:31   #19
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A4 2.5 TDi (V6) quattro avant... otherwise known as an Amtrac locomotive.
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Old 23 August 2011, 06:46   #20
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Quote:
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"The only issue is that I drive a vauxhall vectra" queue Jeremy Clarkson!
Coming from a "valiant" rib owner!

Cue (rather than queue) Ribnet!

Whilst the vectra may struggle a little on power/torque, it would certainly pull it and launch it. It may struggle a little on a steep slip or long hills though. Depends on your frequency/distance of towing.
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