Another 4-6 m boat wanted!

[MAW]

[Split from this thread: Cheap 4-6m ribs?

Hi guys, newbie here, I am also in the market, loosely speaking, for such a RIB, subject to nobody telling me different. I'm not quite ready to buy, but budget will be up to 5k, the boat is to be used for fun & giggles, plus the more serious business of commuting at weekends from probably Port Solent to the mooring, 1/3 mile N of the Folly inn, where my shared ownership sail cruiser will be kept from October on. We'd like to be able to take our guests (the sailboat is a Bowman 46, 8 berth) max 8 people on board, though that will be unusual.
I have a RYA rescue ticket inc level 2, my wife and 16 yr old daugher will also be on the drivers list, course to be completed. The young lady will doubtless want to take the boat shopping whilst we mellow out on the mooring.
Taking those requirements in, am I doing the biggest thread hijack of all time, or am I right to be looking at a 5 odd metre boat, maybe 5.5, with a 60-100 hp motor? I have never owned a stink boat before, and I'll confess to being quite excited at the prospect.

[Polwart]

A spectacular thread hijack hence why I've split it into a new thread!

Port Solent to the Folly Inn - what's that 8 NM ? So 20 mins or so at RIB speed. In good weather and daylight then 8 people will be OK with some perched on the tubes; but in anything less than ideal its not a pleasant place to be for a long time.

£5k isn't going to get you anything too fancy but should get you something functional.

Not sure how shared ownership works - but I guess you will have lifejackets on the main boat for your guests? What about water proofs etc? That could all get expensive if you need another set of each for the "tender". Bear in mind you might also want to add Nav Lights, Radar Reflectors etc if there is any chance you'll be using it in the evenings, as not all ribs have been kitted out for night running.

[MAW]

Thanks for the reply. It's one of the newbie issues on a forum. Join in, or create new thread, which then turns out to be a duplicate. You've solved my problem. Night running, sure, it's going to be needed. If I only spend 5k I can afford to add the necessary, lighting and instruments. We will carry the lifejackets home with us, and obviously our own waterproofs. Most guests have them, those that don't may end up looking like a sack of potatoes, or alternatively, speaking in a very high voice. Or else they can buy some

Perching on the tubes, sounds like you are suggesting a bigger boat? Trouble is, 99% of the time there'll be max 5 people on board, and there's parking at Cowes for the shopping to be taken into account. Something's gotta give, and then there's the budget. However, if you think it would serve the purpose much better, clearly that's why I'm asking. I've only ever driven a RIB with 2 guys on board plus me, all in drysuits.

[Polwart]

MAW,

I'm not necessarily suggesting bigger boats. The locals will have a clearer view of what's reasonable in the Solent. It may even be that on a horrible day with a full crew you collect the main boat first and load them on the mainland (or the opposite for returning home). But short periods "perched on the tubes" are fine for fit/healthy/able bodied adults in reasonable conditions with common sense (avoid jumping the Red Jet wake!).

I guess depending on your guests you will either be adding to their overall experience or detracting from the "class" of the sailing boat.

You might get seats for 5 on a rib for £5k but I'd focus on a reliable engine and tidy tubes so it doesn't turn into a major project.

[treerat]

If you get a wide enough rib you'll be able to add enough jockey or pod seats to seat 5 I'd have thought?

[MAW]

OK, understood. Obviously me and mine are well accustomed to getting wet, biting tongues on the lumpy stuff, and spitting out the fish. As are the couple we share the boat with. Guests, as you point out, can be less predictable. If I were a millionaire, I'd buy 50 grand's worth of 8.5 metre boat. Sadly, it's not so. I think we'll have to do as you suggest, and on wet, windy October evenings, we'll fetch the beast, and pick the namby pambies up from Camper and Nicholson's. The more red blooded ones can just lump it with us plebs. I'd rather spend on reliability and performace than comfort.

[MAW]

Originally Posted by treerat

If you get a wide enough rib you'll be able to add enough jockey or pod seats to seat 5 I'd have thought?

Most seem to be quite narrow beam, I presume for seakeeping. Given that ours will only leave the Solent on nice days, that may not be a major issue for us.

[9D280]

Originally Posted by MAW

Most seem to be quite narrow beam, I presume for seakeeping. Given that ours will only leave the Solent on nice days, that may not be a major issue for us.

Usually three beam options:

2m - gets through standard single garage doors
2.3m - A bit more width, still road legal without deflating toobs or needing a police escort
2.3+m - usually designed so it can be legally towed without the escort & wide load boards, but needs deflated first. the solid bit will be 2.3m -ish wide. Usually talking about BIG commercial stuff by this point tho'!

My 5m / 2m Beam (what's now sold by Humber as the O-pro 2m beam) is rated for 12! Not that it will plane with 12 aboard as it's also only rated for 60HP. Just remember when looking at spec'ns that the "seats" number is how many it will reliably keep afloat under some EEC defined standard condition of being swamped. One of the builders can elaborate if need be!

There is an argument that says if you are using it for a taxi, does it matter if the rear (passenger) jockeys are a bit closer together? Having said that, the difference between 2 & 2.3m beam is a LOT of interior space.....

[MAW]

Ah, forgot about the towing. Silly, as I've owned 3 trailable multihulls, latterly an F27, Farrier folding tri. You can wakeboard behind one of those. That was 2.5 metres, and apparently legally towable. The limit is now 2.55 metres. I have a Subaru Forseter 2.5XT to drag it with, so I daresay I'll have no trouble. The F27 was 2200kg on the trailer, 9.2 metres x 2.5 metres overall. So, if I can get a wider beam boat, I may be able to fit 2 jockeys in the back, maybe closer together than might be strictly desirable? But as it's only 20 mins, plus a bit mor in the Medina (folks can lark about there, no need to be bracked for chop) they can no dubt manage if there's not a lot of legroom. Useful to know the maximum number of persons is not realistic for general use.

[Pete7]

Maw, couple of interesting ribs for sale on ebay at the moment. The one that caught my eye was the Orange 5.25 Osprey. Add a couple of extra seats and you would have an ideal rib for the commute to the Folly.

The little Osprey is a really superb rib, that will quite happily take you and the family plus a couple of friends without really noticing. More importantly the Osprey is a really safe hull that with 90 hp you could allow a 16 yr old to take off on their own.

You can probably tell I like the Ospreys and have owned both 5.25 and 5.95. If I was looking for a rib at the moment you wouldn't be reading this post and I would be off down the A303 with cash.

Pete

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Osprey-5-2...e#ht_500wt_994