first rib?

[willk]

Originally Posted by spartacus

Nothing wrong with Bombard. They're owned by Zodiac, who incidentally also own Avon....

As far as I can see the Bombard Explorer DB or SB finish is basically a Zodiac Pro 500....

I used to have a Zodiac Pro, but sold it as it slapped in anything rough, although saying that, it felt safe and I had complete confidence in its build....

Originally Posted by Mollers

Possibly, but I'd rather invest my £11k in something that was really good rather than "nothing wrong".

Sorry about muddling your thread earlier OP, serious time now:

I think Sparticus has hit the nail on the head, Bombard et al are well enough nailed together and certainly hit a price point that others can't when new (hence frequent advice here to buy a "real" boat secondhand)

Ultimately, I think it comes down to useage. If you're going to remain happy tooling around sheltered bays and coves with the odd sally outside on the best of days, any wee rib will cut the mustard. But if/once you feel ready to expand your horizons, a boat with a fast leisure hull such as the Bombard will not handle a bad chop or worse with any comfort or pleasure, limiting your boating options. If you decide to sell (like Sparticus did) then you're taking the depreciation hit on an almost new boat.

Bear in mind also that on all the brand new 5.5m ribs, the engine, trailer, electronics and equipment cost much the same, so the saving to you is in the actual RIB, meaning it's a VERY CHEAPLY BUILT BOAT.

I suspect that most of the Do or Die squad on here would say don't buy a brand new medium V rib until you're had a few runs on one and compared it to something a bit more rufty tufty in the bumps. There are hundreds of posters on here, and when we're not spoiling newbie threads, we're happy to take folks out for a spin - just ask. (I'm maybe a bit far away, but there's plenty closer)

[Rogue Wave]

There are trailers with removable drawbars, but unless you want a huge faff every time you take it anywhwere, it's probably best to look at the whole rig:

You can get trailers with hinged drawbars and brakes takes about 5 2 nibutes tyo sorrt out. pm DM he has had a couple

[snowsports1]

So on the flip side how would a boat such as the ribcraft 4.8m handle carm seas, will it be as comfortable as the bombard pottering around.

[willk]

Originally Posted by snowsports1

So on the flip side how would a boat such as the ribcraft 4.8m handle carm seas, will it be as comfortable as the bombard pottering around.

Better, I would have thought (opinion anyone?). It will need a touch more HP to reach the same speeds though, as it will probably be heavier and the deeper V needs a touch more power.

[spartacus]

Pictures as discussed.

If space is a premium, then you need to be creative with how things are stored. I do a bit of cycling, so my bikes are on handles fixed to the wall, lifejackets are the same, and there's also a Thule roof box suspended from the ceiling! The Twatsoo is just in shot. Waiting for the Sikaflex to arrive - so I can get it mounted.

The Ribcraft sits on a Rapide R40 trailer. It sits as far forward as the winch support. Suits me fine, however it's not a patch on an Indespension Rollercoaster trailer. It also sits a little higher. Pulls okay. It'll be better once the engine is on, so there's a bit of weight.

Although there looks like a bit of space at the stern, once the engine is on, and turned hard to port, I still have to clear the up and over door. To recap, length of garage is 18', width of door is 8' wide and the height is 6'8".

[snowsports1]

how about the valiant vanguard 5.2m with 100HP mariner? there has been lots of activity on this forum about valiant. This has a deep V hull, in fact the same hull as the D series which i believe is the dive boats / commercial range.