Help please.

Scotty · 21 October 2002, 09:12

I'm new to ribs and will buy one in the next six weeks. I will be using it to move my family around in comfort and as a result have been drawn towards the Zodiac yachtline or medline range. They appear well kitted out and have good resale value's. I would appreciate comments from you guys on these boats. Or have I come onto the wrong site ( a harley rider on a bmw site in motorcycle terms) ?

Thanks guys.

Phil the fish · 21 October 2002, 09:14

Try http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/p...C&t=1035191387
Probably the largest number of Used Ribs available in the world let alone the UK

Brian · 21 October 2002, 10:41

Scotty
Might be useful if you could give us a little more info.
How many people in the family? and what do you call "comfort" i.e colour TV and flushing loo or a few inches of squashy side tube to sit on?
How far will you be going? Are you just going out as a tender to a yacht or are you cruising miles offshore for example?
Roughly what is your budget?

Scotty · 21 October 2002, 14:19

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian
Scotty
Might be useful if you could give us a little more info.
How many people in the family? and what do you call "comfort" i.e colour TV and flushing loo or a few inches of squashy side tube to sit on?
How far will you be going? Are you just going out as a tender to a yacht or are you cruising miles offshore for example?
Roughly what is your budget?

Brian,
Thanks for the reply. Comfort would be good seating for two adults and two teenagers and two small kids, thats why we looked at zodiac. We will use it within a mile or so of shore and my budget is around £8,000 to £9,000 stg.

Brian · 22 October 2002, 16:58

(Hey, Scottie, this reply is going to put the rat amongst the pigeons).

OK, so you want to SEAT 6 souls.
How about something between 5.5 and 6.5m in length.
Less than 100 hp 2-stroke engine, but more than 50hp
"Jockey" seating for at least 4. As you are sticking close inshore I would reluctantly allow the last 2 people to share a rear bench seat.
Dont think you will get that combo new for that price but probably lots of second-hand in that category.
Usual other advice applies. Get some training. Get some advice when you have selected what you think you want. Don't buy something just because it looks pretty. Treat this as a temp. purchase because sure as eggs is eggs, you will want bigger, faster, sooner than you think.

(I shall now stand back with my fingers in my ears because my advice is about to be shot to pieces by 300 experts)

Alex Brown · 22 October 2002, 17:13

Yup, I completely agree with that, Brian......

Last year I had a Narwhal 5m rib, 75hp outboard..... great fun. Only used it inshore though on the local river, but got used to handling etc....

At the Dive Show a couple of weeks ago, I placed an order for a new Humber 6m Destroyer, 140hp 4-stroke engine, and 90 litre fuel tank, which means I will be able to get out and about around the local islands, and go further afield more comfortably if I want to.

.... I only had the 5m rib for a year too, but already wanted bigger and better

-Alex

Richard B · 22 October 2002, 17:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian
...this reply is going to put the rat amongst the pigeons

Brian, I thought you were about to recommend a sportsboat

Oh well, this must be the mild thread to balance out the other

one that's running!

Jizm · 22 October 2002, 21:00

quote

Comfort would be good seating for two adults and two teenagers and two small kids, thats why we looked at zodiac. We will use it within a mile or so of shore

"Two small kids", good heavens no! Don't let Flanker read that!??????!!!!?!???

jools · 22 October 2002, 21:31

Brians set-up sounds very simular to my Ribcraft 5.85 - Panther

Scotty - if you are new - lots of pics on my website to give you an idea of what it can get up to!

Jools

Flanker · 22 October 2002, 22:11

Scotty,

How old are the two small kids? I may have an idea for you.

Pete

zod550 · 23 October 2002, 03:36

i am the unhappy owner of a zodiac pro 550 and i would not recommend the pvc models they build. these boats look pretty sitting on some big luxury ship but i do not believe the material (pvc) is what a rib should be made of. i am waiting for a set of replacement tubes for my boat and it is only 4 yrs old. zodiac would not consider any compensation for the fiberglass failures that occured even when they were told by their own service department that the failures were a workmanship issue and not abuse. maybe my boat was built on a friday afternoon! chris

dgpw · 24 October 2002, 09:00

I agree something between 5 and 6.5 meters would be about the right size. I think that getting some experience in the boats is a very good idear because understanding how and why the perform and move will give you more confidence and will ultimately reduce the stress of launching a boat for the first time. If you are going to be spending £££££££££££££ on a boat then around £100 on an RYA pb2 course would probably be a good idea. You should be able to find an instructor who will talk the different options of different ribs with you and u may find one who would e willing to go out in the new boat with you. Any way there are a lot of boats on the market so give us a shout for advise when you find one you like the look of.

Scotty · 24 October 2002, 09:34

I may have found the rib. It's a Zodiac 550 pro with a 115 mercury 2 stroke and in perfect condition. The boat was new in 2001 and has very low hours on the motor. The price seems right at £10,500 stg. Any comments please before I write the cheque.

Scotty.

Brian · 24 October 2002, 09:45

Scotty
I did once own one.
I have a photo of same which I would e-mail you if I could (you have e-mail barring).
Call me if you want on o1803 559800

Julian · 24 October 2002, 09:50

I have no experiance first hand of Zodiac Ribs but I'm not sure they are the best boat for you. I would go for a Small Ribcraft or 585 Ribtec. Both these boats have an excellent reputation and they are easy to pick up second hand.

They are well proven sea boats and would be perfect for the family day outs, and of course if you want to croos the channel to Alderney etc you can do so with piece of mind.

Worth Looking At

Julian

Charles · 24 October 2002, 14:41

Scotty, I agree with Julian, see if you can find a good second-hand Ribcraft before writing out any cheques. Geoff - who posts here - has one, and he has just done a great Channel crossing with his and it went superbly.