Help Please: Buying a Luxury RIB

[farris]

Hi All,

I could really use some guidance and advice please. I have never owned a boat and want to get the best value possible.

My family have a place in Ibiza, Spain and I am very interested in buying a second hand luxury RIB for daytime excursions and just to chill out for the day. My budget is around $100,000 and I am willing to buy in the UK or mainland Europe. I would prefer to spend less, so if there is a good option second hand for much less, even better.

Here is what I am looking for in an ideal world:

- great value
- minimal maintenance headaches
- can transport at least 8 people in comfort
- I would love to be able to have a bed/sun lounger so I can catch some Z's on a beautiful sunny day
- water sports would be cool but is the least important on the list.

I have been told that RIBs involve minimal maintenance compared to other boats that is what pushed me
in this direction.

Is there a big benefit to inboard vs outboard engines? I would imagine outboard engines are easier to steal. The boat will be on a mooring buoy at our local seaside restaurant (5 min from our house) 5 months of the year when my family are in town. This makes the theft factor a consideration.

I really like the Dariel ribs and the Strider ribs but they are going for big money. I am not educated enough about all the other options out there and that is why I am here.

Thank You

[ShinyShoe]

100k is a lot to spend on a first rib. Is that 100k GBP, US$, EUR or something else?

Outboards are nickable. But the size of OB you'll need ain't gonna be liftable from the mooring so the boat needs nicking first... You'll find plenty of advice on here about security using the search functions.

OB = Petrol, IB = Diesel. Dockside access to fuel may decide for you.

Maint Headaches - less or different?

No matter what you'll have an engine that needs maintained.

Not sure what you'll get in terms of sun loungers on a RIB. Its a bit of an oxymoron - RIBs are designed for use when it gets rough. Loungers are not!

[farris]

Thanks for your advice

100k USD... This is flexible, but I would prefer to spend less.

Noted on the sun lounger... I would love to be able to drop the anchor, have a snooze and catch some sun. I think many ribs with inboard engines have a place to lie down above them.

[spartacus]

$100k is a lot of money, but in the luxury market it can quickly evaporate.

One thing you'll need to consider is secure storage, probably dry storage, under cover for when you're not using it. A 7-8m Rib won't be cheap.

Then find yourself a broker/dealer and try a few boat options on the water. Then can get a full marine survey checking hull, engine, history, credit, etc.

Goldfish ribs would fit the bill in terms of comfort, style, capacity, with sun deck area. Something like the Goldfish 25. Even then, you might have to be flexible on budget.

[willk]

Originally Posted by spartacus

$100k is a lot of money, but in the luxury market it can quickly evaporate.

£65k is small beer in the Luxury inboard RIB market.

OP - RIBs need maintenance, just like any other boat (and THEY need lots). A RIB left on a mooring for five months will need even more. Unless someone is employed to take care of it or some of the family are in a position to do so, then it will soon become unusable and your money will be wasted.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by willk

£65k is small beer in the Luxury inboard RIB market.

BUT - a lot of money for someone who's never owned a boat before.

Now can the OP enlighten me... ...why offer up a budget in a currency that the boat almost certainly won't be purchased with?

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by farris

Noted on the sun lounger... I would love to be able to drop the anchor, have a snooze and catch some sun. I think many ribs with inboard engines have a place to lie down above them.

Lots of in-boards have a flat cover above the inboard. Some may be designed to lie on. Some are definitely not. I suspect for the right budget anything is possible. Of course the disadvantage is thats a big chunk of space that isn't nice seating for your 8 passengers. Assuming you aren't moving 8 people on the tubes that makes your boat bigger which means a bigger engine, big build costs, bigger running costs etc. Gradually that US$100k budget becomes impossible to achieve.

[Nick Hearne]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

BUT - a lot of money for someone who's never owned a boat before.

Now can the OP enlighten me... ...why offer up a budget in a currency that the boat almost certainly won't be purchased with?

My thought too, first post, from London boat to be in Spain and talking $!
Some right glob trotter

Think I would be looking local to where you will keep it as when you should have some sort of local backup and build some local loyalty with the purchase!

[John Kennett]

I don't know much about the Dariel or Strider RIBs, but something like a Stingher 800GT would probably fit the requirements pretty well. A new one wouldn't be massively over budget and a used one would be considerably less.

Assuming there's petrol on the quayside then there's no real benefit of going diesel. If the boat gets stolen from a swinging mooring then it won't matter what sort of engine it's got.

[willk]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Now can the OP enlighten me... ...why offer up a budget in a currency that the boat almost certainly won't be purchased with?

Why should he? He's looking for a boat in the UK - or on the Mainland so dollars cover everywhere surely? This IS an International Forum owned by an American after all. Bear in mind too that Chelsea and Kensington have almost 6% USA citizens as residents - so maybe dollars are his "home currency".

Either way - he's a bit short in the budget department

As an aside - I'm not an adherent to the creed that says a boater has to start off in an SR4 and work their way up. If you can afford a 7-8m boat and have someone to assist/train you - why not jump in the deep end?

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by farris

I have never owned a boat and want to get the best value possible.

If you've never owned a boat, but are at least familiar around them, then you'll need an ICC (International Certificate of Competence) in Spain, plus usual insurance paperwork, etc. If you've no experience, then get yourself enrolled on RYA courses and seriously consider a smaller boat. A 7m or 8m Rib could be anything from 200-300hp and is powerful. I'd have to question the logic of buying something that you're just learning to use.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by farris

Here is what I am looking for in an ideal world:

- great value

No boat is great value, especially "luxury models" so forget that idea! Consider chartering when you are in town - then all the issues become someone else's problem!

- minimal maintenance headaches

All boats need maintainence of some sort. I'm not sure why a RIB would be any better for this than a hardboat? They have "fragile" tubes around them waiting to be scratched, burst, sun-damaged.

- can transport at least 8 people in comfort

Depending on the distance and seas you want to cross that might mean 8 proper seats, but for short hops in the Med it might not...

- I would love to be able to have a bed/sun lounger so I can catch some Z's on a beautiful sunny day

- water sports would be cool but is the least important on the list.

I have been told that RIBs involve minimal maintenance compared to other boats that is what pushed me
in this direction.

I'd probably be widening my circle of advisers!

Is there a big benefit to inboard vs outboard engines? I would imagine outboard engines are easier to steal. The boat will be on a mooring buoy at our local seaside restaurant (5 min from our house) 5 months of the year when my family are in town.

This decision could be really simple for you - does the local harbour/marina have dockside petrol? If not then big engines will burn 100+L/hr (each) without much difficulty that's a lot of Jerry cans, which I am guessing is inconvenience most luxury boat owners could do without. In that case go diesel inboard. If petrol is available easily you'll have more options and search the forum for pro/cons.

This makes the theft factor a consideration.

I really like the Dariel ribs and the Strider ribs but they are going for big money. I am not educated enough about all the other options out there and that is why I am here.

For what you are looking for - it is style, budget, practicality that matters. Very few people will be able to advise you on that here (not many med rib users here, not that many with your budget, and with a strong UK (and slight US) bias, generally most people here favour function over form.

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Now can the OP enlighten me... ...why offer up a budget in a currency that the boat almost certainly won't be purchased with?

Simple enough - if the money you are spending is from your offshore account which is in dollars!

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Not sure what you'll get in terms of sun loungers on a RIB. Its a bit of an oxymoron - RIBs are designed for use when it gets rough. Loungers are not!

Plenty of ribs with sun loungers. I'd suggest a trip round a European boat show, or even a look at Powerboat and RIB magazine back issues to see that there are plenty of people making boats for exactly this type of application. If you are writing cheques even "hardy" UK manufacturers like RibCraft, Redbay and Humber will fit a sunpad for you.

Now I sometimes like to through a curve ball into the mix. If you are looking for something new, but with the super yacht tender styling of the links you referred to then I think you'll find yourself out of budget... ...but Humber were dabbling in this space a little bit. They are usually perceived as a "lower budget" provider (who still make very good boats with good sea keeping but a bit more mass produced and without quite the attention to detail that people here often aspire to)... You might get something new there, which is comparable pricewise to something from an aspirational brand but well out of warranty... http://www.humberinflatables.co.uk/s...-editorial.pdf

[willk]

Originally Posted by Poly

...but Humber were dabbling in this space a little bit.

Humber & Luxury? Two teabags in the one mug maybe!

[Brian]

I really don't know what willk is talking about-diesels need a lot of maintenance indeed!
I haven't touched mine (well hardly anyway) for over 2 years now.
Inboards are rugged beasts in that the engine itself is relatively bullet-proof.
I leave mine in the water for 5 months minimum per year, take it out at the end of the season, wash it off and put it away, under cover, and bring it out next season. Simples.

How about this one:
Scorpion - 8m inboard diesel RIBs and Inflatable Boats for sale in Hampshire, South East | Boats and Outboards
Fits the bill in most respects.

or this one:
Scorpion - 8.5 RIBs and Inflatable Boats for sale in Hampshire, South East | Boats and Outboards
probably well maintained and v. fast as well.

Both are well within your current budget.
All you have to do now is buy it and get it to Ibiza.

[Mollers]

IMHO, our OP is barking up the wrong tree re. a rib.

His requirements say hardboat all day long.

Tubes hate sun, boats period don't like sun.

If I were parking a £65k purchase on a mooring in the Med for all of the summer months, it wouldn't be a rib.

I'd be looking a perhaps an American sports fisher with all the squidgy bits added, or maybe even a Jeanneau Cap Cam WA. All are capable with comfort and a cover will stay on them, unlike a rib.

As for OBs v IBs, I've had two IBs and a few OBs and in my experience, either will soon go fart if they're not meticulously maintained.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Brian

I really don't know what willk is talking about-diesels need a lot of maintenance indeed!

Was I talking about diesels needing a lot of maintenance? No.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by spartacus

A 7m or 8m Rib could be anything from 200-300hp and is powerful. I'd have to question the logic of buying something that you're just learning to use.

1. Because he wants to be able to take 8 people round to the next bay and comfortably get back if the chop kicks up (as it often does in the afternoon in the med) without his passengers having to put oilies on!
2. Because he wants to use it in Ibiza when he's in Ibiza and I assume he doesn't have control of the weather or his time windows to match perfect weather
3. Because most boats are essentially status symbols

I doubt there is anyone here with a 5m boat who has never thought "If only I had a bigger boat I would go out today"

[Poly]

Originally Posted by willk

Humber & Luxury? Two teabags in the one mug maybe!

I knew you'd like that one!

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by Poly

Simple enough - if the money you are spending is from your offshore account which is in dollars!

But he won't be spending it as US$ unless he is daft enough to buy American and import it? Will he? That in its self creates uncertainty in the budget. 100k$US today will not spread the same as say 3 years ago.

Plenty of ribs with sun loungers. I'd suggest a trip round a European boat show, or even a look at Powerboat and RIB magazine back issues to see that there are plenty of people making boats for exactly this type of application. If you are writing cheques even "hardy" UK manufacturers like RibCraft, Redbay and Humber will fit a sunpad for you

My bad. I thought when he said sun lounger he wanted something that reclined like at the side of a pool, rather than a sun pad which IMHO is basically an oversized nappy changing mat to put the girl in the bikini on for the glossy brochure pictures.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by willk

As an aside - I'm not an adherent to the creed that says a boater has to start off in an SR4 and work their way up. If you can afford a 7-8m boat and have someone to assist/train you - why not jump in the deep end?

I wouldn't suggest a SR4 and work up. It doesn't suit his use.

And perhaps it's because I don't have $100 burning a hole in my pocket, let alone $100k ... That feels like a big spend based on something someone told him to get. But being totally honest even if I had $100M to spend by next year a sunlounger RIB for the Med wouldn't be on my shopping list so maybe I'm just not getting the concept.