How did you get into RIB's?

[G.Mac]

Always been about boats of some description all my life, my dad always had yachts (Ruffian 23, then Fisher 25) and my brother used to have a Glastron Carlson CV-23 with a 7.5L Shellby V8 back in the early 90's the same as the one in this vid

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf6l6kblz5c

which used to do about 80 odd kts which he had to sell when he got married.

At work I have always been around ribs mostly with Artic 22's and Delta 6.8's so we thought getting a Rib was a good idea and a good way to get back into boating, we saw our Pac 22 on Babcock disposals and the rest is history, including my brothers wife not speaking to him for the first couple of months after getting the boat.

[ronin]

These are interesting posts ...

For me some of my best memories as a youngster were with the Venture Scouts whose leader was a real hip guy into Land Rover Defenders and RIBs -

We regulary went up to Skye (long before the bridge!) camping at Applecross as a base and ribbing around the islands - fantastic summers!! Totally smitten by the Defender bug and now finally able to afford my own RIB - ! Passing down the camping,4x4 and rib scene to my kids now >>>

[willk]

Originally Posted by ronin

These are interesting posts ...


We regulary went up to Skye (long before the bridge!) camping at Applecross as a base and ribbing around the islands - fantastic summers!! Totally smitten by the Defender bug

Applecross - great, sorry, awful spot, we've been camping up there with the Defender over the last couple of seasons. It's horrible, wouldn't recommend the rest of you go there and clutter the place up

[willk]

Originally Posted by willk

wouldn't recommend the rest of you go there and clutter the place up

Not that they actually encourage Trippers

[The Garfish]

Originally Posted by willk

Not that they actually encourage Pikeys

ther. fixt dat forr yew

[willk]

Originally Posted by The Garfish

ther. fixt dat forr yew

Oddly enough, the Army (yrs) were on site that week, lots of very lightly shielded Wolfs (Wolves?) in tow. It seems they run amok on the hills each spring and worry the deer.

If you have enough non-residency time free next year garFie, you should check it out. They have a lot of Moalt

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by The Garfish

ther. fixt dat forr yew

Noooo Garfie. Having 'Non-Pikey' on the 'drag' would get you bombed in those parts.

.........or Gourgie.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Mollers

.........or Gourgie.

The correct term is Buffer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Traveller

How are they working out for you, seeing as you have an order of magnitude more of them than we do here?

[Mollers]

Dic ata Gherry rockerin' da travler.

Try this.........

Dic ata gry in da poove.

[willk]

um, yeah...

[redxpuser]

Originally Posted by Mollers

I had a Campari ski jacket years ago. It didn't have a engine bracket though.

I had a Campari once - with Soda I think !!

[Nasher]

I've stuck some images in the Gallery that show what got me into RIBs.

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32368

Nasher.

[jlcanterbury]

I guess boating wasn't what got me into RIBs at all... it was really surfing.

There is a stretch of coastline right below Point Conception called "the ranch". The beaches there have some of the best surfing waves in California, but are accessible only by boat. There is a pier at the southern end of this stretch with a hoist for launching boats, but it has a strict weight limit.

A RIB was the only boat under the weight restriction that I could comfortably fit a handful of friends + surfboards and have room to spare. Found a great deal on one last May, and pulled the trigger. Now we get to surf some of the best and least crowded waves on the coast, and get there quickly, comfortably, and enjoyably!

[HUMBER P4VWL]

After having an 11ft dory in the family from age 3-15 we progressed to a 15ft dell quay with 75hp mariner two stroke carbed. On the Second occasion of being caught wind over tide while returning up the straits from Puffin island fishing, the blue peter lifeboat cruised past quite comfortably. I think this was the Atlantic 21 at that time. Dad was driving and I and a friend were up front clinging on for dear life, smashing in to every wave. We had to be there, or the front would blow over bough over stern on each wave when the wind caught it. After 2hrs of battling we made the 5 mile journey back to Menai Bridge. The bench seat has smashed off, my dad couldnt see for salt water and we were battered!!

I think it was my fathers guilt of the bruising that i and a friend had, that made him say we needed something more seaworthy. At 19yrs of age, he instructed me to research wtf the life boat was and to find something similar and organise a sea trial. Avon came to the rescue with an SR5.4 from porthmadog, after one sea trial in an SR4 in the chop, he said we were having one. simple layout, will last years, that'll do my dad, typical farmer attitude!!

About 12 years later with only one new engine, (90 opti with electric tilt!!) we finally upgraded as the family grew. AHumber this time. Again, one sea trial, at Pwllheli with Jono in a force 7-8 wind over tide at full chat out of the harbour on a snowy FEBUARY day, the old man confirmed my research was done once again!! Hope this last 12 years.

RIBS rock.

[bigbadbob]

how did we get into ribs? why, over the tube of course! how do you get into yours?
ha ha. only jestin.

Growing up on skye you're never far from the sea, so it's only a matter of time before you end up on it. a succession of wood and then fibreglass boats saw me eventually with a strikeliner but it had to go cos i wasn't always around to look after it. (it lived afloat)
Only got into ribs through work but have loved them ever since.

[Pablo]

When I was a nipper (7 or 8) I used to go out with my Dad's dive club. They used to put me up the bow sat on the anchor for extra weight up front in their SIB. When I was 10 I was allowed to drive the rib occasionally whilst sat on my Dads knee. A 10 year stop as a racing cyclist before I took up spearfishing. I spent a few years going out on other peoples boats before I had my own.

[Sonar]

What a great topic this one is .

I ended up with a rib when i had just about done with Yachts speedboats fishing boats then a new fast fisher.

Decided to do a few refurbishments on a number of boats and found I was doing more free works for other boat owners than I was doing on my own.

Bought a very old flatacraft for a tender to a yacht and spent more time in the rib than the yacht. .

Great fun.

Came out of work and sold all the boats paid a few debts off and bought the rib I now have . Second hand.

Well many years later and I still enjoy it.

Old and tatty it may be but the best fun one could have.

[willfinch36]

Well ever since I was a little kid ( Im only 20 now - makes me feel old) My Dad had a 21 foot yacht, since I was about 1 he would put me on his lap in our AVON redstart with a 4hp Johnson and I would steer, When I was 6 I started driving it around on my own, basically every weekend, in and out of the marina then up and down the River, however I had to learn to row before, incase the engine broke down!
At the age of 13 I took my powerboat level 2 course, and had been out on our sailing club ribs, lots and lots... towing boats/rescuing boating etc.....
So I played about on the River Orwell until I was about 15/16 When my Dad bought a brand new Bavaria 30, so with that he bought a new AVON Rover RIB 2.80 with a 4hp Yamaha, used as a tender mainly and would only really plane with one person in it. Before I was 17 I decided that college/university wasn't really my idea of fun, I thought F*** it and got a job through a mate of my Dad who owned the company, as an I.T Technician.
After about a year of working for him I bought my first own rib, Valiant 3.80m with a 25 Mercury, and exactly a year after that, I sold it to my local sea scouts. Then onto pastures new, I got a Valiant 5.20m with a 70hp, and don't think I really want to get much bigger as launching is a pain in the backside when I do it on my own! Unfortuanatly boats arent my only hobbie, I have two high performance cars at home, so have to share the money evenly between all 3!! Luckily I still live with my parents!

So thats my story!

[neilda]

I had never thought about or wanted to go boating, my interests/hobbies being land based. However, I moved house and a near neighbour and now good friend suggested one spring day that we take his little boat out (6M Avon/Yamaha 115) and have some lunch on the Isle of Wight. He let me drive it back! It then became obvious to me that I would be buying a boat!

I registered here, asked lots of questions, got some very differing replies and opinions on which RIB I should buy and, again through the Forum, found my boat.

Having done a few dozen Portsmouth to Isle of Wight trips for lunch, I'm slightly anxious that my boating is becoming a bit repetitive - maybe it's because my children could possibly get bored with the same types of day out. Taking friends out who have not done it before is great fun, they're all hooked immediately!

I must confess to being a fair-weather boater only. Hot summer days and dead calm waters are when it is most appealing. Girly as that may sound amongst this hard-bitten, weather-worn crowd!