RIB Origins?

[Stoo]

I was talking to a diving friend last night about my old boat, which became his new boat. It was an early Hurricane, built before Hurricane was owned by Zodiac. Essentially, it was a Mark III Grand Raid, with the floor cut out and bonded to a fibreglass hull. I have always understood that these early Hurricanes were some of the first RIBs although it's hard to imagine that they haven't been around a long time.

Does anyone know about the first RIBs or better yet, have photos? Are any of them still in service?

[codprawn]

It is a bit hard to tell - apparently the first RIBs were made at Atlantic College in Wales. They developed the first inshore lifeboats and worked with the RNLI - hence the name "Atlantic" for that class of boat.

Zodiac were also one of the very early pioneers as were Avon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigid-h...nflatable_boat

There is a photo somwhere of a very early lifeboat which has a normal wooden hull with rounded cork "tubes" along each side from the 1800s - there's nothing really that new!!!

[Stoo]

That's an interesting article Cod... thanks for posting it....

[Biggles]

A copy of RIB International from a couple of years ago go backs to the start of RIBs in the UK. Its based around the 1970s and a couple of innovative indivuiduals. It was all trial and error and lots of glue and rubber boats bits of ply wood.
Although I can't remember any of the original names I can recall that the Avon Searider and Flatacraft were basically the forerunners of all our mass produced RIBs. Although the original Flatacraft has evolved somewhat the Searider is essentially the same beast it was all those years ago.
In the same magazine a Flatacraft 3 with a smallish outboard went from the UK to Europe with an early version of I'm a celebrity get me out of here. The owner of the Flatacraft took a Lady he'd never met before on the trip for company. Absolutely amazing and very brave and confident.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Biggles

A copy of RIB International from a couple of years ago go backs to the start of RIBs in the UK. Its based around the 1970s and a couple of innovative indivuiduals. It was all trial and error and lots of glue and rubber boats bits of ply wood.
Although I can't remember any of the original names I can recall that the Avon Searider and Flatacraft were basically the forerunners of all our mass produced RIBs. Although the original Flatacraft has evolved somewhat the Searider is essentially the same beast it was all those years ago.
In the same magazine a Flatacraft 3 with a smallish outboard went from the UK to Europe with an early version of I'm a celebrity get me out of here. The owner of the Flatacraft took a Lady he'd never met before on the trip for company. Absolutely amazing and very brave and confident.

He was Welsh as well.....

[Jizm]

I just read
'Rigid inflatable boats' by colin jones.
very good and goes into the history of them.

[Stoo]

Originally Posted by Jizm

I just read
'Rigid inflatable boats' by colin jones.
very good and goes into the history of them.

I found a used copy on Amazon... It's selling for $68 CDN. Worth it?

[IanE]

http://www.glacierbooks.com/Book_Mis...s.asp?AUTHOR=J

[ian parkes]

there was or is one of those old lifeboats with the cork around the gunwhales beside the river at Exeter opposit the maritime museum .
Must have been fun rowing that

[Tibs]

Check out this blog from the Ribcraft USA website about the birth of RIBs. I found it quite interesting......

http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2006...h_of_ribs.html