Ribeye T Series Aluminium Ribs

slimtim · 08 August 2015, 21:45

I'm thinking of getting either the TS370 or TS400 Ribeye aluminium rib as an easier to handle and maintain replacement for my 5.2m Shakespeare with 90hp Tohatsu TLDI. The price seems good and the weight is very light. Does anyone here own one of these or have any comments about their quality and/or performance?

Thanks a lot in advance.

John Kennett · 09 August 2015, 06:03

I had a look at one at a boat show a couple of years ago and it looked solidly built and well finished. I haven't used one though so would be interested to hear how you get on.

beamishken · 09 August 2015, 09:01

We have a 280tl as a tender & like it.it's very light & tubes seem good it's a few years old now & no issues with it

slimtim · 09 August 2015, 10:14

Thanks for the replies.

slimtim · 09 August 2015, 10:15

Oops posted by mistake. Thanks for the replies. Seems like it could be a good option for me.

Hey john, I've not been around for a while, what has happened to the trade directory?

John Kennett · 09 August 2015, 10:52

It broke and unfortunately hasn't been fixed. I don't think it's a big priority for RIBnet's current owners.

slimtim · 13 August 2015, 19:29

Anyone else have any experience of these ribs? I cannot seem to get through to anyone at Ribeye yet to ask questions and get package prices.

Max... · 13 August 2015, 19:49

I've got some bumf on them somewhere, popped into the showroom in Dartmouth last week. Very expensive though, Aerotec might be more fun....

slimtim · 13 August 2015, 20:38

Hi Max, thanks for the reply. Did you get a chance to check the rib close up? The price did not seem bad at all really. Seems cheaper than most other GRP ribs of equivalent size.

Pikey Dave · 13 August 2015, 20:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimtim

Hi Max, thanks for the reply. Did you get a chance to check the rib close up? The price did not seem bad at all really. Seems cheaper than most other GRP ribs of equivalent size.

Are the tubes Hypalon? A friend of mine looked at one at the boatshow as a tender to his yacht. The ally boats were Chinese with pvc tubes. they wanted £3grand to swap the tubes for Hypalon.

slimtim · 13 August 2015, 21:15

Hypatex, whatever that is.

Max... · 13 August 2015, 21:40

Looked like PVC for sure and (with apologies to Ribeye tender owners) looked *every* inch like a Chinese SIB at a glance...

Max... · 13 August 2015, 21:47

Arghh, stupid ipad...

Nick Hearne · 13 August 2015, 23:13

I have had a good look over them a few years ago and was very impressed with them

Max... · 14 August 2015, 07:13

Tidied up the pic.

The Alu hull is a great idea but the white PVC and general spartan look does not help them I think:

slimtim · 14 August 2015, 07:30

Thanks for the info. Yes those fully rigged prices are very expensive! When you look at the bare boat only prices, they seem very reasonable (see here: BHG Marine - Ribeye) so I could save a lot if I sourced the parts and rigged it myself, it's just that I don't have time for that and I'm only in the UK a few times a year!

Max... · 14 August 2015, 08:50

Yes, agreed - the 370 bare boat at £2265 for an alu hull etc compared to say a F-RIB seems good value and must be pretty nuts with a 30 on the back. Nice to have a console - not sure what they add.

beamishken · 15 August 2015, 22:22

I think nowadays it would be hard to find a tender with hypalon tubes but the pvc ones on the ribeye are heat welded so should be ok for 10 years plus & they handle 10x better than a sib & are lighter than an air floor & much lighter than a fibreglass floor
As a tender they are a no brainer
Once you start to add extras like consoles then maybe the benefit gap closes
I suppose it depends what you want it for but I'm very happy with ours
Maybe worth looking at high fields if they go that small for a comparison

Max... · 15 August 2015, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by beamishken

...they handle 10x better than a sib & are lighter than an air floor...

Not sure that's true, any airfloor SIB will be lighter than the alu Ribeye of equivalent length and an Aerotec would certainly not be 10 times worse in the handling stakes.

beamishken · 16 August 2015, 09:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max...

Not sure that's true, any airfloor SIB will be lighter than the alu Ribeye of equivalent length and an Aerotec would certainly not be 10 times worse in the handling stakes.

If you look the specs up you will find the weight difference is true the 280 ribeye aluminium rib we have now is several kg lighter than our previous excell air deck tender which was the same size
Maybe handling isn't 10x better but it is substantially better
Any air floor is going to be a compromise over a hard hull