solent ribs

matt h · 01 September 2006, 13:45

Solent ribs,any good ??just sold my boat so looking for replacement, 585-6.5 mtr, what are they like?? also looking at XC and Tornado!! any good??

Lostboy · 01 September 2006, 13:49

I looked at them and then bought a Leeway! Seem to be nice boats but a lot of money for the same sort of thing so spent a long time sea-trialling the Leeway and put my money into the Isle of Wight.

steve b · 01 September 2006, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt h

Solent ribs,any good ??just sold my boat so looking for replacement, 585-6.5 mtr, what are they like?? also looking at XC and Tornado!! any good??

Iam very pleased with my 6-5 + 175 suzuki 50knts

very dry boat (unless it rains)

give Lee a call and then get a demo with kev

you will not be disappointed
steve

Pete7 · 01 September 2006, 15:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt h

Solent ribs,any good ??

yes

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt h

what are they like?

Pointy with squidgy bits around them, unless you drive a Scorpion then you only get to see the stern disappearing in the distance

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt h

also looking at XC and Tornado!! any good??

yes, similar hull shape I believe but we won't go there.

Go and have a chat with Lee and if you like what you see then ask to take one for a drive. Alternatively come along on the 1st of Oct, there are bound to be a few boats to hitch a lift on.

http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15789

Pete

simmons0 · 01 September 2006, 15:17

We love ours, great hull, v. fast, economical. Build quality is good, no signs of stress or damage even after a couple of very rough passages.
Possibly not the best when it gets REALLY rough. Not much rise in the bow and can land hard at slow speeds.

Only problem we've had with ours were the flimsy hinges on the console breaking. Looking at the recent Solents they've started using much better ones so good to see they are responding to feedback!

Tornado and XS, good hulls, well tried and tested. Never been on one but they look nice. Brilliant standard of fit out on the XS's from all reports.

Leeway's are cheap. Have a search on these forums and decide if thats where you want to put your money.

TJ101 · 01 September 2006, 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt h

Solent ribs,any good ??just sold my boat so looking for replacement, 585-6.5 mtr, what are they like?? also looking at XC and Tornado!! any good??

Well I looked at what was on the market, for more than 12 months, different layouts, build quality,attention to detail etc and opted for the Solent, ok mines a special one off build, but will not hesitated in buying another when the time comes,

Rogue Wave · 02 September 2006, 09:36

I think Solents are really well made, I've not seen one that hasn't impressed.
me.
With a lot of power on the back end they can lose a bit of grip in the rough.

The boat is identical to the same sized Tohatsu, the earlier models being produced in the same factory and having the toobs from henshaws which aint bad a bad thing. so if you are buying secondhand don't overlook the value that a Tohatsu one design 6.6 can offer can offer.

Tornado's are good boats but I don't like PVC toobs and they are fairly pricy but good boats. By XC do you mean XS if so I think they are great boats similar hulls but the toobs seem to be a bit bigger at the front end than the Solent so i don't think they will be so nippy but tough and well laid out. I run a boat storage /training business and we actually have a Solent and an XS in storage at the moment and I've spent a long time looking at both if the spec and price was the same I'd probably buy the Solent cos I think it's a bit faster. However if I was doing more rough stuff I'd go for the XS or an Osprey if there was no sea riders around

Andre · 02 September 2006, 14:41

Have you thought of a Parker 630 say Diesel or perhaps with an Opti or even Verado 150

matt h · 02 September 2006, 14:54

good response chaps, thanks, the Parkers look superb, the other option is too go for a inboard diesel, D3 or similar, i did see a solent in a 6.9 config, (at Bembridge outboards)it looked stunning, i had a Humber Before, not good! never ever!!
basically want a 6 mtr boat that will wave jump for England and not fall apart, seat at least 4 persons on it also with a light motor strapped on the Back!

Richard B · 02 September 2006, 15:44

What's your budget?

rbw156 · 03 September 2006, 17:09

I'm very pleased with my Solent 6.5. Lee is very good at building a boat to your specification. Also, the 150 Opti is a dream, it is very responsive, yet economical. At normal cruising at 25 knots it is consuming around 20 litres/hour.

matt h · 10 September 2006, 19:34

budget, £20000 k thi s time around, heading for the boat show, looking at engines and deals etc, thanks for the responses chaps, i have to say, i saw a XS, it looks the dogs.......