Hi smallboater
As the others have mentioned..I have two main boats and use them most days of the week as Im retired and thats how I spend my time now...at sea
They are two very different boats and used for different purposes and I find both ideal for me but also find that just one would not fill all my needs ..which is why I have two.
The 4.3M heavy wooden floor SIB is a very seaworthy boat.. it does not flex, bounce or cavitate the way an air floor will especially if its not pressurised or trimmed correctly. I use this boat for open sea crossings up to 10 miles in distance.. rounding the remote islands off Scotland ..on my multi day adventure which cover 200 miles at sea etc. It is an ideal expedition boat as it can be beached anywhere ..on rocks or sand. It is a heavy brute..weighting almost 200kg with my modifications and that is before loading it with 100ltrs of fuel. It planes at 20 mph (not knots) with the 25HP outboard and it does NOT slam the same way many hardhulls do simple because the fabric bottom absorbs a lot of the shock from hitting wave. Hardhulls tend to transfer the shock direct to your body unless they are decent deep V hulls..which many small lightweight RIBs do not have. Granted it will never win any races if speed is your thing ..and it steers like a soggy mattress..but I dont do slalom courses either ..so its ideal for me. I could not use the F Rib for those types of journeys
I find the F Rib excellent because it folds up and fits in my car..I can easily carry it on my back and a 6HP gives me a top speed of 15mph ..however more often than not I go at displacement speeds as it would rattle my teeth out if I didn’t.. I use it for following coast lines only a few meters off the rocks and for day trips only. It does not need a trailer but my heavy SIB does. The F Ribs are very fast but I find them limiting because of the slamming especially in our sealoch with short sharp wave. At sea with more rounded waves they are a bit better on the body. Here is a video of the F Ribs in a sea chop..my 4.3M boat handles the rough sea better than they do but even a 3.2Honwave airfloor manages fine.
For info only ..This boat which is almost a RIB looks lovely ..it has poly tubes though ..an A frame and a 50HP outboard..its the worst boat I have ever been in.
Its my late uncle’s and its rotting away in a garden because the flattish hull causes so much back pain in anything but flat calm. Even my uncle was most disappointed in it once he tried it at sea. My heavy SIB can keep on the plane long after this one has to drop to displacement speed. I could have that boat as I helped look after him before he passed on but I dont want it. That does not mean its a useless boat..its quite popular for fish farm use. Im mentioning this only so you research your upgrade..dont think all small hard hull boats are better than SIBS because some are not.
If I wanted a small RIB..which I dont..I would get as second hand Avon Searider ..or if that was not possible a new Excel Virago 420. Its an ali hull with a deep V..I have a friend with one and it is a good boat IMO.
Note This is all only my opinion which is based on my personal use.. and not on weekend use but long term use. Hope it helps some
spy-sea-one
