Thoughts/Opinions on Avon Barbarian 5.4?

cleatsandcode · 08 April 2026, 09:13

I'm looking to 'upgrade' from my Zodiac pro 9 man (4.7) with a mariner 60 EFI to an Avon Barbarian 5.4 w/ 2 yam 50s (carb), owing to needing a bit more seating to take 4/5 people and commute from the IoW to mainland.

Does anyone here have any thoughts on these RIBs? It's been recently re-tubed, the engines seem immaculate, and hull looks sound, etc.

paulbrown22 · 08 April 2026, 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleatsandcode

I'm looking to 'upgrade' from my Zodiac pro 9 man (4.7) with a mariner 60 EFI to an Avon Barbarian 5.4 w/ 2 yam 50s (carb), owing to needing a bit more seating to take 4/5 people and commute from the IoW to mainland.

Does anyone here have any thoughts on these RIBs? It's been recently re-tubed, the engines seem immaculate, and hull looks sound, etc.

In general Avon RIB's are nice boats and solidly built with quality materials, although some of their hulls (e.g. the Adventure range) have a shallower V than others, which may or may not be a problem (we loved our Adventure 620).

I must admit I've never heard of an Avon Barbarian though in 26+ years of owning Avon RIB's!

cleatsandcode · 10 April 2026, 11:22

OK, so more info from the seller:

It does not have water ballast in the hull as per the old Seariders and the reason you cannot find it on the Avon Inflatables site is that although it has a Searider hull, the boat was manufactured on the Isle of Wight by Island Plastics. They used the mould from Galt Glassfibre who made most of the Seariders for Avon in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

paulbrown22 · 10 April 2026, 16:07

Okay, so it doesn't sound like it's anything to do with Avon then, other than maybe using a modified version of their hull. Not that Avon Inflatables has had a website for ~20 years now that I remember...

Island Plastics used to build some nice boats, so possibly it's a decent package, but I'm not sure it's actually an Avon.

So I guess it comes down to build quality and price - if it's well put together, fine, but it might not be the easiest to move on if/when you come to sell it as it's not exactly a recognised boat/brand.

spartacus · 10 April 2026, 16:53

Assuming this is the boat? https://www.findafishingboat.com/photo-viewer/140794/2

cleatsandcode · 13 April 2026, 11:27

That's the one!

Oliver_ribfan · 17 April 2026, 20:17

It looks a little bit like an Avon Adventure, maybe the 560 or 620. These models are wider than the Searider 5.4. I believe the Searider 5.4 transom is too narrow and would not allow a twin engine setup.

The 2 Yamahas offer redundancy and the new tubes and the Garmin plotter make it a decent combo. Ideal for commuting!

spartacus · Yesterday, 07:46

One thing I would add with twin engine set ups, as they aren’t that common, is make sure they are on separate fuel lines with inline filters. No point having a twin set up if poor fuel kills both.

If it’s not possible to have separate fuel lines and tanks (might be under deck tank), then ensure inline filters serviced annually.