What are your thoughts on this 15ft RIBEYE

[Hong_Kong_Englishman]

Hi was wondering if this Ribeye i saw for sale would be a good deal at around 4k or abit less if i bought it ?
"All excellent condition -85HP Susuki outboard engine has recently been fully serviced, carbs rebalanced, gear box oil changed, spark plugs etc".

2006 model possably(listed in sale) ??


hypalon tubes ?
Oh and the 85hp outboards abit offputting as 40-50 would be my preference.

I have no expierence with ribeye but know they tend to command higher used prices for there size but was wondering why its not sold after 2+ months for sale.
Im still after a AVON SR4 4m or 4.7m but i have not seen anything decent for a while, the hull looks deepish and was wondering how it would stack upto the king of 4M ribs ?
Thanks for any replies .

[samt]

Very old engine, circa 35 years old. Boat is probably around 20 years old and if they are original PVC tubes they will be at end of life. They look like they've either had the tops patched/recovered or painted rather than retubed in hypalon. Not bad boats, but with that engine not a good deal at £4k.

[paintman]

How old is that engine, what hours has it done and what is its service history?

No idea on the boat.

[HDAV]

There is an sr4 with a 40 Suzuki on marketplace for £1600 in South Waleshttps://ibb.co/FXJ810b

[beamishken]

The ribeye looks tidy in the pictures but I also have a feeling its maybe been tarted up almost looks too good to be true, possibly over cladded tube tops. It might be just a very well kept boat but would need close inspection to verify. I have a boat older than that and the tubes are almost perfect but its always been kept inside so it doesnt always hold true that tubes have a set lifetime, many boats approaching twice its age still going. The trailer doesnt look great but may be perfectly serviceable. Regarding the engine, those old 2 stroke Suzuki's were probably the worst engine of the era & wont have improved with age I'd rate any other mainstream brand above a 2 stroke suzuki, once they went 4 stroke Suzuki really got it together but their 2 strokes are best avoided imho.
If after a good close inspection the boat is a minter then it maybe worth a punt but I'd want to replace the engine with something more suitable asap.
I personally wouldn't be rushing to buy it, given the time of year something will turn up in time for spring

Sent from my SM-G950F using RIB Net mobile app

[HDAV]

Newer SR4 on eBay too https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175453247...mis&media=COPY

[spartacus]

The engine looks mint, but as mentioned it’s circa early 1980s, so either a barn-find, been resprayed or simply lovingly maintained. Either way sourcing parts are going to be problematic I’d have thought.

Keep your eyes open. You’ll probably come across something a little younger that matches up regards your specification and just feels right.

With any boat, you want receipts and lots of them that document the history of the boat and engine, otherwise walk away.

[Hong_Kong_Englishman]

Thanks for the replies, i did not notice the height of the engine cowling because of the original Decals as all the engines of that age i have seen are typically painted or scuffed to buggery.

I agree with beamishken about the lifetime of tubes as i had a 20y+ Zodic SIB until last year which was still in great condition and perfecly usable for many years to come.
It matched up well to my hypalon tubed Avon 4m Supersport but im sure plenty of guys on here would not of considered buying it because of the reputation of them peeling apart at around 20y.

The Ribeye is 4+hours away from where i live so im not going to waste my time checking it out and the the seller has not even bothered to reply to me.
Thanks

Pics of my prevous 4m 20y+ Zodic Sib, 4m avon supersport and 25y+Orkney Longliner that i spent 10 days sanding off the antifouling and repainting with marine enamel recently

[Hong_Kong_Englishman]

Originally Posted by HDAV

Newer SR4 on eBay too https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175453247...mis&media=COPY

Thanks for the link but to me thats a pricey day boat in my eyes, i bought a classic 26 foot freeman cabin cruiser in excellent condition for only 1k more this year and i have already got my money's worth out of it as i spent a month cruising around the northwest with it back in july.

It has everything you need to live onboard with,it's not 40mph+ open sea fun but still enjoyable.
I consider my flotilla of 5 boats very cost effective as i bought them all for less than £15k

The 16ft picton speedboat with a 55hp mariner 2 stroke outboard i purchased last year only cost me £1100 so there are good deals to be found.
But im still looking for a good looking RIB that cost's no more than 4k.

[fastasfox]

The ribeye used to be navy but the top's are now grey.. painted would be my guess and there is only one reason you would do that.....this is why it's been doing tge rounds for sale for so long....new tubes/sponsons are £5000 plus vat for a 5m boat...this will give you an idea. I wouldn't let the old two stroke put you off though...I used to think that at around 30 years of general use they would only be fit for use as an anchor but if you look around the old boat yards at fishing ports you will see much older still in daily use...often in much worse cosmetic condition at least....besides for a post year 2k outboard you would be looking at another £2000.