RIB versus Whaler, Redux

Just love the simplicity of caring for and tying up a tube in the water adjacent to the vessel. Sits low to the water, and easy in/out, and you've already go the 4 stroke.

I rebuilt my 430DL in 2019. I paid under $5k for the tube, another $2k for installation and misc repairs. Mine is 14', I believe.

I have a 13’ AB dinghy with a 60 Yamaha and have owned 3 other dinghy’s. I have a close friend with a 1998 13’ Whaler (his was an anniversary model so Classic) with a 40 Yamaha 2 stroke. I have ridden on and driven the 13 whaler. I also owned a 16 SL Whaler. I am trying to establish that I am familiar with RIBs and small whalers.

The 13 whaler is a really neat boat but that thing will beat the living hell out of you in even in an ICW chop. they are prone to porposing and weight placement is critical. All of that can be figured out and the solutions are online. But it is a bit finicky. As far as ride and spray I would rather have my 13 AB dinghy by a large margin. I don’t know how the other 13 Whalers ride. the 13 whaler will tow the inflatable with 2 adults. It can hold 4 adults comfortably but I don’t know if will plane 4 large men.

I realize the inflatables lack the interior volume of the whaler, the tubes need constant work to keep looking nice and UV ultimately works them over but to me it is not a contest for a cruising tender. I would chose the inflatable. Another advantage of the inflatable is that it is less likely to damage itself or the mothership when loading and “docking” to the big boat. I used my 16’ whaler with my big to me boat and a modest runabout wake pushed the whaler into the swim platform while we were loading people and stuff and it penetrated the fiberglass of the whaler. So think about that as well.

I used a private service for the replacement. I didn’t use the manufacturer factory. Vendor was located in Vero area and was quite a bit less expensive.

Sent. Yes, Nautica shut down a few years ago down in Hollywood. Novurania is up in Vero. These guys are nearby and formally employed with that manufacturer, I think.

They did a very nice job for me, quite a bit less than Novu had quoted.

I had a 01 Novurania 430 DL (14’), Found out earlier this year the tube was separating and was bad. I tried to find someone anywhere on the West Coast that would retube it. I couldn’t find anyone. I did find a guy down near Los Angeles that buys and refurbishes RIB boats and almost bought a Novurania from him with new tubes on it. At the last minute I come across a great deal on a 2016 430 DL in San Diego so I jumped on it. I was also able to sell my 01 boat to one of the refurbish guys near Seattle. My net out of pocket was $11k and I was able to upgrade from my older 50hp 4 stroke carbureted outboard to a 60hp fuel injected. Both outboards are Yamaha.
The guy down near LA is in Carson and he advertises a number of boats on Craigslist and Marketplace. If you want his contact info let me know.

I’ve riden in small Whalers and I own a 21’. As others have stated, those little 13’ Whalers will beat the crap out of you in any chop. They are usually heavier too. And be careful not to get one that the foam is waterlogged or they are real heavy.

One of the reason the Novurania line is popular for tenders is they are a deeper V hull and tend to handle chop better. Case in point, when I picked up my newer 430 DL two weeks ago I had to run it about 8 miles across and down San Diego bay and it was literally blowing a Gale. That little 430 handled it great and I never felt unstable or unsafe.

I have the same boat, but a few years older. Just repowered to the 60 from an older 50, and that makes a ton of difference in performance. New tubes, cables, gauges, and even a small plotter...what a great asset to have for fun as well as scouting channels and anchorages.

Yeah they are great little boats. I only wish they were easier to re-tube when it becomes necessary to do so. I'm really happy I found one with a later model fuel injected outboard. They start up much easier from cold starts. I'm swapping over my Simrad plotter/sounder from the old boat to the newer one. A must have in my area.

I shifted the steering wheel port a few inches, up an inch or so. Made room for a 7" display with the main gauges below the wheel. Pushed the VHF and stereo down below to clear the space. Really nice addition, sharing mapping and waypoint data etc from the mother ship.