Rib inflatable vs. fiberglass hull

I apologize to the OP if this is hijacking.

Pascal,

Forget the removal of the plate issue for a second. I get it. BTW Only F&F on my boats. I carry a 6 pack only for insurance purposes. No paying passengers.

I am curious about inflatables. As I mentioned to the OP earlier, we researched the crap out of this. Being that there is no plate on an inflatable, why is it we see 5, 6, or 7 on 10.5 to 13 foot inflatables and never see them approached by USCG or a LEO?

Now back to the plate issue. The rigid looks just like an inflatable. I doubt a USCG or LEO would know the difference. If we had 5 aboard and did get a visit, it would be a blatant violation with the plate mounted port of the engine.

In hindsight I might have reconsidered an inflatable. I am really curious why they don't have plates.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant.

Ken

We have had 2 RIBs over the past 6-7 years. The first was a Zodiac w/25 hp Yamaha outboard. Last year we moved to a Zodiac water-jet powered RIB. We love the fact that the water-jet unit has a lower profile, can keep up with the kids on their jetski, and doesn't have the big engine and prop sticking up when on the swim platform. Contrary to some, we just love the water-jet!

Try running it at slow speeds for an hour, the noise and lack of direction will drive you crazy. Also, the maintanence and repairs on the yamaha jets are constant.

This is a new model, and the engine/water-jet system has apparently changed. It is very quiet. I will agree that the steering is very sensitive, and a long period at idle might be a challenge. But for us, on a Sea Ray 58 Sedan Bridge swim platform, the lack of the outboard is a real plus. We tavel a bunch, and never know what side tie-up we will have. I was always worried about the prop being dock-side and someone falling into it.

Takacat Rib

How about these 'catamaran' tenders.
HOME - Takacat.com

Check out a few of their Youtube presentations
EXPLORER SERIES - Takacat.com

These boats have lots of features to offer.
FAQ - Takacat.com


They remind me of the ZapCats that appeared on the inflatable racing scene a few years ago.

If I may weigh in I have an avon seasport, has centre console very dry and stable in rough water. The new tubes are hyalon and very durable. They are at the higher end of the price range but the quality is there

I'm in the process of moving to the same boat as you and was researching for a dinghy. What size and model of Zodiac do you have ? What is the biggest one you can fit in the hydraulic platform ? The platform is rated for 1.200lbs but they suggest to load up to 800lbs for performance.

We have had 2. Initially, we had a Zodiac YL 340DL w/25 HP Yamaha engine. This was a great tender, but we didn't like the engine/prop sticking up in the air. We also had to make sure we were tied up on the correct side for launching -- it would only go off 1 way.

Then we got the Zodiac ProJet 350 (I understand that Zodiac now makes this under their Avon label). The ProJet is great. It has a much lower profile, is better balanced, and no big engine/prop sticking up. We also have more flexibility launching it. It is 2 years old now, and we've had no problems. By the way, some harbors have tender races. If you get a ProJet, you are almost guaranteed a victory (unless someone else has one)! We've hit 50 mph!

The swim platform has no problems lifting it.

Thanks for the info. I just saw a Sea Ray 58DB that had a Mercury Amanzi 350 on the platform. At 11.5 ft length and with the outboard sticking out, it looked tight. Even though the SR 58DB beam is listed at 16', not more than 13' seem to be available on the platform to put a dinghy safely. Have to agree with you that the jet should be a good option for that boat. I'm going to check the Zodiac display at the FL boat show.

I know so many here advise against the jet tenders and I've hesitated saying anything because mine are so new as to not have been through the test of time. However, I have an Avon and a Williams and love having Jet ribs. With some of the garages and space limitation they really are the only choice. As to maintenance of the ribs, not sure it's more work than glass but it's more critical than glass if you want to keep it looking good. When I get a boat where the tender stores on a bridge, I like the jet rib too to minimize the impact on the view. Only time will tell if I feel this same way long term. I do think as to problems the jets today may be much less problematic than a few years ago. They've evolved a bit from the jet ski engine stuck in a tender.

We run a 15.5' Zodiac RIB with 40hp offshore to 60 miles, come back in whatever the weather has to offer. Would never consider anything else for safety and seakeeping reasons.

I would only consider an FRP or Aluminum Skiff if I am going to be beaching the tender regularly on really rocky (sharp) bottoms or across harvested oysterbeds....

Catamaran RIB

I guess no one owns, or has used one of these catamaran type RIB's ??

Here is another video that touches on origin of these type, shows a bit of their capabilities for performance, etc:
AMIDemo video - YouTube

Interesting review:
The ultimate sailing - Dinghy/Tender?

Yes, I had a 13' catamaran RIB.

Absolute piece of rubbish. When you turned, it leant/lurched outboard which was seriously disconcerting. Scared the crap out of you in any form of seas.

Wetter than a wet thing.

Used lots of fuel. Cost not an issue of course, but running out is.

Got mfr to change it to a similar sized RIB mono. Mono was still wet, but at least predictable in seas.

I have owned RIBs from 7' to 19'. The 19' we took everywhere. Hugely seaworthy.

About to order another 16' RIB as a fishing skiff to tow behind the Hatteras. I have a 11' RIB tender on board, but its nice to have two boats to give the family independence.

At the boat show today, has anybody heard of Aquascan Tenders ? they have some jet RIB's, made in FL...

They told me that Zodiac doesn't offer jet tenders anymore for the USA.

There was a funny looking jet tender from Evolution, 2014 Evolution Tenders M10 For Sale - 167723 - For Sale - EvolutionTenders.com

Can you say what particular vessel/model you had?

Yes it is know that catamarans do not 'corner' like a monohull, but isn't it something you can adapt to?

Did you watch that video I made a link to ?
AMIDemo video - YouTube
Appears to do pretty good in the turns,...even in the slalom course.
There are some other videos of some of the other such vessels operation in wave and surf conditions,...and they appear to handle those situations as well.
A few more videos here:
VIDEO - Takacat.com

Don't know that I fully understand this, perhaps you just didn't have your engine power properly propped for this type of vessel??

I would think this tunnel hull vessel would ultimately have less resistance to forward motion that the monohull,....as do the larger power-cats and sailing cats. This should translate into needing less engine power?

Larger is generally better.

I've always liked the idea of two tenders on a vessel.

I have heard of Aquascan and I think the salesman was using a bit of deception. Zodiac owns Avon. Avon makes jet tenders which are distributed widely in the US, at least last I checked and according to their web site and it's very long list of US dealers. So either he was ignorant or using the technicality of the name to mislead.

Evolution appears to be new for 2014. I had to look them up as they weren't around when I was looking at tenders. Aquascan, from what I remember and appears still the case, uses Yamaha jets. I can't find what Evolution uses.

The jet tender options appear to be growing rapidly.

I like that idea as well. Where many of the yachts in the 80-130' range talk about space for your tender and PWC's, I have little interest in carrying a PWC aboard and far more interest in two tenders. On the other hand, I don't want to tow a tender. I like the second tender so the crew has one to use if we're using one. Hope when I do get a larger boat I have that ability.

Looking at the Avon website I couldn't find any US dealers that carry their boats, looks like they stopped bringing them about 2 years ago, like they told me at the booth. The Zodiac website doesn't mention Avon at all either.

Williams still has the FLL dealer, also pricy, they were asking 45k for their 13' jet RIB at the show.

Aquascan looked like low quality and the layout is questionable. The center console takes the full beam, too big.

The Evolution has a fiberglass hull, not a RIB, and didn't look seaworthy at all. Length is only 10'.

Does Suncoast Inflatables not carry them? Their web site shows them but it may be outdated. As mine came through a Riva package, I didn't go through a dealer.

I can absolutely confirm that Williams is pricey.