Caribbean rib advice please

[Oscarpop]

So we have decided we need a rib.
We have a 40ft yacht and no davits.

So I think we have decided on about 3.0m.
The question is firstly, used or new?
I'm not sure how long hypalon lasts in the Caribbean sun . Can someone let me know? Also how long does nylon last (our current inflatable) last?
Secondly outboard size ? I think 10 or 15 hp and possibly 2 stroke.
Again second hand or new?
Many thanks,

 

[Salty John]

I'd look for a Caribe C10 or L10 and a 15 HP motor.
I'd fit davits if possible and would have a motor hoist. Everything else is a compromise, but so is everything on a boat.

 

[Monique]

We have an AB 9.5 AL double bottom with 15 HP Yamaha 2 stroke. We had chaps made for it and carry it on the fore deck most times... short passages in the davits.

It is your "daily driver", so must be effective ... get a big HP motor. Worthwhile when driving a few miles for provisioning. Deep V and big tubes to keep it dry.

GL

 

[KellysEye]

Caribe had the best reputaton but lost it to AB which we bought. We usesd a 6 to 1 block and tackle to lift it aboard after removing the engine.

 

[Tradewinds]

Back way back when.

We had a heavy 2.6 AB rib.

We also had davits on our Nic39.

Never used the davits for the rib (just the kid's Barrow boat).

Instead we took the motor off and stowed it on the foredeck when passage-making using the spinnaker halyard and windlass rope gypsy.

If at anchor we simply hoisted it up alongside with the engine on ready to deploy later. You could even up anchor and move the boat should needs must. Would lock it to boat at night with a long wire just in case.

 

[john_q]

AB Aluminium RIB works for us, we have chaps for it, much lighter than the equivalent Fibreglass bottom jobbies. Also allows you to get a smaller/lighter engine.

We stow it on the fore deck when on passage.

 

[TQA]

Expect to get 10 years from a hypalon dink, a lot less from PVC or nylon some of those give up at three years. Dinghy chaps would help but bring the cost up to approx that of hypalon.

I have had Caribe AB and now have an Aruba. All did the job, the current Aruba is significantly lighter. Worth checking them out.

The motor should be a 2st Yam 15 or Tohatsu 18 [ same weight as a Tohatsu 15 and some times cheaper than the 15 ??] The Nissan version of theTohatsu is cheaper. Same engine just different stickers. I have a Nissan 18 and it is a cracking engine.

I personally would avoid 4 strokes of any make, complicated to fix and no one in the islands has experience of them. Suzukis or Hondas have poor spares availability.

If you are going to St Marten and can get by till then both dink and engine will be cheaper Also BM and IWW are a little more open to doing a deal in my experience. IWW has somewhat better aftersales back up.

 

[captmikecoin]

I have just bought an AB 9AL (alu bottomed) rib and was planning to stow it on the foredeck where previous dinghies have been. My last dinghy had an inflatable bottom and could be lashed down right-way-up with motor attached, but I have recently realised this will be impossible with a rigid bottomed boat. If I have to fit chocks:
1. How to buy or make the right profile chocks?

2. How best to fix to the deck without risking future deck leaks which I have just spent months trying to stop? (Leaky Teaky)

Cheers,

Mike

 

[macd]

As said, Hypalon is highly UV-resistant and lasts for years in the sun. It'll probably start falling apart in other ways before the fabric shows signs of age. It is very expensive, but the flip side of this that RIBs made from it generally have (or should have) more care in their overall construction.

Being already in the Carib, Oscarpop, you won't need telling this, but for anyone else's benefit the thing a Caribbean (or Antillean, anayway) tender needs above all is lights for use at night. The way some of those RIBs tear around dark anchorages is truly scarey.

 

[KellysEye]

>I have just bought an AB 9AL (alu bottomed) rib and was planning to stow it on the foredeck where previous dinghies have been. My last dinghy had an inflatable bottom and could be lashed down right-way-up with motor attached, but I have recently realised this will be impossible with a rigid bottomed boat. If I have to fit chocks:
1. How to buy or make the right profile chocks? 2. How best to fix to the deck without risking future deck leaks which I have just spent months trying to stop? (Leaky Teaky)

We had one of those and kept it tied down upside down on the foredeck to keep water out, no need for chocks.

 

[TQA]

The Caribe AB and now the Aruba all travel inverted on the foredeck on passage.

I lift mine from the regular painter using the staysail halyard. So easy to flip it so it is inverted.

I would not be tempted by the shortest RIBs, they are squirrely on the plane in my experience.

 

[Baggy]

Back way back when.

We had a heavy 2.6 AB rib.

We also had davits on our Nic39.

Never used the davits for the rib (just the kid's Barrow boat).

Instead we took the motor off and stowed it on the foredeck when passage-making using the spinnaker halyard and windlass rope gypsy.

If at anchor we simply hoisted it up alongside with the engine on ready to deploy later. You could even up anchor and move the boat should needs must. Would lock it to boat at night with a long wire just in case.

I used to put my dink on the " Hip " until I got caught in a Squall

 

[Tradewinds]

I used to put my dink on the " Hip " until I got caught in a Squall

What happened?

We always tied ours fore and aft so it was hardish against the rubbing strake - no problem.

 

[wilkinsonsails]

Back to Oscarpops original query .
The Avon RIB lite was the dinghy with a folding transom,neatly zipping into quite a flat bag .
I don't think Zodiac make them any more .
So it's a search for S/ hand one Nick.
We have made replacement bags for them and I was impressed how flat they where.

Cindy

 

[bjl]

I've just done a quick survey of 10 foot dinghy weights, and hull material which might help inform your decision. All of the dinghies are made with Hypalon and have tube diameters of 17 inches.


Aruba Comfort 60kg (10'2") fibreglass
Caribe Light (10'3") 53kg fibreglass
Aruba Air (10'2") 52kg fibreglass
AB 10AL (10'6") 53kg aluminium
Highfield Ultralite 310 (10'5") 44kg aluminium
AB 10UL (10'6") 43kg aluminium

 

[Goldie]

Back to Oscarpops original query .
The Avon RIB lite was the dinghy with a folding transom,neatly zipping into quite a flat bag .
I don't think Zodiac make them any more .
So it's a search for S/ hand one Nick.
We have made replacement bags for them and I was impressed how flat they where. Cindy

The RibLite came in 2 sizes, the 260 and the 310. We have the 260 as deflated, it's short enough and flat enough to stow on the coachroof between spray hood and kicking strap - and that's on a 36 footer (Biscay 36). The down side is that to be compact, there isn't a very deep V on the hull forward. All in all though, we're impressed.

 

[rickym]

My 2p for what it's worth. Some friends have a AB aluminium bottomed dink. They think that is a bit skittish and are upgrading to a GRP bottomed one. We have a GRP bottomed AB RIB and think it is a bit on the heavy side. Saying that it is very stable.
The lighter RIBS will plane with a 10HP motor, the 15/18HP is a fair bit heavier.
As our RIB is heavy and won't easily fit on the foredeck we tow it for short daytime passages. For longer trips we have to deflate it to easily stow. When we re-rig we will remove the babystay and replace it with twin lowers so the dinghy will easily stow on the foredeck.
Having a mizzen makes it easy to raise and lower the outboard, you need an easy way of raising and lowering a heavy motor.
AB is the best in my book, but Caribe are also good. As for the others only time will tell.

 

[geem]

We have a Caribe 9ft light. They are vee forward and flat in the stern. They stow on deck upright with engine on due to flat aft section.
We have a Nissan/Tohatsu 9.8hp as it is the lightest 10hp in the world. Reliable as hell. We have a large planing plate on the engine. She planes well and quickly with two up and both our dogs. We had this set up for 11 years until it was stolen in Spain two years ago. We bought exactly the same set up as we didn't want a vee hull. Harder to get on plane and need more hp.
We can sit in the comfier aft part of the hull in a choppy sea without a tiller extension and stay dry by keeping the bow up a little but not dropping off the plane.
When we get to the beach we can drag the rib clear of the waves on my own or easily with wife and I. This is hard with a heavier 10ft rib with 15hp engine if not impossible on your own.
If we are on a long passage we turn the rib over on foredeck if we are doing any work to windward and stow the engine on the bracket at the stern. I can carry the 9.8hp easily from the bow where we lift the rib to the stern rail. Try this with an 84lbs 15hp engine.
We don't have davits and have no wish for them with the weight of the rib hanging over the stern and adding to pitching.
Our foredeck is large and flat so we have no need to hang the rib off the stern.
We have no regrets with this set up

 

[bjl]

You might of got your figures wrong:

Tohatsu 9.8 hp 4-stroke 80 lb
Caribe LHT-9 115 lb
Total 195 lb

Yamaha 15 hp 2-stroke 79 lb
AB 10UL 95 lb
Total 174 lb

So you could get yourself a 10ft dinghy, a more powerful outboard and save yourself dragging an extra 21 lb up the beach.

 

[silver-fox]

Tradwinds

We use the same system - works a treat