Caribbean rib advice please

[geem]

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.

Our Caribe 9ft is 115lbs but the engine is 57lbs as its a two stroke not a four stroke.
In my opinion the aluminium rib design is compromised by the limitations on how to form the hull. There are not the same limitations with GRP. I believe the Caribe 9 design lite takes some beating. In addition we are as fast as our friends 10ft vee hull caribe with a 15hp Enduro engine. We can pull ours up the beach they can't. Ours stores on the foredeck at 9ft. We would struggle with the 10ft. Our internal space in the 9ft is greater than their 10ft as they have a bow locker.
I lie the idea of the aluminium hull but not the design of the hulls. Personal opinion but based on some experience

 

[tcm]

Yep, agree with above, aluminium's lightness is nice but the skittishness and noise isn't. AB from Budget Marine is a whole load cheaper than the alternative Caribe, altho the deeper V and bigger sponsons on some Caribes is attractive.

Best deals are up here at Budget Head Office in St Martin which supplies all the outlying Budget Marine branches like Grenada

Yamaha seem to be the 2-stroke motor of choice. May as well get the 15 cos it's the same motor as the 8hp but bigger carb. My latest 15hp has the distinction of never NOT starting on the first pull - even when brand new. I got the 15hp enduro for 2300 dollars at the new yamaha outlet near Budget.

Tohatsu is only a bit cheaper and many regret saving just a few quid to have a motor which sounds like a bag of nails, instead of the Yam which sounds like it might be a four-stroke.

Space and load-carrying are the main issues: With a wide catamaran and nice rear load deck you can have a 25hp and 12ft dinghy which all feels like a limo compared with a 8-10foot dink.

Edit: you can get any dink up the beach - flick the tilt switch and drive at the beach - whoosh - dink on beach, no problem.

 

[Jobs a good un]

Edit: you can get any dink up the beach - flick the tilt switch and drive at the beach - whoosh - dink on beach, no problem.[/QUOTE]
Matt I remember when you came to meet us in Barbuda and did just that and killed ya mobile phone and camera

 

[geem]

Edit: you can get any dink up the beach - flick the tilt switch and drive at the beach - whoosh - dink on beach, no problem.

Matt I remember when you came to meet us in Barbuda and did just that and killed ya mobile phone and camera [/QUOTE]

Nobody mentioned getting off the beach either. You can do it in reverse......

 

[Hadenough]

Matt I remember when you came to meet us in Barbuda and did just that and killed ya mobile phone and camera

Nobody mentioned getting off the beach either. You can do it in reverse......[/QUOTE]

I did that in the SoF, hit the beach too hard and was launched A over T skidding though the sand to stop at the feet of the table full of lovelies I was trying to impress :ambivalence:

 

[tcm]

Nobody mentioned getting off the beach either. You can do it in reverse......

I did that in the SoF, hit the beach too hard and was launched A over T skidding though the sand to stop at the feet of the table full of lovelies I was trying to impress :ambivalence:[/QUOTE]

yeah, mastering the dismount is important. Webbie has some video of it being done reasonably well i think...

 

[Hadenough]

Anyway, I have a 2.7 AB RIB with big tubes, an ally hull and a 10hp 4stroke. Can be skittish but I have found that if you keep weight forward once on the plane the hull keeps more grip. 80kgs all up is the bonus.

 

[geem]

Anyway, I have a 2.7 AB RIB with big tubes, an ally hull and a 10hp 4stroke. Can be skittish but I have found that if you keep weight forward once on the plane the hull keeps more grip. 80kgs all up is the bonus.

Our nine ft Caribe GRP rib is 70kg all up, due to the light 2 stroke 9.8hp tohatsu.
Sitting forward in my experience makes for an uncomfortable ride in the chop. Far better to sit at the back of the rib and let the bow V take the hammer. We do this by having a large planing plate added to the engine cavitation plate. The rib effectively runs on this plate with minimal wetted area forward on the rib in flat water. You can back off the throttle and stay on the plane. Plane a lot faster and so much safer in large seas as the bow will stay down due to the stern being lifted by the plate. These plates work even better on heavy 4stroke engines effectively taking the weight of the heavy engine. We have been using large planing plate on our rib for the last 12 years and wouldn't be without it. The home made plate is larger than the commercially available plates. Ours is simply made from 1/4" marine ply and painted. A world of difference on a small rib

 

[captmikecoin]

We have been using large planing plate on our rib for the last 12 years and wouldn't be without it. The home made plate is larger than the commercially available plates. Ours is simply made from 1/4" marine ply and painted. A world of difference on a small rib

Do you have any dimensions or pictures? Is the plate flat or an aerofoil shape?

Mike

 

[geem]

Do you have any dimensions or pictures? Is the plate flat or an aerofoil shape?

Mike

Mike, our plate is simple flat. There is no need for an aero foil shape. For our rib we started with a square of ply 400x400mm. On a rib with a heavier engine you can go bigger for more lift. There is limit on size other than practicality of storing engine with the plate on. I will se if I can dig out some photos

 

[geem]

Mike,
Plate as installed.

 

[captmikecoin]

Mike, our plate is simple flat. There is no need for an aero foil shape. For our rib we started with a square of ply 400x400mm. On a rib with a heavier engine you can go bigger for more lift. There is limit on size other than practicality of storing engine with the plate on. I will se if I can dig out some photos

Geem, thanks for that info and the pic. Will have a go at it.

Mike