rib tenders

[beebok]

I'm sure some of you will have an opinion on what to buy.
We have an Aquastar 48 azur and am planning on buying
a tender.Whilst our kids would love us to buy a jet rib
my wife an I will be spoil sports and buy something
a little sensible for us, so when we anchor we can go ashore.
Our plan is to be in the Med this year so we are considering the avon 280
or ribeye 300.with a 9.9hp engine or maybe maybe a zodiac.
There are so many other brands out there does anyone have experience of them
for us to consider.
thanks Alan

 

[sharpness]

The makes you mention (Ribeye, Avon and Zodiac) have a very good reputation, and assuming your looking at this price range, i know other forumites have mentioned "Walker Bay Genesis" Ribs as another good option to consider.
Not sure wether you would be looking to buy new or secondhand, but i have noticed there seem to be a few good used deals on "Boats and Outboards" site at the moment, Brig look like another option also (should point out no connections etc). Just bought an Airdeck myself, though i was tempted by the Rib option.

 

[david_bagshaw]

Avon Ribs make great yacht tenders, but I dont think they are in production any more, anda 9hp will go well, though not enough to ski.

 

[n.herring]

I have a Avon310 with a 15hp Honda 4stroke on my 48, it is very good but if I was looking to replace it the Walker Bay would probably be my choice, Neil

 

[Whopper]

If you are thinking c.9.9hp then the rib will want to be light in which case my choice would be a aluminum hulled (single skin is the lightest I think) ribeye.

 

[GSL]

I had an Avon 310 on my last 42 foot Mobo, originally with a Mercury 9.9 Four Stroke, very dissappointing, hard work to get planning with more than two people on board. Replaced the Mercury with a Mariner 15HP two stroke, wonderful. Effortless everywhere. Avon was not new when I got it, and did suffer slow leaks I could never fix.

Current boat (50 foot Mobo) has a Walker Bay 285 Genesis, I have fitted that with a Yamaha 13.5 HP two stroke, and we are very happy with that combination, never seems to leak either. Both the Walker Bay and the Yamaha were bought on Ebay.

Summary, anything in that size range, get a two stroke, lighter, more powerful and easier for a woman to pull start.

I would buy Avon or Walker Bay again, but the WB would be my first choice.

Graham

 

[Bandit]

Hi Bebok, Did we talk about AS48's last autumn?

On my 48 it had an avon jetrib which I did not buy as around our waters with a big tidal range you cannot carry them or wheel them up the beach as you need to.

I bought another Quicksilver 310 my second in 12 years not that expensive, very well built and I use it with a 5hp outboard whick will plane with only me in it ( fairly chunky).

http://www.quicksilver-inflatables.com/media/128953/enen$qsinf11.pdf

I am not sure who sells them in the uk.

I dont like davits as you cant walk accross the swimplatform when rafted.

My 310 is on snap davits and is about the largest you can fit on the 48 and still keep the transom clear to walk off on a pontoon to port or accross the stern with the dinghy vertically in place.

It is fair to say that in heavy weather the AS48 is a bit like a submarine and a dinghy without a tight fitting cover on block on the platform would fill up, my dinghy with no cover on its side on snap davits is self draining.

We keep the 5hp outboard on a bracket on the swimplatform resting on the swimplatform and secured with a stainless wire through the spare anchor which is mounted alongside it and padlocked to the boat.

A 5hp is about the largest easily manageable outboard that my mrs can pass to me from the boat and me to recieve and fit to the tansom of the dinghy. Possibly you would get away with the Tohatsu 10hp which is quite light?


It has wheels so easy pull up the beach with a 5hp outboard.

Withou outboard at a push I can carry it , easy for two.

If I am moored long term stern to and dont need the dinghy I lift it out and place it on the galley roof and you can open the hatches , keeps the rain out and keeps it cool.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Avon Ribs make great yacht tenders, but I dont think they are in production any more, anda 9hp will go well, though not enough to ski.

There were a bunch of Avons on the Zodiac stand at the Dusseldorf show. Do Zodiac own Avon now? One RIB I would not recommend is Arimar. I bought one in Italy as a tender for my boat and I'm not impressed with the quality

 

[Bandit]

Zodiac, Avon and Bombard are all the same group, Avon now made in far east and a lesser quality than previously.

I have not had any problems with Quicksilver over the years ( 12) and they are well made and sturdy with the airdeck, the only problem for our waters is the colour mine is white whcih shows all the dirt but it has cleaned up well, I think you can get them grey now but for the med you want a light colour I assume as dark colours would be too hot to sit on with sunny weather ( not a problem here).

 

[Greg2]

We have had three Valiants...one D270 and two D300s. None had the centre console and the last had a Mercury 2 stroke 10hp on it. It flew with just me in and would plane with two adults and my (then) young lad wake boarding behind it. We opted for Valiant on the basis of weight, quality and value. They were the lightest with rigid bottoms, well built and not too expensive. Only issue we had was some UV damage to the rubbing strake on one side due to the boat sitting on snap davits with one side constantly exposed. When I say damage I meant the plastic went a bit sticky....we cleaned it up and a cover would have prevented it in the first place and the UV did not affect the tubes. Overall, very happy with Valiant and would have another.

Another to consider is AB Inflatables. American built, used extensively in the Caribbean and they have hypalon tubes (they don't use the word Hypalon as it is a trade name) which means they will last longer and withstand UV better than PVC. An interesting development is that, like some other manufacturers, they now do aluminium hulls which make them a lot lighter. We used one last year when we chartered in the Caribbean (GRP hull) and were impressed with it.They are now sold in the UK by one or two dealers and we looked at a display model at LIBS and were impressed with the build quality. At 53kg for a 3.1m boat it was very light and we were offered a deal on that boat but it it didn't have a centre console, albeit one could be added.

We are actually in the process of buying a used Avon 310 with centre console and a 15hp on the back. It cropped up the evening of the day we went to LIBS otherwise the AB would have been a serious contender....

 

[mjf]

Do Zodiac own Avon now?

Yep. Couple IOC years ago iirc. All but jets now creased manufacture.