Small RIB tenders?

[acbruce]

Looking to buy a small RIB tender for my boat and am comparing the Avons. They come in Lite and Normal. The reduced weight of the light is very tempting. Does anyone have any experience, are there downsides? Planing to power with 10hp Honda or Yamaha. Surprised to see Yamaha now more expensive than Honda.

Thanks in anticipation

 

[DAKA]

Its worth looking at Valiant, they are much lighter .

 

[JAR]

Not sure about the Avon but the walker bay always gets good write ups and those that have owned the bigger models have always said good things, they do a 2.7 mtr light version or you can still get the 2.7 deluxe,touch heavier bout 50kg but nicer finish that's all the difference same rating for people and size of outboard, i know Pacer marine still stocks last year deluxe model could be a deal in the making.. ( i just scoopped one up so will report back in a week if you care)

 

[acbruce]

Not sure about the Avon but the walker bay always gets good write ups and those that have owned the bigger models have always said good things, they do a 2.7 mtr light version or you can still get the 2.7 deluxe,touch heavier bout 50kg but nicer finish that's all the difference same rating for people and size of outboard, i know Pacer marine still stocks last year deluxe model could be a deal in the making.. ( i just scoopped one up so will report back in a week if you care)

I would love to hear of your experiences when you have used it. thanks

 

[Nick_H]

The Lite has single skin moulded hull, normal has double skin GRP. You can't fit a console in the Lite. I had a 260 Lite with 8 hp Yam 2 stroke and it went well. 10hp 4 stroke sounds heavy for a 260 Lite.

edit: have you considered an inflatable v hull?

 

[DPH]

The first rib tender I got was a Zodiac, dual skin hull. Bought it just before 2 strokes were banned so stuck a 8 hp yamaha on it. Planed easily with 2 and felt very stable. On the downside it was quite heavy and dragging it up and down beaches meant I'd rubbed several holes in it. Really took advantage of the double skin for a month or so!

Anyway, next i went for the Avon lite, 310 ? I think. Yes it's lighter but I was very disapointed with it. Tubes sit much lower, I assume there's a lot less V underneath as well. Doesn't feel safe in big waves, and def wetter. It really was not fun to blast along in. Supplied with wooden oars that might as well be tooth picks attached with rubber bands. Probably good if you want a rib that you can put in the back of an estate. Otherwise I'd avoid. Using the winch to retrieve I managed to pull the D-thingy bracket out after 6 months.

Walker Bay, had a drive in Housten's. Build quality ok but felt unstable/skittish at high speed. I can't remember the engine so possibly it was over powered.

Current tender, after much research is a Ribeye with an aluminium hull. I really wanted the single skin version for the lighter weight but could only find a double skin one available last year in time for my hols. Despite the extra weight I'm over the moon with it. Performs great in waves, its fun to take out for a blast. Also took 5 above average weight people ashore with ease. The avon would mange 3 with the same feeling of safety. On the downside it's plastic tubes that won't last as long and it feels like it needs a bit more power than my 8hp for 2 up.

One final comment, after sitting in the tender garage over winter without a service, the Yamaha started first pull. Its getting better with age!

 

[landlockedpirate]

I had the Zodiac version of the Avon Lite in 3.1m length. As mentioned above it wasnt great. Its light, folds into a bag and went fairly quickly with a modest outboard but its got a very shallow (almost flat) hull, it doesnt track well and bounced really badly on even small waves.

If you really want a RIB then I would go with Walker Bay or Valient as already recommended. But look carefully at the new generation of Air Ribs, I bought a Honda to replace the Zodiac and it was fantastic. Other makers include Suzumar and even Wetline do one now.

 

[acbruce]

Thanks DPH. Very helpful and am now focused on Ribeye

 

[JAR]

Walker Bay, had a drive in Housten's. Build quality ok but felt unstable/skittish at high speed. I can't remember the engine so possibly it was over powered.


DPH .. you've got me worried now, can you remember the size, i know other forumites have serverly overpowered theirs with no detrimental effect ??

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Another vote for the Valiant if you want a light RIB. I've recently bought an Arimar which is also light but I've been disappointed with the build quality

 

[Illusion]

Hi,

We have an Avon 260 Lite with a 5hp Mariner 4 stroke. Great package, quite light, good quality and goes well with just one person in the boat. We also like the fact it folds up into its own bag to store over the winter. Although the grp floor doesn't have a deep v, we've found it has good stability at speed and also it allows us to get into shallow water when exploring, which for this type of dinghy is important for us. Also I would always go for a dinghy with hypalon tubes, for long term durability.

Hope this is of use.

Phil

 

[Wiggo]

Brig gets my vote. I have a Brig 300 Sport which is double skinned with a very nice built-in console. The motor is a 15hp Johnson 2-stroke and it goes like stink, feels very solid and stable and I'm delighted with it...

 

[DPH]

DPH .. you've got me worried now, can you remember the size, i know other forumites have serverly overpowered theirs with no detrimental effect ??

Sorry I meant I didn't know the engine size not the manufacturer.

Remember, just like big boats, owners often recommend what they have, not what's best! Unlike big boats though, most owners will happily let you take their tender for a spin.

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Have an Arimar 220 Flash measuring 2.30 meters LOA, now it is 12 years old and still looking ok. It is a PVC rib and it only needed a repair last year that is after 11 years of service. The Dlash has a double bottom so its more weight then the single bottom, wieghing about 30 kg without outboard.
Build quality is ok but not on the level of a Novamarine, Nouvrania, Williams, Lomac, Nautica or Avon etc etc. Altough to be fair newer Arimar have improved a lot.