Small RIBS --- good or bad ?

[Guest]

I am looking at buying an Avon Seasport SE320 Deluxe RIB but is there any other make of RIB thats worth considering in this length range ---- not got space for owt over 4metres..... can anybody enlighten me.....

 

[Guest]

I had a searider 4m for 15 years, one of the very first made. It was the best rigid i ever had.

 

[Guest]

I have had a 2.8 Avon rib on davits for over ten years (transferred from boat ot boat) and it has been a superb investment. I also have an 8hp Suzuki oil injection engine and it has been equally good. Neither have anything other than routine maintenance in that whole time. Rig is good for 23 knts, two up and has made an excellent tender.

Only issue is, if you are using a her on davits, if you hoist with engine attached, ensure that the davit lifting points have a decent reinforcing pad to avoid pulling them through the hull!

Nick

 

[Guest]

I dont own another boat big enough to take davits of any type; my boat is an Eygthene 24 (race yacht), I`d like to see how it looked though. Probably have the stern under the water !!!!!

 

[Guest]

Try a zodiac yachtline delux,I tried a few makes out before i bought one but I felt the zodiac 380 had the best ride quality.

 

[Guest]

The only issue is if you want to put an engine on the rib to take advantage of the performance, it will be quite heavy and, with the outboard tilted, they tow like the proverbial drunken sailor - all over the shop!

If you are only going to use a small engine which you lift on and off the transom each time, its hardly worth the extra expense of a rib v a conventional dinghy.

Nick

 

[Guest]

The RIB once taken to my yacht club will be stopping there, until I either get a bigger boat (probably next year) or move marinas, so dont think the weight of a bigish motor is going to affect anything.....

 

[Guest]

I have a 3.1 Avon RIB that was about 10 years old when I bought it but still almost as new condition. It is extremely stable and I particularly like the the double skinned floor which means that even with a fair amount of water on board our feet remain dry.

 

[Guest]

So they must be pretty good then.....

 

[Guest]

Well Avons are fine RIBs but I doubt IPC management were too involved in the nitty gritty of making them. If it helps, the same group owns lots of other stuff too like Dunlop/Slazenger, Odeon Cinemas, a big chunk of William Hill and McVities biscuits.

Hey look, comletely different point, can we have a kind of rule that new people say who they are. As far as I'm concerned you are most welcome to this board, really very welcome. But I haven't seen the name "Miss Scarlet" before (I imagine you're the skipper....oh never mind) so tell us your asl and boaty info.

 

[Guest]

Agree with the other posters, they're excellent. Not sure if you want the best/most expensive, the alternative would be say a Valliant which are very good too and much cheaper than Avon. All depends what you want. Valliant have a website, they're portuguese or something if I recall correctly. Avon are now owned by Zodiac, before that (up to about 18mths ago) they were owned by the same shareholders that own IPC mags and this BB!

 

[Guest]

Basically me names Dave, me new yachts called Miss Scarlet. Me old yachts called Tazzie and as I`m also a bowman aboard a Sigma 33OOD I`m called Ickle (cos I`m the smallest person) does this explain it.....