Ever consider a Portabote? Their not pefect, but I like mine. Seems to
perform well, be reasonably durable and pretty easy to stow on deck. Also,
our 12' peforms well with a 6HP motor....fuel savings.

Glenn.

"Len" wrote in message
...
For long term cruising we want to buy a rib, around 3,25 meters, with
a 15 hp outboard.

Important criterium for us is llifespan, in other words:UV-resistance.
At the moment we're looking at two neoprene ribs: 1) Joker Boats from
Italy.They give a 10 year warranty on the tissue and the glue. 2)
African Cats from the Netherlands, kevlar/carbon bottom, they use
hypalion. Hypalion gives 5 years warranty.

Another criterium : suited for scuba diving from the rib.
Joker 315 weighs 53 kg. No problem to get aboard with bottle removed
and floating. African Cats 335 weighs 24 kg (nice for the davits) but
won't this low weight become a nuisance when climbing in from the
side?

Anyone here with long-term experience?

Thanks in advance.
Len.