"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:09:16 -0600, cavalamb himself
wrote:

I'm a bit surprised about the RIBs as I didn't suspect they would
be that popular. Something to think about.

One of the nice things about RIBs is the ability to beach them without
tearing up the bottom. That's important when you are cruising in the
boondocks and want to go ashore.

I have a wooden dinghy and I am just about to order a RIB.
What is your take on a single hull vs. the double hulled RIB
Hypalon is a better material but this new German made PVC looks promising,
what do you think.

wrote in
:


"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:09:16 -0600, cavalamb himself
wrote:

I'm a bit surprised about the RIBs as I didn't suspect they would
be that popular. Something to think about.

One of the nice things about RIBs is the ability to beach them
without tearing up the bottom. That's important when you are
cruising in the boondocks and want to go ashore.

I have a wooden dinghy and I am just about to order a RIB.
What is your take on a single hull vs. the double hulled RIB
Hypalon is a better material but this new German made PVC looks
promising, what do you think.

I much prefer a double hulled RIB to a single hull. My first dinghy (which
was stolen in Honduras) was an Avon with a single hull and since then I've
had 2 double hulled ones. The weight of the double hull makes it ride
better and the double hull provides a bottom which is much more amenable to
humans.

All of the dinghies have been Hypalon and have held up very well in the
Caribbean sun. I've seen a lot of PVC ones that haven't held up as well.
My current dinghy is an AB and I like it a lot. It rides well and is much
drier than most.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

On Feb 22, 10:54 am, Geoff Schultz wrote:
... I much prefer a double hulled RIB to a single hull.
... The weight of the double hull makes it ride ...

Performance wise weight is a terrible thing in a planning boat.
Heaver boats need bigger engines and more fuel and that makes them
heavier still and you get a vicious cycle. I've got a very light
aluminum RIB with large diameter tubes. It is very much more seaworthy
than the my old Zodiac 285 air floor but not much heavier... It will
plane with two full sized adults or three small sized ones using an
8hp motor. As everyone keeps pointing out, though, best depends on
context. If you've got a mile to travel with your laundry upwind into
stiff trades you want a big powerful boat but if you are paddling ten
yards to the beach small and light is better... In the best of all
possible worlds the support team would arrive ahead of you with a huge
anchor, tons of chain and a powerful longboat...

better and the double hull provides a bottom which is much more amenable to
humans.

I put heavy duty dry deck style rubber tiles in the bottom of mine.
They keep the bags dry and you can sit on them in the rough stuff...

All of the dinghies have been Hypalon and have held up very well in the
Caribbean sun. ...

PVC is not nearly as good as Hypalon, but my 2000 Zodiac is still
functional and has spent virtually all of its life outside in the
tropics. After about 5 years in the sun it gets hard to get glue to
stick to PVC though.

-- Tom.

" wrote in
:

On Feb 22, 10:54 am, Geoff Schultz wrote:

better and the double hull provides a bottom which is much more
amenable to humans.

I put heavy duty dry deck style rubber tiles in the bottom of mine.
They keep the bags dry and you can sit on them in the rough stuff...

I was speaking of the shape of the hull. With a single hull you have to
deal with the floor being in the V shape of the hull. With a double hull
the flooring is flat, which is much nicer to get in and out of.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

On Feb 22, 12:52 pm, Geoff Schultz wrote:
... I was speaking of the shape of the hull. With a single hull you have to
deal with the floor being in the V shape of the hull. With a double hull
the flooring is flat, which is much nicer to get in and out of. ...

Quite. There are a couple of advantages to having a deck. It can be
flat, it keeps things dry and it makes the boat stiffer. Weight and
restricted access are the only downsides I can think of. However, at
least on my single skin boat, the deadrise angle is so shallow aft
that it is not at all unpleasant to sit or stand on and the addition
of the tiles makes it reasonably dry. Dingies are just boats. They
are exercises in compromise and there is no universal best.

-- Tom.

Hypalon is a better material but this new German made PVC looks promising,
what do you think.

Where are you going to be using it? And how are you going to be storing it?
If you're not in the caribbean and are going to put a cover over it then
you're fine with PVC. If it's going to be sitting out in the blistering sun
365 days a year then you can't go wrong spending the extra money to get one
made of hypalon.

On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:31:54 -0400, wrote:


"Wayne.B" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:09:16 -0600, cavalamb himself
wrote:

I'm a bit surprised about the RIBs as I didn't suspect they would
be that popular. Something to think about.

One of the nice things about RIBs is the ability to beach them without
tearing up the bottom. That's important when you are cruising in the
boondocks and want to go ashore.

I have a wooden dinghy and I am just about to order a RIB.
What is your take on a single hull vs. the double hulled RIB
Hypalon is a better material but this new German made PVC looks promising,
what do you think.


Hypalon is the gold standard for durability, wouldn't have anything
else, and I agree with Geoff on the double hull.

To those who say don't get a RIB, be aware of what you are not
getting: Seaworthiness, load carrying ability, redundant flotation,
drier ride (by comparison) and speed - not necessarily in that order.

There is a reason why Navy SEALS use RIBs and not FoldBotes.

On 22 Feb 2008 16:53:02 -0600, Dave wrote:

On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:40:24 -0500, Wayne.B
said:

There is a reason why Navy SEALS use RIBs and not FoldBotes.

Ergo, if your needs are the same as those of a Navy SEAL, buy a RIB. Why do
I not find that too persuasive?

So get something else.

wrote:
On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:40:24 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:


On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:31:54 -0400, wrote:


"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...

On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:09:16 -0600, cavalamb himself
wrote:


I'm a bit surprised about the RIBs as I didn't suspect they would
be that popular. Something to think about.

One of the nice things about RIBs is the ability to beach them without
tearing up the bottom. That's important when you are cruising in the
boondocks and want to go ashore.


I have a wooden dinghy and I am just about to order a RIB.
What is your take on a single hull vs. the double hulled RIB
Hypalon is a better material but this new German made PVC looks promising,
what do you think.


Hypalon is the gold standard for durability, wouldn't have anything
else, and I agree with Geoff on the double hull.

To those who say don't get a RIB, be aware of what you are not
getting: Seaworthiness, load carrying ability, redundant flotation,
drier ride (by comparison) and speed - not necessarily in that order.

There is a reason why Navy SEALS use RIBs and not FoldBotes.


Umm... Having owned both, I can say that the Porta-Bote is every bit as
seaworthy, has more useful room for a given size boat, has a drier ride, can be
rowed easily in a straight line, sailed or motored while full of water without
capsizing, and planes with a very small lightweight motor. Mine eagerly jumps up
on top of the water with a 3.5 HP motor that weighs 29 pounds. I never have to
tow it, because I can hand launch and retrieve it without a hoist, and it folds
up flat in a few minutes to be lashed to the lifelines.

It costs half what a blow up boat costs, and of course the motor costs a
fraction of what is required for a RIB to perform as well. I don't need a patch
kit, either.



Interesting boat (bote?)
http://www.porta-bote.com/dinghy.html

It for sure takes up less deck space.

On Feb 23, 4:33 am, wrote:
... Umm... Having owned both, I can say that the Porta-Bote is every bit as
seaworthy, has more useful room for a given size boat, has a drier ride, can be
rowed easily in a straight line, sailed or motored while full of water without
capsizing, and planes with a very small lightweight motor. Mine eagerly jumps up
on top of the water with a 3.5 HP motor that weighs 29 pounds. I never have to
tow it, because I can hand launch and retrieve it without a hoist, and it folds
up flat in a few minutes to be lashed to the lifelines.

It costs half what a blow up boat costs, and of course the motor costs a
fraction of what is required for a RIB to perform as well. I don't need a patch
kit, either.

You certainly make them sound nice. What are their disadvantages?
How do they work as a dive boats? Can you run them ashore in the
surf? Can you self-recuse one that's full of water?

-- Tom.