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.