Dive Boat/RIB

[603doug]

My rib is rated for 11 and you would have to be crazy to put 11-140 lbers on it. 6 without gear is to crowded. You would look like you were trying to escape Cuba with that much of a boatload

 

[Underwater Ogre]

Heres one that will seat 20...you will have plenty of time to back to town for lunch and head back out to make the slack dive. Did I mention you might get some looks...LOL:14:

 

[rmannix]

Heres one that will seat 20...you will have plenty of time to back to town for lunch and head back out to make the slack dive. Did I mention you might get some looks...LOL:14:

If you could afford to gas it up

 

[Underwater Ogre]

It only it guzzles 280 us gal. an hour or approx. 1000L at W.O.Throttle...I figure if you can afford the power, you can afford the fuel.

I am selling our 16' commando on a trailer with a 50hp Honda if anyone is interested..I will post it in the classifieds.

 

[jtadrenaline]

Myself, I have a 14' Quicksilver HD inflatable with thirty HP and it gets me and two to three divers out to the sites nicely. A good tank rack mounted to the hard floors is a must, it not only secures the tanks, but gives you a nice handle to hang onto in chop and provides a table space for assembling gear, cameras, and cleaning a speared fish or two. Lose the bench seats and opt for a good tote to sit on and all your storage needs are taken care of. Lanyards with brass clips located strategically on the rail make it nice to clip to your gear when you take it off in the water. The soft sides on the boat make it a snap to climb in. Best of all, they go in shallow water, are sturdy, take some really heavy chop, easily trailerable, and if you are very limited on storage at home, can be deflated and rolled up in a corner of the garage. Oh, and they go pretty darn fast without sucking huge amounts of fuel.
JT

 

[jtadrenaline]

Heres one that will seat 20...you will have plenty of time to back to town for lunch and head back out to make the slack dive. Did I mention you might get some looks...LOL:14:

Does anyone know the story behind that boat? Does anyone want to hear it? It was a drug runner out of ........ the feds kept seeing this blip on the radar but couldn't make out what it was. It would show up every few weeks. As they tried to track it, they found out what it was but didn't have anything that could catch it. They finally had to contract a couple of military helicopters to chase it down and bust 'em. That photo was taken shortly after it was confiscated for a prize.

 

[DivrBikr]

I too, am doing research on RIBS. My circumstances and variables are quite different from Paintsnow. What I find difficult is to research all of the various vendors and find pricing without having the "car salesman" in my email inbox. (apparently tire kickers aren't welcome...)
I am searching for a RIB not greater in size than 20' and have the capability to handle up to a 250HP motor. I have ck'd Merc, Zodiac, Ribcraft and Seal to name a few.
As I am (also) not the brightest light on the lamp post, any additional info is appreciated.

 

[rjack321]

I too, am doing research on RIBS. My circumstances and variables are quite different from Paintsnow. What I find difficult is to research all of the various vendors and find pricing without having the "car salesman" in my email inbox. (apparently tire kickers aren't welcome...)
I am searching for a RIB not greater in size than 20' and have the capability to handle up to a 250HP motor. I have ck'd Merc, Zodiac, Ribcraft and Seal to name a few.
As I am (also) not the brightest light on the lamp post, any additional info is appreciated.

Good luck with this. There are a number of conflicts/problems with your requirements

1. a 19-20ft RIB is not going to be taking a 250hp engine (a 150-175hp maximum is more likely). You will need to step up to a 22-24ft RIB to get 250 ponies on the back. This is just the way the CG formulas and manufacturer's concerns go.
2. The tubes on a 19+ft RIB are going to be so big you'll need some sort of swim step/ladder which defeats much of the purpose/qualities which make RIBs nice to dive off.
3. 3)20ft+ is going to be wider than 8.5ft which will require overwidth permits.

 

[DivrBikr]

Good luck with this. There are a number of conflicts/problems with your requirements

1. a 19-20ft RIB is not going to be taking a 250hp engine (a 150-175hp maximum is more likely). You will need to step up to a 22-24ft RIB to get 250 ponies on the back. This is just the way the CG formulas and manufacturer's concerns go.
2. The tubes on a 19+ft RIB are going to be so big you'll need some sort of swim step/ladder which defeats much of the purpose/qualities which make RIBs nice to dive off.
3. 3)20ft+ is going to be wider than 8.5ft which will require overwidth permits.

Thanks... All of this is (hopefully) prelim research. I know I have much more to learn about boating. I tend to stay on the mechanical side of things. I'm a helicopter mechanic by trade...

Regarding #3, is there not a CG reg regarding size of craft and licensing?

Realizing that there are differences between manufacturers, styles and sizes of RIBs, does any one seem better, more affordable, etc...?

Thanks again

 

[rjack321]

Overwidth permits from your state DOT (and any states you travel through on the way to the water) for trailering on the road. Since you're in CO I assumed you weren't leaving this RIB in a marina full time.

BTW, my RIB is only 16ft but people prefer to dive off mine vs. one of my buddies 18ft RIB because his interior layout is less optimal for diving and his tubes are larger to swim back over to get back aboard.

What's "affordable"? How many divers are you wanting to carry, how far and in what waters? What else is the boat being used for? Why so much power wanted on a 20ft boat? That's like bass boat power for the length - for 65+mph stuff but worse than worthless in rough water...

You are unlikely to find any RIB manufacturer making "Dive boats". Most stock RIBs have horrible layouts and you are better off getting a bare hull (with tubes) and having the interior custom fabricated to your needs.

No boat serves all needs anyway.