What is the ideal size RIB for scuba diving?......

[Wolfie]

Ahhhh, the "peaceful warrior" . That is a pretty sweet dive platform. They've also been known for a little tubing and other fun during SI.
indepth has a nice operation.

 

[ian.b]

Ahhhh, the "peaceful warrior" . That is a pretty sweet dive platform. They've also been known for a little tubing and other fun during SI.
indepth has a nice operation.

yep, the tubing is quite the experience. My brother in law and I did multiple runs on the tube during our SI and our arms were aching the next day from hanging on for dear life.

 

[OcciferNick]

What is the ideal size RIB for scuba diving?......

My wife and I bought a 4.6m RIB that we use to dive off. This cost us $7800 and is a perfect size for us. I can launch it by myself and when putting it away I can unhitch the trailer and push it into its undercover storage position by myself. Anything smaller I personally don't think would suit us or accommodate our scuba gear adequately. Anything bigger would mean that I wouldn't be able to launch it and retrieve it by myself meaning I would never use it as often.



As for fishing, I love to fish off mine


Regards
Nick

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I had a 12' Achilles inflatable with a 25HP Suzuki outboard that my first wife and I dive from for many years. We took it to Catalina Island (25 miles each way) many times. Even with two adults, two sets of gear, four tanks and weights plus a cooler for lunch we still got great mileage. When the ocean was flat we had a lot more speed than the local dive boats.

 

[CaptainK]

I've been around boats all my life, but I'm not sure what an RIB is. I'm guessing it means rigid inflatable boat? I'm pretty new to the site so I sort of wish there was a central location explaining the meaning of all the abbreviations.

Thanks

 

[DiveExplorer]

Welll I bought QuickSilver 4,3 m, Inflatable boat, Heavy Duty made of HP materal. It has 30 HP Yamaha outboard engine. And I would say it is perfect for me and my dive operations or projects.
It rooms very well 2 divers, with all their gear, and 2 others on board. The boat is very light, easy to put in the sea and out. I tested also 5 meters boat and it has more room on board but it was some heavyer. I would not have chose boat under 4 meters, but of course it depends on the projects.

 

[RochesterUE]

This past summer I purchased a 10.5' Hypalon RHIB for diving out of. I am on a very tight budget, so there didn't have a lot of money to invest. I paid $500 for the boat, and got the 9.9HP engine as well as the trailer for free. Here are a few thoughts based off of my experience with this size:

>With two adults and no equipment, the boat will plane and maintain a speed of ~15mph. With two adults and 1 tank each, the boat will not plan, and will not go over ~5mph. With one adult and 2 tanks, the boat will plane and handle as if there were two adults.
>To modify the boat, I removed the seating and added a removable depth finder. I also named her the "Surface Interval"
>Space is a huge issue with this size. In even calm sea conditions, it is nothing less than a PITA to SCUBA dive off of her.
>I do like the fact she is incredibly light, and handles extremely well in rough conditions (when you don't mind getting wet). I have had this boat in 5-7 foot sea conditions with no issues (don't recommend, unless an emergency)
Although she isn't the greatest boat for SCUBA diving, I consider her the PERFECT boat for freediving. She makes a phenomenal platform for 2-4 people to freedive off of.

Here are a few pictures

---------- Post added January 16th, 2014 at 09:04 PM ----------

I've been around boats all my life, but I'm not sure what an RIB is. I'm guessing it means rigid inflatable boat? I'm pretty new to the site so I sort of wish there was a central location explaining the meaning of all the abbreviations.

Thanks

Yes, it stands for rigid inflatable boat. Also known as a RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat)

 

[spoolin01]

I was thinking about that also. What is the minimum size of inflatable boat to dive from ?

I was thinking of buying 3,80 meter inflatable with 15 Hp engine. Is that to small for 4 adults, 2 divers and 2 crew.

Any input or personal experiences would be very appreciated.

I 've had a 10 ft airfloor, a couple each of 12 and 14' aluminum-floored flat-bottom inflatables, and now have an Achilles 16' flat-bottom inflatable. Moving up from 14 to 16' was a big difference in usable room, ride, and seaworthiness. The bigger tubes and wider floor on the 16' boat make a noticeable and welcome difference. An even bigger boat would be welcome, but availability and price seems to change dramatically above 16'.

I've had 6 freedivers in a 14 ft boat, and other than crowding, 3-4 divers is manageable in that size boat, but that's a heavy and crowded load. A RIB is more 'boat' for the length, due to the hullform, so I'd say you could get by with 14' for 4 adults/2 diving, but you'd appreciate a bigger boat before long. You'll like it more if you're not pushing the load capacity of the boat.

A big piece of the satisfaction with any boat, especially an inflatable, is having enough horsepower. Get the highest HP 4-stroke or injected 2-stroke (lighter weight) that's within the weight capability of the transom and back ends of the tubes, especially if you go with a 'squishy' bottom boat instead of a RIB. Prop selection is an important factor in performance as well in rough water. Lower gearing is more often appreciated I find, than top end speed. I find it useful to have a couple of different pitched props, especially if your motor size is marginal.

 

[Stoo]

I appreciate that this is a really old thread, but I figure it's a topic that may come up again...

I have a 20' RHIB with all the toys. It's a military spec boat which I acquired from a Marine Police Unit. Since I spend about 50% of my time wishing it was larger and the same amount wishing it was smaller, I figure it must be about right.

Most of the time there's only two or three of us diving from it, but we can carry four tec types with doubles and a stage. It's very full and heavy, but with a 150 HP on the back, it still scoots.

Perhaps the largest drawback to a boat this size and weight, is that you need a significant vehicle to pull it. With fuel and stuff, mine is around 5000 pounds.

Here's a shot of us returning to harbour in Tobermory...

And a link to a clip of us heading out two weeks ago in some snotty weather... we have three sets of double up front.

 

[grf88]

I have part ownership with a buddy in a 4.65 m (15ft 3in.) Avon Workboat with a 40 hp outboard. It is an inflatable with an aluminum floor. It will handle 4 recreational divers quite easily but gets very crowded with 4 divers with doubles and stages although it is workable. I don't think it would work with a motor much smaller than a 40. It has Hypalon tubes so requires little maintenance other than a occasional rub down with a UV protectant.