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boatings in singapore / why buy a rib?
Why
should I buy a RIB?
RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boat), since its invention to improve the performance
of flat bottomed inflatable dinghies in open waters, has been used predominantly
by life saving institutes and organisations; professional operators in the
offshore oil and gas industry; as well as military services around the world.
This is no longer the case with better awareness and appreciation of RIBs’
robustness, performance and availability of bigger hull to accommodate features
such as cabin and pilot house. The popularity of RIB in Europe and US has
lead to racing events and rallies dedicated to RIB alone. The use of RIB
in open waters has been recognised by professional operators since the 60s.
To day, custom built RIB by Gemini Marine has brought the privilege of piloting
such craft to leisure boaters.
Who’s buying RIB
A few years ago, spending US$ 200,000 for a RIB would have been unthinkable.
Back then, RIBs were utilitarian craft with little regard for comfort, style
or top-end performance. These days, no major boat show in Europe is complete
without a rash of six-figure super-RIBs that look equally at home nestling
alongside super yachts as ripping through the surf at 60 – plus knots.
It is not hard to see their appeal. As mainstream cruising boats get ever
bigger, flasher and more refined, they become less and less involving to
drive. Instead, their owners are looking elsewhere to get their kicks and
a RIB provides the perfect fix. Easy to launch, exhilarating to drive and
endlessly versatile, they are the ultimate do-it-all boat. - Greg Copp,
MBY Jan 2007
Why buy a RIB?
For some devotees, the question should really be: ‘why buy anything
else?’. Built-in fendering, easy to launch and recover due to its
lightweight, and ease of boarding due to its low freeboard – these
are just a few of the intrinsic advantages. A RIB with its soft freeboard
and tow or push another boat more safely, and come alongside another vessel
with impunity. Because of the way RIBs are built, owners often have the
ability to customize their boat. RIB owner around the world instantly become
part of a free-to-join club that singles them out as a different to the
mass of power boaters. And then there’s a reputation of a great ocean
boat
What makes RIB a 4 x 4 of the
ocean
… It is the deep-vee hull and the sponsons (tube) that gives a RIB
its outstanding sea-keeping qualities. The tube act as shock absorbers taking
a high percentage of the impact on the boat thus reducing the stress on
the crew, whilst the lateral movement is also reduced significantly giving
a far more stable ride than other types of boat. A RIB can handle seas way
beyond what other types of boat of its length can handle, its ability to
not to take on much water but at the same time to be able to get rid of
it quickly if necessary – via a low transom and duck bills –
really do denote a very special type of boat. - Paul Glatzel, Issue 73,
RIB International
So what makes the good ones so
good?
Three reason. Firstly the tubes. In 1992, Ocke Mannerfeil shocked the world
with his Bat Boat, a stepped hulled race boat sporting large wings. These
wings generate aerodynamic lift and reduce slamming in rough weather, by
allowing the boat to ride on a cushion of air, which compresses as the boat
drops. RIBs may lack wings but their overhanging tubes direct a substantial
surface at the air whizzing by.
Secondly, in extremely heavy, breaking seas, a boat may suffer from wave
impact on the topsides, not just the bottom. In theory, the spongy inflatable
collar will absorb some of the energy from these impacts, softening the
ride.
Thirdly and most important contribution
to ride quality is the narrow length of the hull as compared with other
sports boat. When the seas are rough, long, thin hulls are invariably better
that short fat ones.
