New category of inflatable boats

[ronaldj]

Everybody knows about Sibs and Ribs. Do to my weight requirements I have found a new category of boat. They are called Ultralight Ribs. These Ribs typically weigh less than a Sib the same size and come with folding transoms just like Sibs. These Ribs are made for low power outboards and according to the dealers are being provided in response to the weight of the current 4 stroke motors. All these boats can be used with outboards 9.9hp and lower. They ride better than Sibs but not as well as deep V Ribs. They fold down to 7 feet by 3 feet by 1 1/2 feet. That makes them perfect for people who carry there boat by car or people with small sail boats. The West Marine, Achillies , Zodiac , Avon , Defender, are all made at the same factory. They all come in PVC or CMS. The largest is the 310. They all have foldable transoms The Walker Bay is the only Deep Rib with a foldable transom. The largest is a 340. All the Walker Bay's can be turned into console boats The Winboats break down better than anything. The Winboats and the Walker Bay are the only deep hull foldable ribs

 

[fbpooler]

Those designs predate the influx of four stroke motors. If you will look at the newer craft you will find that the extended tubes behind the transom are being enlarged to offfset the weight of the four strokes. Avon and Zodiac came out with the folding transom hard hull boats and it caught on.

The fiberglass hull inflatables serve a good purpose but are heavy and work well with a trailer. The single ply hull, light weight, folding transom design is an attempt at a boat which can be folded more compact but has less weight.

Variety is a good thing.

 

[ssobol]

The Walker Bay RIB boats are plastic, not fiberglass. The plastic is lighter and more durable than FG, but more difficult to repair if that becomes necessary. Some of the Walker Bay boats have foldable transoms, but this does not really help with the size of the thing if you are trying to carry it in a small vehicle. The bottom hull is still one big piece. The Walker Bay seat and console kit are very nice, but makes the boat one you have to take apart rather than fold up. Disassembling and reassembling the boat each time for use becomes impractical with the addition of the seats and console (plus what do you do with all the pieces). The seats and console give you a lot of places to store stuff (battery, fuel tank, lines, etc.). This gets all the stuff you have to carry out of the way, which can be a big problem in smaller boats.

The WB boat I had lived on a trailer.

The Walker Bay 310 and 340 do have a "deep V hull". But on boats that small it really does not make much difference in the ride. One nice thing about the WB boats is that they are designed for the water on the floor to drain into the hull which keeps the floor pretty dry (unlike some other boats).