July 15, 2011
New Title Laws Will Benefit Recreational Boaters
This week a new set of laws called the Uniform Certificate of Title Act for Vessels were approved. Drafted by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), a 350-member group of appointed law commissioners, the act is aimed at helping protect consumers and will be valuable to insurers and lenders as well. In addition to the standard information currently included on a title, the act also created a model vessel brand that will be a permanent designation on a boat title that discloses damage to a boat, which will provide an additional level of protection for consumers. The act also would also help in facilitating financing and transfers of ownership. The group is now forming committees that will serve to educate the boating community and enacting the new laws through the US.... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 02:46 PM
April 19, 2011
Top Ten Boat Names of 2011
Recreational boat owners along with many commercial outfits love to name their boats. The site www.firstboat.com just released a list of the Top 10 Boat Names for 2011. Is your RIB's name on the list? 1. Serenity (In addition to “Serenity” there were variations such as “Serenity Now!”, as well as clever misspellings including “Sea-Renity”) 2. Happy Ours (Time was a common theme in boat names this year. Variations on this boat name included “Happy Hours” and “Happy Hour”) 3. Feelin' Nauti 4. Family Time (Another variation of the Time theme. There were many other boat names that referenced Time that came close to the top ten.) 5. Liberty (There were also variations such as Miss Liberty, Lady Liberty, and Liberty Belle) 6. Black Pearl 7. Andiamo (Let’s Go! A quick internet search will show you that this is not only a popular name for boats, but also for Italian restaurants in America) 8. Knot On Call (Several boat names... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 04:14 PM
February 18, 2011
A “Must” for Yachties
For all of you who remember (or perhaps were an avid fan of) the Official Preppy Handbook, published in 1980, a new version of this classic was recently published. A friend brought True Prep to my attention because of the section entitled “Why Sailing”. Listed as the #1 “’must’ for any respectable yachtie” is owning center console RIB as a tender. Anyone who is a part of the sailing community would most likely nod their head in agreement with out giving it a second thought, however it was great to see that the author not only agreed, but ranked it number one on the list. In case you are curious, other “musts” that made the list were yachting pillows, Helly Hanson “foulies”, a folding bicycle, and towels with the boat’s name.... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 09:42 AM
August 13, 2010
All in a Days Work
It has been a busy summer here at RIBCRAFT and folks on the production floor haven't had a moment's rest! We are working on some very exciting projects, which we can't wait to share when they are complete. Here is a picture of 5.85 consoles that were waiting to be installed yesterday, to give you a snapshot of life on the production floor.... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2010
Transportation Tips
I read a great article recently in Boat U.S. Magazine about online boat transportation services. Although many people have had great success in using them, the article provided some great reminders and tips to keep in mind. •Before doing business with any interstate transportation service provider, ask for a copy of the company’s Operating Authority documentation issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation or comparable state and local documents for intrastate carriers. In addition, TSPs must obtain insurance and drivers must have commercial driver’s licenses, which include testing requirements for drugs and alcohol. Ask for proof of liability and cargo insurance. Reluctance to provide this information is reason enough to look elsewhere. •DOT makes it easy to check up on the status of commercial carriers’ licenses, their insurance data, or their safety ratings. Consumers can visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website, http://li-public.fmsca.dot.gov or call 800-832-5660 or 202-366-9805. •All transportation agreements should be in writing, with complete information... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 03:21 PM | Comments (0)
April 09, 2010
What kind of impact will this recent case have?
This past Monday a federal jury found Brunswick Corp. partially liable for an accident that took place in 2005 in Texas where a propeller had severed a teen’s leg. According to news releases, the suit alleged that the boat and motor did not provide safety devices including guards or covers to prevent the teen from becoming entangled. Brunswick was then ordered to pay $3.8 million in medical expenses and damages. This is the first case in which a company within the marine industry was found liable for injury to a person by a propeller. What kind of impact will this case have given that the vast majority of boats are powered by engines? Does this set a precedent for future cases?... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2010
An Upward Trend in Horsepower
As the trend continues toward more horsepower one can start to wonder if bigger really is better. There is no clear cut answer either way as there are many different factors that play in. One of the biggest drawbacks is the larger the engine, the more fuel they burn per hour meaning increased fuel costs. The beauty of a RIB is that thanks to its lighter overall weight, a RIB requires far less horsepower to run at the same speed as a hard sided boat. This means better fuel economy and that RIB owners don’t necessarily need the maximum horsepower offered. Better fuel economy and great performance with smaller engines, yet more reasons why I love RIBS!... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 05:19 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2009
30 Years and Going Strong
This week a 1979 RIB came into our shop for some engine work. She still has the original Hypalon tube, which is holding air and looks great! Seeing a 30 year old tube in this condition is a testament to the durability and longevity of Hypalon and is exactly why we use it for all of our tubes.... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2009
Fire Departments' Ever Growing Responsibilities
In recent years, the pressures on Fire Departments have increased as their roles and responsibilities have expanded. In most cases their missions have expanded beyond simply putting out fires and rescuing stranded cats in trees. The days of the bright shiny red truck with a bunch of ladders and firemen running through town is no longer. As life becomes more technical and complicated, so too does the role of the local fire department. Today's departments have haz-mat teams, specialized equipment for fighting forest fires, ice rescue apparatus, and yes boats in some cases though not often enough. The increase in boating, improved water access for activities such as kayaking, fishing, and swimming, the higher incidence of flooding and natural disasters, and added congestion along waterfronts, has brought an increasing need for rescuers to have apparatus that can respond to water related calls. This has taken on even greater prominence for those departments located along the Coast – who have been... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2008
RIBCRAFT On The Move
With all the doom and gloom over what seems to be a daily worsening of the economy out there, I thought it would be a nice change to share some good news with you. As most boat builders are scaling back production and in some cases closing down for good, we at RIBCRAFT are very fortunate to be growing and expanding. RIBs continue to gain popularity as more and more marine professionals and recreational boaters choose them because of their inherent efficiencies and unsurpassed performance over solid sided boats. We are pleased to announce that we have expanded our production facilities to meet the growing demand from professional and recreational customers for RIBs. This increased production capacity will allow us to continue to meet this rising demand. As part of our expansion, our corporate offices will be moving into the same building as production which are currently located a little over a mile apart. We will be in our new... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 05:36 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2008
RIBS: Ahead Of The Times
When it comes to fuel efficiency, RIBs have been ahead of their times and the US Market is just catching up. For this reason, RIBS have enjoyed incredible popularity in Europe over for decades. Unlike the United States until recently, Europe has long suffered from high fuel (petrol) costs. These higher costs forced Europeans to look to smaller fuel efficient cars and smarter more efficient boat designs when it came to on the water activities. As such, Europeans have preferred RIBs over solid sided boats for decades because of their fuel efficiencies. RIBs sport a light weight design and sleek hulls with far greater planning capabilities. They require less horsepower to achieve the same speeds as solid sided boats because they are lighter weight and have less drag through the water. These design characteristics deliver excellent efficiencies which lead to fuel savings. With the fuel challenges in the U.S. hitting everyone, RIBs are the answer to stress free boating and... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 06:07 PM | Comments (1)
March 17, 2008
Practical For Tactical
Military Special Forces were among the earliest adopters of RIBs. The reason, quite simply, is safety, performance, and versatility. First and foremost, a RIB is ideal for keeping the crew safe while en route to their intended destination. For many Special Forces and tactical teams, a RIB is used as a means of deployment to a land or water based target. They rely on speed for the element of surprise and to insure mission success. While at speed, the crew and members of the tactical team can be subject to severe impacts and harsh elements for long periods of time. A RIB, with its deep V hull and inflatable tube, mitigates that by providing a far smoother and dryer ride than hard sided vessels. A less bruised and battered group of Special Forces is far more capable to perform at the top of their game when they reach their destination. Tactical forces require an open light weight high speed platform... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 11:53 AM | Comments (1)
January 03, 2008
Making a Tube
I've been asked countless times how the tubes on our boats are made and though I've explained it verbally, I think you would all agree a picture and video is far better than a thousand words. I found these three videos showing how a tube is made on YouTube and thought you'd all enjoy. Though not a RIBCRAFT tube, the process is very similar. You'll notice that the video is sped up in places which makes watching it a little easier. Too bad it doesn't take 27 minutes in real life to make a tube. Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions. Part 1: Selecting and cutting the fabric, sanding all pieces, attaching the sections, installing the fill and pressure relief valves. Part 2: Preparing and forming the baffles, adding the bow section, beginning to form the tube Part 3: Forming the tube, installing the baffles, and beginning to attach to the hull... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)
October 22, 2007
Removable Tubes
Kathy's question to my October 4th posting was a great one. It brings up a great point – that in theory, a removable tube is a good idea, but in practice doesn't always work. The thought is that if you have a problem with your tube, you can easily remove it, package it up, and send it to the manufacturer to repair and then simply "slide" the tube back on the boat when it's fixed. The reality is, it's just not that simple, as Kathy has learned. 9 times out of 10, customers with removable tubes have to bring the boat to a local service center to have them removed or reattached. In my opinion this defeats to purpose of having them. It's always intrigued me why our competitors that offer RIBs with removable tubes would tout how easy a tube is to remove for repair. It begs the question why you need it to be easy to remove in... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2007
A Beautiful Sight!
We’ve long said, that the United State’s RIB market is about 10 years behind the European boating market and though I still believe that to be the case, I saw a beautiful site this weekend. While out on a RIBCRAFT 5.85 Sunday morning, within a few short moments I crossed paths with four other RIBs enjoying one of the first real days of summer in the North East. For a RIB enthusiast such as me, it was truly invigorating. Still excited, I decided to count the number of RIBs I saw on my way back in. In our harbor alone, I counted over 25! (I defined a RIB as any rigid inflatable over 13’ with a center console). Though there is still a long way for RIBs to go in the US until we catch up with the UK, it’s nice to see that more and more boaters and safety professionals are seeing the light!... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 11:39 AM | Comments (2)
March 20, 2007
How Do You Tell A ’06 Engine From A ’07 engine?
YOU CAN’T! I’m not too sure how many people know about this, but many of the leading outboard manufacturers, Yamaha, Honda, and Mercury to name a few, have done away with model year designations on their engines. Yamaha started in 2006 followed by Honda and Mercury with what was to be the 2007 model year. Their reasoning for this was to help dealers and boat builders so that they wouldn’t be stuck with engines from the “wrong” model year. For me, it’s aggravating and rather single-minded on the part of the engine manufacturers – what about us, the consumer? What they didn’t think of was the customer – how can we be sure we’re getting latest and newest engine? What about when it comes to financing a new boat – will not having a model year wreak havoc on the process? But more importantly, what if I want to buy a used boat – how do I know how old... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2007
The NEW 90HP Honda!
Honda has finally launched the redesigned BF75 and BF90 outboards, at the Southampton Boat Show in England. We at RIBCRAFT have been waiting for this for quite some time as the Honda 90 is our engine of choice for the 19' RIBCRAFT 190 and 5.85. Designed and built with RIBs in mind, these new fuel injected engines are lighter, 20% more fuel efficient, and far more powerful than their predecessors. With these two models, Honda has launched a new technology called BLAST which is fantastic for the RIB world. BLAST stands for Boosted Low Speed Torque which advances the engine’s timing to deliver incredible acceleration out of the hole that some have noticed was lacking from the older 90HP engines. In addition to the low end power/ acceleration, the new 90 engine enjoys a turbo-like kick when operating from about 4900rpm through to the engine’s new 6300rpm rev limit. This new “turbo” is a result of Honda’s VTEC technology or... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 10:36 AM | Comments (2)
December 05, 2006
The Birth of RIBs
There was a comment to one of my postings from a month or so ago that raised the question of who was the first to dream up the concept of a RIB. I thought it was an excellent comment, so, where did the RIB come from? Its origins date back to around the turn of the 20th Century. To talk about the birth of RIBs, one has to discuss the advent of inflatable boats. In large part, we have the Titanic to thank for our boats. With the loss of life of the Titanic in 1912 and the considerable losses experienced to US ships during World War I, the need for a solution was clear. After this, an international agreement was signed to provide safeguards for passenger safety aboard ships; creating the first SOLAS treaty. One of its major provisions was to ensure that every vessel had enough lifeboats to provide every person aboard the ship with a place. This... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2006
Faster Than A Speeding Jet?
In my opinion, water jets on RIB’s are a mixed bag. On the one hand, they allow better maneuverability, shallow water navigation, and at high speeds they are more efficient then most traditional propulsion set-ups. But, their efficiency is really a Catch 22. Though at high speeds jets are rather efficient, operating a boat with a jet at lower speeds is actually inefficient. Jets reduce the horsepower output of an engine by about 20%+ until you hit the sweet spot on the power curve. At that point, the resistance is lowered such where the jet begins to assist as opposed to hurt the efficiency. This is why typically jet boats require larger horse powered engines. Depending on how the boat is used, the jet is either a good idea or a bad one. For the local harbor cruiser, I'd say no. Similarly I wouldn’t recommend a jet for a patrol boat, harbormaster, or even a local first responder with small... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 09:43 AM | Comments (1)
June 19, 2006
The Three Types of Tubes
There are three different tube materials used by RIB manufacturers; PVC, Polyurethane, and Hypalon. We’re often asked what are the advantages and disadvantages of the three materials. As a manufacturer of professional grade RIBs, we prefer Hypalon for its overall strength and longevity, however the others do have their benefits. We just think that Hypalon has more – that’s why our standard tubes are made of Hypalon. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) As a material for building tubes, polyvinylchloride (PVC) has the disadvantage of being hard: it lacks flexibility. To make it supple, an additive is used with the polymer. This additive vaporizes as the material ages, making the PVC brittle which allows it to crack easily. A PVC tube is the cheapest option and lasts approximately five years. Polyurethane Tubes made of polyurethane (PU) are difficult to manufacture and even more difficult to repair. PU has the advantage of being very tough, but unfortunately to make PU airtight, it has to... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 05:43 PM | Comments (4)
April 14, 2006
Safe Boating?
I was flipping through a boating magazine this morning and counted four ads showing powerboats soaring out of the water looking, in my opinion, very much out of control. In a time when boating safety is moving to the forefront as it should, I’m amazed that manufacturers would show their boats in such a state. I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t really make me think of safe responsible boating or that my experience on that boat will be safe when I see a boat flying off a wave with spray flying and propellers spinning in a blur – though in some respects it does appeal to my male ego and gets the testosterone flowing. To see an image like this suggests that either the boat is poorly designed or the manufacturer in some indirect way condones unsafe and irresponsible operating habits. With boating fatalities and accidents on a rise, I think all of us in the marine industry... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 10:41 AM | Comments (6)
April 05, 2006
Buying A RIB
Even though RIBs are still relatively new to the US boating scene, there’s still a great variety of RIBs to choose from. So, what should you look for when it’s time to purchase a new RIB? I've come up with a brief list of 6 major items to think about and look for when buying a RIB that should help you through the process. 1) First and foremost - decide how you plan to use the boat. Will you be using the boat for work or pleasure? Do you want a boat that can handle anything mother nature throws your way or are you looking for a boat that’s comfortable for lounging around on and having cocktails during the evening harbor cruise? Perhaps you want a boat for diving or fishing? This simple question will make your decision much easier and your search more focused. If you’re looking for a rescue craft, then look at the companies that specialize in... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 04:22 PM | Comments (1)
March 24, 2006
RIB Manufacturer Recognized
I love hearing of how RIBs respond in action and in real rescue situations. It's always great to see the boats and their operators being recognized. If you know of any such stories, I'd love to hear about them. Here's one worthy of some additional recognition - "The American Boat & Yacht Council Foundation honored Zodiac of North America and the Zodiac Academy Flood Response Team with the Bunzl Boating Safety Award for their rescue and relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina. The Flood Response Team, with Zodiac’s support, immediately answered the call to action in the Gulf region. The rescue team deployed to New Orleans with trucks, trailers, RIBs, engines, generators, communications equipment, fuel and a team of volunteers who aided in the search and recovery effort. The rescue team was instrumental in training first responders on how to operate the inflatables and RIBs to scout areas of the flooded city for survivors, according to ABYC. The Bunzl Boating Safety... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 09:20 AM | Comments (1)
March 20, 2006
Tough as RIBs
Here’s a great little excerpt from an article in the online publication MarineLink from today entitled “Prime RIBs”, in which Zodiac’s Coast Guard customer support manager Bob Beck reinforces just how versatile and durable RIBs are: “The group set up Camp Katrina in Algiers, directly across the Mississippi River from the devastation in New Orleans. "We did search and rescue, transporting dead bodies and a hundred other things these versatile RIBs can do," Beck reported. "We carried out these missions during the day and repaired any vessel that needed work at night. These RIBs traveled over wrought iron fences, debris in the water and submerged cars, putting an end to those who thought RIBs were not tough enough for these severe, even brutal conditions," Beck added. "We served basically as the maritime arm for the 82nd Airborne who did the "heavy lifting" as far as the missions were concerned. I will never forget traveling down Canal Street in a RIB,"... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 05:32 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2006
RIB PIONEERS ON THE FRONTIER
For some reason, RIBs don’t share the same popularity here in the United States as they do in Europe. But their acceptance and reputation is growing leaps and bounds; in fact the RIB market is the fastest growing segment of the marine industry in the States today. Even still, Europe, and especially the UK, is about a dozen years ahead of the US RIB market. Brits have long enjoyed the many advantages of RIB’s while the vast majority of boaters here in the US are just beginning to understand what these boats are all about. One of the best indications of how RIB popularity is gaining strength comes from evolving perceptions at boat shows. We started keeping track of people’s reactions and comments at recreational boat shows four years ago, at that time their comments said it all: “what is it?”, “what do you do with a boat like that?”, “those seats look like mail boxes”, “it must be like... read morePosted by ribcraftusa at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
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