[paranewbi]

Thanks AmandaE for moving this to a new thread! I’m learning more and more how to navigate TalkBaja. To answer your questions…

1. What is the price range for a good RIB?

Our set up was about $5200. We didn’t know much about RIB’s at the time. The Canadians we met purchased their boats at Costco for about $700 and those were pretty comparable to the $2700 we paid for ours from an online shop. The materials were the same, the bottom configuration were the same and the size were the same.

2. How big of a motor do we need?

Motor sort of goes with the size of the boat… Usually they are rated for a maximum motor size. BUT… you don’t need the max size! A lot of the Canadians have motors from 4 to 6. Our motor was a brand new Honda 9.9 (10) and yep we can go fast and yep the Canadians were jealous. But you pay premium for what you get new. Ours was $2200 back in 2021. They go up every year. And new is quieter but not by much.

3. How do those tires work I saw in the photo?

They work great for launching and landing anywhere. Ours are the largest which makes it real easy for old guys like me. Lots of choices on YouTube. As well we have a dolly for the motor that is awesome and most are very curious about.

4. How much space does it all take?

The RIB folds up into a 4.5′ x 2′ x 1′ package. It fits snugly into one of our RV compartments. It weighs about 100 pounds. The motor is about 3′ long and fits in another compartment. Then you have the wheels, oars, canopy components, safety/maintenance/accessories (pretty much the same as with any boat). My buddy puts his RIB on top of his vehicle and the motor fits where the camping gear goes.

5, How many people go ride onboard (or weight)?

Our RIB is 10′ and holds four pretty easily. Three when fishing. Two luxuriously. One is my favorite. 🙂

As with any boat… landing in rocky areas is done with care. The bottom of today’s RIB’s are really tough. We shut down the motor and slow float to a depth where I can get out and guide the RIB to any shore. You can always row to a landing also. I can’t imagine damaging the bottom with just a little care and think it would be the same for any vessel. No boat is going to handle a collision with a rock at high speeds though.

I let my teen grand-kids take the boat out after a short training run on how to start/stop/launch/land… lesson. I also take the curious fellow out and let them control the boat so they can decide if they like it or not for their own purchase, the smiles are broad!

We love having the boat for exploration and fishing. The dolphins often swim under and in front of us as we scoot along. It really gives you more access to areas than most boats do especially in shallow areas… that’s why most sailors have them as ‘tenders’.

I have noted that on TalkBaja we can communicate privately and if anyone would wish to do that I am open to all questions… although perhaps as a boating thread an open discussion of general interest is the best way to gleen wisdom from each other about this subject.