F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

Howdy Y'all! Skip down below if you just want to see my STORAGE question.
I will try to keep the background brief as I kinda went into some of this in my introduction post but hopefully what I have learned will be helpful to others new to all this!

I am new to boating and motors, although I have done miles of open water paddleboard trips so I know I will enjoy a small craft. I am in sub-tropical Hilton Head, South Carolina with mazes of salt water marshland, tidal rivers etc to explore and harvest crustaceans/shell fish (sometimes hook/line fishing)

I have been researching for a few weeks now and here is where I am at, let me know if I went off the rails somewhere please and many many thanks!

So,

I need a boat that can be stored indoors between uses since local storage would cost me about 1,000 dollars a year. That had me looking at 3-4 meter SIBS.

I didn't like the idea of a pure air floor. While they are the lightest and most portable, the nature of my exploring would leave me vulnerable to hull damage. Razor sharp oyster beds and all that. I also wanted to be able to stand stable in the boat and have a robust material between me and the aforementioned oysters in case of an emergency.

I will also be beaching the craft for island exploration and oyster harvesting etc more often than I assume these SIBs are intended for on sometimes less than sandy beaches (shells, stray razor oysters, dried marsh reeds etc)

I quickly realized I would be spending my time on the water worrying more about the hazards than I would be enjoying myself. Of course some worry and caution is good but I knew I would be too anxious to venture far - so why bother I say.

For a moment I thought a SIB with Aluminum decking and inflatable V hull was my perfect boat - like the Zodiac Cadet 3.5 alu - a boat that, from my research, seems the perfect middle ground in terms of water performance/ease of storage for those torn between SIB/RIB of this size.

This style SIB would provide me with a stable platform to stand,still be very simple to store and although a little heavier than an air deck would feel a little more stable while underway. Albeit they are a little more hassle than an air deck SIB to assemble as well.

However, our waters are so littered with these oyster beds and while most are visible on the muddy banks, some of the little devils are on mounds in the water. Sometimes hidden by the high tide.

Finally, I decided for my own piece of mind and so I would have the confidence to properly explore the area I will need a Aluminum RIB or Frib (fold-able rib). Frib is best for my needs but unfortunately in the USA options are limited and prices are double what a RIB would cost.

So, RIB it is! I really like the Zodiac 330 or 360 Cadet Alu RIBs with a 15hp 4 stroke Tohatsu (Tohatsu mainly cause I hear they are lighter and cheaper yet still super reliable)

BUT remember I need to store this thing!
STORAGE

Whilst I think I finally found the perfect boat for me in the Zodiac Cadet alu RIB 330 or 360, It is certainly NOT the most compact boat to store indoors!

The 360 is still 3.1 meters long when "packed" and 1 meter wide. It is kinda flat though at half a meter. I will probably go with the 360 for a little extra space/capacity for gear as well as for some reason I don't like the idea of putting the maximum hp on the transom. So 360 is rated for 20hp and again I am going with 15hp.

SO here is my CRAZY plan - In my mind this will be quicker/easier than assembling an aluminum SIB AND be more protective from water hazard WHILE giving me a faster more agile boat - Although I hear a small RIB is a rougher ride in choppy conditions - worth the trade off for my needs.

I live alone with a spare room so all I have to do it get this 110 pound 10 foot long beast up the 1 set of stairs to my front door. The stairs are an issue as they are kind of narrow at 1 meter and twisty.
But I have GREAT access over the railing right to the front door I planned on getting a sturdy 1000 lb limit attachment to screw into the wood above - something like this
Then I would use a single point electric hoist with at least 200lb+ limit to hoist the deflated RIB over the railing and on to a little wheeled furniture mover which I could roll into the spare room.

And to launch I would winch it down into my truck bed with one of these bed extenders


It would only cost about as much as 3 months storage fees to set this up as explained.

So hypothetically I would be able store my boat for its lifetime out of the 100+f degree heat which I hear will extend the PVC life and glue - while being able to get on the water as fast if not faster than setting up a Alu deck SIB....

If you made it to this far I am forever grateful! Please let me know what you think of my plans or if you have any questions or clarification needed!

Thank you for taking the time to help and enable me to get out and properly enjoy the water I have been putz paddling around on for 6 years!

Cheers and again many thanks! I hope this isn't the longest post on the forum haha

Hi, you've been busy on the research! I think your choice of boat is a good one. Re storage: I used to have a Portabote (14 ft version) I used to keep it in my garage hoisted on straps to the ceiling, I could lower it onto my roof rack, secure and drive away. Looking at your pics, do you have a space in the under house parking area where you could have a pulley system. maybe deflate to get it higher and flush with the beams?
Just a thought from looking at your pics.
Mike

warder54 wrote: ↑

02 May 2020, 10:09

Hi, you've been busy on the research! I think your choice of boat is a good one. Re storage: I used to have a Portabote (14 ft version) I used to keep it in my garage hoisted on straps to the ceiling, I could lower it onto my roof rack, secure and drive away. Looking at your pics, do you have a space in the under house parking area where you could have a pulley system. maybe deflate to get it higher and flush with the beams?
Just a thought from looking at your pics.
Mike

Thanks Mike! That is a great idea - unfortunately we dont have assigned parking and the HOA prob wouldn't go for it - I figured with removable hoist i could be a little stealthy about it - but others have expressed concerned about my single point attachment to the timber about - someone recommended bolting through but then it will certainly be noticeable :/

Ill figure this out! lol

cheers!

Seems I might be able to store IN my truck bed when I know I will be going out a bunch and only have to hoist it for longer term storage.
Boat is 39 in wide and truck bed is 41.5...

https://www.zodiac-nautic.com/en/shop/p ... cadet-alu/

Cadet RIB Alu 360, passengers allowed: 6

My F-Rib 360 only allows 4 person. Bah! Unfare, very unfare...

HiltonheadMatt

I wanted a boat to use at East Tawas Michigan on Lake Huron and ended up with a F-Rib 375 with a 20 hp Mercury EFI motor. The boat is great and I love to take out the grand kids. The F-Rib 375 was the max weight I could drag down the beach from my cottage alone. At 65 with a few health problems I probably should have gone with the F-360 as its slightly lighter, but I was never one to not got as big as possible. My 30 year old son-in-law has no problem alone. I also considered a folding boat from Porta Boat or Quick Boat but the F-Rib fit my situation the best.

You're right about the oyster beds. We knew where they were but still a strong gust blew us over the edge of them and easily sliced up our hull. Thankfully it was easy for me to repair. I think you're right in having an alum hull.

I stored our 4.6m SIB folded in the back of our 2 car-long garage and then loaded it into a minivan end over end like a domino. Had a 4 wheel cart to push it around but still heavy and clumsy. 20 hp 4s motor was lifted from a dolly onto a rack that attached to the tow bar. All assembled at the shore. I have too much experience trying to move those things around that I'd rather forget. Although heavy, it's not the weight that gets you as much as the awkwardness of the item. Neither is easy to get a grip on and maneuver around. Anticipate it being much harder than what you think! Even if you use dollies or lifting mechanisms, you'll have to muscle those things into position somehow. Much harder to do after being out in the weather on the water all day and after having assembled / disassembled the boat, motor and gear.

You'll need a way to swing the load point out past the railing of your upper deck otherwise it's going to be a major pain getting it up & over without hurting your back. You should also use a pulley at your connection point. Dropping equipment onto bed of truck or onto moving dollies at the upper deck is your best option.

I'd take their measurements and add 1.5x. Things never go back the way that they fold or package them.

Seem to recall way back you started off wanting a sib.

With that in mind have you considered one of the lightweight inflatable catamarans. They are fast, fun, very light, loads of deck space for size, pack down small and go extremely well with smaller 10hp outboards.

However the big advantage, with regard to oyster beds, is the hull being clear of the water with only the tubes in contact with the water both on and of the plane. Most cats seem to have full length rubbing strakes under tubes as standard, and would imagine it’s feasible to fit additional full length strakes to either side. Effectively protecting all of the tube areas below the waterline with a thick sacrificial second skin against damage by those pesky oyster beds.


Makes that spring to mind are Takacat, True Kit and Saturn.

In fact the 12’ Saturn MC365 seems a bit of bargain at $899 at the moment;
https://www.saturnrafts.com/12-saturn-catamaran.html

Coupled with a 10hp motor reckon this would go well on the water and be a breeze to transport and store in your first floor apartment...without pissing off the landlord/neighbours.

Damn that thing is cooool I had seen em but wrote em off cause the tubes but you might be onto something with the rubber ... since op my dad has taken interest and he has proper adult money but we are still going to start small with something like the 360 alu RIB by Zodiac with maybe even a 20hp

will probably add these rubber guards to areas on the tube still if not along the whole bottom !

Once we upgrade to a larger boat in the future I will probably come back and save for one of these cats to take out solo and zip around