Green Boater looking for guidance!

[HiltonHeadMatt]

Hey Y'all glad to be here! Here is a little info on why I am here and some background, Cheers!

Mission: Looking for a boat for general purpose solo exploration/nature sighting, some recreational crabbing/shell fishing as well as the occasional hook/line fishing, local overnight camping and passenger cruises(no more than 3 adults total).

Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina USA - Unlike most coastal areas, there is no crisp divide between land and water here. Instead, our salt water creeks,rivers, inlets etc are flanked by miles of tidal salt marsh. Some with sandy banks but most complete with a fortress of razor sharp oyster beds surrounding and within.

Climate: 100f+/38c+ with 100% humidity in Summer / Rarely if ever gets to Freezing in Winter

Storage: Must be somewhat manageable to disassemble and store indoors or partially disassemble and store in 6ft truck bed (potentially on a over bed/cab rack?) Mainly because I am already stretching the budget for the setup and I really don't want to have to pay for a trailer and monthly storage space also. Plus I hear the glue and PVC does not like extreme heat/UV so storing it indoors between uses must be good for the boat in the respect?

Background: Skilled on a Paddle board, have made a 8 mile trip across open waters (tidal river mouth 4 miles to another island then back) So I am comfortable on a small vessel but have absolutely 0 boating/motor experience. And I am dying to explore further without dying of exhaustion!


Sorry got a little carried away! Maybe I should save the rest for the forums Looking forward to getting out further than my paddle board could ever take me! Cheers and happy boating!

HiltonHeadMatt

[HiltonHeadMatt]

After reviewing forums and youtube endlessly for hours and hours I think I'm close to decided on a Zodiac Cadet RIB Alu 330 or 360 with 15hp 4 stroke Tohatsu Fuel injected model...mostly to protect from so many razor sharp oysters. The price is not much different than the Zodiac Cadet SIB w/ Alu sectional decking and the RIB is actually lighter!

The ONLY problem I see is - can I manhandle the awkward RIB (about 3m deflated) upstairs into my place to store (ill just deal with having a cool boat in the spare bedroom i guess hahah) Ill go make a post on this tomorrow when I can take some pictures for reference. Cheers y'all getting stoked!

[ChrisParish]

Hey there HiltonHeadMatt!

3m is tiny on the water but very large in a stairway! I totally see why you want the rib, to give yourself some protection from the oysters. Storage is definitely your main issue here and I can’t advise much as I haven’t seen one of these ribs deflated. However, if you could sort out some alternative storage have you look at boats which are rotomolded from polypropylene? They aren’t very easy to get hold of in some places but they are essentially indestructible and would be immune to sharp oysters, jaggedy ol’ rocks and alligator bites!

[HiltonHeadMatt]

Thank you for the response Chris! There don't seem to be many of those around but if you have a link, even if its not available in USA I would def check em out. I like the idea that while bulky at least a RIB can kind of lean against a well somewhere inside - although maybe i could store the roto plastic boat in the television room and watch movies in the boat hahah

I think I am onto something though - for the 3.3 or 3.6 meter RIB storage. For the cost of about 3 months storage space I am thinking about getting one of these and hoisting it right to my front door

I am gonna take some pictures and post the idea tomorrow for review haha

Cheers - thank you again!

[HiltonHeadMatt]

Before I do that do you mind telling how to make pictures smaller?

thanks - cheers!

[sonny1]

i dont believe it . ive never heard of hilton head island until this morning when i read your profile . i then go onto facebook and the first thing i see are some security guards removing a huge alligator called george from someones garden !!! where? , hilton head island . was it your garden @HiltonHeadMatt

[harrison]

This is a nutty one.

Agree with @ChrisParish that ideally one of the virtually indestructible rotomoulded poly boats from say Rigiflex, Whaly, Pioneer or Polycraft would be ideal for regular kissing razor sharp oyster beds. Also acknowledge they’re heavy and non folding so probably of no use to you anyway. Pretty sure I’ve seen a sectional roto poly boat somewhere out there, but can’t recall where at the moment. Nestaway here in the UK do sectional rigid boats and canoes, but none really suitable for spirited coastal use.

See why you’re drawn to the ally hull ribs but the tubes particularly at the rear will still be in the water and prone to damage, more so at non planing speeds. You could always add full length heavy duty wear pads/liners under the waterline to act as a sacrificial layer. Many commercial grade sibs have these. For serious water line protection have a look at the Russian Solar jet boat sibs which are designed to tackle rocky river rapids and shallows. Insane.

To accommodate your storage issues have you considered an FRib. Still need to seriously protect u/s of toobs, but at least it has a rigid hull and folds up.

Out of interest what do others use in your neck of the woods?
A ‘tinny’ springs to my mind....as good for marshes and creeks etc.

[eddzoid]

Nautical Ventures
50 South Bryan Rd,
Dania Beach, FL 33004
Directions | Website
Phone: 954-926-5250
Fax: 954-926-5249
Email: frib@foldablerib.com

Try these guys. I bought my FRIB360 on finance in the UK.


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[HiltonHeadMatt]

Nautical Ventures
50 South Bryan Rd,
Dania Beach, FL 33004

O hey! You're on the other forum too, thanks!! As I mentioned there unfortunately they are double to cost of the zodiacs - unless i absolutely cant store a RIB i think they are out of the budget

Cheers!

[HiltonHeadMatt]

i dont believe it . ive never heard of hilton head island until this morning when i read your profile . i then go onto facebook and the first thing i see are some security guards removing a huge alligator called george from someones garden !!! where? , hilton head island . was it your garden?

hhaha no, they only remove them once they get bigger than 10 ft (about the size of the RIB I am looking at come to think of it! ) lol
This is my little guy in the pond 5 meters off the back porch at my parents house. Probably over 1 meter but under 2m.

They are rarely if ever in the salt water though and mostly occupy the brakish ponds and rivers and golf course water hazards! We do have Bulls, Tigers, Hammerheads and Whites around though - almost always a bit off shore.

Now you see why I started getting so concerned about a rigid hull! I figure with any puncture emergency a rigid hull will struggle back to safety better than a SIB?

hahah Cheers!

O and Hilton Head is on the South Eastern United States coast in the State of South Carolina. About a 2 hour drive from the deep swamps in Florida/Georgia the Okefenokee Swamp etc