What is a RIB?

RIB stands for Rigid Inflatable Boat.

Most often RIB’s are used as tenders for larger boats to get back and forth from the boat to the dock or shore. The Inflatable part are the tubes on the outside. These are key, because unlike a fully rigid tender, the tubes protect the larger boat from dings and scratches. You also use these tubes to sit on while driving so you can fit more people and gear in the tender.

RIBs can also be used for other purposes like a personal dive boat, often coast guards or marine police use larger ones for their duties. Pound for pound, RIB’s are an excellent platform for a cruising sailor to carry large amounts of provisions, people and gear. We use ours like our car, every time we need to get to shore we use the RIB.

What is the Rigid Part made from?

Almost all RIBs feature a bottom made from fiberglass or aluminum.

Aluminum is much lighter and more durable than fiberglass, it’s also more expensive. Most RIBs come with aluminum floors, but some are still made from fiberglass. Fiberglass is easily repairable, which in my opinion is about its only redeeming quality on a RIB.

Intended Use

In my opinion, how you intend to use your tender is the single most important factor in purchasing a dinghy.

As stated above, our dinghy is our car on the boat, and I haven’t actually owned an actual car in a very long time. I’m a truck guy, I surf, scuba dive, hike, camp, hunt, ski and other loads of activities where I need a truck. My boating style is no different.

When we’re cruising we’re scuba diving, snorkeling, provisioning and exploring, plus we occasionally have guests we’re doing this stuff with. Our dinghy and motor combination reflect our cruising style. We have a tough dinghy with a robust motor than can push us and our gear. I even have a spare prop that can help us plane with heavier loads.

If I have four people in the dinghy with dive gear and we are going four miles to a dive site.

There are other cruisers that only need a small dinghy and have an electric motor. They’re not going very far, and don’t care how fast they get there. Light provisioning are the heaviest loads they carry. This is a totally different style of cruising than I am used to, but there are a lot of people out there that cruise like this.

Hypalon vs. PVC

Hypalon is a DuPont trademarked synthetic rubber that is resistant to chemicals, temperature extremes and UV light. PVC is a synthetic thermoplastic that is not quite as resistant to chemicals, temperature and UV light. Hypalon is quite a bit more expensive than PVC.

If you are going to be in the tropics, you definitely want hypalon tubes. UV rays eat PVC for breakfast, the hypalon is going to double or triple the life of your dinghy. If you’re outside of the tropics and only use your tender in the summer, PVC is probably going to be ok for you.

Our RIB is Hypalon, and we still cover it when we leave the boat, and in the future we’re going to make protective chaps for UV and chafing protection.

Hypalon is the better material, but you pay for it.

Double floor vs. Single floor

Some manufacturers offer two options for the RIB floor, a regular single layer floor, or a double layer option. The double layer option is nicer to walk on and you can run hoses or electrical wires between them so you don’t step on or trip over them. Overall it is a much cleaner look.

The drawback is it adds weight to the dinghy. My personal dinghy has a double layer floor, but I really thought about getting the single layer option. In the end, I’m glad I went the way I did, but it is something to consider.  

If you are dragging your dinghy up on the beach a lot or hoisting it from a halyard you may really want to consider the single floor option which is going to be lighter.

Size of Your Main Boat and Lifting System

Generally boats have some type of lifting system for a tender. Wild Rose is a 42 foot catamaran with a robust davit system on the stern. We can handle a pretty big dinghy, and ours lifts with the engine in place for day sailing or short hops. If we go offshore we put the motor on the aft motor mount or for long passages we store it under the cockpit table.

If you own a monohull with no davits and you hoist your dinghy on the deck for passages you are going to be limited to a size that will fit on your front deck. You’re also going to be lifting it with a halyard, so you may want it to be more easily maneuverable.

You need to give some serious thought on how you are going to manage the dinghy when going to sea. We absolutely never tow ours because we don’t have to. Other boats often need to tow theirs for short distances. When going offshore you should never tow a dinghy, it can flip and then you have big problems.

Highfield

Highfield makes a great rigid inflatable, that’s why we own one. They’re not the most expensive, but I feel like the value for the money is really good. They have a great reputation and good durability.

AB Inflatables

AB makes a variety of RIBs and has been for more than 50 years. I see a ton of these in the Caribbean. I would not hesitate to buy an AB for a second. They are a great price for the quality and design. You cannot go wrong with an AB.

Williams

Williams makes a different kind of a RIB that is jet propelled with an internal engine. These things are cool and fast. Probably not suitable if you need a removable engine for long distance passages, for the right situation this is a great tender. They have really big ones down to a 9’2” model.

For me the biggest limiting factor is I cannot remove the engine for a long passage. Some yacht builders are putting garages in the stern for dinghy storage, the Williams is perfect for something like that.

Brig

These are high end luxury tenders. Their smallest model, the Eagle 3.5 has a console and minimally is suitable for larger monohulls or medium size catamarans. These are not the type of tenders you would be dragging up a beach.

However, if you have a big yacht and want a really nice tender, these would be on my list to consider.

Zar Formenti

Made in Italy, Zar has all kinds of tenders and RIBs from really basic to ultra-high end. They come in all kinds of price points as well. They undoubtedly have something for just about everyone.

I’ve only seen a few of these out cruising, but they looked well-made and robust.

Zodiac

Zodiac has a wide variety of models and sizes and they’ve been making tenders for a long time. They have an entire military division, a huge distribution network and are found throughout the world. If you are looking for something flashy this probably isn’t for you, but the offer a good tender at a good value.

Achilles

Made in Japan, the Achilles Corporation has been around since 1947. They claim their proprietary hull material is more impervious to UV rays than other fabrics. I don’t know if that’s true, but they make a pretty good dinghy.

You can get them all over the US and Canada.

Walker Bay

Walker Bay makes both open RIBs and ones with a steering console. They don’t have a huge product lineup, but the products they do have are made well. They have dealers all over the world, so getting service or parts shouldn’t be an issue.

Argos

Made in the USA, Argos is more of a center console, high-end RIB manufacturer. They do have a lighter version coming soon, but no word on what this actually means. Argos has jet propulsion models as well as a diesel.

Argos models have a ton of options to what kind of flooring, color of deck paint, cushions, etc. They’re pretty pricey, definitely a high end market RIB.

Avon

Avon is a sub-brand of Zodiac Marine. They are a little more budget friendly, but still a great RIB. Recently they launched an electric jet-drive tender. This is pretty interesting to me, but not quite right for my purposes.

Avon makes a good boat, they are coming out with a plethora of models.

Caribe

Caribe makes a nice RIB, they’re not the fanciest, but they are very affordable. I sell them all over the place and they definitely look like they can take a beating. Definitely one to consider if you are in the market for a new RIB

Mercury

From the makers of Mercury outboards, they also make a fiberglass bottom RIB. A little heavy for my liking, they are pretty durable. Personally I favor aluminum bottom RIBs, but someone might be looking for a fiberglass bottom, this could be one for you. I don’t believe at this time they are sold in the US, only internationally.

Ribcraft

Ribcraft is an excellent manufacturer of RIBs, but their smallest model is 15’ long. So, if you’re looking for a tender that is going to be a little too big for most people looking at this list. I added them here anyway because they make a really good RIB. They are geared a little more toward military and police markets, but depending on what you are looking for they could be right for your spec.

Sealegs

Sealegs is more of a high end luxury tender. Their smallest one is 12.5 feet long, so a little too big for your average sailboat. Bear Gryll’s owns one of these if that tells you anything about the quality. The reason they are called Sealegs is they have wheels and can drive out of the water. Pretty slick.  

Bonus:

Takacat

These are interesting tenders that are actually a little catamaran. They have inflatable floors. For a smaller sailboat this could be a really nice option. They look like you might get a little wet to me, but in the tropics that wouldn’t be a big deal.

Offshore Cruising Tenders

These are great tenders that are much lighter than the average RIB. The benefit of the OC Tender is that they are fully rigid and do not degrade in the sun like a Hypalon tubed RIB. The big drawback is that they are about 1/3 more expensive than the price of a comparable RIB.  

Oceancraft

Oceancraft makes an entirely aluminum tubed and hulled tender. They actually put pads on the outside to prevent dings and scrapes on the hull of your main boat. Seemingly they will last forever as you can have them re-welded and repaired over time. They are made in Australia.  

What would I get? Well, as I stated above, there is a reason I own a Highfield. I feel like they offer the most durability for the money. Highfield is probably on the higher end of the spectrum for cost as well as quality, but we use our tender every day. If I couldn’t have a Highfield I would probably go for an AB. AB makes a great boat.

That said, eventually our tender will wear out no matter well we take care of it. At that point I will probably think long and hard about an OC Tender.