Printer Friendly
Email a Friend
Rubber RIB Debuts at Seawork
01 Jun 2006
The craft was developed to meet a perceived requirement in the marketplace for an inflatable that could be easily carried by two men and transported inside a utility vehicle but at the same time had a considerable load carrying capability. The RRIB has a packed eight of 110kg but will carry a payload of 900kg. Powered by a 40 to 50hp outboard (or two 25s), the boat has been tested to MCA Workboat regulations and has the special advantage that it can be transported without a trailer to the most inaccessible of locations, in the back of a four wheel drive vehicle.
It is not surprising that the RRIB was originally developed for the military market but, following in the footpath of earlier successful military/commercial crossover craft, De Batts is convinced of its suitability for a variety of commercial workboat applications normally undertaken by heavier, less transportable and more expensive craft. Such roles would include dive tender, inshore hydro survey boat, SAR craft for river, estuary and coastal environments, marina/ sailing club safety/coaching boat, or as a wildlife/environmental/ fisheries protection services craft.
The design, which incorporates some redundancy in the event of damage, matches a RIB type hull with a replaceable inflatable floor and a wooden transom.
Apart from the wooden transom, the RRIB is constructed entirely from strong, hard wearing Hypalon and German Neoprene Dropthread materials, available in a range of colours.
At Seawork, further information about the RRIB will be available at the Eurocraft stand (Q18) on the quayside, where all interested parties can arrange for a demonstration run.
MJInformation No: 21996
Images for this article - click to enlarge
Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright © Mercator Media 2008. This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.
Related products
For more information on products mentioned within this article visit
