Meng_Tze(Offline)

Here in the US most dives are done from charter boats or private boats. Friends of mine have boats, but as you can understand, diving off of those depends on their availability. Charters are also sometimes not going, have issues with us showing up with all our gear for the dive (doubles, stages, deco). So I want to look into getting a RIB. Heard good things and not so.

What is the low down on:

• getting on/off the boat? (I have heard back drop, ladders -side and back-
• is it as stable in the water as they say?

Some ideas from you guys in europe would be great, there are not that many RIB's in the private sector here in FL.....

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LCF(Offline)

We don't own a boat, but we dove with a charter operation in Australia that runs RIBs. The boat seemed very stable in the water (albeit a choppy ride at speed!) Entry was by back roll, which was fun, and we reboarded via a side ladder without difficulty. You can see a photograph of the RIBs they use here.

cold water diver(Offline)

I have a 16ft soft bottom bombard. They are very stable in the water. The method I use to get out of the water is I have lines hanging off the side with large boltsnaps on them. We just doff our gear, take hold of the grablines, duck into the water a bit, kick like a fiend and pop up onto the pontoon. Very easy to do with a bit of practice. To get in we just backroll or do a seated entry and pick our deco tanks off of the lines and away we go. Hope this helps


Harv

Woz(Offline)

As a diver who has plopped off lots of RIBs then I would say that it really depends on what size RIB you get.

Something like a 5.5m RIB is JUST big enough for 6 divers with a single tank setup and can be towed reasonably easily. If you are diving twinsets with stages then you'll need something bigger as a RIB can become very cluttered very fast- no way can you get 6 divers with big twins on a small RIB.

Getting in the water is simple- kit up (which is the trickiest part in a rocky sea) then fall off backwards. Getting back in is trickier and if you are DIR, much that it is frowned upon, you WILL need a break in your left shoulder strap- pulling off twin 12's either over your head or wiggling your arms out in a swell with a RIB trying to brain you is positively dangerous- you need to be out of it double quick. Then off with your weightbelt (if it's a heavy one) and after a quick couple of dips to gather momentum, launch yourself up and fin like crazy. There is no elegant way to do this- you will end up looking like a seal hauling itself out!

Also- think about the engine you'll need- a leisure RIB at 6m will quite happily bound along with a 100hp but stick a load of divers and their kit on and you'll struggle to get on the plane. You'll also need a stainless bottle rack as diving gear bouncing up and down plays merry hell with fuel lines, steering cables and electrics.

As for stability, they are incredibly stable when at rest 'cos of all that buoyancy in the tubes.

I look after 3 boats for the club- a RIB and 2 inflatables. The inflatables are, although not as glamorous, good dive platforms for inshore use and easy to tow and launch.

Here's our 5.5m RIB. It's good for 6 divers with singles- we're fitting a bottle rack at the moment.



and one of the inflatables:

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jamesd(Offline)

Hi,

I really like RIB diving. When it works well then it is very rewarding. I have done most of my RIB diving off the south coast of england. Here there are an increasing number of excellent hardboats which don't mind if you turn up with full tech gear but RIB's are still great fun.

Getting in is simple, fall off the side. I would not bother with ladders on a RIB to get out. With a small amount of fitness and technique then it is easy to get yourself back onboard. Although, you will have to dekit yourself in the water first.

We have just bought a new RIB. This will hopefully be much better than the old one. It has a deeper V and therefore should be more stable in rougher seas. It is made by RIBCRAFT. The old one had a flatter hull which provided more deck space at the expense of seaworthyness!

The problem with RIB diving is that in addition to all the dive planning you need some knowledge about boats and navigation to do it safely. The boat logistics take more time than the dive logistics in many cases. It also helps if all of your friends on the boat have some skills in driving the boat so can act as good surface cover.

A 6.5m RIB should provide enough room for 6 divers with twinsets and crew. You may be able to increase this number if the divers are on singles. 2 decent engines provides redundancy (75-100bhp each for a 6.5m). Then a big 4x4 truck to get it in and out of the water. At minimum a 3.0L engine with low ratio gearbox and preferably antilock brakes (proper landrover, landcruiser etc..)

Have fun
James

davy(Offline)

RIB diving can be fun...

We often go out with this 9m osprey with 300hp inboard.
http://www.northseacharters.be/fotogallerij/trip6/6.htm
At least this size is "sea-worthy" :P

on technical trips it only takes 4 divers and 2 skippers.
That's a drawback of the inboard engine... it takes a lot of space, but also makes a nice sun deck in good weather
And it's very stable because of the weight... it's ass is in the water all the time... instead of skimping the waves.

getting in is the easy part.
kit up on the tube, one diver on each side. complete with stages etc. and fall backwards or sideways while holding the line to the bow where the boat is tied into the ball..

Getting out:
we have gear lines on both sides.
Hook your gear to the gear lines. hand up stages, weightbelts etc. first.
Then just get out of your gear and hand it up to the mate. because the boat is so low to the water the mate can already grab your manifold before you get out of your harness
even with a continuous webbing this is easy.
The gear is clipped at all times so it can be dropped if needed and not sink to the bottom.
A long hose is great here too since it can be breathed all the time even when you got out of your kit and all the way into the boat.
to get in grab the top of the tube, and with a little kick you pull yourself in.
if the mate is in a good mood he'll even take off our fins before we get in the boat
Although it can be a bit challenging in bad weather...

Meng_Tze(Offline)

Thanks all for the comments. I have also checked with some local boaters here and they say that RIB's are a good alternative. Just not so many here in FL in private sector.

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fraser(Offline)

Hey Woz,

Love the name of the RIB in pic #1.

Fraser.

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rjack (Online)

I have a 12.5 foot soft bottomed Bombard and most of what's said above has been my experience as well. Except for one part about needing a break in your BP webbing. This is not necessary IMHO.

To get back into the boat I:
1) Cip off the BP to a 3-4' long cord attached to the rope on the tube. I use a standard boltsnap. This saves the tanks in case they get away from you in a few steps...
2) Remove backup reg.
3) Flip the long hose over my head
4) Lie on back
5) Deflate wing until it starts to sink
6) Let arms fall backwards slightly while pulling sideways on inflator and right D-ring
7) Slip out of harness but retain grip on inflator
8) Reinflate wing

Then ditch the weightbelt onto the boat and reboard by swimming up and in.

Given the choice, I'd prefer to have a hard bottom RIB and two a bit larger than 12.5' I can currently handle 2 divers with doubles and stage each and a boat tender. But its cramped and you wouldn't want to travel very far. Oh and yes even the smallest inflatable you'd want to dive from (~10') is quite stable.

I would highly recommend getting a 4-cycle engine. Much quieter, less pollution, and you can carry less fuel - saving some weight and interior space for stuff.

Approach questionable weather with much respect - the Zodiac brochures and such would suggest you can just fly over monster waves and have a blast. Not recommended. RIBs and even more so, soft bottoms are highly sensitive to small seas - everything, including you, gets a good bouncing.

Richard

Woz(Offline)

The soggy is called "Brian" and the other soggy "Naughty Boy" although we are considering changing it to "Bob" as it works on so many levels. Plus it's full name would be "Bob- short for Kate". Although "Spidge" is quite popular too. As is "Ermintrude".

Hmmmmmmmm. More beer anyone?

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