Re: [Amel] RIBs or Other Dinghy Manufacturer Service History
Malcolm Phillips <MPhillips@...>
Hi Gary,
For what its worth I am still very pleased with my zodiac inflatable which came from Amel with the boat and the only problem i’ve had was a hairline crack in the banjo on the inflatable floor. For ease of handling with 2 of us the Seago 230 ( at a cost of £ 300 ) that I keep in the port forward locker is ideal with my 2.5 hp Mariner and stows easily aft of the cockpit when short distance cruising. My best buy recently was most definitely a new 9.8 hp 2 stroke Tohatsu which replaced the 4 hp Johnson 4 stroke which Amel supplied. The Tohatsu is the same weight as the Johnson and I can easily lift it from the rear lazarette and put on the zodiac on my own. I was told by a dealer recently that , despite the undeniably excellent performance of Honda and Yamaha engines, Tohatsu are now the largest manufacturer of outboard engines in the world and they supply several other manufacturers with the basic engine block including Mariner and , I believe Mercury. The 2 stroke is certainly the only way to go and parts are readily available from Scotland to Turkey and throughout the Med. I was not challenged in any port or Marina on the trip regarding my use of the 2 strokes and, in view of the evidence of many other instances of large scale pollution in Europe and complete disregarde of legislation, my contribution was miniscule.
Malcolm
S/M 464 Bon Jovi
From: amelyachtowners@... [mailto:amelyachtowners@...] On Behalf Of Chris Smither
Sent: 10 February 2011 00:56
To: amelyachtowners@...
Subject: Re: [Amel] RIBs or Other Dinghy Manufacturer Service History
Gary,
We had a Caribe on our Santorin for 13 years, and loved it. It was eventually nicknamed "Lazarus" as the dinghy manufacturer here in Phuket kept it serviceable each year with only minor repairs.
On our Santorin, when cruising, it fitted perfectly on top of the foredeck, behind the anchor winch, in front of the mast. I have the liferaft on the aft cabin top, and like many others have modified the existing liferaft locker into a fuel store.
Two things to watch out for......make sure that the model you buy has floor internal reinforcing struts. Early models did not have that, and the floor developed microscopic cracks which allowed the rigid base to fill with water. Once that happens you cannot lift it!!
Second, I recommend wheels on the back - then you don't have to drag it up the beach.
We replaced this year with a West Marine inflatable, not because we don't like the Caribe, but because "anno domini" means we need a lighter easier to handle model.
Best wishes
Mike & Chris
S/V Akwaaba SN027
--- On Wed, 2/9/11, amelliahona <no_reply@... <mailto:no_reply%40yahoogroups.com> > wrote:
From: amelliahona <no_reply@... <mailto:no_reply%40yahoogroups.com> >
Subject: [Amel] RIBs or Other Dinghy Manufacturer Service History
To: amelyachtowners@... <mailto:amelyachtowners%40yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 10:21 PM
Hi All:
My Avon Rover 3.4 is 10 years old and I can't seem to keep the bumper on. Other than that she is in as good a shape as on day one. I have re-glued it several times and I am just plain tired of doing it. My Honda 15 hp 4 stroke engine only has about 150 hrs of operation on it and looks and runs like it is brand new. In addition I have about $400.00 worth of spare parts for the Honda that I have never used.
Nevertheless I am considering buying a Caribe LHT-8 foot RIB that is small enough to sit fore and aft on the aft cabin roof with the pontoons extending slightly on either side of the mizzen sheet. On rare occasions I might need to shift the ding to move the traveler back there.
My question is this: Does anyone have experience with Caribe dinghies? Do they last in the Caribbean? Stowage is a bigger deal than with my roll up air floor Avon, but I would be interested in a spirited discussion of the pros and cons of RIBs vs non-RIB dinghies and in particular the service life of the various brands.
Thanks for any opinions.
Gary Silver
s/v Liahona
lying Grenada
For what its worth I am still very pleased with my zodiac inflatable which came from Amel with the boat and the only problem i’ve had was a hairline crack in the banjo on the inflatable floor. For ease of handling with 2 of us the Seago 230 ( at a cost of £ 300 ) that I keep in the port forward locker is ideal with my 2.5 hp Mariner and stows easily aft of the cockpit when short distance cruising. My best buy recently was most definitely a new 9.8 hp 2 stroke Tohatsu which replaced the 4 hp Johnson 4 stroke which Amel supplied. The Tohatsu is the same weight as the Johnson and I can easily lift it from the rear lazarette and put on the zodiac on my own. I was told by a dealer recently that , despite the undeniably excellent performance of Honda and Yamaha engines, Tohatsu are now the largest manufacturer of outboard engines in the world and they supply several other manufacturers with the basic engine block including Mariner and , I believe Mercury. The 2 stroke is certainly the only way to go and parts are readily available from Scotland to Turkey and throughout the Med. I was not challenged in any port or Marina on the trip regarding my use of the 2 strokes and, in view of the evidence of many other instances of large scale pollution in Europe and complete disregarde of legislation, my contribution was miniscule.
Malcolm
S/M 464 Bon Jovi
From: amelyachtowners@... [mailto:amelyachtowners@...] On Behalf Of Chris Smither
Sent: 10 February 2011 00:56
To: amelyachtowners@...
Subject: Re: [Amel] RIBs or Other Dinghy Manufacturer Service History
Gary,
We had a Caribe on our Santorin for 13 years, and loved it. It was eventually nicknamed "Lazarus" as the dinghy manufacturer here in Phuket kept it serviceable each year with only minor repairs.
On our Santorin, when cruising, it fitted perfectly on top of the foredeck, behind the anchor winch, in front of the mast. I have the liferaft on the aft cabin top, and like many others have modified the existing liferaft locker into a fuel store.
Two things to watch out for......make sure that the model you buy has floor internal reinforcing struts. Early models did not have that, and the floor developed microscopic cracks which allowed the rigid base to fill with water. Once that happens you cannot lift it!!
Second, I recommend wheels on the back - then you don't have to drag it up the beach.
We replaced this year with a West Marine inflatable, not because we don't like the Caribe, but because "anno domini" means we need a lighter easier to handle model.
Best wishes
Mike & Chris
S/V Akwaaba SN027
--- On Wed, 2/9/11, amelliahona <no_reply@... <mailto:no_reply%40yahoogroups.com> > wrote:
From: amelliahona <no_reply@... <mailto:no_reply%40yahoogroups.com> >
Subject: [Amel] RIBs or Other Dinghy Manufacturer Service History
To: amelyachtowners@... <mailto:amelyachtowners%40yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 10:21 PM
Hi All:
My Avon Rover 3.4 is 10 years old and I can't seem to keep the bumper on. Other than that she is in as good a shape as on day one. I have re-glued it several times and I am just plain tired of doing it. My Honda 15 hp 4 stroke engine only has about 150 hrs of operation on it and looks and runs like it is brand new. In addition I have about $400.00 worth of spare parts for the Honda that I have never used.
Nevertheless I am considering buying a Caribe LHT-8 foot RIB that is small enough to sit fore and aft on the aft cabin roof with the pontoons extending slightly on either side of the mizzen sheet. On rare occasions I might need to shift the ding to move the traveler back there.
My question is this: Does anyone have experience with Caribe dinghies? Do they last in the Caribbean? Stowage is a bigger deal than with my roll up air floor Avon, but I would be interested in a spirited discussion of the pros and cons of RIBs vs non-RIB dinghies and in particular the service life of the various brands.
Thanks for any opinions.
Gary Silver
s/v Liahona
lying Grenada