RIB Equipment
If you already have a RIB or you are buying for the first time this is intended to outline what is essential and what is a 'luxury item' that will only get occasional use. A strong RIB can be described as the 4x4 of the sea. If you use the analogy of a military specification Landrover you will see that in terms of equipment and technology less is more. If RIBs are your passion try to be clear about what gear you really need or your chandlery bill will be unnecessarily high!!
How much gear do you need?
You are always going to be limited by what you can carry on a RIB so rather than buying a lot of kit it is better to buy quality equipment. Beware of 'marketing hype' as the only relevant test is how well something performs is when it is used at sea in anger! If I have made the right selection I expect the manufacturer to have done the 'destruction testing' for me. My aim is to keep it simple and I want every item to perform when I need it and still have something in reserve.
What conditions will you go out in?
A novice can very carefully choose the days that they go afloat but the sea and weather provide a rapidly changing set of conditions. Have a look at the letter in the Blue Ride Feedback section that really sums this up. That combination of the sea, the weather and equipment can all be going in your favour when something unexpected happens. Then you will find out very quickly whether your gear selection and preparation was any good or did you just simply jump in and go.
Offshore Equipment
This potential list is endless and needs to reflect the expected conditions, distance and duration of time between ports. If in doubt go for the strongest option and have a back up for all essential systems. Being able to react to problems at sea is part attitude, part experience and part preparation of people and equipment. The best backup is going to sea with another boat.
Blue Ride Advice & Consultancy
Just going through this list on your own boat is a good place to start. If you want advice on choice of equipment or setting up your boat we are pleased to offer this service based on our extensive experience on many different types of boats. Please call or email for further details.
RIB Equipment Check List
Major Equipment must include:-
- Boat Hull
- Engine
- Console
- Seating
Secondary Equipment will include:-
- Controls
- Steering
- Throttle
- Gear Shift
Electrical System:-
- Battery
- Gauges
- Rev Counter
- Fuel level
- Battery Condition
Chandlery:-
- Anchor, Chain & Warp (Rope)
- Mooring Warps (Rope)
- Cleats
- Fairleads
- Towing Eyes
- Boathook
- Pump for RIBs
Safety:-
- Lifejackets
- 2 x Kill Cords
- Fire Extinguisher
- Bilge Pump
- VHF Handheld or Fixed
Navigation Lights:-
- Flarepack
- First Aid
- Knife
- Torch
- Paddle
Navigation:-
- Compass
- Tide Tables & Almanac
- Charts
- Plotter, Dividers & Pencils
Non Essential Equipment may include:-
- Depthsounder or Fishfinder
- GPS Chartplotter
- Fitted VHF
- Fitted Ariel
- A-Frame
- Ski & Wakeboarding Tow Point
Trailer:-
- Roller System
- Electrics
- Lights
- Tie Down Straps
- Security Locks
- Wheel Clamp
For more information on choosing a RIB see RIB Selection
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