How does the idea of a summer spent chilling out at sea, with minimum expense and hassle, sound? Ramona Depares lets Darius Goodwin induct her into the club of Rigid Inflatable Boat fans and the beauty of having a boat without owning it.
Meet the Rigid Inflatable Boat – more commonly known as a RIB. Hardly sounds like the stuff that exciting summers are made of. But what would you know, the rise and rise of the RIB in these past summers has, in fact, turned it into the gateway to guaranteed fun away from shore, as sailors who are ‘in the know’ will tell you.
Over these past few years, the RIB has become something akin to a fashion statement, allowing all those who enjoy spending time out at sea – whether veteran sailors or newbies – to do so with the least hassle and expense possible.
You don’t make it on the sailing crowd’s hip list without a number of natural advantages
You don’t make it on the sailing crowd’s hip list without a number of natural advantages. In the case of the RIB, there are myriad reasons for its sudden rise in popularity. Sailors may be an enterprising lot, but no one turns up their nose at the convenience of certain features, as veteran sailor Darius Goodwin – who works for RLR Yachting, which has been leasing out RIBs for the past six years – explains.
“In many ways, handling a RIB is safer than many of the more traditional boats. It gives a smoother and more comfortable ride, mainly due to the tubes that act like cushions on impact. The whole frame of the boat is covered in inflatable tubes, which means that even when berthing, or coming close up to another boat, things are a whole lot easier.”
Since Darius has been chartering RIBs, every summer he gets a mix of clients wanting to try it out for themselves. These range from the seasoned sailors, who know exactly how and where they will be sailing, to the professionals, who need to carry out photography or other kinds of work, to those who would love to try out sailing, but have no clue whether it really is the sport for them.
“Buying a boat is a considerable investment. Chartering a RIB for the summer, or even for a lesser amount of time, is the ideal solution for many. It gives them the opportunity to try their hand at it, to see whether their families enjoy boat trips or not, to figure out whether the investment is worth it in the long run. If it doesn’t work out, there are no losses to contend with,” Darius explains.
For those who aren’t such newbies, and who might be worried that a RIB isn’t up to the job they have in mind, they needn’t fear at all. The boat has no real limits distance, or even speed wise. In fact, away from Malta, it is considered a given that offshore sailing is best done with a RIB, rather than with a powerboat, both for safety and for comfort reasons... not to forget that it’s also more fuel-efficient and more stable while at anchor.
If all this gets you intrigued and you’ve already got your sea legs, then go ahead with this new adventure…
On the other hand, if you’re not quite sure how to go about it, Darius says he is happy to take any prospective clients out for a trial run on a RIB, so they can see if it is really what they had in mind.
Oh, and don’t forget that you will need a nautical licence! A six-metre RIB will fit six to eight people comfortably, but sizes range between five and nine metres.