RIB Vs. Whaler

[Hat52MY]

Looking at options for replacing our current RIB (Avon SeaSport DL 10.5ft) as it is a tight fit for four, plus the dog. Ideally, we want something that can fit the four (+ dog) comfortably and possibly fit 6+ in a pinch. Ideally, since the tender is stored high (above aft deck) I want to keep it as light as possible. We have a 1000lb Hydraulic Marquip that is up to the task for a new tender. I figure I will have to replace or possible modify the existing chalks (marquip) for the new hull. In additional, I may have to reposition the cranes boom current bow/stern lock down position to port/stbd to allow for the additional length of the new tender.

Reading through the forum there are a number of pluses & minuses of RIBs Vs Whalers. With this in mind, we have narrowed our list down to the following. Looking for thoughts on these particular tenders and if there is anything else I should be considering???

RIBs, looking at Nautica's:
- Nano 13'
- Widebody 13'
- Delux 14'
- Venture 14'

Traditional:
- Boston Whaler 130 Super Sport (13')

[OBXTucker]

I have the Nouvarania DL400 and can highly recommend it.
Very dry, quick when needed (50hp Yamaha 4 stroke) and plenty of room. We've had 5 aboard many times and it works out well.

This is the only RIB I've owned, so I don't have other experiences from which to compare. That said, I like this one so much, I'm already looking at going to the next size up (DL430).

[Jaxfishgyd]

My Hatt came with a 13' Whaler(with 30 hp Yamaha) we store on the hardtop (no flybridge).
Have had no problems with getting it up or down.

[MikeP]

We have the same RIB/davit and have often wished for something larger. But I worry about the weight - both on the davit and on the FB deck. I just wonder whether the SS braces bolted to the rear of the deck will reliably support much additional weight...

[rsmith]

My dog prefers a Whaler

http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af224/endless50/P4290447.jpg
http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af224/endless50/P4290445.jpg

[Fanfare]

Because of the weight problem aloft I bought a 11 ft Whaler in 1975. It fits well behind the fly bridge rail on my 50MY. With my current arrangement of radar mast and davit I don't think a 13 ft would fit, but then I already had the dink before building the radar mast and maybe I could have worked it out.

The 11 ft Whaler is perfect for two, planes with 15 hp. With four adults it won't plane and I am a bit cautious about rough seas. I think the dog would be too much weight added. The boat is approved for 25 hp, but the added engine weight would probably cancel out. Over the years I have painted all varnish white and replaced the black rubber rub strake with white so as not to mark our hull. Other than this I have certainly gotten our money's worth from it. I did have to add an upright support in the aft center of the flybridge overhead to the deck because I had some cracks which I attributed to flexing from the weight of the dink. This solved the problem. I don't think the small added weight of a 13 would matter. And unlike an inflatible, no worry about dog claws.

[GJH]

I have a 2006 Whaler 130 Sport with a two stroke (read: lighter weight than a comparably sized 4) 40HP Mercury. We have used it very heavily for the past 4 years. Sometimes I think of the Hatteras as merely the delivery vehicle for the Whaler.
Advantages:

Lot's of interior room, much more than a comparably sized RIB
Easy to fish from given all the flat surfaces
Will not deflate
Did I say lot's of room? It is rated for 5, but we have carried six comfortably though it would not plane with six. We lived on moorings for several months so it was very handy ferrying stuff and guests with luggage back and forth.
There are nice pre-made biminis for them

Disadvantages:
Heavy. It is at the absolute max our 1000 lb electric Marquipt will tolerate.
Hard. You have to fender it and your swim platform completely
It has a harder ride than many of the deep vee RIBS. It is also pretty much fast or slow speed, not much in between or it wallows badly.



We are very fond of our Whaler. I'd advise taking a look at the 11 foot version and see if it suits your needs. I used to look at one with some admiration at the Boot Key Harbor (Marathon) dinghy dock. I'd see if you could get some test drives in some of the boats you have under consideration. Also, make sure it will physically fit on your boat. Ours is outfitted with a big aluminum "strong arm" as with a standard three point sling it could not be lifted high enough above the chocks (all courtesy of the P.O)

[OBXTucker]

Here's our set-up on Kismet with the 13'

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a148/OBXTucker/Kismet/1993445_9.jpg

[StratPlan61]

I am very happy with our 13' GLS Whaler. Holds a bunch of people (6) and is quite stable. With a VHF, depthsounder it is very comfortable for fishing, hauling, grandkids playing, etc. I replaced the standard black Whaler rubrail with a white rubrail and added white rubrail to the outside perimeter of the swim platform. No marks, no trouble. Easy to clean out, has its own bilge pump. Yes, its heavy but no trouble for the 1000# Marquipt Tenderlift. 40hp Johnson 2 stroke. I smile when I see other dinghys with deflated tubes riding high on their chocks.

[Bill Root]

BUFFALO GAL had a Nautica RIB on it when we bought it. I traded the Nautica for a 13' Whaler Sport with 40hp Honda. I wanted more room (we have a 90lb. Belgian Shepherd), and I never liked the idea of the dog climbing over the inflatable tubes with her claws, or the potential snags from fish hooks. We like the Whaler. I wouldn't go back to a RIB. Having said that, though, I think George's comments on pro's and con's is right on.

[Hat52MY]

Appreciate everyones feedback and pics. RIBS are light and provide a smooth ride however the negative is the additional initial investment & long term up keep with the tubes and you get half the space. I looked at the 11' Whaler and I believe it is a little small for our needs regarding space and horsepower. Of the Whaler options, I believe the 13' may be the the right size. May have a little overhang (inch or two) but I can live with that to get the additional space and power in the tender. Going to look at a Whaler and RIB tomorrow....

Regarding towing behind the boat, I towed a 15' Nautica RIB to and from the Dry Tortugas without issue (surprisingly did not affect my fuel consumption). It did get a little interesting in the 6 footers when the waves stacked (wind & current) between Fort Jefferson & Rebecca Shoal, but it did very well. What have been your experiences towing the 13' Whaler Sports?

[GJH]

David, I have towed ours a few times when going from anchorage to anchorage, but just once in any kind of seaway; 3 footish chop with a few bigger swells now and then. I put the motor down just enough to get the skeg submerged. It did great, tracking very well, wouldn't hesitate to do it on a more regular basis.

While we don't use them for towing, a nice addition to ours was adding a couple of bow cleats, which I guess aren't standard. Ditto a little swim ladder, which is hard to find in the after market though a great fellow at Sailorman (Jeff, I think, in parts) and I finally figured it out and special ordered from Windline, cost me about 85 bucks. If your boat doesn't come with them, there are drawings available on BW's site showing all the places where there is wood or starboard underneath to screw things (like cleats and ladders) into, plus a complete parts diagram.

Have fun shopping!

[Pascal]

i dont' find it harder to launch a hard tender vs a RIB, you don't want either to bang into the boat.

While the whaler may seem to have more space inside, i dont' find that space to be that usable since you can't sit on the gunwales as you would with a RIB

Stability and wet feet is my biggest complaint about the whalers. while on a calm day getting on and off is doable for most, once you get a little chop going it become a rodeo.

all the whalers I've seen always have a half inch of water sloshing around... no big deal in the bahamas but in climates where you may want to wear shoes, it's no fun. It can probably be fixed by cutting and glassing a small well near the transom and move the bilge pump in there, but why cant' they do it right in the first place.

and one more thing: I think a 13' whaler is rated for 4 people. all it takes in one angry water cop to give you a citation for having 6 people in the dink to ruin your day... Inflatables don't have weight limits.

[rsmith]

i dont' find it harder to launch a hard tender vs a RIB, you don't want either to bang into the boat.

While the whaler may seem to have more space inside, i dont' find that space to be that usable since you can't sit on the gunwales as you would with a RIB

Stability and wet feet is my biggest complaint about the whalers. while on a calm day getting on and off is doable for most, once you get a little chop going it become a rodeo.

all the whalers I've seen always have a half inch of water sloshing around... no big deal in the bahamas but in climates where you may want to wear shoes, it's no fun. It can probably be fixed by cutting and glassing a small well near the transom and move the bilge pump in there, but why cant' they do it right in the first place.

and one more thing: I think a 13' whaler is rated for 4 people. all it takes in one angry water cop to give you a citation for having 6 people in the dink to ruin your day... Inflatables don't have weight limits.


You can get written up for sitting on the gunwale/tubes also.

[rsmith]

While 13 whalers look pretty much the same. They did make some major inprovements over the years. There was a major hull change in '72 and in the '80 s they made a larger "pocket in the back to acomidate a automatic bilge pump which eliminated the water sloshing around that pascal refers to. I have never not owned a 13 whaler since I was 9 years old and I'm on my 3rd one. The whaler has forgiven me for a lot of sins. All my kids have grown up running the whaler and I've never worried about them in it. We live on the water so the whaler gets used the most of all our boats. OTOH most of their freinds had RIB's because the parents thought if they hit something they wouldnt damage the boat or what they hit. This led to the kids thinking these were "bumper boats" Bump into a couple poles or docks with barnacles and you'll have leaking tubes. Since most of the kids fathers didnt know which end of a screwdriver to hold they all ended up at my house. I've pached more of these tubes than I ever care to see. One kids boat was so bad we dumped a bunch of tire slime in it to slow them down.
Pascal says it is easier to get off a RIB NO WAY!! try it, you either have to bridge the tube or try to balance on a round squishy rubber tube. Maybe Jacques Cousteau could do it but the average person is going to be unsteady. I can stand on the gunwale of my whaler without holding on to anything, try that in a RIB.

[GJH]

I don't get the stability, capacity and ingress/ egress comments either. I totally disagree with Pascal. But what do I know, I just own and use one all the time. We have a lot of experience with RIBS from boats we've chartered and been guests on, and now four years of extensive use of the Whaler. It is rated for 5 people by the way. It will hold more people, legally and more stuff than any 13 foot RIB I have ever seen, hands down. As for the water, we don't get much and it will self bail quickly with pulling the mid ship plug at rest or the aft plug on plane. Never been a bother all in all. I have never seen the need for a "bilge" pump nor can I recall noticing one on other 130's. When we were on the mooring in Westport MA, there were several occasions when I went to and from the dinghy dock to our swim platform in full business dress, never bothered to change shoes. Ditto Ann all dressed up for parties.

Maybe if I put a few more thousand hours on this Whaler I'll know better.

[Pascal]

All depends... I use both a RIB although at 15 it s larger than average and a 13 whaler (late model) and sure, you can pull the plug and hop on plane. Not convenient when you re alone (driving and reaching to the transom) and doing this in a crowded mooring field will not be very popular

Some ribs have fiberglass steps on the tube to get on and off or a molded step along the inside of the tube...makes a big difference.

[Angela]

What have been your experiences towing the 13' Whaler Sports?

We just towed a 15' Whaler (I think it is a "Sport" too) to the Bahamas and back. She towed like a champ - never knew she was back there. The big boat seemed to flatten out the Whaler's ride. At times, I mentioned wanting ride back there because it looked smoother than the big boat was doing. I have a video of the Whaler in tow, but don't know how to post it here - probably can't. I do have a couple of pictures, below - one is of the Whaler being towed, and the other is the Whaler up close that I thought you guys would enjoy (yeah, I know..."What Whaler?") :cool:

Ed did a fantastic job of making up the appropriate towing lines, using a special kind of line that towers use and some sort of chafing sock, together with a bridle that hooked up to the back of Sanctuary.

I don't find the 15' Whaler to be unstable at all; I've never been on a 13' that I can recall; but I can tell you that the 11' Whaler we had was scarey. With 4 people in it, when making a turn, the thing would darn near flip over, and that was only with a 8HP engine, and not at high speed. We used that one season and let it go in favor of the Hober which is the most stable little boat I've ever been on. Well, that's been my experience, and that's all I can say, right or wrong.

[jim rosenthal]

Ang, I'm quitting medicine and coming to work for you. Is that young lady crew or guest? Looks sharp.

[Angela]

Ang, I'm quitting medicine and coming to work for you. Is that young lady crew or guest? Looks sharp.

Every boat should have a Mermaid. That woman is Sanctuary's Mermaid. It is very rare occasion that Sanctuary leaves the slip without her. Should have been at Honeymoon Harbor in Bimini last week when she was putting squid in the hip strings of her thong for the stingrays to find. The guy on the beach with the box of squid was the winner...and he wasn't sharing. LOL

[Pascal]

Thank you for the endorsement on the Hober angela...

Yesterday I had to step on a Caribe RIB go get to our tender at the crowded Newport dinghy dock. If I was in the market for smaller rib I d definitely take a close look. It was about 12 or 13 at the most and had a molded fiberglass step The bow and a molded step around the transom structure, over the tube making stepping in and out very safe. Very clever set up and far more stable than a 13 whaler

And btw the current Whaler 130 SS is rated for 4 pax not 5... See the BW specs on their site

[Hat52MY]

Wow, appreciate the lively discussion. I thought I saw a mermaid this weekend but it turned out to be a manatee trying to mate with our current rib!!! What a bizarre site to see....crazy sea cows. Glad to hear of the good towing experinces...just never know until you ask.

Pascal agree on the steps. Our current rib has the stairs on the bow and fiberglass set on the aft. Does make it nice getting off and on....but the RIB is just too small for the same foot print. I wish I could keep it, great little tender, just does not have the space. Looking at a couple of the Nautica 13' ribs (Nano, Wide Body, Deluxe)

The 13' Whaler (2002) we looked at this weekend was nice. Good layout for all, lots of space for fishing gear (liked the bow platform for cast-netting), dive tanks or gear. The plate stated 5 people (was hoping for 6). Was not excited about the 40HP 2 cycle, have gotten use to 4 cycle outboards.... for what they were asking, I might be better off buying a new one...need to crunch the numbers.