Product Code Database
A rigid inflatable boat ( RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat ( RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are inflated with air to high pressure to give the sides resilient rigidity along the boat's topsides. The design is stable, light, fast and seaworthy. The inflated collar acts as a life jacket, ensuring that the vessel retains its buoyancy, even if the boat is taking on water. The RIB is an evolutionary development of the inflatable boat with a rubberized fabric bottom that is stiffened with flat boards within the collar to form the deck or floor of the boat.
Development of the RIB was originally undertaken by students and staff under the direction of retired Royal Navy Admiral Desmond Hoare, who headed the 6th form (senior secondary) college.
A series of experimental and prototype solutions for effectively combining a hard hull form with a pressurized, air-filled rubber infused nylon fabric (Hypalon) sponson lasted for over a decade. The RHIB craft developed at Atlantic College served as an effective seafront activities safety and rescue boat for the college's fleet of sailing dinghies on the often challenging Bristol Channel, and the college went on to become an Inshore Lifeboat Station for the RNLI in 1963, carrying out countless rescues over the next 50 years.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution had been operating entirely inflated small motorized boats for close to shore rescue recovery that were nautically limited in their capacity, range, endurance, sea keeping, sea worthiness and top speed.
The RNLI's "B-Class Atlantic Inshore Lifeboat" (including the Atlantic 21, the Atlantic 75, and Atlantic 85) was named in honor of the college's role in its development. The Atlantic College Lifeboat Station was decommissioned by the RNLI in 2013. The video RIB History at UWC Atlantic College provides a visual historical summary.
In 1964, Rear-Admiral Hoare and his students at Atlantic College replaced the torn bottom of their sailing activity rescue inflatable boat with a plywood sheet glued to the inflatable tubes. This proved a successful modification but was rather uncomfortable at speed offshore, and so the hull was rebuilt with a shallow-vee bow entry transitioning to a nearly flat section stern. This boat was named Atlanta and later that year an Atlantic College RIB was displayed at the London Boat Show.Sutcliffe, David: "The RIB and its place of birth the Atlantic College"; Granta Editions, 2010;
By 1966 the students had built a further five rigid inflatable boats – the Aphrodite and Triton for the college's own use, and the X1 and X2 which were made under a development agreement with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and were launched in 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II. They were taken by the RNLI for trials at Gorleston ( X1) and Great Yarmouth ( X2) from which they returned to Atlantic College in Spring 1967. X3 was an experimental vortex-lift hull funded by a private developer and was not greatly successful.
By that time Hoare had concluded that for the conditions under which they operated a boat of around long was optimum which led to X4 (launched 1966), X5 and X6 (launched 1967), and X7 to X8 (launched 1968). These boats were used to support the college's sailing activities and also to fulfil the college's responsibility as an inshore lifeboat station for the RNLI – a responsibility it discharged up until 2013. At the same time, work started on a smaller series of beach-launchable boats, – ft long, designated MX1– MX6) to support on local beaches.
All the above boats’ hulls were built from plywood. In summer 1968, student Paul Jefferies designed and constructed a hull ( X10) from fiberglass, which was not a success due to lack of strength. However, that development led to the building of Psychedelic Surfer, a twin-engined RIB, built in three weeks by two college students (Willem de Vogel and Otto van Voorst, assisted by Roy Thomson, college carpenter) for John Caulcutt, Graeme Dillon and Simon de’Ath to race in the 1969 Round Britain Powerboat Race, in which it finished 19th (out of 65 starters) and became the darling the fleet.
From that time, the RNLI transferred development to its research centre in Cowes, who took the Atlantic College designs and developed from them the Atlantic 21 class of inshore lifeboats which entered service from 1970 through 2007. Atlantic 21-class lifeboat provides a class history of this vessel.
The first commercially saleable RIB was introduced in 1967 by Tony and Edward Lee-Elliott of Flatacraft,Dag Pike, The History and future development of RIB's RINA June 2005, and patented by Admiral Desmond Hoare in 1969 after research and development at Atlantic College.
The first commercial RIB is believed to be the Avon Rubber Searider which was launched at the January 1969 London Boat Show.
The 108th Engineering Heritage Award by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers was presented to UWC Atlantic College on 30 July 2017 by Carolyn Griffiths, President of the IMeche, for its development of the X Alpha Rigid Inflatable Boat.
The definitive history of the development of the RHIB was written by David Sutcliffe, successor head of Atlantic College following Desmond Hoare’s retirement.
On Canada’s west coast Strait of Juan de Fuca near Race Rocks students of sister Pacific College along with Atlantic College sea rescue service grads in 1974 home built the first RHIB based on the Atlantic 21 surfing, open transom version in North America and the first inboard - outboard stern drive RHIB. These craft were loaned to the Pacific Region Cdn Coast Guard (Department of Transport) new inshore rescue boat service for trial and evaluation prior to CWLucas (now Zodiac) Hurricane fast hard hull inflatables being adopted by that service.
During summer, the college loaned their fast rescue craft to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) on the west coast, which was introducing rigid inflatables into its then new summer seasonal inshore rescue boat service operation. Meanwhile, CCG inshore rescue stations on the Great Lakes were started up utilizing 5.4 metre (18 ft) Avon Seariders in the late 1970s. The CCG's inshore rescue boat crews included university students during the summer, in part due to the success of the student crews operating these ever-buoyant rescue craft at the Atlantic and Pearson Colleges.
In 1976 Steve Schmidt introduced the RHIB concept to New Zealand under the brand Naiad. While it was slow to be accepted for the first few years, it gained momentum with police, Rescue, marine farmers and Government agencies.
The Naiad RHIB developed by Steve Schmidt differed from the existing RHIB designs in two ways. It had a twin skin, incorporating an air retaining inner and a robust replaceable outer. These were held in place by tracks. This system allowed for easy removal of the outer or inner for repair or replacement. The other feature was the unusually deep variable V hull with extreme turned down chines aft.
In 1978 the demand grew for more protection in the form of an integral cabin and outboard well to protect the crew in adverse conditions. Though basic to start with cabins soon became more sophisticated. Naiad were one of the early pioneers in designing RHIBs and models range from 2.5m to 23m.
In the 2010s, the traditional RHIB was reimagined using High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) as the hull material. HDPE, an engineered polymer, possesses a number of properties which make it a superior marine construction material for RHIB's. Of note, it absorbs vibration leading to a quieter, more comfortable ride, with less slamming load transferred to operators. HDPE does not corrode, or suffer from electrolysis, reducing maintenance costs and increasing operational availability. It was the PFG Group, of Hobart, Tasmania, who recognised and applied the advantages into RHIB construction. In partnership with One2Three Naval Architects, Stuart Downham of PFG developed a range of RHIB designs and builds which have such significantly favourable characteristics in the water that the future of RHIB's and high performance small watercraft will shift towards HDPE as the preferred hull material.
In 1979, Gemini Marine based in Cape Town started building RIBs for the local market. Early on they joined forces with the NSRI and started to design and build rescue craft for the South African Sea Rescue Institution.
RIBs are used as rescue craft, safety boats for sailing, or tenders for larger boats and ships. Their shallow draught, high maneuverability, speed and relative immunity to damage in low-speed collisions are advantages in these applications.
RIBs up to about seven metres in length can be towed on trailers on the road; this, coupled with their other properties, is making them increasingly attractive as leisure craft.
RIBs can also generally cope better with rougher seas, although this may be partially due to an increased level of confidence in knowing that a RIB is hard to sink, and better absorption of heavy loads by the flexible tubes, which therefore make heavy seas less unpleasant.
The maximum speed of the RIB depends on its gross weight, power, length and profile of hull, and sea conditions. A typical seaborne RIB, with six passengers, engines, in Beaufort scale force 2 is very likely to have a top speed of around . High-Performance RIBs may operate with a speed between , depending on the size and weight.
RIBs and ordinary inflatable boats are often used by to reach dive sites.
Tubes made of hypalon (csm/cr) are easy to manufacture and can be repaired with simple puncture repair kits. Hypalon (csm) is not airtight and so must be combined with neoprene (cr) when used to build tubes. Tubes made with Hypalon and Neoprene layers can last up to twice as long as PVC tubes and have been known to last over 20 years. Hypalon is probably the most popular material used for the construction of RIBs manufactured in the UK.
PVC does have some advantages, it is cheap, it can be welded, and it is guaranteed for longer than hypalon. PVC RIBs are usually very well made and with welded seams they are less prone to blowouts and leaks.
A newer form of PVC has made its way into production. Known as valmex it is said to have a blackout layer on the inside to reduce UV damage to the adhesives usually used to fix tubes to the hulls and various other parts.
While PU tubes have been thermal welded, fittings and attachments will still usually be bonded using adhesives. A high-quality PU-made tube lasts over 20 years. PU tubes are often to be found on commercial RIBs, in applications where strength and durability are needed. Replacing the tubes when they wear out usually costs one third as much as the complete RIB.
|
|
