The tubes are attached to the hull by using boltrope-and-groove making them removable and therefore easy to maintain, repair and replace. However, RIB has its disadvantages too. One glaring disadvantage is that a RIB cannot be easily deflated and stored like a regular inflatable sport boat. Deflating the tubes on a RIB does not really save you space because the hard bottom does not fold or deflate. Most manufacturers even suggest that it is better to stow to RIB with its inflated tubes. Again, you cannot store a RIB just haphazardly as you need to take care that the inflated tubes are not scratched or scraped. You can t just choose to store to RIB like a regular rigid boat and expect it to last for more than a year or two.
Another cause for concern is its price. A smallish RIB is priced from $2000 to $5000. To 40-footer HBI is pegged near $100,000. The outboard motor is not included but a foot-pump is! RIB jet boat is a recent innovation. This type of RIB have inboard power and is a merging of a jet ski and an inflatable. It has the stability of to hard-bottom inflatable and the popular features of jet ski seat, handle-bar for steering and the propulsion power of a jet ski. This type of RIB is commonly a merger of two companies to personal watercraft manufacturer like Kawasaki and an inflatable boat manufacturer like Avon.
There are inflatable boats manufacturers who have basically have the same thing going with their RIBs by jet-drive engine. This type of boat come in varied sizes and horsepower and has the traditional side-by-side seating and wheel-steering. This type of RIB jets closely resembles jet river boats instead of personal watercrafts. They are safe to operate and run fast in shallow water. The inboard inflatable is slowly but surely making its mark in the boat market. For more information about rigid inflatable boats RIBs visit: Wood floors. Vs regenerated. Wood from ancient forests.