C-RIB™ Professional Range
"The boat completed numerous disciplines while in displacement mode incorporating engine and helm manoeuvring techniques.
The boat was a joy to handle in slow motion and although at times there was a strong current during the manoeuvre the boat handled extremely well in all areas of tight and confined movement. There was very little hull swinging and even as people moved about the deck area during the manoeuvre the boat did not incur any unbalanced angles nor did it experience any unpredictable movement whilst using the engines or the helm for steering purposes. There was excellent space for people to move about the boat during the exercise which is a major advantage for commercial operators who require this facility to conduct safe and practicable professional operations including dive and support, survey and enforcement, rescue and evacuation work.
Two hour extreme test conducted at sea: During this test the boat was given a full work out in the form of high speed turns and manoeuvre, riding a ferry’s wake at full speed and working with another RIB craft supplied by the military to gain maximum assessment of the boat’s capability.
The boat performed in an exemplary fashion throughout the trial gaining all the required technical requirements for such a commercial type craft. The boat landed extremely well during high wake exercises with the hull landing on a true angle with no swings or jerks causing concern or discomfort for the handler or crew. During the extreme ferry operation and high-speed approaches the boat and crew remained comfortable and dry which is unusual for that type of high-speed operation in a boat of that design.
Approaching the other units in the trial (Polish Ferry and Zodiac Hurricane RIB) the boat had no problem being manoeuvrable from all the approach angles and the hull adhesion to the water surface was excellent. It has to be mentioned that although the other RIB in the test, was in theory a more powerful unit, it had great trouble keeping up with the C-RIB™ boat.
Product Audit: The quality of the boat was extremely impressive and although the deck configuration was of a commercial ‘sea safari’ layout (which is not totally suitable for certain commercial operations due to visibility and access problems) it was certainly built to a very high commercial standard.
The GRP finish was first class and all the fittings were of a good standard, which together with the superbly built, tailor made sponsons, gave the boat an advantage over many of the current models in this class available on the
The quality and design objective is obviously aimed at supplying a high-grade product for a reputable and demanding commercial marine market. During the testing dates I visited the new production facilities and was very impressed with the new layout and design facilities.
The C-RIB™ was an excellent result of patient and serious research and development in a competitive market that requires demanding products for the commercial and serious leisure marine industry."
C-RIB™ 30 Professional
Since I am currently looking for a new rib for my charter-company, I was invited to Gothenburg in Sweden to test their 9m with twin 225 Mercury.
Before going to Sweden, I contacted another charter company in Norway, which uses the 9m rib as their charter boat. The boat had been used as a charter boat for two years when they bought it, and they have had no problems with it, which is very unusual for a rib used so hard for so many hours.
Then I contacted a friend of mine, Johan Ullman (the maker of the Ullman suspension-seat), and asked if he would join me when testing the C-RIB. He agreed to meet us in Gothenburg.
On our way out we could either take the marked route out to the open sea, or we could let Ullman take the wheel and drive the unmarked route full of unmarked underwater obstacles without a chart plotter. We chose the latter. It was one of the biggest thrills of my life. At 100% full bore he navigated between invisible obstacles for 20 minutes, with occasional 90-degree turns.
When out in the open, we met 1m. waves, and the boat just ploughed through them. The wave size grew to 3m. and Ullman jumped so that the propellers left the water for a long time again and again. How could he drive the boat so hard when it was not his own? The boat handled beautifully. It never tossed us around trying to scare us.
Then it was my turn to try this boat. I have had boats since I was 10 years old, ribs for 4 years, and done chartering for 300 hours in the last 6 months. I started off gently making 8-turns in the 3m waves. I wanted to feel how the boat handled the waves from every angle. When the boat showed me that it was no problem, I started going right against the waves until they reached 3.5m. and we jumped really high, pulling the throttle gently back to half throttle before landing and then throttling up again. The boat performed the way I want a Rib to handle, very safe and predictable.
On our way in, Ullman touched my shoulder to get my attention, and asked if I could try high speed turns in the 1m waves. I throttled up, and made sharper and sharper turns until I did not dare to make them tighter. I was amazed that the boat could handle so well without skidding out and jumping sideways.
Then the salesman, Peder, asked quietly if he could take the wheel. My first thought was that he had had enough and wanted to save what was left of the boat, but he told us to hold on. He then throttled up to full speed and started to turn much harder and sharper than I had dared. I have never experienced this kind of seaworthiness in a rib before. I do not need the boat to perform so extremely, but just knowing that the limits of the boat are so much more than I will ever need is comforting.
This experience gave Ullman and me a good reason to smile for the rest of the weekend.
So what was not so good about this boat? It is like everything else, nothing can perform 100% in every way. What this boat lacks is the top end speed. My 9m. with 2x250 achieves a 10% higher top end speed. But the choice is simple, C-RIB really amazed me.
I am looking for a twin-engine setup, which therefore does cost a lot of money. So I have to test more boats before I spend my hard earned money. But I do think it is almost impossible to find a boat which handles so well with this quality at this price.
