Boating directory UK - Inflatable boats UK - RIBS

Initially, inflatable boats were developed for use in the navy for transporting torpedoes and other cargo as well as other applications. Over time, recreational applications evolved for the smaller boats including pleasure, tender and fishing.

When the stability, flotation and seaworthiness of inflatable boats became more known, lifesaving and rescue agencies around the world began using them as tenders on their larger vessels. Today, rescue and military agencies around the world use inflatable boats, particularly RIBs, for many applications inshore and offshore.

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According to the Guiness Book of Motorboating, the history of the inflatable goes back as far as 880 BC, when the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II ordered troops to cross a river using greased animal skins, which they inflated continuously to keep the vessels afloat. In ancient China, during the Sung and Ming dynasties, inflated, airtight skins were used for crossing rivers.

In France and Great Britain, Zodiac and RFD claim paternity of the first modern inflatable boat. In 1919, RFD's founder Reginald Foster Dagnall tested an inflatable on Lake Wisely in England, and went on to improve its design in the 1930s. This boat was the ancestor of the one-person inflatable liferaft. In France, Pierre Debroutelle came up with a prototype for an inflatable boat in 1934.

Yacht Tenders
This category is ideal for first-time boat buyers, or for anyone seeking a practical all-purpose boat offering maximum safety and stability at an affordable price. The size of boats in this category range from about 6 feet up to 20 feet. There are four distinctly different hull (or bottom) configurations available in a modern yacht tender inflatable:

The floors of these inflatables consist of a layer of fabric and slats (usually wood) running across the beam. They're usually painted or stained and are about 4 inches in width. The slatted floor system is generally found in inflatables from about 6 to 8 feet in length only, where there is no need for performance. Consequently, these inflatables don't tow, motor or row as well as inflatables with an inflatable keel and v-hull.

V-hull (wood or inflatable keel)
This consists of a separate longitudinal inflation tube or wood keel located beneath the floorboards. Once inflated. it provides a moderate V-keel at the bow of the boats by pushing the fabric floor down and away from the floorboards. Handling and performance is greatly improved as the keel cuts through the water cleanly. An added benefit is the extra buoyancy and flotation it provides.

High-performance hulls
Here is where you go from conventional inflatables to inflatables offering high speed coupled with excellent handling. However, this added performance can often create a false sense of security and may lead to boating accidents. These boats are recommended for more experienced boaters. An example of a performance hull would be Zodiac's Futura model. The patented Futura hull has smaller "speed tubes" attached below the regular collar. Upon reaching plane the boat lifts up onto these speed tubes, trapping air underneath and exerting positive lift (hydrodynamic lift), leaving the boat riding on these two "speed tubes" like a racing catamaran.

Rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RIB's)
As their name suggests, these boats feature a fiberglass rigid hull mated to an inflatable collar. This allows a conventional deep V-hull shape at the bow, flattening out to common planing sections aft. The concept marries the famous buoyancy and stability of an inflatable boat with the excellent handling characteristics of a conventional fiberglass hull. The larger boats in this range offer a wide range of console configurations, seating and other features such as built-in storage lockers, and many other features typically found on larger fiberglass vessels.