They are one of the safest boats on the water. Nearly unsinkable,
they combine the rigidity of a strong fiberglass "v-shaped" hull with
strong multi-chamber tubes. That's why RIBs are the preferred boats
for the Coast Guard, Search and Rescue and the Police in and around
Vancouver.
They are easy to trailer. As a boat owner, you can moore your boat
and pay for the monthly moorage fees and deal with the extremely
cumbersome yearly cleaning of barnacles and seaweed off your boat or
your can simply drop your boat at one of the many public ramps around Vancouver for a quick family cruise. RHIBs are a fraction of the weight of traditional boats so you can pull them with a Mini!
A small SUV for example is more than enough to haul a large 20' RHIB!
They are efficient on gas. Don't deprive yourself of the joys of
boating and exploring the many locations minutes from Vancouver,
whether up Howe Sound, up the Sunshine Coast or up Indian Arm.
Just
do it more efficiently! RHIBs can save you up to 50% in gas since they are lighter and displace little water. The stability of the RHIB is achieved via numerous Air Chambers.
At Canadian Inflatables, we're passionate about RIBs. We know why they
are so popular in Europe where the resale market is strong and choices
are numerous. In North America, RIBs haven't taken off in comparison
with traditional boats because in the past, fuel prices weren't such an
important factor. Times have changed, people drive smaller cars, they
are more concerned about the environment and fuel consumption both on
the boat as well as the vehicle that trailers the boat is also becoming
important.
Canadian Inflatables specializes in the resale of high quality rigid
hull inflatable boats sometimes referred to as RIBs or RHIBs.
What's the downside to RHIBS?
Safety? No. Most life safety organizations whether it's the Canadian
Coast Guard, the Vancouver Police and other First Responders use RHIBs
and continue to do so.
Cheap imitations? Yes. Not all inflatables are created equally. A
small $400 dingy for example, isn't what any coast guard would use.
Coast Guards demand high quality inflatables that are made with
Fiberglass or Aluminum Hulls. As important, they demand the tubes be
made of Hypalon/Neoprene - high strength rubber with laminates that
can endure professional use abuse. Don't settle for a non-name,
unproven inflatable. Do your research on the Internet via dedicated
sites like RibNet or other dedicated, impartial sources, and you'll
quickly discover that you want a rigid hull with Hypalon tubes.
That's the reason we only resell this type of boat.
Cost? Yes. New rigid inflatables are much more effective to purchase
than an aluminum boat or fiberglass boat - if you calculate the boat
itself. Consider that you won't have to change your car or SUV to haul
the boat and will be saving every time you take a trip and the "total
cost of ownership" of an inflatable becomes apparent especially if you
can find a quality used one. That's why we are here; we locate the best boats, and make them available to the Vancouver market. After all,
this is the best place on earth (from March to October! :-)
Maintenance? We'll show you how to care for your boat. It's really
not that complex. All that's required is that you rinise off the salt
water from your boat, trailer and motor to maximize running efficiency
year-round.
It's a five to ten-minute effort that pays off for the future. For
Winter, it might take you about 1-2 hours to winterize your boat. In
in the spring, having a professional mechanic perform a tune up (changing
the spark plugs, checking oils etc) only costs a few hours of labor and is also a
great investment - keeping your boat running smoothly. Invest in and take care of
quality equipment and the boats will last you
decades in our environment.
Canadian Inflatables imports and brokers used quality Rigid Hull
Inflatable Hulls, We only accept the best boats which are in great
condition. Some of our boats at 8 out of 10 and 9 out of 10. So you
get a quality boat at a fraction of the cost of a new boat
Brands that we carry:
Zodiac (Hypalon versions only - we don't carry the PVC boats and won't until the Professional series start shipping with PVC. The Coast Guards (whether Canadian or US) still insist on Hypalon for a reason). Higher end Zodiacs are made in France.
Novurania - This is the gold standard in Yacht Tenders. Multimillion dollar yachts use Novurania as the smaller boat to carry guests from ship to shore. Skip the multimillion dollar yacht (since you might already be living in a multimillion home in Vancouver) and simply use the Yacht tender. You'll get hooked! The Novurania Deluxe DL460 and DL530 are among the most popular.
Nautica - Another American made high quality Hypalon boat. Generally less feature-rich than the Novurania but still very high quality.
The Wide Body WB18 is a great and stable boat.
Avon - The British Manufacturer that was recently acquired by Zodiac. Avon has produced boats for the British Coast guard and army for years. Although the boat is very popular in Europe (where you'll frequently see it in the resale market), they are very rare in North America.
The SeaRider 4M is probably the most famous boat and includes a hydro-haul which fills up with water when the boat is at rest to provide the best stability for life rescue and diving applications.
Canadian Inflatables imports and brokers used quality Rigid Hull
Inflatable Hulls, We only accept the best boats which are in great
condition. Some of our boats at 8 out of 10 and 9 out of 10. So you
get a quality boat at a fraction of the cost of a new boat.
The others:
Polaris - Polaris is the leading Canadian manufacturer of RIBs. Located in BC,
they have ready access to testing new RIBs in sometimes very rough
waters. With 22 years of boat building experience, Polaris, much like
Zodiac, builds RIBs for consumer & "yacht tender" markets as well as
for professional/military markets. The Spirit Series boat and the
Zodiac Grand Raid are similar to each other according to some with
pricing favoring Polaris [unverified/unquantified] . Where Polaris
really shines is in the use of aluminum hulls, they are likely one of
the leaders in this space overall in the market.
Polaris has taken the approach of Nautica by boasting that "each boat
is unique". Although we think this is great for the price insensitive
super yacht market, we think that manufacturers should build
production line boats that are price competitive and suited for mass
market. RIBs are the best boats for safety and fuel efficiency but
unfortunately few people can afford a new brand name RIBs - mass
production is only one of the solutions.
A crop of new countries have started to produce Hypalon boats, these include;
Caribe - The manufacturer in Venezuela has been producing hypalon RIBs
for years up to 24' in length. The boats are renowned for their
features, including fresh water showers,
numerous compartments and other options including arches.
AB - Also a south American manufacturer of quality Hypalon boats.
Brig - A Czechoslovakia (eastern europe) manufacturer that is big on
style. Often referred to as a Canadian boat, it's only assembled in
Canada. All components are manufactured in Eastern Europe
The "no names". - Avoid any boats that you can't do research on. Many
new boats are coming from Asia and are produced in tiny "cash up
front" types of businesses. Would you buy a no-name car made in
China? Even if you would, Transport Canada and the Department of
Transport would have no mechanism in place to prohibit unsafe vehicles
from the road. Although the rules aren't the same for vessels, you
need to ensure that the boat you purchase is proven safe. RIBs are very
safe, with rigid hulls and multi-chambers tubes but documentation and reputation are insurance! Until there are (which is a matter of time) Canadian
Inflatables does not broker or resale any no-name brands.
Links for new boats.
Interested in a new boat? Those are easy to buy - all you need is the
money. We'll even give you the names of the main Rigid Inflatables
vendors in the Vancouver area. If you do purchase a new boat, make sure
you get the final pricing of all the options you want (including
trailer, equipment, radar arches etc) and compare those with the used
market. And, if you ever plan to sell your boat, think of us first!
It's quite common for people to upgrade to a large boat as soon as
they are financially able. We've experienced it first hand!
