When thinking about what the best rigid inflatable boat (RIB) is for you, there are numerous factors to consider, including your intended use, the number of people you’ll have on board, the performance you seek, and the features you’d like to have on your boat.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the vast amount of brands, styles and designs that are increasingly available amongst the ever-growing variety of rigid inflatable boats, especially as RIBs continue to vastly grow in popularity worldwide.
In this guide, we’ll break down the different types of RIB boats out there to help you start to identify what might be the best rigid inflatable boat for you.
Types and uses of rigid inflatable boats (RIBs)
There are now various use cases across maritime activities and professions that sees rigid inflatable boats used more broadly across recreational, commercial, and water sports instances.
Leisure RIBs and inflatable boats for family
Primarily, rigid inflatable boats are used for leisure and recreational purposes. Thanks to the exceptional stability and enhanced safety that they provide, RIBs are a great choice amongst families who looking for a safe, reliable and comfortable boat that works well for day trips and outings on the water.
Here at Grand Boats, our midsize RIBs and large adventure RIBs both offer great choices for families, with boats ranging from 5 metres (capable of holding 9 passengers) up to 8.5 metres (with a capacity for 16 passengers). With functional and comfortable layouts, these recreational family RIB boats feature deep-set seating that allows people to sit low and securely in the boat. With additional features such as tables, cupholders, showers, fridges and toilets – in particular on our G680, G750, and G850 boats – these family RIB boats offer modern comforts that make days out with kids and family on board easier than ever.
Fishing RIBs
Many fishing enthusiasts are opting for inflatable fishing boats for their on-water fishing adventures as rhib fishing boats become increasingly functional to their needs.
There are numerous factors that make RIBs are great choice for fishing. RIBs are generally much lighter than conventional hard boats, which makes them much more efficient at higher speeds and longer fishing journeys. With their deep-v hulls and tubes, RIBs are incredibly stable both at high speeds and at standstill, creating a safe and comfortable base to fish from. While there may be some concern around using hooks near inflatable tubes, RIB tubes – in particular the quality materials we use at Grand RIBs – are designed to be resilient. In the rare instance that a tube receives a tear, the design configuration of a RIB ensures that the boat remains afloat – even if all the tubes are flat.
The Grand D600 in particular is a rigid inflatable boat tailored for fishing enthusiasts, with its spacious deck layout for easy casting, vast storage capacity and rod holders for fishing gear, and an electrical package including fish finder technology by Garmin. If you’re looking for more options on the best rigid inflatable boat for fishing, take a look over our guide to the best RIB boats for fishing.
Small RIB Boats & Yacht Tenders
Given their incredibly lightweight and compact nature, small rigid inflatable boats serve effectively as yacht tenders or dinghies. The stability of small RIBs ensure they’re reliable and safe for transporting people and items from boat to shore, while their lightweight design means that they don’t add unnecessary weight and impede the efficiency of yachts – in particular sailing yachts.
Here at Grand, our small inflatable yacht tender boats are incredibly popular and deliver a first-class ride to passengers, whether they’re being transferred from yacht to shore or bay-hopping. While compact in size, space is optimized effectively with multiple internal storage compartments and comfortable deep-set seats. Our G380 and G420 yacht tenders are bestsellers, and can be customized to suit your requirements, whether that’s the addition of a ski pole for watersports or a built-in water system. Take a look over our wide range of boat tenders for sale to find the best rigid inflatable boat tender for your yacht or super yacht.
Sports RIBs – Rigid Inflatable Boats for wakeboarding and waterskiing
For those that love adrenaline activities, such as wakeboarding, waterskiing or towing inflatables, there is no better watercraft than a rigid inflatable boat. Designed with speed and performance in mind, sports RIBs are typically crafted with twin-stepped deep-v hulls for ultimate efficiency and effectiveness in all water conditions, and can be customized with a sport jockey seat configuration to create high-speed comfort for passengers on board.
At Grand Boats, all of our boats above 3.8m can be fitted with either a waterski tower or ski arch, making them suitable for these watersport activities. However, it is the Grand D600 and D950 that are the most effective sports RIBs in our range, thanks to their deep-v twin-stepped hulls, jockey seating, sports layout configurations, and the vast storage capacity that these boats offer for holding waterskiing or wakeboarding equipment. Browse our range of inflatable wakeboarding boats to find yours or take a look at over our guide to find the best rigid inflatable boat for wakeboarding.
Commercial and Professional RIBs
Because of their known reliability, stability and safety, rigid inflatable boats are used extensively across many commercial operations, whether that be for transportation, tourism, military, diving, and water rescue purposes. These RIBs are designed to withstand heavy and frequent usage across any sea condition, and typically come with vast storage for cargo.
The Grand D950 is a best-selling RIB that is used commercially throughout the world. With it’s twin-stepped hull and specialized configuration options, this 9 metre rigid inflatable boat has a capacity of up to 14 people and can be entirely customized to suit any commercial purpose, whether that be for diving, transport, fishing or taxi-ing. Find the best RIB boat for commercial or charter use to suit your needs in our range of commercial inflatable boats.
Rigid inflatable boat accessories & features
Once you’ve determined the type of rigid inflatable boat that would suit your needs, you can narrow your RIB choice further by looking at the boating accessories and features available.
RIB boat with outboard motor
The majority of rigid inflatable boats you’ll find typically are fitted with an outboard motor. The size of the motor varies dependent on the size of the boat and what it has been power rated for.
Our RIBs are fitted with outboard motors that size from 15 HP, such as with our smaller S300 yacht tender, and all the way up to 400HP, which you’ll find on our Grand G850 RIB.
RIB boat with toilet
Having a toilet onboard is a feature that many boat passengers look for, especially when planning days out with kids on the boat or longer adventures on the water. Size will be a determining factor as to whether you can have a toilet on board. Here at Grand, you can customize your Grand G750 or Grand G850 rigid inflatable boat to include a toilet, making your days on the water even more comfortable.
RIB boat with centre console
Centre console boats, where driving consoles are places centrally on the boat, enable more easy manoeuvrability in and around the boat, helps create more space around the stern and improves the visibility for the driver at the helm.
At Grand, all of our boats sized 5.8 metres and above have a centre console design layout, enhancing your safety, comfort and manoeuvrability on board.
How much does a rigid inflatable boat cost?
The cost a RIB will depend on the features, materials, size and configuration of the boat. Take a look at our range of rigid inflatable boats to find the best RIB boat for you and get in touch with our team directly for more cost information.
