[Mick Ward]

What do you guys reckon? The ultimate boat for inshore lure work, in reefs, tide, swell and sometimes covereing some distance and maybe deep water to get there? Bob and I have a 166 Redbay Fast Fisher, great little boat, surprisingly handles the rough stuff side on and from the stern, but I dont like the low nose and profile head on in swell (need to trim engine up so front doesnt dip under). We fancy a rib, but what do you guys reckon? Engine too?

 

[Gary Evans]

I could not fault my Orkney Fastliner 19 for inshore work ,very fast, very stable and well built, was very sorry to see it go as they are like hens teeth now to get a decent one and often come with a very high second hand price tag if in good condition,apart from that a rib would be a good choice in the 5 m range would be a lot simpler to launch and retrieve from trailer plus it will have the speed to get you out of the rough if the weather changed,would recommend to buy a cover for one as the Hypalon tubes are prone to UV deterioration.

 

[Mick Ward]

19ft Fast Liners are one of the most popular boats over here in Jersey, there are loads of them, and I agree gary they are awesome boats, my mate Nelson has one and so does Bobs sons boss Paul, they swear by them. It is definately a classic small boat, and ideal for inshore/coastal work. I reckon a 5m rib too, but you would need to get the seats/pods/deck/console area sorted out for lure fishing, ex dive boats etc would be pretty useless for what we do.

 

[Gary Evans]

Have a look at Menai Marine on the web they build ribs to the customers spec ,I know a few anglers who have bought 5m ribs off them and they are reasonably priced ! as you know the less that is needed inside like extra seats and compartments the cheaper it will be for you to build.

 

[Retired]

Orkney 590TTS centre console commercial spec. Then I would say that wouldn't I?

For long distance/high speed you won't beat a RIB, but that's not my bag (of air) just yet.

Would love a 6.9m Cheetah though.....

 

[Nick R]

Will the boat be moored ****, or on a trailer?

 

[Alex Jordan]

Humber rib - all black with a 120 4 stroke on the back ... you do lose some space inside but not much of a concern if you are lure fishing (fly fishing a different matter ...) I had the pleasure of fishing on a 6m Boss boat in Ireland recently - massive front deck space and high railings which was ideal for flyfishing ... and plenty of places to tuck the tackle away ...

 

[Retired]

Put off by the alleged long term effect of sunlight on black tubes Alex, plus the slightly ridiculous "look at me I'm in the SBS" look. Is there a RIB equivalent for "let's off road"? There are striking similarities between the number of drivers who buy 4x4s and can't drive them and the number of people who buy RIBs........

Also don't like the Humber's transom (lack of splash well). The best RIB I have seen was Arnaud de Wildenberg's Valiant in commercial spec, but even he has changed to a large hard boat now, a Predator I think, as he is fishing more and more offshore. I heard a rumour that he split the heavy duty aluminium boat he had before the RIB, but he fishes in seas that you wouldn't believe. Not even the hardest guys down here would risk it, but there again maybe he has less tide to cope with.

For your average requirements you probably won't beat a 16' Strikeliner in terms of practicality, adaptability, ease of launching and handling and economy, especially with a 20 or 30 hp modern four stroke on the back. Good resale too and nothing to go pop and hiss either at sea or on a dark night in a carpark.

 

[Nick Anthony]

17 -19' centre console with a 90-150 Yamaha 4 stroke engine. I think the US sports boats are best designed with a good combination of bow design and freeboard for choppy weather and a low stern for access and landing fish. Many come with a live well which is also a built in cool box. Make sure they are double skined and have hard foam bouyancy built in. Trophy and Boston Whaler do

I would stay away from Ribs. In the past I have burst 6 tubes, internal space is constrained by the tube and they catch the wind when drifting.

I have a Trophy 17' with a Mercury 2 Stroke 90 Hp on it (it was a deal). I love it and have fished from Portland to Poole in it including crossing the races. It draws less than 2' and does 35 knots although I tend to cruise at 20-25 knts at 4000rpm. I have trailerd it to Cornwall as Nathan will testify. Almost all of my fishing is within 100m of rocks or reefs but travel up to 20nm to get to them.

If money no option I would go for a Boston Whaler Dauntless 18 with a 4 stroke Yamaha 125.

 

[Nathan Bell]

**** I was going too post a very similar question myself.
We have an Orkney fastliner 19 with an old 40HP murcury on. However next year we plan too change it and were thinking along the lines of a rib or possibly an american style centre console as Nick Anthony has.

The problems with the Orkney are-
- Slow(no long distance work)
- Slower in a swell(A worry if the weather changes)
- Only suitable for two plugging and hard to fly fish from. (it has the canopy on the front)
- Difficult/Heavy to launch on your own, even with two.
- Engine guzzles the fuel

We like the idea of a rib as there so quick and can cope with the rough stuff, not too mention the room too fish all angles. There also lighter and therefore much easier too launch.
Problems are? Are they easy too pop?

Love the idea of an american style centre console but are we talking big bucks?

Oh decisions!!!

 

[Retired]

Nathan, Orkneys 19s (or even 590s) are not the newest design but I wouldn't tar all Orkneys with the same brush.

- Slow(no long distance work) I've got an 80hp 4Stroke on mine. Never has to be pushed hard.
- Slower in a swell(A worry if the weather changes) Not really. There have been lots of them fished professionally over here in the last 20 years in all weathers by way better boathandlers than me.
- Only suitable for two plugging and hard to fly fish from. (it has the canopy on the front). I fish three from mine regularly. It has a centre console. Never really considered flyfishing as a criteria (and I used to enjoy reservoir flyfishing). No need for a canopy as the boat is reasonably dry.
- Difficult/Heavy to launch on your own, even with two. Can be, but a good trailer solves all of that
- Engine guzzles the fuel. Four stroke? Mine is reasonable so long as I cruise around 19/20knots, but all outboard engines burn fuel at an alarming rate for their size. The new Suzukis seem to make some bold claims though. Otherwise put in a fitted fuel tank of say 80litres and don't look back.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love a big Edgewater CC boat, but you are talking engines of 200hp and over. That's some serious outlay, serious fuel consumption and massive depreciation. Likewise for bigger RIBS.

 

[Gary Evans]

Nathan, Orkneys 19s (or even 590s) are not the newest design but I wouldn't tar all Orkneys with the same brush.

- Slow(no long distance work) I've got an 80hp 4Stroke on mine. Never has to be pushed hard.
- Slower in a swell(A worry if the weather changes) Not really. There have been lots of them fished professionally over here in the last 20 years in all weathers by way better boathandlers than me.
- Only suitable for two plugging and hard to fly fish from. (it has the canopy on the front). I fish three from mine regularly. It has a centre console. Never really considered flyfishing as a criteria (and I used to enjoy reservoir flyfishing). No need for a canopy as the boat is reasonably dry.
- Difficult/Heavy to launch on your own, even with two. Can be, but a good trailer solves all of that
- Engine guzzles the fuel. Four stroke? Mine is reasonable so long as I cruise around 19/20knots, but all outboard engines burn fuel at an alarming rate for their size. The new Suzukis seem to make some bold claims though. Otherwise put in a fitted fuel tank of say 80litres and don't look back.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love a big Edgewater CC boat, but you are talking engines of 200hp and over. That's some serious outlay, serious fuel consumption and massive depreciation. Likewise for bigger RIBS.

Got to agree with you there Paul, I had a 75 hp 4 stroke engine on mine and it had plenty of speed plus it was economical to run if you watched your revs,I removed the cuddy on mine making it an open boat then moved the console up front which gained me a lot of deck space ,one other fact is that Orkney boats are tried and tested regarding stability that,s why most category "A" under 10m licence inshore commercial fishermen use them.

 

[Nathan Bell]

Cheers Guys helpfull as always!
We were/are considering just changing the engine for something more powerfull and economical, but they don't come cheap and this still wouldn't help with the trailer/launching side of things. It seems we have a great boat with a pants engine and trailer! Rather than mess about we reckon it will be easier and cheaper to trade the package in for something else.
Nothing is decided yet and we have lots of boats too look at this winter!
Cheers Nath.

 

[Andy K]

Whatever you go for ****. It absolutely MUST have somewhere out of the wind where a fresh cuppa can be made!! After that "essential" is taken into account, everything else is pure luxury, in my book

 

[jamo]

**** have you considered the Pirate 18 centre console, good solid boat and more than capable of dealing with gullies and open water. Loads of open deck space and handles really well in the water. I was speaking to Liam at fox marine today and they have a one year old Pirate 18 centre console going for 8k less than new as its ex-display and 1yr old. its fitted with a honda 90hp. He said they would be selling it for 15k but did meet him up at the auctions putting another boat in up there, so they may do the same with the Pirate with a realistic reserve?

 

[Quentin Trays]

orkney strikeliner16ft.mega boat,bit of an old girl now,handles the swell brilliant easy to launch,just a great well priced boat.thinking about changing in the next couple of yrs for warrior 16ft?ive had the orkney for 7yrs can,t fault.the warrior looks mega also much newer and looks bigger now my boys are getting older.

 

[Mick Ward]

I think when the time come I will be getting a rib, I love Pauls boat, Nicks boat, Jamo's boat, but I fancy a rib, the comfy ride has alot to do with it and they are pretty economic as they plain so easily. Next season may be the last on the black pig........maybe, I do love that little boat it gets in places a kayaker would worry about! I recon 6 meter with say a 150 on it should get me round the island and annoying everyone just sound. The choices are huge in the rib world, its going to be a long and drawn out episode.

 

[steve mullins]

Cheetah cats plane at low speeds,very comfortable ride,stable,fast & 3 times the space a rib has.Oh & no puncture repairs or tube replacements.
But i am biased!Man i fxxxxx miss mine!

 

[trev richardson]

**** I have to say that having spent a day on your boat and a day with Alan, because of the low profile and the lack of cuddy your boat was far the easier to control in the wind and we had much more time "in the catching zone". I think Alan will agree with me that he has to work much harder at keeping the boat on the drift than you do in these conditions....at one point during our day out to give Derek and myself the best drift across a few reefs he stayed at the controls. I think the ribs are higher than your boat and possibly they might be more effected by the wind as well. Worth taking one out for a few tests maybe. Then again the use of a drogue to control the drift might make the difference..

 

[Retired]

I would love a Cheetah............it's got to be done.