RIB boat or rigid hull inflatable boat or motor boat, in the English sense Rigid-hulled inflatable boat, or RIB for short. The boat's low mass and good running characteristics are considered one of the basic advantages of RIBs, which increase the practicality of operation.
RIB boats will do just fine diving, for underwater work, underwater search, for various water sports, fishing and various special services on the water.
RIB boats were born from the development of classic (rubber) inflatable boats - "rubbers". By installing increasingly powerful engines on inflatable boats, it became necessary to strengthen the boat structure with "hard" elements. A revolution in the development of inflatable boats occurred when the part of the hull of the floor of the inflatable boat was created in the form of a deep "V" contour (English- water-bottom crazy design), which makes it possible to move at relatively high waves and high speeds.
With a powerful RIB boat you can go from Kuiviži to Roņu Island in one hour!
RIB ship inflatable sides keep the boat stable. Inflatable boat sides reduce the impact force of waves similar to car shock absorbers and allow for a similar engine power to achieve a higher speed compared to classic "hard-shell" boats. The RIB boat retains the small weight of an inflatable boat, and additionally acquires high dynamic and seaworthiness characteristics. Most RIB boats meet seaworthiness requirements in accordance with the B category "Offshore" (English - Boat design category "B Offshore"), which provides for safe sailing of the boat in the open sea in conditions where the wind strength can reach up to 8 points, or 17-21 m/s (inclusive) and wave height – up to 4 meters (inclusive). The maximum speed of modern RIB boats in calm water can exceed 70 knots (130 km/h), more for special racing models.
Great Britain is considered the birthplace of RIB boats, from where they spread further in Scandinavia and France. In the American continent and the Mediterranean region, the spread of RIB-type motorboats is currently only the beginning of a new market segment. Due to their excellent characteristics, RIB motorboats are used by rescue services of all countries on the waters and have been widely used in the military sphere.
RIB boats at the Latvian border guard
Since the summer of 2007, the Latvian State Border Guard has had Finnish-made "Boomeranger A-3500RIB boats, whose hard hull part is made of aluminum, the total length of the boat is 10.6 meters, and each of them is equipped with two 225 HP Suzuki outboard four-stroke gasoline engines, which allow the boat to reach a maximum speed of up to 50 knots (93 km/h). speed in "calm water" and maintain a speed of 30 knots (56 km/h) for a long time in almost any weather conditions.
RIB boats in the Lithuanian border guard
The Lithuanian Border Guard uses "Boomeranger RIB C-1100” equipped with two 250 HP Yanmar stationary diesel engines and Rolls-Royce FF270 waterjet water jets, which allows the given boats to be effectively used in the shallow waters of the Curonian Spit.
RIB boats for a wide range of applications
Inflatable RIBs have gained recognition in recent decades, mainly as transport for divers, divers, various special services and it is very useful underwater works and for underwater surveys.
