RIBCRAFT, Professional-Grade RIBs from Marblehead, Massachusetts

A commercial builder that also sells to the public

The American arm of RIBCRAFT dates to 2001 and still works from its plant on Hoods Lane (number 88) in Marblehead, Massachusetts. During a 2019 visit by Soundings, management explained that commercial and government buyers take the majority of production, the US Navy among them with a 23-footer, while a parallel line of private-use boats spans roughly 16 to 41 feet. Matthew Velluto, who handles business development and has been there from day one, estimated that four in five customers work their boats far harder than an ordinary owner, and the company builds its leisure boats to that same tougher yardstick.

The current list runs from the 4.8 at 15 feet 7 inches through the 5.85, 6.5, 6.8, 7.8, 9.0 and 11.0 to the 12.5 at 41 feet, plus military 7 Meter, 7 SOLAS and 11 Meter boats. The company stresses that every boat is built in the United States, which matters to municipal and federal buyers. European buyers are pointed to the separate British RIBCRAFT website.

The RIBCRAFT 5.85 and the club fleet

The RIBCRAFT 5.85, our covered model, is the company's compact console boat and the one most often seen working around New England harbors. Public agencies have been steady buyers. Weymouth, Massachusetts, put an aluminum-hulled version into harbormaster service in 2021, and in 2022 Rhode Island's Department of Environmental Management bought a pair, the agency's first proper rigid inflatables. Hull form, weights, ratings and engine choices are covered on the 5.85 model page.

Sailing programs and yacht clubs make up the second core market, running the 5.85 for coaching, setting marks and race committee work. That fleet business carries into the off season, when the Marblehead shop reports looking after upward of 30 club boats each winter, with work ranging from tube reconditioning to complete tube replacement.

Tubes, resale and buying used

RIBCRAFT uses 1670 Hypalon, the heaviest grade, for its tubes, with multiple chambers so a holed tube does not sink the boat, and the fiberglass hull floats on its own. Even good tubes age, though, and a retube is the big future cost on any RIB. RIBCRAFT says its boats hold strong resale value as clubs rotate fleets, which keeps former club boats coming onto the used market. Ex-agency boats can be bargains, but expect extra holes and wiring from removed equipment.

• Find the tube manufacture date and check seams, abrasion and porosity
• Leave each chamber inflated for 24 hours to find slow leaks
• Test pressure-relief and inflation valves
• Inspect the keel and hull bottom for beaching damage
• Confirm the outboard does not exceed the hull's rating