Speed of a 11 foot Rib with a 30HP motor?

[jmunro123]

I am thinking of getting a Rib from Walker Bay
http://walkerbay.com/products/genesis/genesis_dlxconsole_features.html

Its about 11 feet and weight only 221lb + motor ( a 30HP Merc would weight 171lbs) for a total of 392lbs + gas etc.

I was wondering how fast something like that would go and if I could pull a couple of kids on a tube. Also, I was thinking about the Hurley Davits with the extensions. On the 340 the swim platform is about 20 inches off the water (estimate). Is it even possible to get something this heavy up on the Hurley's? Is there another option?

I don't think the 392 lbs on the swim platform will effect the performance of a 340 all that much but if someone else has tried and found differently please drop me a note.

 

[Sea Gull]

My 11'5" inflatable weighs 400 pounds dry - almost double the one you are looking at. We have a Mercury 30HP 4-stroke with a spec. weight of 216. With 1 or 2 POB we can get up on plane easily and top out around 20 knots. With 4 adults it is impossible to get the boat to plane. The real issue with the 4 strokes is that they don't have a lot of get up and go. We can pull a small kid on a tube with with two people in the boat, but it's not all that thrilling of a ride. Certainly a boat that weighs 200 pounds less should perform better, but two kids on a tube (assuming 2 adults in the boat) is still going to be pushing it.

 

[390pi]

For comparison sake, my West Marine AL 390 (12'-9") inflatable with aluminum floor (not RIB) is 189#; my Yamaha 25hp 4 stroke/electric start is 132#.

Boat does 26mph on GPS with full fuel and 1 person. Planes with 4 adults.

My older daughter at 120# wakeboards behind it with no effort.

My previous inflatable was a Artigiana Batelli 11' RIB with console and 30hp Suzuki 2 stroke. Very quick compared to a 4 stroke. It seemed to do a little over 30mph. Problem was, that the ride was a little rougher compared to a non-RIB boat.

The non-RIBs seem to flex, and "give a little" which makes for a smoother ride but does not achieve the top spreed of a RIB. Then again, it can be hard to find smooth enough water to go top speed without getting beat up.

That Walker Bay boat looks like a nice setup.