Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do with a rigid inflatable boat?
Ribs are ideal for all forms of watersports such as skiing, and are perfect to act as a rescue craft for dinghy sailing as well as limited calm water cruising.
What size motor do I need to ski with?
On 4-5m Ribs a 40 hp plus, two or Four Stroke, Power Trim is a great option. 50/60 hp will give good performance!
What speed can I expect to go?
40 hp motors give 30-40 mph, 50-60 hp will give up to 45 mph depending on which boat they are on.
Is a Rib easy to tow?
Ribs will tow easily behind any car of 1.6 litre and above, braked trailers are not normally required. Larger Ribs may need some special requirements, see the Towing a Rib section.
How safe are Ribs, can they get punctured easily?
Ribs over 4m will ride the roughest of seas well, though something a bit bigger would be a better bet if you are in a rough sea. All boats have at least 3 compartments in the collar (often 5) and are very hard to damage anyway.
Are Ribs easy to drive, and do I need a licence?
Licence is not required in the UK but in continental Europe they are. These are easily obtained on a weekend power boat course. Ribs are probably the easiest and most forgiving of craft to learn to drive as they compensate for mistakes you make!
What sort of range do ribs have?
Smaller Ribs usually have a 5 gallon tank giving a range of 30-70 miles (or 1-2.5 hours running). An inboard tank or extra 5 gallon tank can double this. It would be normal to have an inboard tank on larger ribs in the order of 100l. This will give 100 miles + (4-6 hours running)
Can I use a Rib to go to sea?
Ribs over 5m would have adequate power, 75-115 hp, will be able to cope with more or less any sea. If you do a lot of offshore cruising the longer the hull the better. For any long journey it makes sense for all passengers to be able to stand if they wish to as this is often the most comfortable way to travel any distance in the rough.
Towing a Rib
The ability to tow a rigid inflatable boat or trailer will depend on the driving licence you hold. The category entitlement on your driving licence will determine the type of trailer you can tow.
Maximum authorised mass (MAM)
In this article reference is made to the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of vehicles and trailers. This should be taken to mean the permissible maximum weight, also known as the gross vehicle weight.
Car licences held before 1 January 1997
All drivers who passed a car test before 1 January 1997 retain their existing entitlement to tow trailers until their licence expires. This means they are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes MAM. They also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kgs MAM.
Drivers who hold subcategory C1+E - limited to 8.25 tonnes MAM, may apply for provisional entitlement to the new subcategory C1+E, in order to take and pass the test which will increase their combined vehicle and trailer entitlement to 12 tonnes MAM. It is not necessary to gain subcategory C1 entitlement first but drivers have to meet higher medical standards, and pass both the category C theory test and the subcategory C1+E practical test.
- Towing trailers or Ribs with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes
- Towing trailers with medium sized vehicles between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes
- Towing a trailer with a passenger carrying vehicle
Large goods vehicle and passenger carrying vehicle licences held before 1 January 1997
Since 1 January 1997 all drivers who hold category C or D entitlement have been limited to trailers up to 750kgs MAM; Category C+E or D+E must be held in order to tow trailers in excess of this.
Car driving licence first obtained since 1 January 1997
Drivers who passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 are required to pass an additional driving test in order to gain entitlement to category B+E and all larger vehicles. In addition to the new driving tests, drivers of vehicles which fall within subcategories C1, C1+E, D1 and D1+E also have to meet higher medical standards.
Upgrading entitlement for trailers
In general, an additional driving test is required for each category or subcategory of entitlement. But there are certain exceptions to this where drivers have already passed one test which involves trailer entitlement for a larger or equivalent sized vehicle.
This means that passing a test for subcategory C1+E or D1+E upgrades category B entitlement to B+E. A test pass for subcategory C1+E upgrades subcategory D1, if held, to D1+E. But a test pass for subcategory D1+E does not upgrade subcategory C1 to C1+E because the trailer size required for a subcategory D1+E test is smaller than that required for a subcategory C1+E test.
Passing a test for category C+E upgrades category B entitlement to B+E and also confers entitlement to subcategory C1 and C1+E and, if category D or subcategory D1 is held, these are upgraded to category D+E or subcategory D1+E. A test passed for category D+E upgrades category B and subcategory D1 to category B+E and subcategory D1+E respectively. But it does not upgrade category C or subcategory C1 entitlements because the trailer size required for a category D+E test is smaller than that required for a category C+E or subcategory C1+E test.
Provisional trailer entitlement
Since 1 January 1997 drivers are no longer able to sit a test in a heavy vehicle/trailer combination (eg category C+E or D+E) unless they have first passed a test and obtained a full licence in the corresponding rigid vehicle (eg category C or D).
This means that although drivers may have been driving a vehicle and trailer combination legitimately, under 'L' plates, they are not permitted to sit a trailer test using such a combination until a test has been passed in a rigid vehicle and a full licence obtained for that category.
This information is not intended to be a definitive statement of law.
Construction and use
This article relates to driver licensing matters only. For details on the construction and use requirements regarding weights and dimensions for trailers please contact:
Transport, Technology and Standards, Department for Transport, Zone 2/01, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR
Email: tts.enquiries@dft.gsi.gov.uk