Market 02
Rigid Inflatable Yacht Tenders
Aluminium and fibreglass hulled RIBs from 2.3 to 4.7 m. The davit-hung workhorse of the cruising fleet.
The market
A RIB tender buys you a real hull: it planes with a small outboard, handles chop, tracks under way and tows straight. The price is that it never gets smaller. Once you commit to a RIB you commit to davits, a foredeck chock or a tender garage, and to lifting 40–120 kg of boat every time the weather turns.
What decides this purchase
- Aluminium hulls save 15–30% over comparable GRP and are kinder to rocky beaches.
- Fibreglass hulls ride better and finish better, at a weight and price penalty.
- Ready-to-use weight (hull + outboard + fuel + gear) is the number your davits care about.
- 2.9–3.1 m is the sweet spot for most cruising couples: genuinely useful, still liftable.
Brands
14 brands in this market
Australian availability status is shown on every card — a brand you cannot get parts for is not a shortlist candidate.
France / China
Highfield
The aluminium RIB benchmark
Ukraine
BRIG
Fibreglass refinement, tender to flagship
France
Zodiac
The name that defined the category
Australia (distributor) / International
Sirocco Marine
Australia's RIB distributor with its own range
Europe
Grand Boats
Premium GRP tenders, 3 m to 10 m
Venezuela / International
AB Inflatables
The widest catalogue in the business
United States
Mercury Inflatables
Boat and engine from one dealer
Australia
Island Inflatables
Sydney-designed, nationally supported, sharply priced
Australia / International
Aerowave
The third inflatable-cat option
Japan
Achilles
CSM tubes for tropical UV
International
Quicksilver Inflatables
Broad range, variable local stock
International
GALA
Unusually broad, unclear locally
United States
Walker Bay
Strong used-market value
International
Aquaspirit
Alloy RIBs from the west
Models
Sorted by length
78 models in this market publish a length. Showing the first 60 — the full database is filterable.