FAQ

Yes the Rigid Boat is U.S. Coast Guard approved. All the models passed easily and with flying colors.

Rigid Boats has a full ring of closed cell flotation foam in the deck of every boat. This ring of foam is sufficient to float the Rigid Boat upright fully loaded to capacity with the outboard motor high enough to run. Let’s say you were swamped by the wake of a large boat. I would simply bail the boat out and continue my trip. Of course you could simply continue to your destination fully swamped. You will get a lot of comments from onlookers if you do it this way. Make sure you tell every witness where to buy a Rigid Boat!

The Rigid Boat is LESS expensive than a comparable RIB inflatable. The Rigid Boat can also be customized with custom colors, and a variety of popular options that would be difficult to install on an inflatable.

I am sorry to hear about your difficulty with puncturing your inflatable against barnacles. It is a common story. A Rigid Boat has a rub rail that will protect the boat in most cases. In a situation where hard barnacles are allowed to constantly chafe against the hull you will likely see some scratching of the gel-coat finish. The good news is that it won’t puncture the hull; and you will be able to buff out most scratches. Barnacles are bad news for boats and dinghies but your Rigid Boat will survive a bout with barnacles and still be there for you.

We can “match” the color for you. Keep in mind that depending on the condition and age of your boat, the color match may not be perfect. We do offer several colors that have been found to be most popular. Maybe one of them will be satisfactory. The match effort will be an extra charge. We try to keep it reasonable and the real custom look you will achieve with a Rigid Boat the same color as your boat is incredible.

We have developed a new wide soft rub rail that is as soft as the side of any inflatable boat. This new design combines the advantages of a hard body dinghy with the soft touch of an inflatable. This new soft rub rail will not mark your boat or make noise when coming in contact with your boat due to wave action. As an added measure, although not required, you can also use fenders. There is over 12 cubic feet of storage in the tubes of the Rigid Boat for storing fenders and other gear.

I have seen warranties longer than 5 years on inflatable hard bottom boats. The warranty should be read carefully! Seams are generally warranted for shorter periods. Then there are all sorts of caveats that further reduce the liability of the manufacturer on the inflatable parts of dinghies. The fiberglass hulls are where the warranties are generally for the full term.

Hypalon has been the long term “best” material for inflatable boats. The industry has been reducing the thickness and actual Hypalon content to the point a boat that claims to be of Hypalon has a very small amount in the actual fabric and is really using a coating of Hypalon and some use of high tenacity basic textile and neoprene to limit air leaks. Of course, there are all sorts of adhesives and overlapping seams that supposedly prevent seam failures and air leaks. Oh, I almost forgot, all rigid hull inflatables have separate air chambers just in case one gets punctured to maximize your safety! I personally believe inflatables are inherently dangerous and become totally inoperative when one hull chamber is punctured. Think about it, if one hull deflates your boat becomes something you hang on to hoping some one will come by and save you. How is that so safe? I will take my Rigid Boat any day over some oversold balloon.

When comparing the sport series boats, the Rigid Boats actually weigh LESS than a comparable RIB Inflatable. The Sport Rigid Boat is from 50 to 200 pounds lighter than a comparable Sport inflatable RIB.

WOW! You have really learned the hard way about inflatables! The Rigid Boat design utilizes the tube and hull design to maximize storage. The tubes are, guess what, used for storage instead of pressurized air. The Rigid Boat has dry storage room for all necessary items plus those personal items passengers always want to bring aboard. The tubes are flat on the inside gunwales providing several extra inches of space in the width making your passengers even more comfortable. The fuel tank is inside of its own compartment and the fuel line runs inside one of the tubes to the transom, through a hull boot to the motor. Even you, the Captain, won’t have to deal with it any longer. Oh! by the way the storage compartments are lockable.

Shipping is simple. We usually recommend shipping to your boat yard or marina where they have a fork lift that can easily remove the boat from freight carrier. They will also be able to launch the rigid-hull boat for you and install a motor or any other accessories you desire. If you do not have a marina nearby, you should find a business we can ship to that has a fork lift and will be willing to unload the boat for you. We do not recommend shipping to a residential address.

I first tried a Rigid Boat by purchasing a 10’4″ tiller and a 15 HP Yamaha. I ran it around for 25 minutes or so and was astonished at the performance. This is a real boat. It tracks straight, is dry, handles chop very well and is rock stable. I don’t believe you will find a RIB in this size class that handles as well, keeps you dry and planes so easily.

Rigid Boats will provide a manufacturers certificate of origin and a bill of sale that you will use to register the boat. The certificate of origin certifies the Rigid Boat to be new and provides a legal transfer of ownership to you. This along with the bill of sale is all you will need to properly register your new Rigid Boat.

I suggest you consider one of several boat lifts or dinghy davits that are available from several manufactures. They are innovative and are available in all types to work with any boat, large ore small. Many manufactures have developed swim platform lifts for Rigid Boats that work with any vessel with a swim platform. This makes the whole process of launching, retrieving and transporting your Rigid Boat simple, safe and efficient. You can launch your Rigid Boat in seconds for that spontaneous evening cruise and retrieve her in 2 minutes after the cruise. No pumping up a rubber boat, no balancing of the motor while trying to hang it on the transom of the dinghy, no finding of the life jackets and other safety equipment and no putting up with a toy boat that can barely make headway in a current that soaks all passengers when the first wave comes by.