Walker Bay Genesis Series RIB

[defever]

i had the chance to buy a 12 ft walker bay genisis series RIB which had been used once for $1000 and had to pass on it. i did take delivery of it, put on my mercury 15 h.p. motor and went for a spin. going about 1/3 throttle i made a sweeping turn and almost got thrown from the dinghy. i immediately brought it back for my wife to try and she had the same experience. upon looking at the hull of the dink i now know why: the V-part if the hull only goes about 1/2 way to the stern then it goes up to the bottom of the floor and back to the transom. there is no hull in the back 1/2 of the dink to catch water, thus the stern of the dink flies away from the direction of the turn creating, in my opinion, an unsafe situation.
these things cost over $3k new and i guess i could have bought it and resold it for a lot more money but i felt that the dink is so unsafe i would have had a moral problem selling what i believe to be an unsafe dinghy. anyone else had this problem w/ this dink?

[AnchorageGuy]

We drove a Caribe all over the Caribbean for almost ten years with this exact same configuration in the bottom and although the stern will slide a bit in sharp corners we never felt unsafe or had any issues with it. We had both a 9.9 and a 15 Nissan on it. The 15 was way too fast and we could have done some damage, but never did. It was used in both protected waters and in the ocean for snorkeling and diving.

[djmarchand]

Defever:

That drop off in the V-Hull is called a step. It helps with planing. Many, maybe most planning V-hull boats have such a step. I can appreciate that it may have handled squirrely.

David

[Minggat]

I don't know, but if that's one of the folding transom models, they are pretty flat at the stern to accomodate the fold. Trade offs.

[GordMay]

“... Stepped hulls should be used by experienced drivers who know what the hull is likely to do in a seaway and in hard cornering, and who know how to react to the unexpected ...”


See “Understanding design and performance of Stepped Hulls”
➥ http://www.navaldesign.co.za/article...s-%20Feb07.pdf

Which explains the skittish nature of a stepped hull.

[Lancerbye]

I have the new Walkerbay Genesis 270 with the folding transom powered by an 8HP Honda. I love the way it handles. I agree they are skittish on the water and fast to get on plan, but those are traits of most fast planning boats. I have however been using boats of this type for many years. One has to learn to be one with the boat. A lot like riding a motorbike. I wish I had had the oppertunity to get a boat like that for that price. Great boats. I think you just needed time to get used to it.

[Dedzaboy]

Originally Posted by defever

going about 1/3 throttle i made a sweeping turn and almost got thrown from the dinghy. i immediately brought it back for my wife to try and she had the same experience...

Well that was very good of you, bet she was pleased!

[muskoka]

We have the Walker Bay 10ft model with a 15 hp and she handles much like every other RIB I've driven. Being a plastic hull she's not as stiff as the fibreglass or aluminium RIB's so you need to ensure the tubes are at the right pressure to keep the boat stiff.

I do think, however, that a 10 hp would be a better engine as the 15 seems a little overpowered.

[cruisin1111]

Driven this boat lots and it is more of a performance ride than most boats so it takes some getting used to if you are used to a more flat hull. Its definitely not dangerous just like driving a sports car when you are used to a mini van.

[ranger58sb]

We have a WB 310 Genesis, and when we put the new 15 hp outboard on it I had to learn a bit more about high speed handling. Wouldn't say unsafe, though, just a learning curve.


-Chris