THE GREATEST RIB TEST EVER Piranha 8m PRICE £58,456 TOP SPEED 43 knots 0-40 KNOTS 13.2 seconds
W 56 AUGUST2013
hen you’re looking for a hull that will stand up to some serious abuse, the military is a good place to start.
Piranha’s RIBs are all based on designs originally created for use by naval forces around the globe and built by the same factory in Poland, so the chances are they’ll cope just fi ne with a slight chop in the Solent! It certainly felt that way when I stepped on board for a good thrash on the second day of our test. Compared to the other
times were a little down on the quickest of the group but it galloped along at a very creditable 43 knots fl at out and never felt underpowered for a craft of its size. At that speed it seems to shed its bulk and feels quite light on the water, almost as if the tubes and sunshade T-top are providing a bit of extra lift to the hull. You’d also have to be doing something very wrong to plant that tall bow anywhere near the back of a wave. Given its commercial
single-engined boats in our group it looks and feels like a very substantial piece of kit, with a tall raised bow, plenty of freeboard at the stern and large diameter tubes which sit a good way off the water even at rest. The helm set-up doesn’t feel quite as sophisticated as some with rather loose-fi tting side bolsters on the standing posts and a simple but logical dash layout. The steering and throttle were a bit heavier than the super-light Scorpion but it somehow suited the character of this no-nonsense craft. The hull wasn’t the most agile on test but it gripped well in the turns and responded faithfully to throttle and steering inputs. With only a single 250hp Yamaha to
practical details, it galloped at a very creditable 43 knots
Boasting an impressive array of
background, it boasts an impressive array of family oriented details. There’s a massive storage area under the forward sunpad, stainless steel grabrails running along the forward section of the tubes, an anchor platform on the bow, a neat fold-down picnic table on the back of the helm seat and you’d be surprised how welcome that sunshade becomes when you’re roasting
at anchor in an open boat. The three seats running across the aft
power it, it’s no surprise that its acceleration
end of the boat are raised quite high for a great view forward but it feels rather odd to be sitting above the top of the tubes with only a small side bolster to lock you in place, although you can always hang on to the grabrail on the back of the helm seat if things get hairy. Above all though it feels like a lot of RIB for comparatively little money, which in today’s market can only be a good thing. Hugo
Not the most sophisticated helm but a safe, sturdy craft
THE DATA SPECIFICATIONS
LENGTH 26ft 3in (8.0m) BEAM 9ft 0in (2.75m)
DRAUGHT 1ft 6in (0.47m) WEIGHT 1,200kg
FUEL CAPACITY 200 litres ENGINE 250hp Yamaha TOP SPEED 43 knots 0-30 KNOTS 4.6 sec 0-40 KNOTS 13.2 sec
PRICE FROM £54,995 inc UK VAT
PRICE AS TESTED £58,456 inc UK VAT
CONTACT Piranha RIBs. Tel: +44 (0)2392 460309 Web:
www.piranharibs.co.uk
Seating at both ends and plenty of locker space
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26