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RIB Adventures in the Solent

About

Cruising the Isle of Wight Creeks in a Hired RIB

Self drive rib hire

Bembridge Marine LTD, is a marine center based on the Isle of Wight. We have a team of up to 14 staff members, including dedicated engineers, boat builders, and also have in house tube fitting and a repair shop.

The fleet of hire RIBs were purpose built in house to complement our hire service. We have the staff and facilities to back up our hard working fleet, keeping them well serviced and maintained. We carry spare parts, engines and navigation gear to keep the boats in good shape, and thus we have the ability to get boats back on to the water quickly if technical issues occur during the season. Our friendly team of staff are here to assist you with anything you need.

We are SASHMA coded and local authority licensed for use within the Solent. Our Rigid hull inflatable boats are extremely safe and come fully equipped with GPS navigation and depth gauges, a VHF, safety and first aid kits, an 8 man life raft and all the general boating equipment you need for a safe trip in the Solent.  

RIBs for rental on the pontoon in Bembridge
RIB Charter pickup off Seaview Isle of Wight

Our RIBs can be hired in the Solent area, within our permitted cruising area. Our limits are Bembridge lifeboat station to Chichester Harbour. Needles to Hurst Castle. Renters can’t go to the south of the Island past these limit lines. Skippers must be 21yrs or over and hold an RYA powerboat level 2 certificate as a minimum, we will accept other certificates such as day skipper as long as the hirer has previous power boating experience. We will ask for a brief email, detailing their recent powerboating experience in this case. The skipper must be onboard and in charge of the vessel while it is underway. More than one skipper is permitted as long as we have a copy of their licence(s).

RIB Charter on the pontoon in Cowes, Isle of Wight
Lifejackets lined up on the pontoon next to the rental RIB

Insurance

We are fully insured for use within our cruising area.

We have an insurance excess on the boats: £500 for the 6.5m and £1,000 on the R70. This is payable before the hire starts and is refunded to the customer as long as the boat is returned undamaged and lifejackets are returned undeployed.

Renters will be sent a link to a pre-meeting instructional handover video and we will run through a full handover when we meet the skipper for the first time.

Occasionally lifejackets are deployed accidentally, this is not a problem, however they must then be repacked by an accredited agency and a new gas canister must be installed. If a lifejacket is deployed, the cost of the repacking (£37.50 + VAT in 2022) subject to change. This will be charged at the end of your hire.

Safety

Lifejackets must be worn while the boat is underway. Self-inflating adult lifejackets are supplied for the hire, along with children’s lifejackets where required. We will ask for the approximate weights of the children so we can supply suitable size options. It will be up to the skipper to take responsibility for the correct weight and fitting adjustments. Renters can use their own lifejackets if they prefer, but they must be serviced and no more than 10 years old. They must be proper lifejackets and not just buoyancy aids.

We can supply buoyancy aids if extra support for swimming and watersports is needed.

Redy to rent a RIB?

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Bembridge Marine team.