Took A Risk - So Far So Good!
After much deliberation and a visit to actually see one of these RIBs I took a chance and bought a 12ft RIB for the bargain price of $5500.
It's clearly a Chinese copy of a Highfield model. Decent looking aluminum welds, fairly well thought out design features and 1 week after purchase the tubes are still inflated
These are actually 2020 model year units that went unsold, and the 'warranty' expired when I loaded it on my trailer.
It's a definite DIY project, kinda like a marine Ikea project w/o the instruction sheet. Has been pretty easy so far - I've rigged outboards & steering systems before. The hard part was actually finding an outboard motor for the thing. I called at least a dozen dealers looking for a 30hp remote control long shaft - nothing. Worst part is that they have NO idea when they will receive new inventory. Finally got lucky with a local dealer who got a 'surprise' Tohatsu delivery this week, and as a bonus it's white!
So worst case for me will be I end up swapping my new motor onto a different RIB if this one turns into a disaster. Doesn't seem to be a real risk for now anyway.
My all-in cost will be less than half of the quoted price for an equivalent Highfield. Wish me luck....
Wish I could figure out how to get these photos right side up....