Stabicraft? Anyone have one, or have experience with them?

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with Stabicraft small boats? I'm exploring tenders, and definitely want at least an aluminum hull RIB, but am also considering all aluminum like the Stabicraft.


Any of our down-under friends use them?

The smallest thing they make is an 18 foot walkaround-style boat. That won't fit on a dinghy dock. Do you plan on towing this?

Shrew said:

The smallest thing they make is an 18 foot walkaround-style boat. That won't fit on a dinghy dock. Do you plan on towing this?

Click to expand...

Nevermind. I followed your link. A 68 Nordhavn will have room.

Shrew said:

The smallest thing they make is an 18 foot walkaround-style boat. That won't fit on a dinghy dock. Do you plan on towing this?

Click to expand...

They have a 16.5' open boat that could work. A guy I know with a Nordhavn 63 is recommending it, and it's definitely caught my attention. It's ugly as hell, but I might be able to get past that....

twistedtree said:

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with Stabicraft small boats? I'm exploring tenders, and definitely want at least an aluminum hull RIB, but am also considering all aluminum like the Stabicraft.


Any of our down-under friends use them?

Click to expand...

The dealer was within a couple of miles of our house and I looked at them seriously. Seems like a fairly skookum design the me.

Delfin said:

The dealer was within a couple of miles of our house and I looked at them seriously. Seems like a fairly skookum design the me.

Click to expand...

Yes, and that’s what I’m looking for. A pickup truck of the sea.

I saw a Stabilcraft being towed a 65 ft+ boat in Garden Bay a couple of years ago.... what made this unique was there was a trailer ball on the swim platform and the stabilcraft had a towing bar very similar to what you see when an RV is towing a car... I dont understand how this arrangement prevented the tender from jackknifing when in reverse...

What about a beamy tinny with a solid buoyancy foam collar?
At least your boat won't get dinged up.

Boat Stabiliser for Small Boats under 5m | Kapten Boat Collars



We have the same tinny and haven't fitted a collar yet but its stable enough as it is to have both of us on one side at the same time.
This hull form (dory and busta) are used by a lot of commercial fisherman in these parts.
http://www.quintrex.com.au/Aluminium-Boat-Range/420Busta

Bigger 5.2m dory is 100kg lighter than a stabi and can carry more people.
http://www.quintrex.com.au/Aluminium-Boat-Range/520Dory?particulars=520 Dory

We do get a few stabicraft around here but due to price aren't popular at all.

Thanks for all the tips.

BTW, I’m greatly relieved to see that they all include a chilly bin.

twistedtree said:

BTW, I’m greatly relieved to see that they all include a chilly bin.

Click to expand...

Are they made in New Zealand?

When we were living in Alaska a guy in Thorne Bay had one. Ugly thing. Don’t recall ever seeing it underway.
For an aluminum boat I had a 16’ Crestliner open skiff in Alaska. It was a big boat w lots of room. It performed very well w a 40hp E-tech. Carried loads well.
I really don’t see any good reason for the round sponson boats. No matter what material they are made with.
The “boat collar” won’t work as a fender w flared boat sides. Waves from the side could hold the boat down risking swamping. And there probably other things not obvious at a glance.
If one can handle lots of weight the Bull Frog is (I think) a good boat. Probably too heavy for some to most apps but 1/2 of the “sponson” is usable space inside the boat. That’s a big pluss. Too bad it’s so heavy. The way the Stabicraft is made I think they could easily build the same advantage into their boats.

But before I bought any of these sponson/tube type boats I’d be investigating if a regular monohull boat would be a better choice.

Nomad Willy said:

.
The “boat collar” won’t work as a fender w flared boat sides.
.

Click to expand...

We had a boat with one tie up to us a few months back.
There was several inches of clearance between his metal and our timber.

. Waves from the side could hold the boat down risking swamping. And there probably other things not obvious at a glance.

Click to expand...

It provides additional buoyancy and if you look at the videos you will see small tinnys zooming up, down and across waves on river bars with no evidence of any swamping risk.
Quite the opposite in fact.

Shrew said:

The smallest thing they make is an 18 foot walkaround-style boat. That won't fit on a dinghy dock. Do you plan on towing this?

Click to expand...

Above not true.
I have spent some time studying this boat and looking at them at a dealer in Everett, WA. It would likely be my choice in new tender for a decent sized boat.
They make a 1410 in open and fisher models as well as a 1550 in the fisher line. These boats are just over 14' and 15' respectively.

Well built in my view and expect they would be stable in the water though I have not driven one. Probably meet the 'tank' classification compared to most tenders. Probably not a real dry ride in a cross wind compared to the shape of a Lund or my Klamath, for example.

I would love to own one and encourage you to give it a serious look. Very rare used here though I passed on one last year I kick myself over.

BruceK said:

Are they made in New Zealand?

Click to expand...

Gee, why do you ask

klee wyck said:

Above not true.
I have spent some time studying this boat and looking at them at a dealer in Everett, WA. It would likely be my choice in new tender for a decent sized boat.
They make a 1410 in open and fisher models as well as a 1550 in the fisher line. These boats are just over 14' and 15' respectively.

Well built in my view and expect they would be stable in the water though I have not driven one. Probably meet the 'tank' classifica
tion compared to most tenders. Probably not a real dry ride in a cross wind compared to the shape of a Lund or my Klamath, for example.

I would love to own one and encourage you to give it a serious look. Very rare used here though I passed on one last year I kick myself over.

Click to expand...

The guy I know who has one says it's a very dry ride.

TT: I saw one or two of them around last summer. One was tricked out as a sport fishing boat. They look excellent, however you might be able to get an outfit to custom build one for you in the US and that might be ultimately more affordable.

One suggestion is to consider “strakes” along the hull surfaces towards the bow. Evidently they make a big difference towards reducing spray/splash when crashing into waves. My good friend in Prince Rupert has a sport fishing vessel with strakes and swears by them. He never takes spray over the bow.



I’m the fetching looking fellow with the yellow pants.

Thanks Jim. Supposedly the stabicraft hull design is very dry, but I have no 1st hand experience. However in some of the videos of them underway, it looks like the upper part of the hull hangs out over the lower part serving as a splash guard. Maybe?

JDCAVE said:

TT: I saw one or two of them around last summer. One was tricked out as a sport fishing boat. They look excellent, however you might be able to get an outfit to custom build one for you in the US and that might be ultimately more affordable.

One suggestion is to consider “strakes” along the hull surfaces towards the bow. Evidently they make a big difference towards reducing spray/splash when crashing into waves. My good friend in Prince Rupert has a sport fishing vessel with strakes and swears by them. He never takes spray over the bow.

View attachment 83332

I’m the fetching looking fellow with the yellow pants.

Click to expand...

That quintrex dinghy of ours that I posted above has what they call a millennium hull
We have punched back to the big boat for several miles in 25knots with some decent slop and had a dry ride and surprisingly going faster gave a better ride.
Having had both hull shapes I was amazed at the difference, the older hull was bone jarring and wet vs a lot smoother and dry

V hulls w concave bottoms is from the past. Was very popular when boats were planked. Almost forgotten when most boats became plywood.
The concave bottoms pound in the vicinity of the chine and only improve the ride in a light chop. Modern boats now seem to favor neither concave or convex chines. And in FG it’s as easy to make either one.

I’d guess the concave bottom pounds more in banked turns but tracks better otherwise. As for spray deflection either or all bottoms can make use of the spray/lift rails.

Actually the dryest ride, I think comes from a rather sharp rounded chine at the turn of the bilge w an out turn just above. The rounded part slows down the beamwise flow of water, pulls it up w enough force to turn it basically 90 degrees away from the hull. Early Uniflite boats had such a chine. Not as efficient as a hard and sharp chine. Just my opinion.

Simi,
The vidio in 13 looks like fun.

Stabicraft, butt ugly at best. The boat you have when you know nothing about boats. Just joking.
I have an aluminium tender, only 3.7 mts but pretty beamy and fitted with flotation collars (inflatable) called Aero Floats ( Airofloat Stabilizers) They offer great protection to the mother ship, fantastic stability and really good for we older folk who still free dive, to get in and out of the water.
They are easy to install and remove, just fitted with sail track on side of dinghy.

Stabicraft is a very popular brand here in Kiwi land.
They are made in the very Southermost town of the South Island called Invercargill, since 1987. Very popular with fishermen in coastal waters.
As Bill has already pointed out their smallest model starts at 14 “ and weighs 500 lbs
Recommended engine is 30 HP.
There are dozens of them in every NZ marina and many more on trailers in driveways.
I have not seen them used as tenders but cannot see why not, if the mothership is large enough with a good crane.
Will try and post a few photos from their website.
Wilfried

I used to do some work fitting out Stabicraft boats for the South Australian distributor. I test run each boat as they were completed. They are a very dry ride due to their unusual shape. Not everyone loves the shape with a squared off overhang that sits over the traditional shaped hull.
They were a good strong boat that were popular with the local fishermen. All models had positive flotation.

Lowe? I would look into a 16' wide deep v utility if that's in your idea of a good tender. Grumman, Tracker, and Alumacraft make them as well. They are very stable and usually dry.

https://www.loweboats.com/utility-boats/v1668w/

I just sold one that I used extensively for 5 years. It is a fantastic boat. I cannot think of a better tender AND it would be nice to have the ultimate life boat in tow. I only sold it, a Stabicraft 2050 Fisher, to move to a larger boat with a head so as to entice my wife to join me on the water. Feel free to contact me for further information. 720 480 8652

You should stick with the idea of a Stabicraft! they should make what you need. the forward downturns on the alloy pontoons will keep you dry. they also have a good cushion belting that will protect your vessel when coming along side and other hyperlong and PVC tenders at the dingy docks!!!!

You could only be an Ozzy! those yellow things on the side of ya dingy are what we call water wings, kids that cannot swim use them! kinda like the Americas Cup!!! just kidding

Alan Culverwell said:

You could only be an Ozzy! those yellow things on the side of ya dingy are what we call water wings, kids that cannot swim use them! kinda like the Americas Cup!!! just kidding

Click to expand...

Dead right mate, but for getting in and out of the tinny when you are free diving (spear fishing) they are great and I am not getting any younger or for that matter thinner. 71 in Jan so have to get all the help I can.

71 Wow, good on you! like most Kiwi's I did some time in Ozz, spent quite a bit of it spearfishing at Flinders Reef off Bribe Island. Do hope to get back there with the family one day, great place! happy Birthday for January!!!