Hugo Montgomery-Swan tests  the latest crop of Avon Seariders. The RIBs are impressive but there’s a whiff of controversy in the air. A case of the A to Z of Avon’s latest commercial designs.

Avon’s latest additions to its commercial range are an interesting collection of models - not least in terms of their design. But perhaps the least surprising of the three new craft is the smallest, the 5.4m model, a boat that continues Avon’s long held design theme. The characteristically flat profile, traditional angle bow and stable sponson-to- waterline quality of the Searider are once again present in this surefooted diesel powered workhorse. There are no strikingly new features to this craft although Yanmar’s latest engine technology has undoubtedly afforded this 5.4m hull even more roles in the professional arena. This is primarily for the reason that the 4JH3 TE inboard, coupled to a Mercruiser Alpha 1 leg, is immensely compact, lightweight and power efficient at just 70hp. In fact, with a payload of 2 persons and a full tank of fuel, she’ll push a good 28 knots, a speed that is very respectable indeed for a rig of this type. Plus of course, being diesel, she not only has the advantage of being able to be fuelled by a mother ship, but also, the 4JH3’S consumption is very conservative. (This model is soon to be available with a powerpack, which it is anticipated, will allow top speeds in the region of 40 knots.) The internal layout is very neat indeed and in many respects its ergonomics are its most likable feature. Thanks to the alloy construction of the RIB’s consoles and uniting, it remains reasonably lightweight all up at 800kg and of course this is critical as the horsepower of 70hp is right on the threshold for carrying four to six MOD personnel. Deep decks, through transom scuppers, beefy steel work and heavy duty straking top off the vessel’s specification and present her as a very soundly build sea boat. Performance wise, the surefooted, soft-riding, ‘stick-to-the-water’ characteristics of her hull are once again, typically Searider. If not radically new, this boat remains very likable and will no doubt serve a variety of operations very faithfully.
   
Two brand new Searider models - the 670 and 760 have been added to the range to provide non-MOD type operators a competitively priced high-performance outboard powered workboat of moderate specification. These new RIBs are anything but Searider; they don’t look like Seariders, they don’t appear to possess any Searider features, and they don’t even lie afloat like a Searider. In my view these RIBs appear, in everything but name, Zodiac Hurricane. Chief design differences between the British built Searider and the Canadian Hurricane are that the latter has tubes which stand well proud of the water, a bluff bow, high decks and in the case of these new models at least, a transom extension which forms part of the fabric of the actual hull - something that I have never before seen on Seariders.
   
The Zodiac Hurricane design is well proven, and along with the British built Halmatic, is one of the hardest working/widely used military/coastguard RIBs currently in service anywhere in the world. Regardless of how good these vessels may be, it’s a shame that investment into a truly new British built Searider has not been made. Mind you, the originator and continuing driving force behind the Hurricane, Tim Fleming, is an Englishman himself. But it appears the French arm of the group has had great influence over what must have been a high level corporate decision.
   
Dog Phillips, a well-known professional RIB operator, described the 9m Hurricane he skippered on the Round Britain Challenge back in the mid-nineties, as giving a “slapsy, hard ride”. The new 6 and 7 metre models delivered an ultra smooth and outstandingly soft ride. The hull, particularly of the 760, gripped the water like a leech, ensuring that even when thrown into a full lock at open throttle, it never faltered.  Due to the high freeboard, these RIBs really heel heavily when the helm’s put hard over, and though the hull may be very soft riding and stable underway, the 760 in particular lacked a little forward lift directly in the bow. Hence, her bow tended to bury quite deep into the bottom of even a fairly moderate trough.
   
The twin-engine 760 proved a beautifully balanced combination and this ensured she not only responded well to the power trim, but would also ensure an impressive ability amidst difficult head to sea conditions.
A negative though, is that one feels very much ‘on’ the boat as opposed to being ‘in’ it. This is due to the high deck and type of tube mounting employed, and for carrying inexperienced personnel at high speeds in a difficult sea state, it could be a problem. Nevertheless, these boats possess good load carrying characteristics thanks to their freeboard and uncluttered deck space.
   
The new Seariders are strong but basic boats by nature. Workmanlike and non-fussy, they will suit a wide variety of demanding roles in the hands of a many different professional operators. So, does it matter that the new 670 and 760 Searider models appear, to all intents and purposes, Zodiac by design and have been branded Avons with just a small badge on their sponson cone? Perhaps not. They remain quality craft albeit distinctly different of course, both in terms of styling and handling. But could this be the start of a phase out of one of the longest serving and most successful designs the RIB industry has known? Only time will tell.   

HMS



Hugo Montgomery-Swan interviews Geoff Tetley: the key man behind the professional arm of Avon Inflatables, as he talks big RIB development, special forces and the pros and cons of company buy-outs. 

HMS: So Jeff, how many years have you been working at Avon?
GT: 29 years now

That's quite a stretch, but did I not hear that you were thinking of retiring or semi-retiring?
I am semi-retired now, and I work about 3 days a week at the company’s South Wales plant.

Such is your love that you can't stay away from the place!
A love/hate relationship I think you’d call it. But if I didn’t do it I would miss the boats and miss the people that I know - especially a lot of the overseas distributors and contacts that I have made over the years. For instance, Japan, where I still visit to oversee the work we’ve been doing there. In actual fact, that particular project has been very rewarding for now we are making substantial progress with regard to the supply of Avon RIBs to the far east military and coastguard market.

That’s interesting. Over the course of those 20 or more years, to what degree has the market expanded for Avon?
Well, here’s a little story for you. I can remember when I joined Avon, going to the Ministry Of Defence in Bath, banging on the door and saying “we’ve got this boat, its called a 5.4m Searider”, their reply was a blunt, “we’re not interested!” They let me know in no uncertain terms that they were simply not going to budge on their use of hard boats. I went there regularly for a full 2 years, campaigning our new rigid inflatable product, and then eventually I met a Commander Ron Parster who said, “I’m interested in this, I’d like to come down to Milford and trial this boat of yours. Can we do it next week?” So, we took it down to Milford Haven and come the day it happened to be blowing hard. The seas off St Anne’s Head were pretty mighty but nonetheless, it was clear to all after about an hour and a half that the boat was a brave little beast and could look after herself in a very capable fashion indeed. To my great delight and relief, Parster then turned to me and said, “this is for the Navy and I’ll say now that we will be putting the Searider into service but it’s a dry boat and I tend not to like dry boats!” Whereupon he promptly scooped up a load of water and then, feeling satisfied that the deck was sufficiently self-draining, placed the Royal Navy’s very first order for a RIB.
   
Since that time, I think we’ve sold 450/500 RIBs to them over the years. But Avon were also the first to sell RIBs to the US Coastguard and were the first company to put inboard diesels into RIBs - in fact that was for a contract to the US Navy.

But today is a special day I understand because of the launch of 2 new Searider models. Can you tell us a little about those?
Yes we’re in the throws of launching two new models; a brand new 760 as well as a 670 RIB. These are designed to broaden the options within the Searider range and complement the existing 6.4m, 7.4m and 8.4m models which we have been using for many years. The new boats are also designed to suit the requirements of the mid priced sector of the market. The traditional Seariders tend to be a specialist product and their price reflects the high level of customisation they generally carry. But the 670 and 760 have been designed to allow Avon to make inroads into the non-military commercial market - which as you can imagine is a market of considerable size.

You mean operators like the Police, professional divers, commercial tourist operations and so on?
Yes, that’s right.

I understand the Avon’s involvement with the RNLI goes back a long way. Can you tell us a little bit about this aspect of the company’s history?   
Very much so, they continue to be one of our major UK customers, and we’ve worked very closely with the RNLI on the new 16ft inflatable which has now just into service and I believe had its first public airing at RIBEX this year. But we also make the tubes for the Atlantic series and much of the vessel’s ancillary gear too.

Going back to the general market, obviously since the very early days of Avon other companies have come into the frame such as Delta and Halmatic. What effect have these other companies had on Avon's market share?
I always remember maintaining market share to be hard, we’ve always had competition and business has never been easy. But over the years one sees companies come and go. Of course, my work is strictly on the military, professional and commercial side and I think it’s true to say that there haven’t been so many new competitors emerging within that sector - unlike the leisure industry. As for the inflatable market, I remember London Boat Show 13 years ago when there used to be Beaufort, RFD, Metziller and Avon. Today, there is no Beaufort, no RFD or Metziller.  Others have filled their shoes.

Would you agree with that the RIB market continues to expand?
Yeah, and I think its interesting that there are still new areas opening up for RIBs. The Asian and other overseas markets are coming to life and the questions these people are asking about RIBs are exactly the same questions professional operators in the UK were asking 20 years ago. So new markets are definitely emerging all the time and our aim as a company is to be in there right at the start.   

Very interesting, so the professional RIB market according to Avon definitely has a substantial future ahead of it.
Definitely. Furthermore, 10 years ago most professionals thought that 8½ metres was about the biggest it was ever going to get. And then the Dutch came along with their monster, all-weather, cabin RIBs, then the Finnish Boomeranger and the New Zealanders with their Naiads, plus of course the RNLI themselves became involved in big RIB development under the guise of the Medina project. These lifeboats showed what potential there was in big RIB technology. At 20 metres, the Delta Ark is probably one of the largest commercial RIBs afloat at this present time and proves that in some respects there’s no limit in terms of size as the RIB concept becomes more widely understood and employed. Fitouts are becoming far more complex today too with multi-linked navigational systems, on board accommodation, twin and sometimes triple engine installations, plus of course when it comes to military use, weaponry. This means those building very large and complex RIBs are now really involved in the business of shipbuilding.

Besides the boat making side of your activities, I understand that Avon are also becoming more heavily involved in tube manufacture and tube servicing etc.
Yes, the re-structuring Avon has undergone at its South Wales plant now allows for the production of many more products and services to the professional market. And in keeping with that we recently opened an all-new service centre - repairing not just Avons but also any make of inflatable or RIB. Besides re-tubing, we will also undertake electrical fit-out work as well as the supply and installation of fuel systems and state of the art electronics. So, in some respects we’re offering a RIB re-fit centre.  Actually I must just add that we can also offer clients the option of having foam collars fitted. More and more people are considering foam collars these days, and even though they don’t offer all the same benefits the inflatable alternative is known for, it’s definitely another option and one that we at Avon can now offer.

How has the marriage with Zodiac changed things, since 1998 when they came on board and the two giants of the inflatable world merged?
I think you will really want to go back a little bit beyond that, when Avon Inflatables were sold by the Avon group, and were acquired by a company called Sinven, a venture capital company, and like all these organisations, its chief aim was really to make its money by means of realising a healthy sale.
   
Hence, investment in hi-tech tools, product development and the like didn’t really feature very high on the agenda. So when Zodiac purchased us I think there was a great fear that, especially as they were our biggest competitor, they might rape the business and then close Avon down. But it’s clear that Zodiac’s view of the Avon acquisition is that of an indefinitely lasting venture. They purchased the company to acquire its expert workforce and respected product range - as well as seeking the opportunity to assist in developing further the valued position Avon held within the international market.
   
On the commercial side, my team get pretty much left to their own devices - as long as we produce the profit - they’re happy! Hence, on the military/professional side, the Zodiac marriage has undoubtedly given us the opportunity to develop new products like the 5.4m inboard diesel as well as the new 670 and 760. Nevertheless, it may surprise some to learn that although Zodiac and Avon are now part of the same operation, in most respects both companies are run as separate entities, work independently and eagerly compete against each other for the contracts in the overseas markets. In my view that’s a healthy way to work.

Am I right in thinking that due to the recent internal reconstructing of the company, the commercial arm is now going to take preference over the leisure side of things?
No, leisure is still going to continue at full force and I think it will still be a very strong part of Avon and the brand as a whole. But it’s true the factory in South Wales will concentrate more and more on professional and specialised products.

So finally then, where do you think the commercial/professional arm of Avon is going?
Largely, I think we will see a growing demand for specialised products and our ability to serve individual markets as in the case of the special forces and the like. If Avon can continue to stand by its reputation for service, and its ability to provide solutions to the challenges our clients face out in the field, it will be around for a very long time yet - long after Geoff Tetley’s hung up its boots - that’s for sure!

HMS