BALLISTIC RIBS
The Pacesetter in Rigid Inflatable Boats Contact : 02 9327 4274
Ballistic History
“One of the few RIBs where the rougher it gets the more in control she seems to be. A strong, rugged, comfortable ride, and capable of handling much bigger seas than is sensible to go out in!”
BEAR GRYLLS, LEADER OF THE EXTREME TRANS-ATLANTIC EXPEDITION
The Ballistic RIB design originates from expert Lowestoft boat builder Paul Frankowski, whose aim was to create a high-performance boat with a superior load-carrying capacity. In the mid 1990s, entrepreneur Nick Parish bought the rights to Frankowski's design and created the Ballistic brand. Parish spent a few years developing the Ballistic RIB brand in the leisure and commercial markets from his Hayling Island base before deciding to find a partner to boost production levels.
In 2002, Parish teamed up with Hampshire-based Jonny Boys, one of the leading second-hand Rigid Inflatable Boat distributors in the UK, but not before his new partner had put several Ballistic RIBs to the test in the unforgiving Trans Agulhas race in the shark-infested waters of Cape Agulhas off the southernmost tip of South Africa. The Ballistics performed superbly.
Parish and Jonny Boys worked together to build the reputation of the Ballistic, in particular in the family leisure boating sector, before Jonny bought the rights to the boat in 2005. Jonny has since further expanded production of the Ballistic and continues to update and improve the boat's design. It has also begun to build a global distribution network for the Ballistic, most recently establishing the Ballistic brand in Scandinavia, where the boats are proving popular on the waters of Norway, Denmark,Sweden and now Australia.
Co Founder Ludolph Toerien’s passion for boating plays an important role in the success of the business and the same knowledge and dedication that saw him earn national colours in inflatable boat racing is now a valuable asset to the life and growth of the business, the Ballistic factory now operating in Cape Town,South Africa
Ballistic in the water
Built to the highest standards, the Ballistic Rigid Inflatable has a proven reputation for safety, stability, speed and seaworthiness, and is one of the best-equipped RIBs on the market. Hence, it is no surprise that Ballistic rigid inflatable boats are very popular with a wide range of users. Ballistics are used by military and law enforcement agencies across the world, including the Metropolitan Police in London, the South African police, the Norwegian police and the Fisheries Protection Service in Sierra Leone. Ballistic RIBs are also widely used by coastguards, harbour masters and dive clubs.
In addition, Ballistic RIBs are a favourite leisure boat and speedboat, used as super-yacht tenders, as support craft for sailing boats and as family leisure boats. As a family leisure boat, Ballistics are popular for harbour and beach-hopping, as a way to enjoy watersports such as wakeboarding, waterskiing and snorkeling and as a simple cruiser for getting out on the water.
One particularly high-profile champion of the Ballistic is Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson, who has three of these high speed boats on his British Virgin Islands retreat Necker Island. He is due to add to his Caribbean Ballistic RIB fleet in the near future, with new inflatable boats destined for his new, luxury, eco-friendly Mosquito Island resort.
The core feature of the innovative Ballistic design is its unique three-part structure, which comprises individual hull, internal ladder chassis and deck mouldings. These three mouldings are bonded together with Lloyds-approved high quality resins and notably, there is no wooden panelling under the deck that can rot. This cutting-edge construction process sets the Ballistic apart from other RIBs and makes it one of the strongest and most durable rigid inflatable boats on the water.
The Ballistic's superior, high-speed load-carrying capacity comes thanks to its unique reverse scallop chines which, coupled with its deep-V shape hull, gives it immense lift and pace. In addition, the Ballistic has a great finish, is easy to keep clean and its surfaces are non-slip.
The Ballistic also has a quite unique dual-purpose layout. This two-part design features jockey seating at the rear of the boat, enabling safe and comfortable rides at high speeds, and bench seating and room for a removable sunbed at the front, which allows the boat to be used for more relaxing activities.
“It cannot be by chance that the oldest boat in our fleet is also the one which is used most and which we have subsequently bought two more of, since the delivery of our first one ten years ago. Our 7.8m BALLISTIC’s offer a very comfortable and dry ride, fantastic versatility and have stood up to being the workhorses of the Necker Island fleet with unparalleled success. We highly recommend them.
”KENTON JONES, OPERATIONS MANAGER, NECKER ISLAND (SIR RICHARD BRANSON’S PRIVATE ISLAND)