Metal Craft Marine
RIB S
Rigid Inflatables:
Turn Up the Power By Barry Parker
H
owever readers might define “normal”, 2020 has been anything but. But the business of rigid inflatable boats (RIB) has been going at full throttle.
Matthew Velluto, Director of Business Development and Marketing at RIBCRAFT USA, based in Marblehead, Mass., described a business moving steadily ahead, though it’s had to weave and bob at times during 2020. “We’ve been able to stay open throughout 2020, with no disruptions on our side,” though he acknowledged hiccups further down in the company’s supply chain. He explains that the business was deemed to be “essential”. RIBCRAFT, which serves military, first responders and the leisure and yachting markets, produces only RIBs. Velluto said, “This enables us to specialize, we don’t diversify the product line, as others do, but we diversify the markets that we serve.” The company builds boats ranging from 15 to 41 feet, with rigid inflatables offering “incredible stability and ability to carry heavy loads,” Velluto said, adding that “with the inflatable collar, it gives you a fendering system that let’s you come up alongside boats…”, this being applicable for multiple uses including being deployed off a Navy ship. When asked about whether the market for RIBs was “recession-proof ”, Bob Clark, who is the contracts man-
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ager at MetalCraft Marine, with both U.S. S. and Canadian subsidiaries on the eastern fringes of Lake k Ontario, told ld Marine News, “It is hard to confirm that the RIB market is recession-proof. We have not had a real recession in a long time, but based on 2020, it does seem to be pandemic-proof.” Clark pointed to the importance of incentives from multiple layers of the government, saying, “If there is no COVID support money rolled out to the municipalities and states, there may be a drop in sales in those areas,” adding, “However, the federal government hasn’t started with stimulus purchasing as yet.” But business has continued. In late September, six months in to COVID-19 disruptions, MetalCraft Marine US delivered two high performance 34-foot boats to the Department of Natural Resources Police, in Mississippi. The boats, sporting triple Suzuki 300-horsepower outboard motors and capable of reaching speeds of 64 miles per hour, will be used in the state’s bay areas along the coast, and out offshore, checking on compliance by commercial and sport fishing fleets. Todd Salus, vice president, sales and marketing for Ocean Craft Marine, based in Annapolis, Md. described some concerns about business earlier in the year, but told Marine News, “2020 is shaping up to be a banner year for us,” adding that most of the professional business (law enDecember 2020
