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A close-up of a customer receiving boat keys for a bareboat RIB hire at Solent Rib Charter, showing the branded key float and safety gear.

Ownership experience

The beauty of bareboats

Bareboat charters give you the full ‘ownership experience’ without the annual berthing fees, depreciation, insurance, and endless maintenance costs inherent in owning a boat. However, as you are helming the Rib, you are liable for the first £3,000 of any loss or damage. You need to be completely comfortable with the vessel and know the Solent well. Booking a skipper for the first couple of charters gives those new to the Solent a great head start on local knowledge.

At a glance

Step one when planning your charter is to check the weather forecast and review the tide table. Plan your day and your itinerary to maximise passage making when the wind is with the tide rather than against it. Passengers endure bumpy seas without the benefit of a steering wheel to hang on to. Your chartering days will be short lived if others are not enjoying themselves! Please remember the tolerance levels of small children.

Create a passage plan

Step two of planning your charter is to write your passage plan. Not only is this excellent practice but it forces you into planning for wind and tide and then checking for hazards over your intended route. There are plenty of rocks, shallows, shingle banks and submarine defences that will catch the unwary. Contact with anything under the water will never be pleasant or cheap.

Suitability of your guests

Ribs are a fantastic way to enjoy the Solent, but they aren’t suitable for everyone. The boats can be subject to significant shock loads if landing heavily off chop. They should be avoided by those with neck, back, hip, knee, and foot injuries or who are pregnant. As the skipper, you need to check the suitability of passengers before inviting them to join you.

Safety is key

Your Rib charter will be a fantastic family day out; we receive consistently superb feedback. The day will be the highlight of your summer. With such an exciting and dynamic activity, safety is everything. The kill cord must be worn whenever the engine is switched on and equally obviously, alcohol and fast open high-powered boats are poor bed fellows for both passengers and of course the skipper. We recommend toasting the success of the day when you return to the Haven Bistro.

A family carefully boards a Solent Rib Charter boat from Lymington Quay on a sunny day, helped by crew members as they step down onto the RIB.

Book today

A successful bareboat charter

With just a short amount of planning, you will enjoy your day all the more, knowing that some preparation will give you the most comfortable passages whilst keeping your family and guests safe and happy. If you’re interested in chartering one of our Bareboats or another charter option, give our team a call on 01590 607101 to discuss.

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Our locations

The Solent and beyond

The Solent may be our home, but we operate all throughout the UK, offering reliable nationwide support with consistently excellent service.

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Charter gallery

  • amily enjoying a high-speed RIB ride in the Solent, with a skipper leading the boat and passengers holding on as they move across the water, all wearing life jackets.
  • A family enjoying a RIB boat trip near The Needles Lighthouse on the Isle of Wight, smiling in life jackets as the skipper drives across the water.
  • A boy performs a backflip off a RIB boat into the clear water at Alum Bay, with the colourful cliffs and The Needles on the Isle of Wight in the background.
  • A family walks along Lymington Marina past a row of RIB boats on a sunny day, preparing for a Solent boat trip.
  • A family swimming in the sea beside a Solent Rib Charter boat near Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight, enjoying a sunny summer adventure.
  • A young boy leaping from a Solent Rib Charter boat onto a beach during a family RIB adventure on the Solent, with the skipper waiting on the boat.
  • Child swimming underwater in clear blue sea during a Solent Rib Charter family adventure near the Isle of Wight.
  • A family carefully boards a Solent Rib Charter boat from Lymington Quay on a sunny day, helped by crew members as they step down onto the RIB.
  • amily enjoying a high-speed RIB ride in the Solent, with a skipper leading the boat and passengers holding on as they move across the water, all wearing life jackets.
  • A family enjoying a RIB boat trip near The Needles Lighthouse on the Isle of Wight, smiling in life jackets as the skipper drives across the water.
  • A boy performs a backflip off a RIB boat into the clear water at Alum Bay, with the colourful cliffs and The Needles on the Isle of Wight in the background.
  • A family walks along Lymington Marina past a row of RIB boats on a sunny day, preparing for a Solent boat trip.
  • A family swimming in the sea beside a Solent Rib Charter boat near Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight, enjoying a sunny summer adventure.
  • A young boy leaping from a Solent Rib Charter boat onto a beach during a family RIB adventure on the Solent, with the skipper waiting on the boat.
  • Child swimming underwater in clear blue sea during a Solent Rib Charter family adventure near the Isle of Wight.
  • A family carefully boards a Solent Rib Charter boat from Lymington Quay on a sunny day, helped by crew members as they step down onto the RIB.
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What our customers say

I would strongly recommend Solent Rib Charter.

Fantastic Experience – Dealt with Jakob who was really helpful and efficient and had a brilliant day on the water. I would strongly recommend Solent Rib Charter and will definitely be using them again when I’m next in Lymington.
Tim Walkden

I'd absolutely 100% recommend these guys.

Chartered a bareboat RIB with Solent Rib Charter on the bank holiday weekend for a day out to the Isle of Wight. Absolutely top-notch customer service and I can’t overstate how helpful he was! I’d absolutely 100% recommend these guys.
Oliver Masters

Really nice people, with great kit and knowledge.

Rented a RIB from these guys which they brought down to Padstow. Boat in superb condition (their boats are used commercially and for leisure, so super well maintained). Summary: really nice people, with great kit and knowledge.
Mark O'Donoghue

The boat was fantastic.

Brilliant, the team were great. Theo was very helpful over the phone. Start to finish brilliant….. the boat was fantastic also
DWM Limited

Very professional, helpful and super-reliable.

Have used this company for Bareboat charter for a few years now and they are excellent. Very professional, helpful and super-reliable.
Gideon Rutherford
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Luxury motorboat anchored off the Isle of Wight coastline on a private Solent charter

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A group of people wearing life jackets enjoy a fast RIB boat ride on the Solent, smiling and waving as the boat cuts through the water with splashes around them.

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Talk to our experts

01590 607101 Phone number