is a center console or closed bow more seaworthy

Oh...those boats have a door...companionway slide type ..to wall off the cockpit.

Ive got one of those "Smartboats"... the manufactures name...next to me in the port

Its a very logical, well thought out boat. Even the square fenders are nested into the cockpit under the gunnels.

Twin bilge keels.

The designer is Vincent Lauriot Prévost, http://www.vplp.fr/flash/index.html

 

I think an open transom is a really stupid idea. Yes, it evacuates water quickly, but it also does the same for gear and crew. I can easily see a big wave climbing aboard, nearly unobstructed and washing out little Johnny. Yeah, stylish stupidity, just what we need more of in yacht design.

 

I had the same fears the first time I was aboard a similar vessel, but then I realized it was irrational. The dead-stop wave was never ever close enough to get over the sole. The transom simply gently went up and over the wave passing below. Of course, if you hang four 4-strokes on the transom, shifting all the weight back, I wouldn't guarantee the cockpit swamping couldn't happen. But with a normal and rational weight distribution, you're safe.

As about wives, dogs and other living creatures slipping back into the sea, it would be enough to put a removable or hinged transom handrail (sorry, miss the English term for that one) which wouldn't take away a lots from the aesthetics of the boat and would leave all the outflow area free for the green water to flush out:



At the end, it all depends on what you will use the boat for. Small, easily-rolling and washable objects should not be left unsecured on the deck anyways. If one has a little kid or a dog on board, I guess he will make sure they are in a safe place before pushing the throttle. Otherwise, it is not a question of a faulty boat design but of the owner's failure to use his brain properly.

Finally, there's the question of following seas and breaking waves. Well, no boat is immune to the loss of stability (and possible capsize) due to breaking waves swamping into the cockpit. But the open transom allows a rapid discharge of the green water and hence diminishes the risk by minimizing the time period with grey water on board. The risk of capsize is not only given by the mass of water, but also by the time it stays on board (a roll is a dynamic, time-dependent phenomena).

Round-the globe racing sailboats, many CG vessels and a majority of pilot boats are made with open decks and no cockpit wells - to allow a most rapid discharge of green water and an easy boarding from all sides (for CG and pilot vessels).



Cheers

 

I've never liked open transoms. I assume there are doors hidden somewhere, hopefully strong ones.
That particular boat has no seat back or sides either, which would be much more secure.
Not practical, but I can see how the designer was trying to achieve some level of aesthetic, at a cost to safety. To each his own.

 

Safety !!!! Actually the boat is very safe. High freeboard. The typical RIB has knee high freeboard.

Also If you fall over while fishing , you can easily scramble over the stern. same with Swimmers, watesports....easy access. That boat has drop in companionway slides to wall off the stern and keep personal stuff like a can of beer from going overboard.


Seats are a personal taste. Many open boats only have leaning posts these days .

Its true that the boat doesnt fit North American tastes...very low power..no twin 250s, but on the plus side she is light and economical

Water ballast keeps the bow down and forward section working when speed is reduced in a seaway. A nice detail and much better than trim tabs .

Built in Poland so good price. Id expect the boat to be quite popular.

 

When you said 'companion way slide type' I thought you meant like pocket doors that would slide in and out of that transom 'wall'. That would be a lot better than separate, loose, drop ins.

 

Its a simple boat. Only companionway type slides on the one in this harbor.

I'm sure you could come up with other strategies. For security a sliding Stainless steel pipe would work.

The guy who owns the local boat is a kite boardhead. Looks good for kite boards

 

A RIB is a comprimise boat------ built to save space or to be self-rescuing. Seats are a personal choice. But the seat shown is a choice that has little security in a rough sea. No sides at all. It makes no sense to say that boats are built that way these days. That doesn't mean they are as safe as tey could be.
As far as climbing back aboard, you are right. But it still seems a lot of credit has been given to the open transom despite the fact that it is fundamentally unsafe and impractical to carry kids or even things that could slide off (tackle box, life jacket, etc.). You could say that those things should be place in the bow but once someone buys that boat, you won't get the chance to correct their behavior.
Still, it's a great looking boat. That counts for a lot. I would just like to see a net across the transom.
Edit: the other photo does show a safety "net".
.

 

Looks like retouch to me.. But looking the first phot it looks like it has sliding ports in the "transom" wall??

 

LOL, the "other photo" is my photoshop work.
I just wanted to show one simply solution to the safety objections to open transoms, raised by previous posters.

 

I have an almost completely open transom (small stuff can fall out but people can't). Drains almost instantly when you take a wave over the bow and I wouldn't want to be without it.

 

When guests fall and wash out of the transom in heavy weather, the boat becomes lighter and more manageable. Good safety feature.

 

It's beginning to make sense. Rail meat becomes no-rail meat.

 

Only problem with that boat is that its a bit too expensive. The charter market for little skiffs generates about 15,000 in revenue per boat, year. The guys running the boats like to pay them off in two to three years. A similar skiff with less detailing and less power would be nice.