Blog

Here at Commercial Rib Charter, we pride ourselves in providing the best vessels within the industry. It’s with this in mind that CRC have to ensure that all the Ribs are in top condition before starting on a project. Each winter period, all the CRC vessels undergo annual refits and full systems checks, anything thatContinue reading "Engine Change"

A ‘jet drive’ in the marine industry is a water pump that generates a high speed jet of water which is ejected through a nozzle that has directional control for steering. This creates a thrust force pushing the vessel forward as a propeller would do. There is also a ‘bucket’ which deflects the jet ofContinue reading "What is a ‘Jet Powered Vessel’ and why do we use them?"

We get asked many times each year – Can I skipper for you? What qualifications do I need? How long will it take to qualify? Whilst we’re always happy to do our best to answer these questions we asked our training provider – Powerboat Training UK/Aquasafe – to answer the question for us as that’sContinue reading "So you want to be a Skipper with Commercial Rib Charter?"

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the tubes popped or the air valves failed on a RIB whilst afloat? Well, with an ever expanding fleet of Open and Cabin RIBs, we thought it would be wise to put this question to the test! A RIB is a Rigid Inflatable Boat, the bottom ofContinue reading "What would happen if you took the ‘Inflatable’ out of Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB)?"

Commercial Rib Charter are able to offer a wide variety of vessels for a multitude of different jobs. In May 2019 CRC were approached by one of our long standing clients to provide a solution to a unique problem. Our client had won a contract to provide survey and dredging operations at a remote beachsideContinue reading "Shallow Draft Survey Vessels"

Commercial Rib Charter have worked alongside many offshore windfarm projects over the years and never cease to be amazed by the innovative pioneering work involved with these projects. Due to wind speeds offshore being higher and direction being more consistent than on land,  wind energy is the world’s fastest growing renewable energy type and EuropeContinue reading "Offshore Windfarms"

Commercial Rib Charter have significant experience providing Photography boats and are able to offer the perfect solutions for filming on the water whatever the requirements might be. Our Cabin Ribs and Catamarans are built for commercial offshore requirements and are able to provide a dry and stable platform whilst also being fast and agile. WithContinue reading "Film, Media and Photography Boats"

At Commercial Rib Charter we have recently renewed our fleet of tow vehicles. Whilst our larger vessels are all moved by low loading articulated lorries our smaller Ribs can be moved by 4×4’s on trailers, in addition we also have a fleet of flatbed trailers and box trailers that are used for moving equipment andContinue reading "Best Trucks for Towing?"

There are many steps when it comes to a cable laying project. Whilst Commercial Rib Charter leave the actual cable laying process to the specialists, we are highly experienced and on hand to support with many of the integral stages that ensure these projects come together and run smoothly. Stage 1 – Survey The first stageContinue reading "Cable Laying process, how CRC can support?"

Commercial Rib Charter (CRC), do exactly what it says on the tin and by now we are sure you all know that CRC can provide your commercial project with the right Crew Transfer Boat, Survey Rib, Dive Support Rib etc. What you may not know though is there is another ‘arm’ to the company- SolentContinue reading "Solent Rib Charter"

Commercial Rib Charter are Europe’s largest commercial Rib operator and are continuously striving to achieve and deliver the highest standards. We are very proud of our experienced and highly qualified team. Although we are based in the UK, we are able to deploy our fleet worldwide which means we are able to offer employees anContinue reading "How do I become part of the CRC Team?"

This year, the Seawork International exhibition will be taking place on 11th – 13th June, Mayflower Park Southampton. Last year saw Commercial Rib Charter attend Seawork International alongside Goodchild Marine for the official handover of our newest boat, CRC Voyager our 15m shallow Draft Cabin Rib. This year we will be exhibiting one of the CRC vesselsContinue reading "Visit us at Seawork 2019"

With a fleet of over 26 vessels, there is a vast array of equipment for the boats that needs to be checked and maintained through the year. Our in house operations team have been put through various training seminars and workshops to ensure that they are completely up to speed with all the equipment usedContinue reading "Specialist In-House Training"

Commercial Rib Charter started in 2001 with a single small Ribcraft 7.8 Open Rib .  Since then the company has grown and now boasts a fleet of over 25 vessels. We are frequently asked ‘Which Rib is best?’.  This isn’t really an easy question to answer as there are so many Ribs on the market allContinue reading "Which Rib is best?……………"

CRC do more than just boats!.  People often assume that it’s just our impressive fleet of vessels we are well known for but they would be very wrong!  We are also the largest UK stockist’s of modular floating pontoons. Floating Pontoon Hire, our sister company is based in the same building as CRC but hasContinue reading "It’s not just boats, we’ve got pontoons covered too!"

What is a Crew Transfer Vessel? Crew transfer vessels have a key role both on inshore and offshore projects such as windfarms and cable lay  projects by safely transporting and transferring crew/personnel to and from barges or other marine assets and platforms. Commercial Rib Charter specialise and operate a fleet of high quality shallow draft crew transferContinue reading "CRC Crew Transfers"

Winter Projects During the winter months the marine industry begins to slow down and our team at Commercial Rib Charter take full advantage of this opportunity, making it our busiest and most productive time of the year for maintenance and improvements, whether it be vessel refits, up-grading our maintenance facilities or even our offices, yearContinue reading "Winter Projects"

We are frequently asked ‘which outboard engine should I buy?’.  This isn’t as straight forward as you may first think.  There are so many options and variants on the market making this a tricky decision for purchasers.  Adding further to the complexity a potential buyer faces is the ability to find a review on-line forContinue reading "Which Outboard Engine?"

During the Second World War, between September 1940 and May 1941, London, Southampton and other cities with key ports and industrial areas were heavily and frequently bombed by the German Luftwaffe , this was known as ‘The Blitz’. 30,000 tonnes of ordnance were dropped overall during this period, one in every ten bombs dropped wasContinue reading "Our role with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)"

It’s been another very busy season here at Commercial Rib Charter and we continue striving to ensure we are offering our clients the very highest level of service and equipment available. With this in mind, there have been many enhancements throughout the season so we wanted to give you a brief overview of areas ofContinue reading "CRC’s Summer Season"

The simple answer is yes! With an extensive fleet, Commercial Rib Charter operate a varied selection of Survey Boats ranging from 2.8m to 15m in length. Commercial Rib Charter have the ability to accommodate almost any survey related request.  Our smaller open vessels have modular seating layouts which enable large areas to be clear for surveyContinue reading "Can Commercial Rib Charter help with a challenging survey?"

Dive Support Vessels are an integral part of any professional, offshore diving operation and Commercial Rib Charter are on hand to provide our 12m Delta cabin Rib CRC ‘Tempest‘ to assist with your project. CRC Tempest is a cost effective, fully equipped and IMCA compliant dive support vessel and can be mobilised anywhere in EuropeContinue reading "Dive Support Vessels"