Avon Rover Lite 310 RIB Inflatable Boat Review

A lightweight inflatable boat for easy handling and fleet of foot for cool running.

It's all about easy. Avon's family of Rover Lite RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats), are lightweight, making launching and retrieval significantly easier. Shedding pounds also improved performance. Avon offers different two models: The Rover Lite 210 measures 8' 6" length overall and the Rover Lite 310 measures 10' 2" overall. I tested the R 310 for three weeks, from engine break-in all the way to the 20-hour check-up.

A smidge longer than three meters, the Rover Lite 310 weighs just 94 pounds. In comparison, a comparable RIB weighs about 150 pounds, or 60 more pounds to wrangle onto deck. The good news gets even better. With its tubes deflated, the Rover Lite transom folds forward, freeing up deck space. Avon also includes an attractive, high quality carry bag that protects the tubes and non-skid deck from UV and dirt.

Inflating the boat to full pressure took me about five minutes with the foot pump. Naturally, the bellows is included as a standard item. Elapsed time from unzipping the cover to starting the engine is closer to ten minutes, but that includes installing the seat, lashing in the gas tank, laying in the fire extinguisher, anchor rode and securing the wooden oars into their strap handles.

Both the USCG and Avon recommend installing no more than a ten horsepower outboard motor, with an eight hp motor still an appropriate choice. I tested the boat rigged with a Suzuki 9.9 hp four-stroke. The V-bottom puts the boat on plane in about 2.5 seconds. I tested top speed with GPS and recorded 20 mph with just myself and three gallons of fuel on board. Adding another passenger and provisions would probably drop top speed down to 18 or 19 mph. That s still plenty fast for running from the mooring ball into a marina. The boat stays on plane until slowed to about 14 mph. So when rigged with a 9.9 hp, effective cruising speed ranges from 14 to 20 mph.

Compared to non-RIB inflatables with a pressurized floor or wood panels, the Rover Lite handles like a dream. It tracks as straight as an arrow, both under power or when rowing.

Typically, at dead slow idle, the propeller didn't quite provide enough thrust for steering. Fast idle did. Fuel consumption computes to about one gallon per hour at wide-open throttle (WOT). With the three-gallon tank, and no fuel held in reserve, figure on about a 50 to 60 mile range. Maneuvering dockside was made infinitely easier thanks to the forward, neutral and reverse shifting.

There is room for two or three goodly sized passengers, or two persons and Jerry jugs.

Moored in the slip alongside my liveaboard, I came to appreciate the high profile rubbing strakes. When tide raised or lowered, jostling the Avon against the pilings, the rubbing strakes protected the tubes from abrasion. I also noticed twin bridle patches that allow securing a tow line low enough so that the bow does not plow into the water. I used the stainless steel bow U-bolt for attaching the painter. Options include a davit lifting kit for twin arm davits and a three-leg lifting sling for a single point lift.

Avon LT-2 Roll-Up Inflatable

The Achilles roll-up dinghy is a classic design. And to say I have performed a hands on test of the LT-2 is an understatement. For I have enjoyed more hours sitting on the floor of one of these dinghies than in any other boat of any size, style or class.

This fold-up inflatable with its wooden insert floor is renowned amongst cruisers worldwide for its ability to efficiently move people and cargo. It is the epitome of the tender as a pickup truck analogy. But what makes the LT-2 particularly unique is its size and weight. It's dinky. A shade longer than seven feet long, useable interior space measures five feet by a little more than two feet. In spite of that size restriction, its carrying capacity is quite impressive. Under USCG rules the LT-2 is rated to transport two passengers with a total payload (passengers and cargo) of up to 640 pounds. That's enough room for two goodly-sized adults plus about 240 pounds of groceries and jerry jugs.

Because the LT-2 is a roll-up, this diminutive dinghy folds away to neat, petite package, making it easy to find storage space for it onboard smaller boats. Deployment after storage is as quick as a green flash. LT-2 can be unrolled, wooden floorboards inserted, tubes inflated, outboard motor attached and the boat launched in just a few minutes. After dark, because it's so small, many boaters haul LT-2s aboard by hand and leave them inflated on deck. Obviously this task is made easier by removing the motor from the transom first. Similarly, at the end of the season, the lightweight and compact dimensions make the dinghy easy to get ashore for long-term storage.
You should also know the LT-2's floorboard inserts lend the hull a modicum of rigidity and also provide a large, flat surface for supporting the outboard motor's fuel tank and provisions. Another benefit, the floorboards make it easier to clamber into and out of the boat.

The tube's exterior skins are Hypalon, a fabric famous for its resistance to the ravages of ultraviolet rays. Hypalon also survives gasoline and diesel fuel spills. During lay-up the hand-glued seams are overlapped a full inch and reinforced with seam tape in order to maximize strength and longevity. No big surprise, the boat's warranty terms runs for a generous five years. My favorite feature: The check valves are double capped for safety sake. Believe me that seemingly insignificant feature matters. More than once with other designs I've inadvertently kicked a valve cap and watched in horror as it popped out of its threads and the air began to rapidly spill out of the tubes.

While the LT-2 is a potent performer in a small package, it does come with a number of compromises. For example, it's rated for a maximum of 3 horsepower. So while fuel economy will be miserly, top speed is limited. Even with the outboard wound out to wide-open throttle you won't make more than a few knots per hour. Forget about getting onto plane. Also, there is no keel; so true tracking requires a fairly steady hand on the outboard tiller handle. Rowing is a challenge.

Standard items include the fold up wooden floor; a fold down lacing oar system replete with aluminum oars and removable blades. There's also a D-ring at the bow plus lifelines, and adjustable rowing seat. Finally, LT-2's big brother, the LT-4 is little more than a foot longer, with two-inch larger diameter tubes. It also boasts an extra foot of room between the bow and transom and only weighs about 26 pounds more