Cover -- Copyright -- Contents -- PART ONE A HISTORY OF THE RIB -- 1 EARLY DEVELOPMENT -- Improving the Inflatable -- The Atlantic 21 Concept -- Other pioneers - Flatacraft and Avon -- RIB development in America and Europe -- 2 RIBS TODAY -- Small RIBs and tenders -- Sports RIBs -- Professional RIBs -- Other design concepts -- PART TWO RIB HANDLING -- 3 WHAT MAKES A RIB WORK? -- The variable geometry hull - tube design -- Fabrics and adhesives -- The rigid hull -- Seating, cockpit and helm -- 4 RIB CONTROLS -- Fast-acting controls: steering and throttle -- Slower-acting controls: the joystick, flaps and interceptors, power trim -- Driving position and controls -- 5 RIB DRIVING -- Sea conditions -- Driving in calm and moderate conditions -- Operating in head seas -- Operating in beam seas -- Operating in following seas -- Night and fog operation -- Tactics to improve the ride -- Running an inlet -- Spin outs -- Engine response -- 6 RIB CRUISING AND LEISURE USE -- Long-distance cruising -- Overnight cruising -- RIB leisure use -- 7 RIBS AS YACHT TENDERS -- Yacht tender types -- Stowing -- Towing -- Boarding -- 8 LAUNCH, RECOVERY AND TRANSPORTATION -- Launch and recovery from a mother ship -- Handling the mother ship -- Transportation -- 9 COMMERCIAL AND MILITARY RIBS -- Commercial RIBs -- Shock mitigation -- Military RIBs -- Codes and standards -- 10 RESCUE RIBS -- Rescues from the shore -- Offshore rescues -- Volunteer rescue crews and responding to distress calls -- The RIB as rescue boat: moving forward -- 11 SAFETY AND SURVIVAL -- Personal safety -- Survival situations -- PART THREE RIB MAINTENANCE -- 12 ENGINES AND PROPULSION -- Outboard engines -- Inboard engines -- 13 ENGINE AND PROPULSION MAINTENANCE -- Maintaining the engine -- Maintaining the propulsion system -- Fuel management and economy -- 14 TUBE AND HULL CARE.

'Back from sea' maintenance -- End of season/out of service maintenance -- EPILOGUE: THE FUTURE -- INDEX -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- V -- W -- Y -- Z -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.