The safety rudder’s blade can pivot around a large pin, and it is bolted to its vertical position through a sacrificial pin (M10 screw), that breaks up when the rudder impacts a floating object or a rock.

Patents are the natural result of FB Design commitment in Research & development field. Since its foundation, in 1971, Fabio Buzzi has always been a forerunner of the new technologies, building, for instance, the first boat in the world using Kevlar.

It’s well known that narrow boats are far superior in rough waters, but can have transversal stability problems at rest. The STAB® arrangement fitted to all FB Design models combines the advantages of both rigid hull and inflatable boats. The boat is laterally stabilized thanks to two inflatable elements located on the rear of the hull, which increase the beam without adding extra weight.

 11,4 m up to 60 kn

FB Design 3TAB® system consists of twin side trim tabs, plus eventually a third, central trim tab; a high-sensitivity GPS sensor; and a PC control unit. The system sets the trim tabs angle automatically, in function of speed or it can be operated manually, if required.

Engines and gearboxes are controlled by the FB Design control head, fully electronic, with an unique characteristics: the throttle levers do not engage the gear, in order to avoid gear shifting in case of accidental full down-stroke of the throttles.

This equipment is a revolutionary A.C. system, studied for small boats, for higher efficiency and less weight. It’s available in two different basic versions, both delivering about 30.000 BTU.

In this new FB Design patent, the main structure is the base platform in fiberglass, injected with closed cells polyurethane foam (medium density 60÷65 kg/m3) and five longitudinal stiffeners attached both to the hull and to the cockpit floor. The Structural Foam® patent creates an unsinkable and very resistant hull that combines the longitudinal strength of the stringers with the high density foam for sandwich.

To reduce the working time on the realization of models and moulds, FB Design has bought a five axis milling machine with numeric control (CNC) with a working surface of 24x6,5x3,5 meters, big enough to build a full-scale hull.

November 2013

The RIB 17’ SF, 5.73m length out all (5.18m length of hull) and 2.3m wide, is made to fill the FB Design boat range.

The combined presence of the inflatable collar divided into 5 separate chambers and the Structural Foam® construction makes this GRP boat a safe platform suitable for a small rescue boat, with a very high reserve of buoyancy: neither leaks nor flooding are possible. The inflatable collar is glued to the hull but, as an option, can be installed by means of poltruded guides embedded in the GRP to make it easily interchangeable.

The hull, the deck and the hardtop are mathematically designed and milled by a CAD-CAM system using our own 5-axis milling machine. The boat offers seating accommodation for a crew of 2 persons and 6 passengers. Crew members sit in tandem in a FB Design designed seat integrated with the deck, with shock absorber and spring suspension system. The console is centrally placed in the cockpit and in front of it is placed the seatbox (used to store equipment) where the passengers sit.

The RIB 17' SF is powered with engines from 40hp to 115hp, with a maximum speed of the boat from 25 to 40 knots.