Work on around £1,200 per running metre of tube. That puts a 6.0m RIB in the region of £7,000 for a straightforward retube in Orca Hypalon, supplied and fitted.
The rate covers the tube itself and the work of fitting it: pattern, CNC-cut Orca Hypalon panels, hand assembly, Leafield inflation and pressure relief valves, handles, lifelines, wear patches, removal of the old tube, hull flange preparation and bonding. What moves the figure up from there is the extras, not the fabric, because we build in Hypalon only and do not offer a cheaper material.
- Indicative rate
- From £1,200per running metre of tube
- 6.0m RIB
- Around £7,000straightforward retube, standard fit-out
- Lead time
- 10–12 weeksshorter where we hold the pattern
- Service life gained
- 20+ yearsHypalon, with reasonable care
Want a real figure for your boat? Send the make, model, length and a few photos of the existing tubes and we will quote the actual job.
Get a quote for a RIB retubeRIB Retube Cost by Boat Length
Length is the single biggest factor. A longer boat needs more fabric, more seam work, more fittings and more time on the hull. The figures below apply the £1,200 per metre rate as a starting point for budgeting.
| Boat length | Indicative retube, from | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0m | From £5,195 | Simple single-tube collar, standard fit-out |
| 4.5m | From £5,195 | Standard leisure specification |
| 5.0m | From £5,775 | Standard leisure specification |
| 5.5m | From £6,995 | Wear patches and strakes usually worth specifying |
| 6.0m | From £6,995 | Around the most common size retubed |
| 6.5m | From £7,895 | Often a commercial or harder-worked boat |
| 7.0m | From £8,795 | Multi-tube or shaped collars common at this size |
| 7.5m | From £10,990 | Layout and fit-out vary most at this size. Larger boats quoted individually |
These are starting points, not quotes. Two 6.0m boats can be several thousand pounds apart once cladding, extra handles, colour flashes and custom markings are specified. The only way to get a real number is to have the boat and its specification looked at. For one of the marques we retube most often, see Ribcraft retube and replacement tubes.
What the Price Includes
A Ribcollar retube is a supply-and-fit job. The quote covers the whole process from assessment to handover, not just the tube.
Assessment and Patterning
Hull and flange assessment, tube layout confirmed, pattern taken where the boat is not already on file.
Orca Hypalon Fabric
Orca 828 or 866 depending on boat size and duty, CNC-cut to pattern. Colour of your choice.
Hand Assembly
Cold-bonded seams, internal baffles, pressure testing before the tube goes near the hull.
Standard Fit-out
Leafield inflation and pressure relief valves, four handles, lifelines and wear patches.
Removal and Preparation
Old tube removed, adhesive cleaned off, hull flange prepared and made good ready for bonding.
Fitting and Warranty
Bonded down in a controlled environment, cured, finished and handed over with a warranty on tube and workmanship.
What Drives the Price Up or Down
We only use Hypalon, so fabric choice is not a lever on price the way it is at shops offering PVC as a budget option. What moves a Ribcollar quote is specification and condition.
| Factor | Effect on price | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty cladding | Significant addition | Extra fabric up to 3mm over large contact areas, plus the labour to bond it. Common on commercial, police and military boats |
| Extra wear patches | Moderate addition | Bonded reinforcement at boarding points, stern and rope contact areas. Cheap insurance against localised wear |
| Colour flashes and two-tone | Moderate addition | Additional cutting, bonding and setting out. A single-colour tube is the simplest build |
| Rubbing strips and strakes | Moderate addition | Profile and length both matter. Worth specifying on any boat that works against pontoons |
| Extra handles and lifelines | Small addition each | Beyond the standard four handles. Rescue and commercial boats usually want more, in set positions |
| Custom markings and names | Small to moderate addition | Boat names, numbers and identification markings cut and bonded into the tube |
| Tube layout complexity | Moderate to significant | Multi-tube assemblies, sponsons and shaped bows take longer to pattern and build than a plain collar |
| Hull flange condition | Varies | A sound flange needs cleaning and keying. A damaged one needs GRP work before anything can be bonded |
| Pattern already on file | Reduces cost and time | No pattern development, and the tube can be pre-manufactured ahead of the boat arriving |
| Fabric grade | Small difference | Orca 866 costs more per metre than 828, but grade follows boat size and duty rather than budget |
For what the two fabric grades actually differ on, see Orca Hypalon 828 vs 866. For colour options, see the Orca Hypalon colour chart.
Repair or Retube: Which Is the Better Spend?
A repair is always cheaper than a retube. The question is whether it will hold, and that depends on the material and the condition of the fabric around the damage rather than on the damage itself.
Repairs are quoted per job. The work varies too much between a clean puncture in sound fabric and a failing seam on a twenty-year-old tube for a price list to mean anything, so we look at photos and quote the actual repair.
| Situation | Better spend | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Single puncture, Hypalon tube otherwise sound | Repair | Localised problem on good fabric. A repair will last as long as the tube |
| Valve or handle failure | Repair | Component replacement, nothing to do with the state of the tube |
| Failing seam, Hypalon, fabric still sound | Repair or partial replacement | Hypalon seams are repairable where the fabric will still take a bond |
| Several patches already on the tube | Consider retube | Money spent on repair number four is money not spent on a new tube |
| Outer coating delaminating, weave showing | Retube | The fabric has lost integrity. Repairs will not hold on it |
| Failing seam on ageing PVC or PU | Retube | Old PVC and PU rarely take a reliable bond, and more seams usually follow |
| Air loss across the whole tube, no single source | Assessment first | Porosity across a large area points to retube. A single hidden leak does not |
This is the reason Hypalon is the fabric we build in. It stays repairable throughout its service life, so a twenty-year-old Hypalon tube with a puncture is usually a repair job, whereas an ageing PVC or PU tube with the same puncture is often a retube. See RIB repairs or the full RIB repair guide.
Retube or Replace the Boat
The comparison most owners are really making is not repair against retube. It is retube against buying another boat.
A retube replaces the part of the boat that wears out and reuses the part that does not. A GRP hull in sound condition has no fixed service life. The tube does. Spending around £7,000 on a 6.0m boat that is otherwise sound, and getting twenty years of tube life back, compares favourably with the cost of an equivalent replacement RIB, and you keep a hull you already know.
Retube Makes Sense When
- The hull is structurally sound with no significant laminate damage
- The transom is firm and dry
- The engine and fit-out are in reasonable order, or worth keeping
- The boat is a model that holds its value or suits your use well
- You want to specify the fittings, colour and protection to suit how you actually use it
Think Again When
- The hull has structural problems that need addressing first
- The transom is soft or showing water ingress
- The mechanical fit-out is worn out and would need replacing too
- The boat is the wrong size or layout for what you now need it for
Practical Note
We assess the hull as part of the initial review and will say if we think the boat is not worth retubing. That happens occasionally. It is better said before you commit than after, and it is the reason we ask for photographs before quoting rather than after.
Ready to get a figure? Boat make, model, length and photos of the existing tubes is all we need to start.
Request a retube quoteFrequently Asked Questions on RIB Retube Costs
How much does it cost to retube a RIB?
Work on around £1,200 per running metre of tube as a starting point. That puts a 5.0m RIB in the region of £5,800 and a 6.0m RIB in the region of £7,000 for a straightforward retube in Orca Hypalon, supplied and fitted. Specification and hull condition move the figure from there.
Why can you not give a fixed price?
Because two boats of the same length are rarely the same job. Tube layout, the state of the hull flange, whether we already hold the pattern, and the fittings you want all change the amount of work involved. We quote the actual boat rather than a bracket, which is more useful to you when you are deciding.
Is a retube cheaper than buying another RIB?
For a sound hull, usually yes, and by a considerable margin. You are replacing the part of the boat that wears out and keeping the part that does not. Where the hull, transom or fit-out also need work, the sums change and we will tell you so.
Does Hypalon cost more than PVC?
Hypalon fabric costs more per metre than PVC. We build in Hypalon only, so it is not an option we price against. The reason is service life and repairability: a Hypalon tube stays repairable throughout its life, which keeps the cost of owning it down over twenty years even though the initial spend is higher.
What adds the most to a retube quote?
Heavy-duty cladding and complex tube layouts add the most. After those, colour flashes, extra wear patches, additional handles and custom markings each add a moderate amount. Hull flange repair work is the variable that is hardest to predict before the old tube comes off.
How long does a retube take?
Typical lead time is 10 to 12 weeks. Where we already hold the pattern for your boat, the tube can be manufactured before the boat arrives, which cuts the time it spends off the water. Booking ahead of the spring rush is worth doing.
Do you need to see the boat before quoting?
Not always. For boats already on file we can often quote from the make, model, length and a condition description. For boats not on file, or where hull condition is uncertain, we will ask for photos first.
Outside the UK? We ship made to measure tube sets worldwide through Tube in a Box.
Get a written quote for your retube
Send us the boat make, model, length and photos of the existing tubes. We will confirm scope, quote the job and advise on fabric grade, colour and fittings.