In a strategic collaboration between three industry specialists: Petestep AB (naval architecture), Boomeranger Boats Oy (RIB building and integration), and Solico Engineering BV (composite engineering), a next-generation naval Rigid Inflat-able Boat (RIB) has been created that dramatically outperforms legacy designs. The project set out to answer a simple but crucial question: What can be achieved today with state-of-theart technologies, compared to RIBs designed 15 years ago? The answer is clear, a transformational leap forward in performance, endurance, and structural integrity, setting a new benchmark for naval platforms.
Advanced Naval Architecture: Shaping the Ride
Petestep AB spearheaded the hull design, introducing a patented performance-optimized hull form that redefines seakeeping. Traditional RIBs, while capable of speed, often subject crews to punishing vertical accelerations that sap endurance and limit mission duration.
The Petestep solution reduces induced vertical peak accelerations by up to 20%, allowing crews to maintain higher speeds in rougher seas. This directly extends the operational envelope of the vessel, a decisive tactical advantage in rapid deployment and extraction scenarios. Equally important, the hull redirects spray down and aft, producing a drier, quieter ride with reduced signature, an oper-ational edge in covert or sustained missions.
Integrated Layout & Balance: Optimized for Real-World Conditions
A high-performance hull is only as effective as the systems that support it. Boomeranger Boats Oy focused on dynamic balance, layout optimization, and real-world operability, ensuring the vessel is as functional as it is fast.
By carefully tuning the longitudinal and vertical centers of gravity, the RIB maintains optimal trim and handling across all loading conditions. This meticulous design ensures the boat feels lighter on the helm, reacts predictably at speed, and operates with increased safety even when fully loaded. Tank capacity, accessibility, and mission-critical ergonomics were engineered with equal precision—creating a platform that is both high-performance and highly practical in demanding naval conditions.
Next-Gen Composite Engineering: Lightweighting with Integrity
Solico Engineering BV redefined the vessel’s structural integrity, moving away from leisure craft standards (ISO 12215-5) toward the far more stringent DNV High Speed Light Craft (HSLC) rules. This required meeting stricter criteria for deflec-tion limits and load cases, raising the bar for stiffness and safety.
Despite tougher standards, the engineering team achieved a 22% reduction in structural weight, thanks to
advanced composite optimization and resin infusion manufacturing. This process not only improves laminate consis-tency but also reduces styrene emissions—delivering strength, quality, and sustainability in one stroke.
The benefits are profound: less weight allows for deeper-V hull geometries that naturally improve seakeeping and reduce slamming. Weight savings can also be reinvested into greater fuel capacity, payload, range, or speed—all critical parameters for naval operators.
Performance Redefined
The reference vessel from 2010 could achieve 40 knots, but at the cost of severe vertical accelerations that fatigued crews and curtailed missions.
By contrast, the 2025 RIB achieves equal or better speed, but with drastically reduced peak accelerations.
Marines benefit from higher comfort, reduced fatigue, and longer operational endurance—turning every wave into
an advantage rather than an obstacle. This is not incremental improvement; it is a paradigm shift in naval RIB design. Through the seamless integration of advanced naval architecture, precision load management, and next-gen compos-ites, the vessel represents a new gold standard for maritime defence platforms.
Results
