After a short hiatus at the beginning of the war, Ukraine’s Brig Boats has continued to produce good quality RIBs for the world market, including New Zealand.
Getting up bright and early on a stunning summer’s morning, I trundled out to Family Boats on Ti Rakau Drive in East Tamaki to meet with Roger, our photographer, and Brett from Boating New Zealand magazine. We were collecting the new Brig Navigator 20 RIB to tow her to Pauanui, where we would go for a spin and put her through her paces.
Being mid-holiday season, traffic was light and the drive uneventful – the perfect test of what this boat is like to tow. The answer is effortless: “Wow, I can hardly feel that the boat is on the back,” said Brett halfway through the drive. With an empty weight of 775kg, full up with 191L of fuel (143kg approximately) and on a trailer weighing around 350kg, the total towing weight is only 1270kg-ish. That leaves plenty of capacity to load the car up with surfboards, paddleboards, bicycles, buckets, spades, cat and dog, and all the other essential Kiwi summer holiday equipment.
In Pauanui we met up with Peter from Family Boats. Brett backed the Navigator 20 into the water, the trailer backing up straight and true. The 20 slipped quietly into the water and it was time to see what she could do.
THE BRIG NAVIGATOR 20
Brig Boats have been designing and building a range of RIBs for 35 years. Based in Ukraine, they built their business on two principles: good design at a good price. By staying true to these, they are now one of the largest RIB manufacturers in the world. Family Boats has been Brig’s New Zealand agent since 2009.
The Brig range consists of the luxury Eagles, from 3.5m to 10m and the Navigator series of adventure boats. Brig also has the Falcon Rider and Tender ranges, but production of these is temporarily on hold.
The Brig Navigator range has been redesigned and updated and now comes in four versions: the 26, the 24 (replacing the well regarded 730), the 22 and the 20 – the original 730, 700, 610, 570, 520 and 485 are now discontinued.
The Navigator 20 is the baby of the range, but her performance makes her a boss in her class. Big enough to take the whole family and some friends for a day exploring, or two or three mates fishing and diving, it is easily launched and recovered and provides great multi-purpose functionality, alongside a bit of luxury and comfort.
The deep V hull has been redesigned, with improvements to cornering stability and ride over the 610, which the Navigator 20 essentially replaces, giving the driver confidence, especially when conditions are not ideal.
HANDLING
The brig Navigator 20 is an adventure RIB with a CE design category C rating. This means she is certified to operate safely in winds up to Beaufort Force 6 (strong breeze, 22–27 knots) and wave heights up to 2 m. In other words, she can take it.
Test day is a beautiful, calm summer morning, so not really what you want for putting an adventure RIB through its paces, but we improvised with some wake-bashing. Apart from being great fun, I was able to experience firsthand how stable this boat is. For a couple of my tests, I put the Navigator through a tight 20-knot turn and crossed our wake at about 10 degrees, intentionally putting the boat in an unstable situation. A raised eyebrow and faint look of disdain from Peter (sorry Peter, I probably should have warned you…) was the only reaction. The Navigator 20 barely noticed, the new hull shape clearly proving its pedigree. At max power executing multiple high-speed turns, the boat was as solid as a rock, the half metre diameter tubes doing an excellent job of deflecting spray and keeping the boat’s interior dry.
The 150hp Yamaha is well matched, giving plenty of power when needed; the boat is responsive and agile, climbing onto the plane with ease and not burying her stern in the turns. Throttle response was smooth, but I did find the steering a bit notchy coming out of a hard turn. This may be due to the new boat not having been driven much.
With the centre console positioned in the middle of the boat, visibility over the bow is great. Driving the boat in the standing position, the seats provide plenty of lateral support. In fact, during my high-speed cornering tests, I did not have to think about bracing myself at all; a very useful step plate is moulded into the base of the centre console, allowing both driver and passenger to use one foot to brace themselves against the seats, giving a feeling of total security. It also provides extra legroom while sitting, allowing your feet to rest in a comfortable, natural position.
LAYOUT AND FIXTURES
The Brig Navigator 20 is a true centre console with walkarounds on both sides. The Hypalon tubes are made up of five airtight compartments, with all seams and panels straight and true and free of excess glue marks.
The forward deck space has forgone the old 610’s built-in centre console front seat. Removing this seat, to my mind, is a very sensible improvement. This space is now very usable for fishing/diving. Two divers could kit up and splash here; they would have to kit up one at a time, but that is not uncommon when diving. The deletion of the seat has also provided space for a large, lockable centre console storage locker.
There is an anchor locker in the bow that doubles as a seat with a cushion supplied and a Samson pole forward of the anchor locker is standard equipment.
The centre console has a tall windscreen that provides plenty of protection and there is no shortage of handholds. A sturdy aluminium handrail frame straddles the console, and two long vertical handholds are mounted on either side of the front. Both sides of the bow section of the Hypalon tube have three handholds, plus a stern, middle, and bow handhold outboard on the tube on each side.
The helm station is equipped with a Garmin 9.5-inch MFD and a Fusion sound system. A nice design touch is the glovebox between the sound system speakers, perfect for storing mobile devices and more.
The helm seats have been rethought as well. The moulded fibreglass seat base from the older 610 model has been replaced with an open frame. This update not only gives the boat a more spacious feel and additional handholds but also lets you easily stand at the helm with the seat flipping up to provide a bolster to lean against. This open design also adds storage space for wet bags and the like, which can be stowed between the legs. Dry storage is provided by a good-sized lazarette in the cockpit sole.
The Navigator 20 has a built-in fuel tank. Centrally located and low in the hull, it contributes greatly to the boat’s stability and handling. The fuel fill is on the starboard side of the centre console.
The three-person seat across the transom has a substantial frame that doubles as a tow post for water skiing, biscuiting, etc. And with aft-facing horn cleats welded on both sides, securing a tow line is easy. Sensibly, the aft seat is not full width; the walkway outboard on both sides gives access to the swim platforms and motor; lifting the seat reveals the battery box and additional storage space. The swim platforms are standard, of a good size, with the port platform being where the optional swim ladder is mounted.
A great additional option is the freshwater shower, fitted to this boat –a little bit of luxury that is very practical. The hand-held shower is neatly housed in the transom next to the port swim step with its 39l water tank in the storage space under the aft seat.
I do have a small concern with the ergonomics of the swim ladder and shower being on the same side: if it is not deployed, the ladder could be a trip hazard when using the shower, and if you have just used the ladder to climb aboard and are showering off, you are blocking anyone else using the ladder. Installing the ladder on the starboard side would fix it, something I assume Brig would be willing to do?
Another oversight, in my mind, is that the T-top is not an option for the Navigator 20. It is optional on the larger models, but not the 20. Again, I would not be at all surprised that if you asked for one, Brig could accommodate you.
FINISH QUALITY
Brig claim: “Our RIBs are hand-built and finished to exceptional standards, using only the finest material.” After poking my nose into every nook and cranny, I can confirm that they look very well put together. All the fibreglass moulded components are clean with no obvious imperfections; the Seadek decking alignment is precise, with all cutouts and spacings accurately cut; and the upholstery, made with SILVERTEX marine fabric, is well-made and accurately fits the spaces it is designed for. Plus all the seats have a debossed diamond pattern – this luxury detail is a nice touch, lifting the whole look and feel of the boat.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
As Brig boats are built in Ukraine, delivery security may be on your mind. The head office and factory are in Kharkiv. In 2022, due to shelling in the opening days of Russia’s invasion, they suspended production, concerned for the safety of their staff. Despite these unprecedented challenges, they worked tirelessly to get back on track and restarted manufacturing in 2023.
The fact that Family Boats is still an agent is a huge testament to the quality of the product, the strength of their relationship with Brig, and their belief in the ongoing success of the brand.
So, if you are considering a Brig, you can be confident knowing that not only are you buying a very well-made boat, you are also helping support Ukraine in its hour of greatest need.
CONCLUSION
The new Brig Navigator 20 is a very well-made boat with excellent performance and practical, usable space. There are a number of very nice details and standard equipment that really give this boat a premium feel. If I were in the market for an easily trailered, multi-purpose boat to take on summer holidays, or to go for a quick fish on a summer’s day, the Brig Navigator 20 would be at the top of my list.
