Rib Shack Marine merges with Southampton & Portsmouth Rib Charter
From left: Joshua Chapman, Colin Vine and Akis Zissis.
Rib Shack Marine has joined forces with Southampton & Portsmouth Rib Charter. The merger took place after discussions that appeared to last over a year to ensure ‘complete understanding, mutual standards, and visions that can coexist’.
Currently, both companies will remain as their separate brands and continue on their pathways while sharing common infrastructure; however, a gradual rebrand will take place over the coming months.
Rib Shack Marine is a shared ownership space, while Southampton & Portsmouth Rib Charter offers a rental model.
The newest iteration of the business will see Akis Zissis (of Rib Charter) and Joshua Chapman become directors. Chapman, collaborating with Zissis, will develop new ideas.
Colin and Helen Vine set up Rib Shack Marine in 2003. “I am extremely positive for the future of what has been my passion for the last 20 years, and I am excited for the new era of Rib Shack,” says Colin Vine.
Southampton & Portsmouth Rib Charter was started by Zissis a decade ago. It currently has a fleet of four dedicated charter vessels and offers both skippered and bareboat charters.
Rib Shack’s shared boat ownership and management scheme offers a 25 per cent share in Ribeye RIBs or Axopar cabin boats in the Southampton and Solent areas with access every fourth week. Interestingly, the ‘share’ can be further shared (as can the cost) with a family member or friend. The company says that when a customer decides to move on, it’ll handle the sale and return the customer’s share of the proceeds.
