GALA A330HD

A tender that does the job!

On our long-range test of the Bali Catspace (see MW180), equipment manufacturer Gala entrusted us with a top of the range RIB, their Gala A330 HD, for a week. First off, a few words about the manufacturer, based near Marseille, in the South of France: Gala Inflatable Boats is a specialist in inflatable boats, from the basic folding dinghy to the 21’4” (6.50 m) RIB designed for professional use.

A crew of five easily fits aboard the Gala A330.

When stepping aboard, the stability is reassuring despite the dinghy’s small size.

A 6 HP outboard is enough to get up on the plane - provided you’re on your own.

For intensive use, the manufacturer recommends Hypalon, as it’s much more resistant than PVC. But it is much more expensive…

The double-bottom hull has a pronounced V at the front.

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Published 16/11/2021

By Emmanuel van Deth

Issue: SP17

Published: dec. / jan. 2022

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Our dinghy was presented to us inflated; according to the manufacturer, you can always deflate/stow/re-inflate it, but this would be quite a tedious operation. The boat is therefore intended to remain on its davits. Two materials are proposed: either Vamex PVC or Hypalon. The latter is the one we had at our disposal: it is much more resistant in intensive use, especially in areas highly exposed to UV. On the other hand, the Hypalon tubes are much more expensive (62% more). The dinghy we had is pretty light for a boat capable of carrying 1,100 lbs (500 kg) as it weighs just 106 lbs (48 kg). We powered it with a 6 HP Tohatsu weighing 55 lbs (25 kg). That's a total of 160 lbs (73 kg), which is quite easy to hoist up on the davits - especially when you have an electric winch.
The GALA A330HD features a double aluminum bottom, a forward locker (perfect for housing a small anchor and a bailer), a thick protective rubbing strake and sturdy handles. There are numerous fixing points, both inside and out, and there are no less than eight carrying handles. We frequently used the dinghy with five adults and two children, a total of around 925 lbs (420 kg). Stability was always excellent, and the crew didn't even get wet – as long as we were in reasonably calm conditions. The most comfortable seating is on the wide tubes, but they are usefully supplemented by two thwarts. These mean the boat can be rowed in good conditions – there are oars in place, attached to their rowlocks. If you’re on your own, it is possible to get the boat planing provided that you go as far forward as you can – a tiller extension, even a bit of PVC tube, would be useful. With power limited to 6 HP, we managed 10 knots and the behavior of our Gala was always very good, including in a chop. A top of the range model perfectly suited to multihulls bound for blue water voyages.

Technical specifications:
Manufacturer: Gala Inflatable Boats
Length: 10’10” (3.30 m)
Beam: 5’4” (1.62 m)
Interior width: 2’7” (0.78 m)
Weight: 106 lbs (48 kg)
Maximum load: 1,100 lbs (500 kg)
Recommended outboard size: 6 to 15 HP
Maximum engine size: 20 HP
Tube diameter: 16½” (42 cm)
Number of chambers: 3
Colors: light grey / white / black
Price: € 3,320 inc. VAT for the VALMEX PVC version
€ 5,372 inc. VAT for the HYPALON version