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If you are going to frequently inflate and deflate the boat, wed suggest investing in a regulated, high-pressure pump with pressure gauge. I decided to roll the paint over this large area with a 4-inch nylon roller. The roll up floor is great. :2 boat: At that price and based on your post needs, I say go for it . without the motor. The West Marine reached a top speed of 15 knots. Id be wary of the 'glued' seams. I finally made this much easier by stitching two zippers into the cover to make a wide flap in the center. Five Years, One Year Parts and Accessories, Two Years Floor Attachment and Fiberglass Hulls of RIBs, Three Years Transom, Inflatable Boat Cover, 113"-124" L, 60" Beam Width. You will outgrow this cheap small dinghy I think. Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. It's not "enjoyable" to row, I use a Honda 2 hp and remove it when towing. Posted by Roger Hughes | Maintenance, Projects. It also offers more interior volume. Remember when Forrest Gumps friend Bubba sounded all of the different ways you can prepare shrimp? I simply filed a very small ridge all the way around the end of the oar shaft to make it slide on. We rotated it in this way, 90 degrees at a time, hoping that the liquid would coat the whole of the inside of each chamber, then left it overnight. For the price, though, I couldnt really be choosy. Mounting lifting strops to the solid hull of a RIB is easy. Testers checked the following performance points: quickness to plane, dryness and comfort, and high- and low-speed handling (also in reverse). Enter Our Dog Days of Summer BBQ Giveaway Now! The transverse seat sits in two slots on the sides of the tubes. Some were not in the seams, where I assumed they would be, but in the material itself. Before shelling out the money for an inflatable. This inflatable is 'hard used' - dog has to 'go' at least twice per day when traveling. But we now have a very strong, presentable dinghy. I didnt like the idea of a single spring button holding the blade anyway, so I also screwed a stainless- steel self-tapping screw through the blade into the oar for extra safety. West Marine will email you when your order ships from the vendor. The keel seemed to bite better than the Zodiac, allowing it to deliver a smoother ride. Rigid and Portable: The high-pressure roll-up floor is made with multiple cross layers of copolymer fabric with thousands of drop stitches per inch. With our 9.9-horsepower Yamaha, the Zodiac topped out at 17 knots, which is very fast for such a small boat. We have had an RU-260 for 2 years and are generally satisfied with it. For the use you describe and the price, i would go for it. Bottom line: Pluses include a smart oar and oarlock design, a nifty forward storage compartment, and an easy-to-use drain. The West Marine oars do not feather and cannot be moved inboard or outboard. Tradeoffs. They are not flat, but in our book, they are not deep-V hulls. It was a 16-year-old C10X model and decidedly dilapidated. There are also two carrying handles in the stern quarters on the outboard sides of the tubes, plus one at the bow, below the rubrail. I wonder if towing her behind us on all our adventures caused it. At least every other weekend. The Good Stuff: The tubes have 16 diameters and the boat is fabricated with five total chambers that are easy to maintain. Our test motor was a 9.9-horsepower Yamaha four-stroke, which we reviewed in the October 2008 issue. I probably leave it in the water for 3 months each season. . This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. My first reaction is to go with another WM boat (the PVC HP-310 mentioned above, currently on sale for $1099), with the understanding that it's essentially a disposable boat if I can get 5 years out of it, I'd be happy. I went to WestMarine this afternoon to see the PRU-3, since their website said they had two in stock. PS testers examined grab and carrying handles, oars, lifting rings, seating and storage, drain-plug design, and towing eyes. Store it in a cool place when not in use. I had been storing it in a hot garage. One air valve also leaked, and five larger leaks needed patches. And I wanted one made of Hypalon because it is more resistant to sunlight and abrasion than the less- expensive alternative, PVC. Roger obtained the dinghy for nothing, which made it worth his while to try to renovate it. The next step was to paint the whole of the topsides of the tubes. A nice dinghy ride after a sail is fun. I had a similar experience with a Zodiak bombard. That makes for quick and easy setup and takedown. The next stage was to improve the dinghys scruffy appearance. Ratings appear in the Value Guide above. With the maximum 10 hp outboard, it can plane with two people aboard, and one person can get on plane with only 4 hp. Furthermore, part of my calculations involve how long the dinghy will last forwhether I will have to buy a new one in 7 or so years when I move to a bigger boat and full-time cruising or whether I can hope that the whatever I, We recently (18 months now) bought a west marine folding transom dinghy (compact. On the first day, after going ashore for a while then returning to the boat, the floor of the dinghy (West Marine RU-260) began to peel away, eventually becoming almost completely detached as we slowly motored back to the boat. Hypalon hulls are heavier, but they generally hold up better in the long term, particularly in warmer climates. His present project, the restoration of Britannia, a once run-down Down East 45, is nearing completion after six years (he thought it would take two at the most). I bought one from Amazon for $7. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! Theres also a vinyl bow bag, which a more intelligent life form should be able to install. I bought a bottle for $55. That sucks. I paid $699 on sale. He had to shift his weight forward to help the boat plane. It is the adhesive that is the problem and it is heat, not sun that causes the problem. Capacity: we used it with two grown men, but because one person sits on the seat and rows, the other person crouches in the fore deck-space, or sits on the bow tube. Cover is the key. By continuing to use this website, you're agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. (Testers got no help from the manual here.). FYI, West Marine branded boats are made by Zodiac on the same floor and by the same crews, and you should not see any difference in build quality. West Marine and Zodiac V-bottom Inflatable Dinghies Put to the Test. If in fresh water PVC is fine. The West Marine boat holds a substantial edge in price: $1,700 versus $2,299 for the Zodiac. Its high-pressure floor/keel design makes sense, and its overall finish quality is better than the West Marine. Tom, I hope you took the boat back to West Marine. The Zodiac has the advantage when it comes to oars and oarlocks. Smart Performance: An air floor inflatable boat is lighter, which means it needs less power to plane, yet it absorbs energy from wakes and waves more effectively than similar rigid-floor models. Bottom line: The boat delivers a smooth, dry ride and tracks very well. Both boats were inflated and evaluated at our shop. They needed to be tackled from the inside, using an internal inflatable-boat liquid sealer. Previously I had a dingy with a Z-fold plywood floor which was a bear to get installed properly in the partially inflated tubes. Signature required for receipt of shipment. Not everyone has indoor storage for their dinghy most set them on davits or on the hard on top. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The next day, I inflated the boat as hard as my air-bed pump would make it. A wooden bench seat comes standard with the boat. The Zodiak boats with the PVC all do exactly like yours did. Four handholds attach to straps on the tube tops. They can slide fore and aft, but testers found it difficult to adjust them. When it was inflated with a commercial compressor to the correct pressure, the leaks immediately began to bubble up. Especially since you have davits already. Then again, gentlemen don't row to windward. Both boats purport to have deep-V bottoms. Do you know of a good place to find used hard-bottomed dinghies? I find it is just fine for the purpose intended: doodling about the harbor at anchor and back and forth to shore. The boats bench seat can be set in one of two positions, even when the boat is inflated. A fender, however, does only one job-cushion the blow between the hull and something hard-and then it swallows up valuable lazarette or anchor locker space when that one job is not required. The West Marine boat has a greater maximum load: 1,984 pounds compared to Zodiacs 1,653 pounds. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more! I just row it. I'm open to recommendations for what is available now. We have found many uses for our dinghy on the Chesapeake on weekend trips. One chamber at a time, I injected the liquid through the valve, then half-inflated the chamber and tilted it so the liquid would run down the inside to roughly where the leaks were, on the top sections of the tubes. If you had a motor perhaps both persons could sit on the side tubes. That doesn't look like UV damage, but more like an adhesive failure, where the adhesive holding the bottom to the tubes has failed. BTW, seven months of UV exposure isn't good for the dinghy. Tows pretty good due to light weight, sometimes tries to catch the boat coming down big waves. Water collects beneath this floor/keel, keeping feet and gear drier. Its award-winning Acti-V hull provides the rigidity needed for best performance. You're right, of course, you can buy 4 pvc. In this shootout, the West Marine HP-V 350 stands out as the Budget Buy, with its superior ride, multiple handholds, and beefy rubrail. I don't know whether its a myth or fact, but I had been told many times over the past few years that if you use a dinghy in salt water it had better be Hypalon. n3kGz=[==B0FX'+tG,}/Hh8mW2p[AiAN#8$X?AKHI{!7. If you do not receive an email contact Customer Service. This saves having to reach over and remove the drain plug when the dinghy is in davits. I contacted Caribe Nautica, Doral, near Miami, Florida, and bought two blades for $61. The West Marine is longer than the Zodiac by a half-foot and narrower by 4 inches. Truck Freight is used to ship items that exceed standard shipping limitations on weight and/or size. The boat sets up and deflates and stores on the fore deck easily. My main problem with boat fenders is that they appear to violate the cardinal rule of cruising: any object you bring aboard should serve at least two purposes (the way your crewmate's favorite yellow shirt makes a great Q flag). It is fine for sitting on, but don't use it as a handle to lift the boat or the seat pops up out of the tube slot. Inflatable Boat Sealant, topside paint: Inland Marine in Cape Coral, FL www.inlandmarine.us, Scoprega Bravo 7M Foot Pump: Defender, #454219 www.defender.com, Halkey-Roberts latching adaptor: www.amazon.com, Scupper drain: West Marine, #1930353 www.westmarine.com. This is convenient, though we wonder how the small plastic clips that secure the seats will hold up. We just got back from our 5 day trip. Because the West Marine HP-V 350s deck is integral to the V-shaped hull it is slanted. Testing was done in two stages. I wasnt optimistic; used RIBs usually sell for more than that, so I was pleasantly surprised to receive a reply from a fellow named Chris. The patches and a new air valve cost $220. The floor is plywood. Do the math: Is a "disposable" boat really worth it? I plan to head down to WM to see the PRU-3 this weekend. I finally decided to have it professionally inspected. but it has a hard fiberboard 'insert' floor) continuously / daily for the past 3 years with NO problems. I have a version of that boat from a couple decades ago, I believe it is a slat floor boat and does not have a solid floor. The foot pump enabled me to inflate the boat to the manufacturers recommended pressure for the first time. The West Marine boat has more handholds, but the pilot handhold was a little too far aft for our tall tester. The removable floor-keel construction makes sense, since rips or tears in the keel or floor are easier to deal with. We use cookies to optimize site functionality and improve your overall experience. Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. The boats integral air floor/keel are removable. The Zodiac delivered a rougher, wetter ride than the West Marine boat, in part because it is smaller. I believe that I have an earlier iteration of this one. To my pleasant surprise, all three chambers were still hard. Combines the performance that youd expect in a rigid-floored sportboat with the lighter weight of an inflatable floor model in a versatile, easy-to-store boat. Roger and his wife, Kati, look forward to cruising in 2018 and using all the innovations he has incorporated into the boat, many of which have been featured in Good Old Boat. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo, WEST MARINE PRU-3 Performance Roll-Up Inflatable Boat | West Marine, http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-ce-wood-floor-sportboat--14272462?recordNum=7, Help Rodd & his family Recover, organized by Jay Collins, Odyssey Air Roll-Up Yacht Tender | Walker Bay, Saturn SD260 portable and affordable inflatable dinghy motor boat from BoatsToGo.com, Page 3 of 4 for New and Used Inflatable and Rib Boats for sale on BoatTrader.com - BoatTrader.com, Zodiac Wood Floor 8' 6" Lt. Gray / Blue PVC, 2015, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Only the keel of the Zodiac is V-shaped. The boat also tracked and turned well. If you leave them out in the sun 24x7 for two years I think that everyone of them would fail. However a solid floor is much better in use. Love the air floor . I was wondering if Dan or anyone else would mind answering a few questions about the SB-275. Ours stays virtually dry with the cover over it and a large beach ball from the dollar store underneath it to slope it so the water doesn't pool. Thanks for the responses. A thick, abrasion-resistant fabric protects the hull bottom, but if it or the floor is punctured, repair can be expensive or impractical. The oars can be feathered, and they slide inboard and outboard, giving the rower better control of the boat. His company makes all sorts of stuff for repairing and restoring inflatable boats. I masked off the rubbing strake, the oarlock sockets, and all the handles. What is a problem is rowing into the wind. We had a grand launching at the boat ramp near our marina. Except for the wimpier rubrail and some minor details, construction quality was superior. It's still under warranty, and they will help you deal with it, or replace it if seams are leaking. We drove the 120 miles in my minivan the next day and picked it up. Deys shrimp-kabobs, shrimp Creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried It went on and on-reminding us of the list of inflatable boats on the market today: Deys soft-stern dinghies, roll-up boats, sport boats, wood-floor boats, high-pressure floor boats, rigid inflatable boats, high-pressure V-hull boats, and so on. #{}}jc1X6fm;'_9 r:8q:O:8uJqnv=MmR 4 One bonus is the flat high-pressure floor, which makes it easier to keep your footing. It's never bothered me that my dinghy has a flat bottom. The blades of Caribe oars clip to the shafts with a spring-loaded button, but they were missing. The West Marine boat has 12 handholds that passengers can grab while underway. Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.8 Beta 1. The Zodiac has a screened scupper with a small lever that opens and closes the screen. I would not drag it on the shoreline because of the fabric floor. We rarely use it on long trips . I have only rowed it, no motor yet. A PVC boat is "good enough" for us. After leaving it in my garage for another night, I inspected it in the early morning, while the air temperature was still cool. Dan, I appreciate you sticking your neck out as a WM employee. Note it is slatted floor, not solid. All rights reserved. Belvoir Media Group, LLC. Ride quality was not as good as the West Marine boat. I don't think your comments are a shill for WM. In the tropics you should be getting a hypalon as the PVC will not hold up in a lot of direct UV. I began by masking all around the rubbing strake, then gave the strake two coats of blue, using a throwaway brush. We're still tossed on new. It's what had us install davits on the boat. Except for the wimpier rubrail and some minor details, construction quality was superior. Obviously product specs and material availability (Hypalon discontinuation) have changed over the last 10 years. My dinghy is about as old as fiberglass and the bottom has never come off. Oh that's right.. my dinghy IS fiberglass. I had ordered one yesterday just in case of this, and it will come Tuesday, so I can think about it until then, and they'll put the boat into inventory if I don't want it. For dry storage aboard, the Zodiac has a plastic container in a compartment in the bow. More than once, I nearly fell in when leaning over to stretch the cover over the aft ends of the tubes. JavaScript is disabled. It's firm to step one, stiffens the whole boat, and allows for an inflatable keel which improves rowing and tracking under power. I was wondering if Dan or anyone else would mind answering a few questions about the SB-275. I can work inside the flap to fit the cover, then zip it up when the boat is in the davits. Testers found the ride aboard the West Marine to be drier than the ride on the Zodiac. The WM videos looked OK, but one spot where the guy was making a turn (1:55) made it obvious how the flat bottom slides sideways: Yet another reason for a cover for the dinghy is the rain. However, they wouldnt fit the shafts, because a lip inside the blade prevented it from engaging the button in the shaft. I find the slat floor adequate rigidity. I then ordered a dinghy foot pump with a built-in pressure gauge from Defender for $36. Delivery time varies typically 23 weeks. A couple of years ago a microburst blew through our area. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. For this comparison, we examined two boats featuring recent innovations in hull construction: West Marines HP-V 350, with a high-pressure V-shaped bottom; and Zodiacs FR340 Fastroller with Acti-V bottom, featuring a high-pressure floor with an inflatable V-shaped keel. A deep-V keel is typically defined as 24 degrees or deeper, intended to deliver a softer ride in chop. I then emailed a couple of pictures to Dan, who suggested I should just paint the boat with their topside paint, which is available in seven colors. On-the-water testing took place in moderate conditions, with 10- to 12-knot breezes and a slight chop, although there was enough wake from boat traffic to get an idea of their performance in rougher conditions. The extra weight of a RIB did not faze my electric hoist, which easily raised it out of the water in 20 seconds. Enter your email address to be added to the waitlist. The author reveals his own frustration and unravels the mystery for us all. I bought a Zodiac Zoom 2006 on Craig's List. As I understand it, the sealant atomizes, becoming airborne inside the tubes, and coagulates in the perforations where air is escaping. The salesguy said that the two boats they had were sold within an hour of opening this morning. Get the repair adhesive from a discount supplier clean off the old adhesive and re-glue the floor. Roger had to file down the ends of the oar handles before they would fit into the new blades. It will make a good back-up even if you get a new dinghy. However, I am on a smaller boat and worried about space. The keel, higher and thinner, forms a deep-V, similar to the shape of the semi-rigid boats.. The special transom drain allows water to drain out of the dinghy when it is slung in davits at an angle, but the ball stops water entering when the dinghy is in the water. No warranty and no one would repair it. I patched a puncture in the floor from a sharp rock with vinyl tape that has held well, I did once see one where the floor had started peeling back. This also is not unusual for a boat of this size. There is a humorous video review on YouTube about this or a very similar dinghy. I ordered a quart of gray and a pint of blue for $70. Lasted 2 summers in the sun and the bottom fell off. For RIBs with folding transoms, PS picked the Walker Bay Genesis Light 310 FTD. Ships from supplier, typically 2-3 weeks. Aside from Lorenzo's link, I'm not aware of other sources. Both boats were inflated and evaluated at our shop. The West Marines seat must be installed when the boat is partially inflated, but the attachment seems more solid than the Zodiacs. Both are constructed of PVC and carry five-year warranties (typical of PVC hulls). Provide your account email address to receive an email to reset your password.We have changed website platforms. Apart from the West Marine HP-V 350s larger overall dimensions, the chief difference between the two boats is in the floor-keel design. Ready to Go: The boat comes everything you need to head to the water including top-end Halkey-Roberts inflation valves, aluminum oars, oarlocks, lifelines, towing rings, a bow handle, a storage/carrying bag and an inflation pump. He had an old 10-foot Caribe RIB in his backyard in Sarasota, Florida, that I could have for nothing if I picked it up. Ride quality was not as good as the West Marine boat. I contacted Dan OConnell, owner of Inland Marine in Cape Coral, South Florida. Its head spinning. The Zodiacs deadrise measures 12 degrees, and the West Marine boat is about the same. That doesn't look like UV damage, but more like an adhesive failure, where the adhesive holding the bottom to the tubes has failed. The setup is, however, easier to bail and keep clean of dirt and mildew. The instructions for the sealant said to rotate the boat every 30 minutes to allow the fluid to coat the rest of the inside of the chamber. It rows just fine as a flat bottom inflatable, yes it slides around a bit, but I can deal with that. In fact we use it all the time. Furthermore, part of my calculations involve how long the dinghy will last forwhether I will have to buy a new one in 7 or so years when I move to a bigger boat and full-time cruising or whether I can hope that the whatever I purchase now will still serve me then. Location: Australian living on "Sea Life" currently in England. Larger tubes generally mean a drier boat, and the Zodiac tubes are 2 inches larger in diameter than those on the West Marine, but the latters tube are higher at the bow, which helps deflect spray. In a test of seven small roll-up boats with inflatable decks and keels, the Zodiac Cadet 310FR ACTI-V was the favorite. 270 air floor pvc, but good pvc. I then visited our local West Marine store where, using equipment in the store, I made two stainless-steel wire strops, along with U-bolts to attach to the forward locker, for a total cost of $25. Both the HP-V 350 and the FR340 Fastroller can handle up to 15-horsepower outboards. Sailing Nervous "episode #60 our little dinghy" is the title. For a few hundred more you can get a good dinghy which will last you 10 years at least. Two coats covered up most of the scratches and left a very presentable semigloss finish. The boat performed fine at slow speeds and in reverse. The slower leaks, called bleeds, were permeating through the material. Not only does it enhance Britannias appearance, but I also feel confident using it. The entire bottom of the West boat is shaped like a V and permanently connected to its tubes. My 1996 WM did the same thing last year. Only one of the three compartments held pressure, but the fiberglass bottom was in good condition. After completing the restoration work, Roger launched the dinghy and rowed it to the stern of Britannia. The Zodiacs deck details scored a mixed review. However, our experience has been that the 2.5 hp Tohatsu outboard we have is about as big as we would dare go. BTW, seven months of UV exposure isn't good for the dinghy. A thick, abrasion-resistant fabric protects the hull bottom, but if it or the floor is punctured, repair can be expensive or impractical. This was not as hard as the manufacturers specified pressure of 0.2 bar (2.9 psi), but I planned to buy a more powerful foot pump if we had managed to stop the leaks. I am in a similar situation, looking for an inexpensive dinghy. Another knock is that both boats are made of PVC material. We purchased a 6-year-old Avon (Hypalon) 10 years ago from a friend. Adding to the weight was the 1/2 inch of water in the bottom from a slow water leak. Most notably, the bow rise upon acceleration from a dead stop was not as severe as the Zodiacs. This item will be fulfilled from the vendor. Applies to standard shipping only within the contiguous United States. I do not have davits. Admittedly, it is a bit of a pain to store the wooden floor and to re-oil it every year; and of course you can't roll it up. No matter what I end up doing, a cover will be a must, to prevent water if left in davits, and to prevent UV degradation if left upside down on the foredeck. . Restrictions: This item does not ship to a PO Box, APO, FPO, DPO or international address. Heres what the companies have to say about their boats. I bought this dingy in March of '16 for use during summer cruise. Confused by the Halkey Roberts valves on your inflatable boat or water toy? The V-floor has a balance of pros and cons. Still seems OK after 3 years of 'hard use'; but, I do keep a large 'patch kit' with me - due to all the horror stories about PVC inflatables. The only stumbling block was the cost, which, at $3,000 to $4,000 for a new boat, was well outside my budget. Both boats are a pain to inflate using the manufacturer-provided manual air pumps (particularly the Zodiac), in our opinion. Michael: There are NO redeming qualities with PVC dinks except that they are a couple of bucks cheaper. This is a PVC inflatable with 'welded seams'. West Marine: Unlike regular high-pressure floor boats, these do not have a flat floor or inflatable keel Instead, two sections of high-pressure fabric are joined into a V-section that, when inflated, creates the deep-V hull shape., And Zodiac: The FR340 has a high-pressure air floor and keel that are inflated from one valve. For three days, I tried to find the leaks, using an electric air-mattress pump and the soap-and-water test method. Get the best sailing news, boat project how-tos and more delivered to your inbox. However, my wife and I found it very difficult to hold this heavy boat in the upright position until I hit on the idea of supporting it with my stepladder. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The Zodiac weighs 14 pounds less than the West Marine boat. For a PVC coated fabric dinghy, heat sealed seams are far superior.