Inflatable boats

[flygirrl]

Looking at the inflatable boats lately and was wondering if there are any thoughts on the best ones. Wooden floor vs air floor vs aluminum floor etc. bought a used Zodiac 7'8 but find it to small so going to sell it and buy a 10 or11 footer. Just can't fit Maggie my lab on the pontoon boat. Don't even know who carries them.

[Kingfisher]

The true Zodiac and Metzler boats are made from Hypalon fabric. They will last from 20 years plus. The newer boats out there are way cheaper but will only last 10 to 15 years if they are looked after. They are made from PVC fabric. You can read all about it at this link. http://www.allinflatables.com/support/fabrics.html

As for a floor, do not bother with just an inflateable floor. Not for the dog. I had one and ended up making my own plywood floor. The plywood works great for a floor. The aluminum is a bit harder to put together. But it gives you the most ridgid floor. So with the dog your probably best to go with the aluminum. Even though they are a bit of a PIA to put together.

There are several knock off models that are on the market today. They are priced at about 1/3 the cost of the Zodiac boats. So if they last you 10 years then you just go patch it and keep going or give it to some kids to play in the lake with. Buy yourself another and away you go.

Rob

Check out Zebec's Air Deck......much superior to an air floor. You can stand on it no problem in the water and it doesn't add much weight to the boat. Mine works great with the dog too.

[jungleboy]

I bought my Seamax form Kaygee boats last year and am very happy with it . I was looking hard at the Zebec boats but couldn't justify paying 3 times the price.It has the aluminum floor . For ease of setup I think I would go air floor next time though. I run a 9.9 on it ,but wish I had a 15 .

If money is not an issue then Zebec for sure , otherwise the Seamax brand is a good one.

[Da'Newf]

I bought a SeaBright Marine (outfit out of Nova Scotia) 380 PVC boat 12.5' with 17" diameter pontoon. No issues with wife, kid, Lab/Akita cross dog, gas tank and 5hp motor (was free), and 50lb electric motor and battery. They have both the PVC and Hypalon materials (PVC obviously cheaper). Haven't had any issues with it at all. Been out on some bigger lakes in a bit of a breeze with that 5HP motor going and the boat was that smooth I could stand up and look around. Have even tried fly fishing from it - really stable boat! I haven't quite got the knack of fly fishing, but my little girl had fun running the trolling motor trying to keep us in position. haha

Pretty much all the boats come out of the same batch of factories in Korea and China. Even Zodiac's smaller line - Cadet I think is the model type - is made in Korea. Built to the specs of the invidual seller/distributor here in North America.

Just rechecked the Seabright website - looks like they changed up the model of boat that I bought. Looks like they added another color. I really like the new black with red stipe. Oh well. Not gonna complain about mine - it floats and gets me out at the fish! hehe

[coyotezh]

i bought seamax but haven't got any chance to try it yet......but I did set it up at my basement... it looks well made. Price is good. only a grand with aluminum floor (10.5 feet)

[fish&fry04]

Hi Flygirl;

Same as poster above. We bought a Seamax 13.8 foot for a family of 4, we just picked up a 25hp yamaha so the kids can kneeboard behind it. Ours has an aluminum floor. I had it put together for the first time in about 1.25hr including aluminum floor, and using the foot pump. The floor can be a pain, but I did hear that all manufacturers are soon stopping making the wood floors (alum just stands up better). There is an inflatable specialty store in Calgary, I have talked to the service guy at length; report is Seamax and most brands are all the same and just fine, and given we do not moore the boat inflated all the time PVC should be just fine (Hypalon stands up better to longer term environmental exposure). I am glad I did speak to him about the boats, he gave excellent advice (make sure you have correct PSI at all times or transom can separate, put boat in water, recheck PSI in 15 min). small repairs to PVC can easily be done. I am confident with our purchase.

We chose inflatable due to its portability (campers, and stability with the kids, and versatility (can kneeboard, go in ocean, go in +++ shallow water). You cannot sink these boats, with kids and a dog moving around in the boat they are the most stable.

I bought online through Seamax Canada (from Richmond B.C.), their service so far excellent in any questions or things I needed. They have a good reputation so far. The 13.8 foot Sport 420 cost $1499.00 and came with free electric pump (12V), free shipping.

All that being said we have yet to take it on maiden voyage, hopefully will this week-end. If you want more info or to see, PM me.

From another flygirl.

[slivers86]

What do these seamax run in the 14ft alum bottom?

[prosnowsk8er]

i'm also looking into one of these boats, mostly want to float the bow with it tho, what do you guys think? good option for the bow?

[fish&fry04]

Yes our 14' has aluminum bottom, knowing our usage and family, I wouldn't go for air floor. Huge capacity and stability that cant be matched by tinnies.

I would say great for the bow, that is one of the reasons we bought one, if you deflate the keel, which you can do easily in seconds, you only need 2-3 inches of water to float! I do know of some guides that use them there. But these boats are not to be abused by pulling up onto ice and rocks roughly.

[ericlin0122]

i have seamax 12' aluminum floor. It's great boat. Very stable. And great price.
However, if I would have had the chance to choose again, I will go with 12' airfloor. Reasons:
1) aluminum floor is heavy and to assemble the floor takes sometime, once it's setup I have no complain. I don't have a trailer, only use the launching wheels when I have to move the boat. if you have a trailer that's another story. my boat comes with 12v pump, I am impressed by how fast it pumps up the boat. If I have an airfloor, it will make my life much easier.

2) from the fishing I do, I dont think I ever going to put a 15hp+ on it. A 55lb electric motor already meets my needs. Even if I put a 6hp on it later, I don't really think there is a difference in between the performance of these two types of floors with low hp motors.

[fish&fry04]

True enough about the floor, it is important to remember if you plan to use anything greater than a 10hp, then aluminum floor is the way to go.

[Yéil]

Flygirrl, we're looking into an inflatable as well. We just bought a new travel trailer, so we're looking for something that we can load in the trailer. I spent most of my naval career scooting around the harbours in a RHIB.. so I'm hooked on the inflatables.

[camshaft]

Have had both a 12ft Saturn air floor, and recently purchased a Seamax hd380 with thicker fabric. If u use a gas motor, I can assure you that you do NOT want an air floor, period.

Get a aluminum floor the first time and dont make the mistake I did. There are so many manufacturers now to choose from that offer excellent boats. I like the specs a lot of the Seamax line. I also bought it to be my boat while camping. I have a 20hp tohatsu, that I cant wait to use.

[Marsha]

They may be cheaper but you will get screwed by the warranty.

examples
The copy original receipt of purchase will be required upon submission of a warranty claim and must clearly detail the date of purchase, the company where you purchased, the product and and the sales receipt number.

What was the point of registering the boat the have this thrown in your face and denied ??

Warranty Coverage: The boat’ hull, floor, all hull attachments and accessories, but not limited to, floorboards. seats, rope holders, oar locks, oars, rope, air pump, lifting handles, D rings, oar holders, valves, seat webbing, and transom integrity are covered by this Limited Warranty for one (1) year from the date the product is first sold. All the air holding fabrics are warranted against defects in material or workmanship that cause blistering and delaminating for three (3) years for all seams and five (5) years for Duratex (PVC) fabrics. The repair, replacement of parts, or the performance of service under this warranty does not extend the life of this warranty beyond its original expiration date. Unexpired warranty coverage can be transferred to a subsequent purchaser upon proper registration of the product.

They love to stick you with the one condition and a friend had his rejected for seam problem after 18 months, reason given to much UV exposure

I will not ever deal with seamax again, myself and a friend that I recommended the seamax to( ohhh I wish I hadn't) we got screwed..

I bought a Zebec Neplus last year and have met with many satisfied customers of Rons of Zebec Boats Edmonton. Ron was very careful to explain all details of the warrenty to me along with proper care of my boat.

[camshaft]

Curious, what was the warranty issue u needed addressed?
In reality, the Zebec is probably the exact same boat, made in the exact same Korean plant and rebranded....Just like 50 other manufacturers.

I agree though, warranty should be a importantt part of any buying process. I myself have been lucky thus far....

Zebec has nice models, but $3500 (at one point) for a 12.5 armada...that price is mighty high IMO

[50/50]

I went with a Sea Eagle inflatable. Been 5 years now . Its towed behind another boat and used to go ashore , Its been dragged up the shore on shells and rocks and never had a leak . For the $1100 its perfect for my use . The airfloor is great and it all stores in a 75 lb bag. I do use the UV protectant once a year on it.

[Marsha]

They had me fill out a warranty card, and submit it . Have a leak between chambers.
I then get hit with no invoice no warranty, I was told that the registration of warranty was for this problem making the warranty good any where I go. Buy the boat in BC and no support here, go back to BC and dealer wants invoice 18 months later then starts to list things that voided the warranty, uv exposure being the big one.

[fish&fry04]

how can they actually tell how much UV exposure there is? Fabric fading?

In my opinion inflatable boats have many benefits, and have versatility that many other boats cannot meet. Many people buy inflatables as simply a tender boat, or kid runner and nothing more, and do not pay the attention these boats need. If you want a boat you can stick in the water and not have to care about, buy aluminum, fabric is not invincible.

There are several points about inflatables the owner must be very careful about, protecting the PVC, chemically and physically, PROPER PSI in chambers AT ALL TIMES (or you will write off your boat because your transom has separated), and paying attention to what may come in contact with the boat!

If nearly every fire department water rescue service and other emergency service uses these types of boats, that is good enough for me; but I have seen the expensive brands of these boats pre-maturely aged and destroyed by improper use and care too.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by Marsha

They had me fill out a warranty card, and submit it . Have a leak between chambers.
I then get hit with no invoice no warranty, I was told that the registration of warranty was for this problem making the warranty good any where I go. Buy the boat in BC and no support here, go back to BC and dealer wants invoice 18 months later then starts to list things that voided the warranty, uv exposure being the big one.

sadly in the 21st century , most warranties are not worth the paper they are written on anyway. Seems you pays your money and you takes your chances.

[g_trout]

For another option check out www.cataraft.com. I haven't seen them in person but they look like a good option for something bigger than a single seat pontoon

[Da'Newf]

Originally Posted by camshaft

Curious, what was the warranty issue u needed addressed?
In reality, the Zebec is probably the exact same boat, made in the exact same Korean plant and rebranded....Just like 50 other manufacturers.

I agree though, warranty should be a importantt part of any buying process. I myself have been lucky thus far....

Zebec has nice models, but $3500 (at one point) for a 12.5 armada...that price is mighty high IMO

Haven't had any warranty issues with the Seabright Marine 12.5' boat yet. But we did run in to an issue where UPS managed to damage the boat during shipping. Had a replacement pretty quick (less than a week). No issues with the company getting it replaced - even the guy at UPS was pretty good about it as he saw the damage and understood what was wrong right away.

Price was around $1500 plus shipping I think it was. Yeah - I looked at the Zebec boats where the guy was bad mouthing all the "Chinese" made stuff, trying to tell me the Zebec line was made here in North America. Did my research and confirmed it was Korean made. At least with Seabright they tell you not only where it was made, but where the PVC material came from. Apparently there had been an issue with the Korean PVC at one point some years ago, so they switched to German made PVC. Zodiac tries to be secretive about the PVC in their lower consumer line, but its Korean as well if memory serves me.

[Thundercatcher]

are there one man pontoons that your feet don't get wet or do you have to have your feet in the water.

[flygirrl]

Originally Posted by Thundercatcher

are there one man pontoons that your feet don't get wet or do you have to have your feet in the water.

Yes. Most pontoon boats have a place to put your feet on. Might get wet getting in though

[flygirrl]

Well I did it. Just got back from Edmonton. Just bought the Seamax HD330 with alluminum floor. Was a debate over air vs alluminum but with the dog I chose the alluminum. The boat is 10"8 inches. Also invested in the wheels for it to transport from the truck to the water. Should be an adventure assembiling it. Thanks for all your advise...

Keep your hooks in the water

[Thundercatcher]

cool! That kind of boat wouldn't fit in a car , right. Just looking for something that would fix

[Yéil]

Originally Posted by flygirrl

Well I did it. Just got back from Edmonton. Just bought the Seamax HD330 with alluminum floor. Was a debate over air vs alluminum but with the dog I chose the alluminum. The boat is 10"8 inches. Also invested in the wheels for it to transport from the truck to the water. Should be an adventure assembiling it. Thanks for all your advise...

Keep your hooks in the water

Congrats FG, I'll be looking forward to your reports on how you like it once you get it in the water.

[flygirrl]

Just put the boat together. Don't think it took a half hour, floor in no problem, stringers in no problem.. Took longer to install the wheels on the transom than putting the boat together. Maiden voyage tomorrow if it's not pouring rain. Yup would fit into a car if you want to assemble and deassemble the boat. It all fits in a bag. Weight is a little up there, 122 lbs but with the detatchable wheels on it. It is easy to pick up and move around.

[gilbertslake]

Originally Posted by flygirrl

Looking at the inflatable boats lately and was wondering if there are any thoughts on the best ones. Wooden floor vs air floor vs aluminum floor etc. bought a used Zodiac 7'8 but find it to small so going to sell it and buy a 10 or11 footer. Just can't fit Maggie my lab on the pontoon boat. Don't even know who carries them.

I bought an Aquamarine 9.8ft from BC to use as a tender for my sail-boat. It is PVC and an aluminum floor and inflatable keel. Price has gone up a bit since I bought the 9.8 but still a good deal. The 12ft is selling for $1149 + S&H and tax.
The one thing I find with the aluminum floor is that you need to install the floor with the boat half inflated, as it is a tight fit.
I realize FG has bought a boat but this is the Aquamarine site, in case someone else is looking for a boat:
http://www.aquamarineboat.com/

[fishmania]

Purchase a Zodiac cadet 10.2(Made in France)Not Korean or China as another member said above the lower end models Zoom etc are asian made
Did a ton of research before deciding on the higher end Zodiac and dont regret paying more money for a better quality product excellent warranty