Zodiac inflatable boats

[Funfishing]

Has anyone owned one of these b4? How do they perform on water especially when it's windy? Can they hold on water at 40 km/h wind? How fast can they go with a motor? I will be using it primarily for fishing. Any advice is appreciated.

[Ace]

I have a 15' Saturn inflatable with a 20 HP motor on it. With just me it does 20 MPH. Super safe and stable. Never had it out on too rough of a day as I make sure it's decent out when I go, and I stick to the local lakes, so you're never too far from shore.

See ya
Ace

[Tannerdog]

I have a 13' Zodiak as well as other boats. They are generally very safe and stable in most conditions. The speed they will go depends on boat/motor size and set up. Mine has an inflatable center keel that makes planing possible but would not be as fast as a comparable aluminum boat. The main drawback I have found is the loss of interior space due to the size of the air chambers. They are an expensive option for the size of boat you get but well worth it if it fits your boating style (ie: can be deflated and packed in a car)

[Eye'ee]

I have a 14' mercury. On a trailer. It's never been deflated and holds the air for many months at a time. My thoughts are if you fold them up that the creases may leak over time. It also has an inflatable keel. Powered by a 30 hp prop it really moves it along. Also use a 20 hp jet that works ok. These boats are a little small inside because of the tubes however the stability is extraordinary. Several adults can stand on one pontoon and not tip it. It stays suctioned to the water. Kids or adults can go over the side and climb right back in with the low sides and rope loops all along.
BIL has had one for years. 12 footer actual zodiac brand. His family used to water ski and air chair behind it with a 30 hp prop. They used it many many hours.
lots of fun to be had with these boats.

[TROLLER]

Originally Posted by Funfishing

Has anyone owned one of these b4? How do they perform on water especially when it's windy? Can they hold on water at 40 km/h wind? How fast can they go with a motor? I will be using it primarily for fishing. Any advice is appreciated.

If you are out in 40 KM/H wind you will be hugging the shore line for sure. Anyone out in wind like that or above had best be in a deep V boat or start scrambling for shore. The only ones that are safe in a big wind are the 25Ft or larger that the Coast Guard use.

Look on Kijiji and other spots and buy a decent fishing boat.

[Funfishing]

Thanks for the input Guys. So I got mostly the positive feedback, may just go for one, as I really appreciate the feature that they are portable and easy for transportation and storage, and I don't have to pull a trailer everywhere we go.

[Funfishing]

Originally Posted by TROLLER

If you are out in 40 KM/H wind you will be hugging the shore line for sure. Anyone out in wind like that or above had best be in a deep V boat or start scrambling for shore. The only ones that are safe in a big wind are the 25Ft or larger that the Coast Guard use.

Look on Kijiji and other spots and buy a decent fishing boat.

Looks like we posted at the same time Troller. Good warning on the wind! 30 to 40 Km/h is generally the maximum I would get on the water. Deep V boat is indeed ideal for the situation.

There are RIB's (Rigid Inflatable Boats) out there, don't know if anyone is familiar with them. If they are worth the money to buy one?

[oilngas]

I had a 13' Zodiak c/w 10 hp Yammie, nice package, BUT interior space is very limited, it felt more like a 10' tinner when trying to fish. wind was an issue due size of sides in relationship to size of boat. All said it worked with the Motorhome and did the job. The calgary dealer; AutoMarine was excellent they specialize in inflatables, Fire Dept. / rescue Folks, use them. still use them for my tinner n stuff.

[dwedmon]

Maybe check out a porta bote. I have a zodiac knock off and find that in theory they are easy to transport. When you actually use it though you're going to find that you want to use a trailer, especially if the floor is rigid. I switched the a porta bote and it is a lot easier to deploy and transport.

[Jack&7]

Buy it...you won't regret it.

I take my 10 footer and flip it over to strap it down (fully inflated) on the back of the truck. Throw the 10 HP outboard in the back and you are good to go.

It is ridiculous how stable it is. I stand as I troll around.

It is super easy to unload and deploy. Mind you, I do have the wheel kit which attaches to the transom. That is worth it's weight in gold.

[schmedlap]

Originally Posted by Jack&7

Buy it...you won't regret it.

I take my 10 footer and flip it over to strap it down (fully inflated) on the back of the truck. Throw the 10 HP outboard in the back and you are good to go.

It is ridiculous how stable it is. I stand as I troll around.

It is super easy to unload and deploy. Mind you, I do have the wheel kit which attaches to the transom. That is worth it's weight in gold.

I had just a little 11' one for 25 years. Gave it away to someone who wanted to patch the leaks and use it. If you like to go to "hard" places, it is ideal - inflated or not, it could be carried a distance, and paddled, electric motor, or small outboard - easy to launch in the very worst places. Easy to pack up and throw in the small truck box. I even glued a layer of Taymor river raft material to the bottom and used it for combo white water rafting and fishing trips (it will not do this out of the factory, as the bottoms are not very abrasion resistant). Considering the incredible abuse myself and my friends subjected it to, it was a great purchase - lots of very fun and fond memories of its tenure. I probably should have taken better care of it ...?
It was not "fast" with an outboard. Basically a real "plough". But, very stable (like he said, we could stand up and fish with no threat of instability), and it was good in the wind and large waves (so long as one doesn't mind some "splash"). I never felt the least bit threatened of capsizing or swamping, in some terrible conditions, even when, towards its end, it was hourly "pump up" time. i used it all over Alberta, BC, and Yukon. Very "versatile" boat, for anyone who wants to do different things, from fishing large lakes to fishing small and remote ones, rafting remote stretches of river, or just puddling about a stocked trout pond. Not the thing if you want to just fish acessible lakes - get a regular boat and tow it.

[coyotezh]

I have a seamax inflatable. It's beautiful. I am so enjoying it when fishing at the big lake.

[bwackwabbit]

I have a Seamax as well and love it.
Great on any body of water and even has keel guard on the tubes and inflatable keel for skinny water. I have not yet found weather that would shake her. Remember the CG and Military use these on oceans in some pretty nasty weather.

Here she is...
First day
Gettin' her rigged to fish...

Ready to troll..

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Funfishing

Looks like we posted at the same time Troller. Good warning on the wind! 30 to 40 Km/h is generally the maximum I would get on the water. Deep V boat is indeed ideal for the situation.

There are RIB's (Rigid Inflatable Boats) out there, don't know if anyone is familiar with them. If they are worth the money to buy one?

20 km /hr on any mid sized to larger lake is when whitecaps begin to appear.

After 30 km /hr, there will definitely be white caps, smaller boats should not be out there at all - occasional bigger white caps will be crashing over small craft and soaking the deck.

At 40 km /hr it is no fun in a bigger boat either because you are getting tossed around and wet.

I typically don't enjoy anything over 20 km/hr - just can't stay on your trolling track, getting punished moving around the lake and get "sea legs" when you come back to shore after a few hours of that.