Anyone been in a Zodiac?

[Kharon]

I'm thinking about selling my 12 foot aluminum row boat and trailor, keeping the Evenrude engine and buying a Zodiac. Can't dive from the row boat but think I could from a Zodiac. If I'm carefull I think I could fish from it too.

Any opinions? Do they have to be always inflated or can they be uninflated for transport and between uses? Any other considerations that I should know about?​

 

[graham_s]

You certainly can dive from a Zodiac, I've done it myself, and they (or boats like them) are incredibly popular with diving clubs in the UK.
We used to partially deflate ours when not in use to reduce strain on the seams from temp changes.

 

[Rich Keller]

In the "Boats and Boating" section there is a sub forum dealing with inflatable boats. You might do better posting your question there. As for diving from one there should be no problem, lots of people use them.

 

[Bhtmec2]

Almost evey weeked.......

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[Kharon]

In the "Boats and Boating" section there is a sub forum dealing with inflatable boats. You might do better posting your question there. As for diving from one there should be no problem, lots of people use them.

Thanks for the heads up. When I was looking for a place to post I didin't see tht forum.

 

[TSandM]

I've dived from a 12 foot Zodiac. It's fine for two people, but almost unmanageably crowded for four, even for a single dive. There are some considerations -- it's really not possible to put any kind of ladder on such a small RIB, so you have to have gear lines to hook your equipment to, and take it off in the water. It can be a challenge to get up over the pontoons, and SOMEBODY has to manage it without help. (I could never solo dive off a RIB, because in a dry suit, I would never make it back on the thing.)

 

[danvolker]

I've dived from a 12 foot Zodiac. It's fine for two people, but almost unmanageably crowded for four, even for a single dive. There are some considerations -- it's really not possible to put any kind of ladder on such a small RIB, so you have to have gear lines to hook your equipment to, and take it off in the water. It can be a challenge to get up over the pontoons, and SOMEBODY has to manage it without help. (I could never solo dive off a RIB, because in a dry suit, I would never make it back on the thing.)

I have to agree. Last time I pulled myself up on to a zodiac ( a really huge one), getting over the pontoon was work. No way with tank on!.... However, if they just had a rope you could pull yourself with, or better still, a rope ladder, then once gear was off, getting back on would be simple. You would have to tie the rope to an oarlock on the far side, or some structure on a big Zodiac.
The one I got on last was a Sheriff's Zodiac, when I was helping on a recovery effort. It was probably a 30 foot zodiac, and the size of the pontoons was ridiculous to pull up over, with no ladder or rope!

 

[BluewaterSail]

I'm thinking about selling my 12 foot aluminum row boat and trailor, keeping the Evenrude engine and buying a Zodiac. Can't dive from the row boat but think I could from a Zodiac. If I'm carefull I think I could fish from it too.

Any opinions? Do they have to be always inflated or can they be uninflated for transport and between uses? Any other considerations that I should know about?​

You asked about deflating for storage. They certainly can be deflated for storage. If they have removeable floorboards and no fiberglass keel, they can be rolled up and stored in a rather small space. If you have the fiberglass keel, they will take the space mostly of that keel.

 

[graham_s]

it's really not possible to put any kind of ladder on such a small RIB

My dive buddy had one on his, a rope ladder with a couple of weights to hold the bottom in the water.
It worked surprisingly well.

 

[grf88]

This is the type of dive ladder I use on my 15 ft. Avon inflatable. I still take my gear off in the water and hang it from a line.
#1 Choice for Davits, Cranes & Lifting Devices - Ladders for Inflatables

Inflatables make a very stable dive boat, you can have two big divers doing a backroll off the boat at the same time and the boat barely moves.
The boat can hold 4 recreational divers including extra tanks without too much difficulty although it is a little crowded.