Inflatables

[oldschoolto]

I would not buy it. If you look past the marketing spiel, it's a made in China glued-seam PVC boat. Even a Zodiac's older glued seam boats only lasted a decade or so. These Chinese boats tend to average about 5 years before catastrophic failure. Other problems I've had to fix:
Seat holders disintegrated (cheap nylon strap, no UV resistance)
Rotted transoms (poor quality wood treatment, not water sealed properly)
Leaky valves (loose tolerances, hardened rubber seats)
Sundamaged tube material
Disintegrating factory covers (low UV resistance...kinda silly for a cover)

One of my personal favorites : The factory forgot to silkscreen on the pressure ratings around the valve on one side...so they used a sharpie.

If you do choose to pick up a cheap inflatable, store it inflated in a cool, dark area. I've heard stories of people storing roll-up boats in garages or attics, then pulling them out a month or two later to find all of the seams are starting to fail. Heat and peeling are the bane of anything glued.

For diving, you want a RIB, you want hypalon, you want a trailer, you want a big outboard, and you want some smart tabs (it's tough to get on a plane without them). Best of all, you can stage your gear by just throwing it in the boat. 430 (~14 ft) is a perfect size to accommodate 2-3 divers fairly comfortably.

As of about 2010 or so, ALL of Zodiacs mid-tier and above PVC boats have RF welded seams. It takes an act of god to cause a welded seam to fail.

I thought the Hypertex was a " good " material ? And as far as getting it back in the bag... I drove a flatbed 18 wheeler for years and always had nice tight rolled up tarps... They were 38 ft long with 8' sides (24') ... I'll get it in there......

jim...

 

[Nemrod]

Hypalon is no longer being made, Dupont has ceased production last I heard, EPA thing. So we are going to have to get used to other materials. Zodiacs do not use Hypalon, Decitex or whatever they call it is some sort of plastic and fabric sandwich. The reason nothing is made in the USA anymore is the EPA makes it impossible thus shipping all of the manufacturing overseas where there are no regulations causing far greater pollution and eco-damage.

A keeled, roll up boat of 14 feet plus or minus with a 20 to 30 horse engine is the work horse near shore dive boat.

N

 

[Slance]

Definitely the 14' range is the way to go for 2-3 divers & gear. I would look at the Achilles SU series, one of my favorite Commercial Dive boats. Defender has some leftovers for sale and fair pricing. Discount Marine and Boat Supplies - Inflatable Sales - Defender.

I would suggest Hypalon (Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene coated fabric, generically referred to as "CSM"). NOt a big fan of the PVC fabric for long life expectations, but they have their place in the market.

The Zodiac Grand Raid is a good dive boat, so is the Zodiac Workboat and you cannot beat the sturdiness of the fabric on the WB400.

Good luck.
S-

 

[Sean222]

I couldn't access the link from work, IT security don't ya know. Anyway I just bought a old 13' AVON a 1988 I think. Still in good shape with a 30HP outboard and a trailer. Same here just my wife and I and maybe a 3rd person for boat sitting. I haven't got it in the water yet but will in the next few months. I don't see how you can go wrong.[/QUOTE

With two divers it was fine. I did it with 3. It was doable but tight. You had to take turns suiting up and getting in the water.

 

[KD8NPB]

I thought the Hypertex was a " good " material ? And as far as getting it back in the bag... I drove a flatbed 18 wheeler for years and always had nice tight rolled up tarps... They were 38 ft long with 8' sides (24') ... I'll get it in there...

...

jim...

Typically with the "import boats", the problem isn't the material so much as the construction. The fact that the seams aren't welded is a dealbreaker for me... the glue they use loses its holding power very fast.

Hypalon is no longer being made, Dupont has ceased production last I heard, EPA thing. So we are going to have to get used to other materials. Zodiacs do not use Hypalon, Decitex or whatever they call it is some sort of plastic and fabric sandwich. The reason nothing is made in the USA anymore is the EPA makes it impossible thus shipping all of the manufacturing overseas where there are no regulations causing far greater pollution and eco-damage.

A keeled, roll up boat of 14 feet plus or minus with a 20 to 30 horse engine is the work horse near shore dive boat.

N

You say nose tissues, I say kleenex.

CSE is CSE in my eyes, I call it Hypalon because that is what it is known as.

Zodiac's new hypalon material is actually a 3-layer sandwhich. A CSE exterior, nylon cord middle layer, and a neoprene interior. The neoprene makes for fantastic air-holding with none of the usual "factory leakdown".

Definitely the 14' range is the way to go for 2-3 divers & gear. I would look at the Achilles SU series, one of my favorite Commercial Dive boats. Defender has some leftovers for sale and fair pricing. Discount Marine and Boat Supplies - Inflatable Sales - Defender.

I would suggest Hypalon (Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene coated fabric, generically referred to as "CSM"). NOt a big fan of the PVC fabric for long life expectations, but they have their place in the market.

The Zodiac Grand Raid is a good dive boat, so is the Zodiac Workboat and you cannot beat the sturdiness of the fabric on the WB400.

Good luck.
S-

The Mercury HD series are nice too! They're cheap, and they double up the hypalon over all the usual "wear areas", such as the tops of the tubes. Not only that, but the hypalon material they use is VERY thick.

 

[Sean222]

I couldn't access the link from work, IT security don't ya know. Anyway I just bought a old 13' AVON a 1988 I think. Still in good shape with a 30HP outboard and a trailer. Same here just my wife and I and maybe a 3rd person for boat sitting. I haven't got it in the water yet but will in the next few months. I don't see how you can go wrong.[/QUOTE

With two divers it was fine. I did it with 3. It was doable but tight. You had to take turns suiting up and getting in the water.

Jordan

I was cleaning out some files last night and came up with the owners manuals to the Boat and Motor and all my original
Documents. Give me a call and you can have them.

 

[Nemrod]

Typically with the "import boats", the problem isn't the material so much as the construction. The fact that the seams aren't welded is a dealbreaker for me... the glue they use loses its holding power very fast.



You say nose tissues, I say kleenex.

CSE is CSE in my eyes, I call it Hypalon because that is what it is known as.

Zodiac's new hypalon material is actually a 3-layer sandwhich. A CSE exterior, nylon cord middle layer, and a neoprene interior. The neoprene makes for fantastic air-holding with none of the usual "factory leakdown".

Hypalon is a Dupont trademark for a synthetic rubber. The Hypalon boat I have is actually made from Hypalon material where the Hypalon is impregnated into the nylon fabric material much like a nylon corded rubber tire. It is nothing like the three layer sandwich Zodiac uses. Hypalon is far superior in durability, life and strength and weather resistance. It is also more expensive and as I said, it is no longer being produced commercially by Dupont. When people say Hypalon in the inflatable world they mean Hypalon by Dupont.