Zodiac 3.9 Nomad RIB Alu Trailering Questions

[fred42]

I currently have a 4m SIB and considering purchase of a new Zodiac 3.9m Nomad RIB Alu (PVC). The 176 lb. boat will have to ride right side up on my RV towed vehicle’s roof rack. No street legal trailer is needed, instead, I am exploring the construction of a light beach capable custom dolly trailer that would hold the boat and facilitate roof loading. Motor would not be carried on the boat. I wanted the groups ideas on a couple of questions:


1. On page 19 of the Zodiac owner’s manual it says: “WARNING!!! THE BOAT MUST REST ON THE BOW LINE. SEE DIAGRAM BELOW.” Does this mean the weight need to rest along the length of the keel bottom? Is that the “bow line”? The diagram is not that helpful.
https://www.zodiac-nautic.com/wp-con...anguages-1.pdf


2. Carry deflated or inflated? I will have a high-speed custom cover made either way. I already have a cover suitable for stationary use if I choose to make a deflated compact travel cover. Main concern is reducing stress on the boat as the travel will be long, fast and very hot.



Thanks very much for any ideas,
fred

[Peter_C]

Welcome to the board

What kind of vehicle are you towing? Got a picture of the rack setup? I would assume a class A RV?

Personally I wouldn't put a cover on an inflatable and tow it all over the country. The reason being covers rub and together they could damage the tubes over time. Always inflated, but 1-2 OPV (Over pressure valves) should be considered mandatory.

Why a RIB? There is something to be said for an aluminum or carbon fiber boat if budget is not of concern. Aluminum boats are a dime a dozen and rarely have anything go wrong physically. Zero maintenance, and they ride upside down solidly. The Zodiac just needs a couple support bunks underneath it like every other boat. Aluminum box with UHMW would work for right side up. Do note there are a ton of sailboats with their inflatables upside down on the bow of the sailboat.

Whatever boat you decide a nice set of transom wheels are great to have. No trailer or dolly needed and you can pull the boat right up on remote beaches as they are always with you. This are brands I like but there are many other cheaper brands. https://www.beachmaster.com/ https://wheeleez.com/product/wheelee...nching-wheels/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Q_8lliuv0&t=1s

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by fred42

I currently have a 4m SIB and considering purchase of a new Zodiac 3.9m Nomad RIB Alu (PVC). The 176 lb. boat will have to ride right side up on my RV towed vehicle’s roof rack. No street legal trailer is needed, instead, I am exploring the construction of a light beach capable custom dolly trailer that would hold the boat and facilitate roof loading. Motor would not be carried on the boat. I wanted the groups ideas on a couple of questions:


1. On page 19 of the Zodiac owner’s manual it says: “WARNING!!! THE BOAT MUST REST ON THE BOW LINE. SEE DIAGRAM BELOW.” Does this mean the weight need to rest along the length of the keel bottom? Is that the “bow line”? The diagram is not that helpful.
https://www.zodiac-nautic.com/wp-con...anguages-1.pdf


2. Carry deflated or inflated? I will have a high-speed custom cover made either way. I already have a cover suitable for stationary use if I choose to make a deflated compact travel cover. Main concern is reducing stress on the boat as the travel will be long, fast and very hot.



Thanks very much for any ideas,
fred

We used to car top a 3.8m rib we found sucking the tubes flat with a vacuum was the best option , looked awful but made a huge difference to the windage particularly side winds when travelling. We just had 2 bunks either side & tied via the bow ring & transom rings no cover as they tend to chafe. Our trailer was purpose made lightweight single spine with simple wedges cut to the shape of the hull sat over the axle two bolts to hold the centre spine to the axle & 2 diagonal straps to give extra rigidity. Think we used 2"×1" box with 1.6mm wall it was so light it used to float on the wheelbarrow style wheels. The long centre piece was clamped to the rack beside the boat for transport. My wife & I could easily get the boat on the roof of a landcruiser.

[fred42]

Thanks all for the suggestions,


I was unaware of the chafing/abrasion issues with a cover. An RV pulling a vehicle is really better off with a SIB I guess. I am rethinking the whole RIB idea. My current catamaran SIB (TrueKit Discovery 4.0) does not handle ocean/bay chop very well. It is an air floor and sometimes feels like you have just strapped a motor to an air mattress. I think monohull SIBs would be stiffer and perform better in this regard. When inflatable SUP boards came out most people were amazed at how hard that new technology was. I will look at monohull SIBs again and see who is trying to form a RIB-type hull and keel with that technology.

[Peter_C]

There are other options too. Like Mantus just released a made in the USA boat (20%off for 4th of July).
https://www.mantusmarine.com/mantus-dinghy/ Whaly boats are heavy, but very sturdy too.

If money is no issue hard to beat carbon fiber for weight and strength.
Made in USA https://aspencarboncat.com/ https://www.ultralight-performance-boats.com/
Shipping be a little much...
https://ast-yachts.com/beach-340/
https://octenders.co.nz/why-oct/

As to SIB's with inflatable floors do a search as there are a bunch of threads with tons on info and experiences. In many ways tucking everything inside is good for safety and fuel mileage.

[fred42]

Thanks Peter,


Those are very interesting. That’s funny, a boat made by an anchor company. I would like to stay in the 4m range and would prefer the safety of an inflatable in the ocean. Budget is 5k-ish USD. My current 4m SIB has a 9psi air floor.


I have been looking at posts here, just realized today SIB talk was allowed. Many of you have pointed out the lack of SIB V hull progress in the industry since the Aerotec went away. The keels I see now (Achilles) are not high pressure but inflated to tube pressure. They are generally shaped like rounded blobs instead of anything resembling a RIB hull. I don’t fully understand the high-pressure technology, so maybe I am expecting too much.


I have not given up on the Zodiac 3.9 RIB. I think there may be a way to transport it safely at highway speeds. Perhaps positioning an extremely soft blanket material between the deflated boat and a custom, well-strapped cover.

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by fred42

That’s funny, a boat made by an anchor company.

Well they do make scuba gear too Their anchors are one of the best all around anchors as tested independently. I bought a 13lb Mantus, which so far outperforms my previous Hooker that dragged...