Beware of JP Marine or JC Marine boats

[Cliff Monson]

I purchased a brand new JP Marine 12' patrol series from JP Marine in San Diego a little over 3 years ago. It only has about 6 hours of use on it and has been stored semi deflated in my garage, never left outside. I went to use it the other day and after inflating to the proper psi the front 2 seams on the tube failed simultaneously! Upon inspection I found that the glue holding the seams together had failed and could easily be pulled apart. I would not be comfortable only fixing to two failed seams as other seams may also be about to fail. The warranty says 5 years for all air holding fabrics. I would think that the manufacturer would want to get this boat back to inspect how this failure occurred and send me a new boat. I called JP Marine and they said that they were bought by another company and their new name is now Inmar Inflatable Boats and my boat is the Inmar380-PT. The website looks pretty much the same and they are still in same location of SanDiego. They said they would not send a replacement however I could buy a new boat for $1000 discount ($2495 new) plus about $400 in freight. That would mean $1900 extra expense for me. In my view they are not standing behind the warranty. When I told them I will post my experience online they threatened to sue me if I did. I say bring it on. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this so I am posting my experience. I would never buy from a company that does not stand behind their warranty.

[office888]

Inflatable boats are an industry of "you get what you pay for".

The expected lifespan of most of these Chinese glued seam boats is about 5 years. Less if the company is utilizing a poor quality adhesive, poor quality material, or if the boat is subjected to a lot of hot sunlight.

[DHLimbrick]

I just pull this type boat out of the dumpster at my marina.
It's a wonderful little thing all the right hand holds, lines, and hardware.
But for the Biggest Mistake I have ever seen has to be the adhesive they used. What a mess.
So I'm gonna take it apart make a template. And remake and sell my little boats to people who work hard for their money and can't afford to throw away thousands of dollars in the trash.
No Wonder, the landfills are called Mt. Trash Mores. There should be huge fines for these type of company's not backing their warranty and then threaten to sue when people complain and try warn others. Shame on your name change bullshit too. Your Cowards

[Ferryman]

Originally Posted by DHLimbrick

I just pull this type boat out of the dumpster at my marina.

It's a wonderful little thing all the right hand holds, lines, and hardware.

But for the Biggest Mistake I have ever seen has to be the adhesive they used. What a mess.

So I'm gonna take it apart make a template. And remake and sell my little boats to people who work hard for their money and can't afford to throw away thousands of dollars in the trash.

No Wonder, the landfills are called Mt. Trash Mores. There should be huge fines for these type of company's not backing their warranty and then threaten to sue when people complain and try warn others. Shame on your name change bullshit too. Your Cowards

Did we just leap into the twilight zone?

[SoCal Hurricane]

Wow… frustrating for sure.

Inmar marine makes great boats. The original boat you bought was as mentioned earlier in this post; “you get what you pay for”. Any inflatable sold for a few thousand dollars brand new is a disposable asset. There is a reason that Zodiac and Wing boats hold their value so well…

When a company acquires another brand and shuts down said brand, they are just buying the marketshare. If they keep the brand alive, then all warranties are typically active and honored. That’s not the case here with Inmar as they shut down the brand.

They currently produce boats that are on par with Zodiac and Wing. I know this first hand.

I know their offer of a deep discount stings… but frankly, they didn’t need to offer it.

We’ve all been burned in one way, shape, or form in life. Sorry to hear that you were on that end of the stick this time.

[DHLimbrick]

Oh I'm not any money. I found the dinghy in the dumpster at my marina.

I'm just going to make my own and maybe few for friends.
With the right adhesives.

One less thing in the landfill.
They are welcome to sue me.
Or better yet.
Offer me a job that will be done correctly.

[SoCal Hurricane]

Gotcha… if you know how to make tubes, and are local to San Diego, let’s talk. I sent you a PM.