Help identifying some Zodiac hardware

[Elcoucho]

I recently acquired a 2005 Zodiac MK 2 GR (Grand Raid). Going over it, cleaning it up and making some small repairs and improvements. I’ve owned several other Zodiacs over the years…but I’m curious about this through-transom bit of hardware. It appears to be a quick attachment point of some sort? I’ll likely remove the doo-dads and plug the holes, but can anyone ID these? Thanks

[Fenlander]

Yes they are the fittings the lower bracket of genuine Zodiac transom wheels clip onto. The top attachment being a key winder type bolt through a hole nearer the top of the transom.

[Elcoucho]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Yes they are the fittings the lower bracket of genuine Zodiac transom wheels clip onto. The top attachment being a key winder type bolt through a hole nearer the top of the transom.

Ahh! I figured it was something along those lines. Thanks for the explanation. I may go with some pivoting aftermarket wheels once I get the rest sorted, but no urgency there.

[Peter_C]

What outboard is going on the Grand Raid?

The factory launching wheels are probably hard to come by these days too. I built my own legs and used Wheeleez 49cm tires which allowed my 500lb Zodiac to travel over soft sand beaches. A bow dolly with smaller Wheeleez tires made it pretty easy. Bigger is most always better for offroad tires.
https://wheeleez.com/wheeleez-boat-launching-wheels/

If you only plan to use launching wheels on hard surfaces these quick deploy wheel setups are nice. https://www.beachmaster.com/

[Fenlander]

No reason not to keep those fittings in place. You will see they are slightly tapered at the end so pull in tight and make a perfect seal.

[Elcoucho]

[QUOTE=Peter_C;875954]What outboard is going on the Grand Raid?

I’m running down the numbers and comparing the Yamaha F25 and the Suzuki DF25. Lighter weight vs smoother idle/low speed operation seems to be the general consensus between the two. It’s a 13’9” boat…and being the Grand Raid it is rated up to 50hp…but 25hp should be perfect for my needs

[Peter_C]

Is the boat going to be trailered? I liked having the extra power of a 40hp, but scuba diving with a team of three means lots of weight.

[User name]

As already mentioned, these are for the launch wheels. It's quite hard to find a set though. I'm on the lookout for them myself too and haven't seen any on eBay for a while.
These mounting points are a common area for water ingress and rot on Zodiac ply transoms so it might be a good idea to plug/seal them if you're not intending to use them.

[Fenlander]

>>>These mounting points are a common area for water ingress and rot on Zodiac ply transoms

From significant personal experience I can't agree. I've had four Zodiacs with these fittings and not a hint of water ingress or rot. The oldest was 40yrs old, then two at 20yrs old and now my current one is 10yrs old. All perfect at those ages.

[Elcoucho]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

Is the boat going to be trailered? I liked having the extra power of a 40hp, but scuba diving with a team of three means lots of weight.

The boat will primarily be kept onshore & under shelter on a creek side property. I have a small trailer for beach launching/storage…But there will be times I’ll deflate and load into my truck, so a manageable engine weight is a must. Two people in the boat on occasion, but mostly solo, so a 25hp should be adequate

[User name]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>>These mounting points are a common area for water ingress and rot on Zodiac ply transoms

From significant personal experience I can't agree. I've had four Zodiacs with these fittings and not a hint of water ingress or rot. The oldest was 40yrs old, then two at 20yrs old and now my current one is 10yrs old. All perfect at those ages.

Well you've been very lucky.

[Fenlander]

Well just look at the OP’s transom in post one image. At 19yrs old immaculate around the area of the fitting.

Surely your image is of an extreme example of a sib such as being abandoned in a garden half full of water for a decade?

[User name]

No, it's one of 4 boats I have that all have the same issue to varying degrees of severity, some in otherwise immaculate condition.

[Elcoucho]

[QUOTE=Fenlander;875973]Well just look at the OP’s transom in post one image. At 19yrs old immaculate around the area of the fitting.

To be fair, my boat was previously used by a fire department as a rescue boat, so in all it’s years I’d imagine it spent very little time actually in the water. It was mostly just stored dry, indoors and inflated. Since one of my stainless fittings is missing, I’ll just plug both holes using 4200, a thru bolt, washers and an acorn nut. That way it’ll be reversible if anyone ever wanted to revert it.

[Fenlander]

>>>it's one of 4 boats I have that all have the same issue to varying degrees of severity,

Fair enough I accept it's your experience but the condition of your transom is massively at odds with pretty well all the sib owners on here. Thank goodness it's not the norm. Must be something in the water.

[Fenlander]

>>>Since one of my stainless fittings is missing, I’ll just plug both holes using 4200, a thru bolt, washers and an acorn nut. That way it’ll be reversible if anyone ever wanted to revert it.

Yep fair enough if you've lost one.

[User name]

Originally Posted by Elcoucho

To be fair, my boat was previously used by a fire department as a rescue boat, so in all it’s years I’d imagine it spent very little time actually in the water. It was mostly just stored dry, indoors and inflated. Since one of my stainless fittings is missing, I’ll just plug both holes using 4200, a thru bolt, washers and an acorn nut. That way it’ll be reversible if anyone ever wanted to revert it.

If it's not too expensive, I could probably send you some spare ones I have knocking around somewhere, but I'd seal them up if I had your boat and didn't intend on using them. Yours looks to be in pristine condition.

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Fair enough I accept it's your experience but the condition of your transom is massively at odds with pretty well all the sib owners on here.

I'd question the relevance, given that most SIB owners on here are weekend warriors with newer boats, only seeing the occasional use for leisure and their boats spend more time in a bag than in water.
It's not exactly analogous to the life-cycle of a boat, particularly one built for professional use.


The one in the photo above is the worst of the 4 and required building a new transom, but all 4 had the same symptoms. Your mileage may vary, but I would seal them if not in use.

[Elcoucho]

[QUOTE=User name;875988]If it's not too expensive, I could probably send you some spare ones I have knocking around somewhere, but I'd seal them up if I had your boat and didn't intend on using them. Yours looks to be in pristine condition.

I’d actually like to get a replacement one if available. Happy to pay a fair amount and can cover shipping. I can fabricate a set of wheels that could use those existing mounting points instead of drilling more holes in the transom…and yes, sealing those fittings in seems like a good plan. Let me know if you can wrangle one up. Thanks!

[tinker]

The condition of that transom indicates its being immersed in water for a considerable amount of time, I have had these transom wheels on 2 sibs, bombard and zodiac and they haven't failed, at least not to a noticeable degree. If the sibs left in water and exposed to rain long term it will fill with water and eventually rot will set in. SIBs aren't cut out for this type of use, IMHO, get a hard boat/rib with a decent bilge pump.

[User name]

Originally Posted by tinker

The condition of that transom indicates its being immersed in water for a considerable amount of time

Nope, It wasn't. It was a search and rescue boat that was in regular use before it was decommissioned and ended up with me. There are loads of projects online where people are tackling this same problem on ageing Zodiacs.

Originally Posted by tinker

I have had these transom wheels on 2 sibs, bombard and zodiac and they haven't failed, at least not to a noticeable degree

How often did you use them though? If you're anything like me, your boat might only touch water for a day or two every few weeks/months. As tough as these boats are, they were never intended to have a shelf-life as long as this.

Originally Posted by tinker

If the sibs left in water and exposed to rain long term it will fill with water and eventually rot will set in. SIBs aren't cut out for this type of use, IMHO, get a hard boat/rib with a decent bilge pump.

I answered that in my previous post, but this wasn't left in water or flooded.