HELP: Zodiac Futura Reviews...

[J@mes]

Any more reviews/videos of a Futura in rough waters? Cheers.

[Sharkbyte]

The engine is a 2 stroke Mariner Lightweight 30Hp, James. It has a set of 'Doelfins' on it which seem to do a good job.

It only weighs 48kg.

Certainly seems to have a decent amount of grunt and power to weight ratio, as I've seen a few people on here with pretty disappointing performance on slightly bigger engines.

That said, I do wonder what's going on out there when there are dozens of inflation / outboard setup threads getting posted.

If I stuck a decent 60hp lump on it and only got 37mph I'd be looking to see if a spark plug had fallen out or the prop had a blade missing! Lol

Yes, GPS gives the figures for our speed over ground.

PS. Flat calm water will drop the speed by a couple of knots. Choppy conditions is when it hits top whack. I presume the chop creates less drag with more air going under the hull.

[Sharkbyte]

What do you call 'rough water', James?

[spartacus]

I've used to use a Zodiac MkII Compact Grand Tourism for the last 20 years. The only difference - is the Futura model has inflatable speed tubes. The boat had an interlocking aluminium floor section, inflatable keel, etc. We used this boat for the west coast of Scotland and were out in all sorts of weather including big Atlantic rollers. Always felt safe, but I knew the limitations. The seams (PVC) eventually went on one side (ran under the rope cuff and rowlock). I repaired it - but moved to RIBs a few years back, so now the boat is redundant. Incidentally, Zodiac moved the seam joint to the underside of the tubes on later models to avoid this problem which is due to heat expansion and contraction, an issue in hot climates where the tubes are exposed to UV rays all day long.

The Zodiacs have a relatively shallow inflatable v hull, so they tend to slap in the rough stuff. Having said that, I always found them light, highly maneuverable, very fast, and perfect for exploring the coastline, beaching, etc. The Futura design (speed tubes) lifts the boat out of the water, so it corners like it's on rails, planes easily, etc. Part of the trouble with Zodiacs is they're light, so getting ballast up front (my brother in my case) and it handled like a dream.

We had a Yamaha 25hp 2-stroke on the Zodiac. Bear in mind the boat was built every holiday on the slipway. It was moored at a local pier, and then when the holiday was over, washed, dismantled, then stored for the season. The 25hp would be about as big as I'd want to go if I was manhandling it myself. The boat was rated to 40hp, but that's definitely a 2-man job to lift on and off, but something we did consider.

60hp, even 2-stroke, is going to be very heavy. I have a Tohatsu 2-stroke on my RIB and it weighs in at 115kg, and would be an absolute brute to try and move on a regular basis.

Because your boat is going to be inflated for the season and hoisted into the water, then an engine you're comfortable man-handling and storing is key. If you can find a Yamaha 40hp 2-stroke, then I can't rate them highly enough. I used to have the same engine on a Zodiac Pro. The 40V model is an absolute delight to use. Very easy to maintain, excellent power to weight ratio, and if you opt for manual lift and trim, then one less thing to worry about, without a battery to store. The Yamaha 50G model which uses the same powerhead and weighs the same would be a good bet too. They're favoured by commercial fisherman, and nigh impossible to find, although you never know. These 2-stroke models have Autolube so no need to pre-mix oil.

Occasionally Zodiac Futura MkIIIs with engines come on the second-hand market. If it were me, I'd opt to buy the boat brand-new with a seating and console kit, and source a second-hand engine. The stern wheels would be a good bet for your particular circumstances, although they do look plug-ugly.

Good luck.

[J@mes]

Originally Posted by Sharkbyte

The engine is a 2 stroke Mariner Lightweight 30Hp, James. It has a set of 'Doelfins' on it which seem to do a good job.

It only weighs 48kg.

Certainly seems to have a decent amount of grunt and power to weight ratio, as I've seen a few people on here with pretty disappointing performance on slightly bigger engines.

That said, I do wonder what's going on out there when there are dozens of inflation / outboard setup threads getting posted.

If I stuck a decent 60hp lump on it and only got 37mph I'd be looking to see if a spark plug had fallen out or the prop had a blade missing! Lol

Yes, GPS gives the figures for our speed over ground.

PS. Flat calm water will drop the speed by a couple of knots. Choppy conditions is when it hits top whack. I presume the chop creates less drag with more air going under the hull.

What do you call 'rough water', James?

Glad to hear your 32mph speed is via GPS! So I would say its fair to assume Zodiac quote their speed rating of 37mph with the min recommended engine of 40HP, seams reasonable that 10 extra HP (a third more power) gives the boat 5mph extra. Also I swear when I was looking at buying my current Zodiac, I remember seeing the Futura in the broacher and the biggest one then could have a max of 50HP and It had a pic of it flying along and it said 50mph* was achievable but it had an astrix, and at the bottom of the page the astrix said this was acheived with a certain Yamaha 50HP engine with a special long pitched prop, something like that anyway!

Like you say, I would defiantly think a 60HP engine would do more than the quoted 37mph unless it was running on 2 cylinders! lol


I would call "rough waters" in Mallorca (obviously different here!) as similar to your video of choppy waters but also with some choppy swell in certain parts and also in the height of summer when you literally have 200 big boats going back and forth each day near us, their swell/waves create another playing field!

Either way the waters out there are a boaters paradise people always say, its just I was a little anxious about the Futura's hull because I am used to a RIB which obviously cuts through the water/waves better, but then again I am only used to a small 3.4m RIB, so a 4.5m Futura being that much longer should help to ride the waves better in that respect I think?!

[J@mes]

Originally Posted by spartacus

I've used to use a Zodiac MkII Compact Grand Tourism for the last 20 years. The only difference - is the Futura model has inflatable speed tubes. The boat had an interlocking aluminium floor section, inflatable keel, etc. We used this boat for the west coast of Scotland and were out in all sorts of weather including big Atlantic rollers. Always felt safe, but I knew the limitations. The seams (PVC) eventually went on one side (ran under the rope cuff and rowlock). I repaired it - but moved to RIBs a few years back, so now the boat is redundant. Incidentally, Zodiac moved the seam joint to the underside of the tubes on later models to avoid this problem which is due to heat expansion and contraction, an issue in hot climates where the tubes are exposed to UV rays all day long.

The Zodiacs have a relatively shallow inflatable v hull, so they tend to slap in the rough stuff. Having said that, I always found them light, highly maneuverable, very fast, and perfect for exploring the coastline, beaching, etc. The Futura design (speed tubes) lifts the boat out of the water, so it corners like it's on rails, planes easily, etc. Part of the trouble with Zodiacs is they're light, so getting ballast up front (my brother in my case) and it handled like a dream.

We had a Yamaha 25hp 2-stroke on the Zodiac. Bear in mind the boat was built every holiday on the slipway. It was moored at a local pier, and then when the holiday was over, washed, dismantled, then stored for the season. The 25hp would be about as big as I'd want to go if I was manhandling it myself. The boat was rated to 40hp, but that's definitely a 2-man job to lift on and off, but something we did consider.

60hp, even 2-stroke, is going to be very heavy. I have a Tohatsu 2-stroke on my RIB and it weighs in at 115kg, and would be an absolute brute to try and move on a regular basis.

Because your boat is going to be inflated for the season and hoisted into the water, then an engine you're comfortable man-handling and storing is key. If you can find a Yamaha 40hp 2-stroke, then I can't rate them highly enough. I used to have the same engine on a Zodiac Pro. The 40V model is an absolute delight to use. Very easy to maintain, excellent power to weight ratio, and if you opt for manual lift and trim, then one less thing to worry about, without a battery to store. The Yamaha 50G model which uses the same powerhead and weighs the same would be a good bet too. They're favoured by commercial fisherman, and nigh impossible to find, although you never know. These 2-stroke models have Autolube so no need to pre-mix oil.

Occasionally Zodiac Futura MkIIIs with engines come on the second-hand market. If it were me, I'd opt to buy the boat brand-new with a seating and console kit, and source a second-hand engine. The stern wheels would be a good bet for your particular circumstances, although they do look plug-ugly.

Good luck.

Great right up mate, thanks!

[spartacus]

Example of the Yammie 50G 2-stroke I was talking about. Sweet engine... Avon Adventure A4.0 RIB, Yamaha 50hp Outboard in immaculate condition | eBay

[J@mes]

Originally Posted by spartacus

Example of the Yammie 50G 2-stroke I was talking about. Sweet engine... Avon Adventure A4.0 RIB, Yamaha 50hp Outboard in immaculate condition | eBay

Nice boat, I have emailed him asking how heavy it is!

As for the engine, yea I know those Yam 2 strokes are good, I have the 25HP version!

[BumbleAbout]

Yup - we had the Yammy 50 2 stroke and it was great !

[888pg]

I have a 4.5 Futura MK 3 HD with an Evinrude etec 60 hp, 5 seats and console steering, based in Mallorca. Max speed 32 knots with one person on board on flat water. Very economical @ 3000rpm 18 knots. Will easily pull a 70 kg skier but would not easily pull a heavy skier out of the water. Good in rough water but can be a bit bumpy at speed due to the flat hull. Transom wheels can be fitted in the water but they are a bit buoyant so it isn't easy and they are not very useful. The engine is too heavy to remove without a winch which I have in the garage. In practice, dismantling the boat after use is not worth the effort and mine stays inflated on a trailer with the engine attached when not in the water. The trailer is too long to fit in a garage with the boat. Mine is therefore stored in a boatyard when not in use. Hope this answers all of your questions. Feel free to ask more.

[prairie tuber]

Hi James,

My apologies if I had missed this earlier in the thread, but are you able to keep the boat assembled when not in use, or would you need to disasemble each time?

If you are able to keep it assembled, why not keep it on a hand dolly with beach floatation wheels? This would be much easier on the boat than using transom mounted launching wheels. With those steps, transom mounted launching wheel would place a tremendous amount of stress on the transom when trying to get up and over them.

I have a 4.7 meter SIB with a 40 hp which I had originally envisioned hauling in the back of a pick up truck, and assembling and disassembling with each use and using launching wheels to launch. While I can do it with another fit person, it is still a lot of work of work (my boat without motor weighs somewhere around 180-200 Kg). The the disassembled boat, motor & fuel tanks pretty much filled the box of the pick up truck, thus requiring a utility trailer if I also had a bunch of camping gear that I wanted to take.

I have since bought a trailer and keep it on that which is much more convenient, but does require the extra storage space (which may be worth looking into). Once I was able to keep the boat assembled it go used far more frequently than when it had to be assembled. I found that other friends were willing to help me assemble the boat once, but not twice

Now that I have a trailer, I am wondering if I should have gone with the 5.3m version of my SIB.

[J@mes]

Originally Posted by 888pg

I have a 4.5 Futura MK 3 HD with an Evinrude etec 60 hp, 5 seats and console steering, based in Mallorca. Max speed 32 knots with one person on board on flat water. Very economical @ 3000rpm 18 knots. Will easily pull a 70 kg skier but would not easily pull a heavy skier out of the water. Good in rough water but can be a bit bumpy at speed due to the flat hull. Transom wheels can be fitted in the water but they are a bit buoyant so it isn't easy and they are not very useful. The engine is too heavy to remove without a winch which I have in the garage. In practice, dismantling the boat after use is not worth the effort and mine stays inflated on a trailer with the engine attached when not in the water. The trailer is too long to fit in a garage with the boat. Mine is therefore stored in a boatyard when not in use. Hope this answers all of your questions. Feel free to ask more.

Where abouts in Mallorca do you use it?

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

Hi James,

My apologies if I had missed this earlier in the thread, but are you able to keep the boat assembled when not in use, or would you need to disasemble each time?

If you are able to keep it assembled, why not keep it on a hand dolly with beach floatation wheels? This would be much easier on the boat than using transom mounted launching wheels. With those steps, transom mounted launching wheel would place a tremendous amount of stress on the transom when trying to get up and over them.

I have a 4.7 meter SIB with a 40 hp which I had originally envisioned hauling in the back of a pick up truck, and assembling and disassembling with each use and using launching wheels to launch. While I can do it with another fit person, it is still a lot of work of work (my boat without motor weighs somewhere around 180-200 Kg). The the disassembled boat, motor & fuel tanks pretty much filled the box of the pick up truck, thus requiring a utility trailer if I also had a bunch of camping gear that I wanted to take.

I have since bought a trailer and keep it on that which is much more convenient, but does require the extra storage space (which may be worth looking into). Once I was able to keep the boat assembled it go used far more frequently than when it had to be assembled. I found that other friends were willing to help me assemble the boat once, but not twice

Now that I have a trailer, I am wondering if I should have gone with the 5.3m version of my SIB.

Thanks for the replies guys!

After all that I went for a RIB! First of all I won a mk2 Futura (4.2m with 50hp yam) on ebay, but fortunately it wasn't anywhere near as good as described so I didn't buy it, but it did enable me to test drive it, and tbh I was left very disappointed. Now I am sure this is mainly due to the condition it was in, but still. Anyway, I have now ended up with a 4.2m rib with 50hp Tohatsu 2 stroke injection engine, and despite me saying I cant use a trailer, I am and I made special ramps for it to go up the steps on the slip way!

Thanks for all the help though! lol

[Peter_C]

Pictures? How are you pulling the trailer up the ramp? Did you get checked out on the hoist?

[J@mes]

Yea the crane was serviced and takes 2 tones! =D

I made ramps using scaffolding planks so the trailer can roll up the steps onto the slip way. I have only brought the bought in once, and we used the winch on the trailer to an anchor point opposite the slip way to pull the trailer up, but what a pain in the back side (with 3 adults pulling!!!) we really struggled to get it up the ramp onto the slip way! The ramps I made flexed A LOT in the middle with the weight of the boat/trailer so next time I will put a breeze block in the middle of each plank to help stop it flexing.

I am going back out there in a few days so will actually try a different method, as my friend who helped me suggested. I know it sounds stupid that we didn't do it this way originally, but basically the plan is to crane the boat straight in and straight out of the water! Once we got the RIB onto the boat deck my friend was like, how far down does the crane's hook go, sure enough lol it goes right to the water, so in hindsight we should have tried craning it straight out of the water! The problem is the front of the RIB will hit the step/slip way so I plan to attached a rope to each ski/towing eye and have two people holding the RIB backwards so as its lifted the front clears the step/slip way. I hope this works, fingers crossed it will as it should make life a lot easier and that way the trailer can stay on the boat deck above and never have to go in the water!

Also as a back up plan in case we struggle to hold the RIB back to prevent damage to the front of it on the step/slipway, I have bought a pulley, this one in fact... 50MM Awning Pulley Single Nylon Sheave Fixed Elongated Eye

The back up plan is to attach a couple of meters of rope to the anchor point (eye) in the wall opposite the slip way and put the above pulley on the end. Then lower the crane's hook straight down to a couple of meters above the floor and attach a length of rope to it, and then feed this rope through the pulley and then attach it to the trailer in the water and let the crane do the hard work of pulling the RIB/trailer out of the water!


Here are a couple of pictures for you...

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2.../Photo2063.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2.../Photo2057.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2.../Photo2154.jpg

James

[Northern Pike]

Originally Posted by 888pg

I have a 4.5 Futura MK 3 HD with an Evinrude etec 60 hp

Did you consider a 50, or have you tried one? I'm trying to sell my 40 so I can get an ETEC. Wondering about 50 (max. recommended) or 60 (Max. allowed); whether the difference will be noticeable. What year is your 60?
Apparently the 60 has a water valve that alters the exhaust tuning. I'm wondering if the extra complication is worth the potential for extra trouble when it fails or needs service/adjustment.

[Sharkbyte]

I'm staggered that a 60Hp Etec can only reach 32 knots.

[J@mes]

Originally Posted by Sharkbyte

I'm staggered that a 60Hp Etec can only reach 32 knots.

I was surprised too, but to be fair Zodiac quote 37.3mph (32.4 Knots) as the top speed so it must be! You know how it is though, it always feels faster than what your actually doing! lol

[Northern Pike]

FWIW, I went from a 15 pitch to a 17 pitched prop on my 40 and only gained about 2 mph, maxing out at about 31 mph. I think the hull is main the limiting factor now. I'm hoping more HP might gain me a little more speed, but also will allow me to reach close to max speed with a greater payload, i.e. 3 or 4 fully kitted divers.
Which again makes me wonder if I need to go with 60 HP, or if 50 might suffice.

[J@mes]

I would say if you can afford to get a 60HP engine then do it. If your buying a second hand engine I cant imagine there will be much price difference from 50hp to 60hp, though I am sure there will be a lot more 50hp engines to choose from!

Another reason why I would go for a 60hp over a 50hp is because I don't think a 50hp will cut the mustard after coming from a 40hp, its only a 25% increase, where as the 60hp is a 50% increase in power!

Good luck either way!

[Sharkbyte]

I'd say that an Etec 40Hp would be just about the worst possible engine to have on a Futura - I now doubt that the 50Hp would be much better. The 40/50/60 all weigh in at a mammoth 110kg!

IMO, it's the sheer weight of some of these modern outboards that's the limiting factor. I'd say that they are probably more suited to a solid hulled vessel if it's out and out performance people are after.